Category: Events

September 30, 2014

Goose Island Migration

It’s going to start getting cold soon, so Goose Island is migrating into our area. Starting tonight, Goose Island will be taking over some local bars to pour their favorite and rarest beers while answering questions from beer patrons.

Goose Island started like a lot of breweries. When founder John Hall took a trip to Europe he discovered beers that weren’t widely known in America. In 1988, he returned to America and started brewing in his hometown of Chicago. By 1995, the beer had become so popular that a larger brewery was necessary along with a bottling plant to keep up with demand. With beers ranging from Belgian Style Farmhouse Ales to Cherry Rye, it’s no wonder Goose Island has become as popular as it has.

Goose Island Migration will be at the following places in Kansas City.

Flying Saucer – Tuesday, September 30, 6pm-9pm
Bier Station – Wednesday, October 1st, 5pm-9pm
Gomer’s Midtown – Thursday, October 2nd, 4pm-6pm (with special guest, Steven Waltersdorf, Quality Manager of Goose Island)
The Foundry – Thursday, October 2nd, 8pm-11pm

Each stop will have a selection of Goose Island’s best beers including Lolita Raspberry Sour, The Muddy Imperial Stout, Bourbon County Backyard Rye, Bourbon County Stout, Sofia Farmhouse Ale, Matilda Belgian Strong Pale Ale, 2012 Bourbon County Cherry Rye, 2013 Bourbon County Barleywine, Halia 2013, and more. There will also be giveaways that include glassware and t-shirts.

Kansas City was one of only 32 cities across the nation to be chosen to be in the flight path this year.

September 28, 2014

KC Bier Co Oktoberfest

The Festbier was flowing at KC Bier Co’s 2014 Oktoberfest. The Bavarian atmosphere of KC Bier Co makes it one of the best places to be for an Oktoberfest. Many people dressed up in their finest lederhosen and dirndl to celebrate. A wooden keg containing Festbier was tapped at noon and several bier lovers filled their Maßkrug full of the bier.

Overall, it was a fun time with a Stein Holding Competition, play area for kids, German foods, and a lot of bier drinking. The biers were delicious, as usual. The servers should have been a little more knowledgeable on the history of Oktoberfest and more attentive to their customers. It didn’t have the big feel of Oktoberfest that I would have expected from a German bier place. I got there early enough where parking wasn’t an issue, but I could imagine later in the day it was. The food and some merchandise was marked up in price for the event, which is understandable, but making sure the price tags and signs were current should have been done.

The fest continues today from noon until 9pm with many of the same activities from yesterday. The Stein Holding Competition will be at 3pm and Lederhosen & Dirndl Competition begins at 6pm.

For more information on the event: www.kcbieroktoberfest.com

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September 27, 2014

KC Beer Fest

One of the bigger beer fests in Kansas City is today. The KC Beer Fest has been the most recognizable craft beer fests in the Midwest for over 6 years. With Boulevardia around, it’ll be interesting to see if they can still hold that title.

VIP admittance begins at 1:30pm, but it’d be smart to pre-register for quicker entry. VIP tickets have been sold out for a while, but they added 200 General Admission tickets yesterday. 200 hand picked craft beers from around the world will be served from breweries like Crooked Stave, Santa Fe Brewing, Goose Island, Southern Tier, Brewery Ommegang, and more. There will be live music, giveaways, gourmet food booths, and rare keg tappings.

Bell’s Brewery will be tapping an Imperial Red Ale at 3:30pm, Stone Brewing will be tapping a Barrel Aged Cali Belgique at 4pm, and Firestone Walker will be tapping Stickee Monkee (a Central Coast Quad) at 4:30pm, just to name a few of the rare keg tappings.

SocialHeart, a 100% volunteer managed, hometown, non-profit organization that supports local charities with event planning, fundraising, sponsorship and marketing, is the beneficiary this year.

Need a ride? First time Uber users can use code BEER14 for a free ride up to $20.

September 26, 2014

Oktoberfiesta at Boulevard

Boulevard Pumpkin Ale

A week from today, Boulevard will be hosting a fiesta! A celebration of beer, food, music, and arts will begin at 5pm on Friday, October 3rd, and will feature many fun activities. Complimentary samples of their latest test beer, a sour ale with pumpkin spices, will be the highlight of the event with other fun things such as making Día de los Muertos crafts with Mattie Rhodes Art Center, Chorizowursts to eat, free Freakers with the purchase of two year-round Smokestack 750ml bottles, and more. The event will be at Boulevard’s Tasting Room located at 2501 Southwest Boulevard.

Back in July, I went on a tour (not my first) of Boulevard and asked the guide if he knew when Boulevard would be making a pumpkin beer. He didn’t have an answer and up until yesterday I thought it may never happen. To my surprise, and happiness, they put it on tap a week ago in the Tasting Room. I went by today to try some. It has a strong pumpkin aroma, but it’s not overpowering and the spicy/sour combination is well-balanced. They brew their pumpkin ale with a wort made of Pale Malt, Munich Malt, and Amber Malt that is brewhouse soured with house lactobacillus culture. Following acidification, the wort is boiled and spiced with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Fermentation is carried out by their house Belgian yeast strain.

If you are unable to make it to Oktoberfiesta, make sure to stop by their Tasting Room to try some.