Category: Events

November 22, 2015

Kansas City Has an Amazing Beer Community

It’s not under the best circumstance that more than 100 people will be attending the Friends-giving Bottle Share with Dan the Beer Man on Sunday, November 22, but it shows how the beer community in Kansas City is a pretty amazing community that will go out of their way to support a fellow beer lover.  I won’t go into too much detail other than to say a truly kind and thoughtful person lost someone they cared about.

Ten dozen or so people will be at Screenland Armour bringing a lots of treats including rare beers to raffle, auction, and share; gift cards, beer lights, and other beer related items to raffle and auction; and main dishes and side dishes to enjoy.  There’s a recommended donation of $10 and for every $10 you get a raffle ticket, but no donation is necessary to attend.  They ask that you bring at least one bottle of beer and/or an appetizer to share.  See more on the event on the Facebook event page here.

Aside from the bottle share event above, internet forums like craftbeerkc.com, reddit.com/r/KansasCityBeer, and the various Facebook groups are very active and helpful for all different types.  Need a Love Child No. 3?  You’re likely to find someone willing to trade.  Need to know if an event is good enough to attend?  Ask someone and they can give you an in depth review from experience or you may even get the event coordinator help you out.  If you don’t want to be a part of the community in the real world, our online presence is just as amazing.

If you do want to be a part of the community in the real world and have never attended an event, I can tell you that the beer community is easy to talk to and very welcoming.  With the excitement and growth of the Kansas City beer community, more people become interested in the beer scene here.  Whether you’ve just turned 21 or are just now discovering how amazing beer is, Kansas City is the best place to do it.

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September 22, 2015

High Plains BrewHoff 2015 Recap

One of the many great events from this past Saturday was the High Plains BrewHoff in Brew Lab‘s Old Downtown Overland Park parking lot.  I had planned on attending more events during the day, but I had a small injury in the morning and could only get to the BrewHoff.  Below you’ll find a quick recap and some pictures from the event.

It was a good time overall with a lot of great, unique beers.  It had the same bad/good things as last year.  Bad:  kids, event space too small/too many people.  Good:  the beers, free snacks, water stations, good bands, it was free.  See my review for last year here.

They did try to expedite the entry by having a VIP line and letting people in 30 minutes early  Although a line didn’t start to form until about 12:45pm, by 2pm there was still quite a line.  They did also try to discourage children (and Broncos apparel) by posting on their Facebook, but there were still quite a few kids (and one Broncos hat).

I love the spirit Fuzzy Helmetsof the homebrewers.  There’s so much creativity and passion that goes into each beer and it’s
refreshing to be at the type of event where the server knows what they’re talking about.  Many tents had entertaining setups, from a Craftsmen toolbox keezer to a group of Fuzzy Helmets.

There weren’t as many homebrewers that were in the process of going legit as last year.  Crane, Red Crow, Torn Label, and Double Shift all had a tent last year and are either already open or within a month of opening.  BVH Brewery (Twitter, Facebook, Untappd) will be spending 2016 promoting their beers at several events while working on getting a permanent location.  Mount Anderson Brewery (Untappd) is in talks with Missouri Hy-Vees to start selling 22oz bottles of their beer.  They’ll be brewing and bottling just outside of Peculiar, MO.

Speaking of Mount Anderson, their beers and brewery did really well as far as voting went at the event.  They took first for Best Beer with their Vanilla Milkshake Porter (well deserved).  Click here to see all the winners on High Plains BrewHoff’s Facebook.

High Plains BrewHoff will hold their third BrewHoff next year on Saturday, September 17.

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September 11, 2015

Don’t Have Plans for the Next Month? You Will!

September and October weekends will be stacked with great beer events, takeovers, parties, and brewery openings.  With the cooler weather, you’ll be able to enjoy your beers without sweating your butt off and it’s easier for event planners to get bit more crazy with their events.

This Saturday the 12th, there are 11 different events.  11!  This is the busiest weekend for beer.  Starting as early as 8am and going into all hours of the day and night, locations from Parkville to Blue Springs to Independence to North Kansas City to Lee’s Summit to Kansas City – you get the idea, you will find something for you!  Activities include helping clean a river, finding out winners of a competition, going on a pub crawl, or attending one of the festivals.

September 13-18 is Sour Beer Week at The Flying Saucer.  Sour beers have become popular over the past few year due to the uniqueness of the style.  It’s a risky form of beer brewing, so only a few local breweries have tried their hand at it.  Big Rip expects to release their Tart Cherry Sweet Brown aged in a Pinot Noir barrel in the next month or so and Boulevard has had a few.  Crane Brewing, opening next month, has a variety of sours they’ll be sharing.

SeKC Bier Oktoberfestveral Oktoberfests starting the weekend of September 18th.  I can’t speak of the quality of most because I’ve only been to KC Bier Co‘s last year, but it’s all typically a good time.  Big glasses of beer, German attire, and bratwursts are all common for Oktoberfests.  KC Bier Co promises an even better time than last year with more carnival games, a wooden keg tapping with celebrity tapper Karli Ritter, and a few competitions.

Saturday, September 19, has fewer events than the previous Saturday, but they’re just as good.  North Kansas City is holding a citywide Pint Path.  If you want to ride your bike a bit more south, check out Pub N Pedal.  A scavenger hunt around Kansas City beer locations where you can win prizes.  The Kansas City Beer Fest is also on this day at the Power and Light District.  It’s been around before the recent surge of craft beer lovers, so it should be pretty packed.  The best event of the day is the High Plains Brewhoff.  Mostly one-off beers made by homebrewers and celebrity brewers, this event is perfect for the person who has tried everything.  Best part, the tickets are free.

A lot more Oktoberfests during the weekend of September 25th, with a few, smaller events mixed between.

KMFThings slow down a bit in October as the weather gets cooler.  A few highlights – Crane Brewing and Red Crow Brewing are rumored to be opening, CRAFT Shop, Sip, Feast at Crown Center on the 4th, there will be a beer garden at the Great Midwest Balloon Fest this year on the 23rd & 24th, Sam Adams KMF Grand Cru comes back to Kansas City the week of the 25th, and Big Rip’s Halloween Party will be on Friday the 30th.

Check our calendar for all beer events in Kansas City and be sure to follow us on social media to see pictures from events!

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July 30, 2015

Updated Beer Festival List

Summer is almost over and school is about to be back in session, so it’s time for some fall beer festivals.  Grab your jackets and hats and read through to pick the ones you’ll be attending.  This list is also available on the 2015 Festivals page.

Saturday, August 01

  • 11am-6pm – City Market Free Beer Festival, City Market, Kansas City.   The Pitch hosts the first City Market Beer Fest with 100 beers available for purchase.  $10 for 4 beers or $20 for 10 beers.

Saturday, August 15

  • 1pm-5pm – Zona Rosa Microbrew Fest, Zona Rosa, Kansas City.   Lots of great beers and Missouri Mashers will be doing a competition as a part of the festival.
  • 2pm-6pm – 75th Street Summer Beer Fest, 520 W 75th Street, Kansas City, MO, $35.   A lot of local breweries are listed to be at the Summer Fest in 75th Street’s Alley.

Friday, August 21

Saturday, August 22

Saturday, August 29

  • 1pm-4:30pm – Midwest Microfest, 800 The Midway, Salina, KS, $35 GA, $60 VIP.  If you’ll be in the middle of Kansas on August 29, then this will be a good fest to attend.  Over 20 breweries are set to pour their beer at the event, including Red Crow, Radius Brewing, Goose Island, and River North.  There will also be live music.

Saturday, September 5

  • Festival of the Lost Township, Raytown, MO, $35 ($40 at the door) GA, $100 VIP.  Hosted by Crane Brewing Company, this beer festival also includes meet and greets with local beer celebrities.

Saturday, September 12

  • 2pm-6pm – Tour of Brews, 3365 SW Fascination Drive, Lee’s Summit.  Formerly TKC Real Ale Fest, this beer fest will have one of a kind firkins, live music, and beer demonstrations.  This event is in the middle of a fun-filled weekend in Lee’s Summit that includes a Tour of Towns on Friday, Small Biz Showcase on Saturday, and a community day with an adult scavenger hunt on Sunday.
  • 1pm-6pm – Brewtopia, 4380 S Noland Road, Independence, MO, $30.  Apex Brew and BBQ Supplies hosts their first festival.  Taste a wide variety of beers from over 40 homebrewers and local breweries.  Live music, food, and more.

Saturday, September 19

  • 1pm-5pm –  High Plains Brewhoff, Overland Park, free by invitation.  This fun event that puts you in the judge’s seat asks you to prepare your liver.  Celebrity brewers and homebrewers will be judged by you!  Tickets are now available at Brew Lab.
  • 1:30pm-6pm – KC Beer Fest, Power & Light District, Kansas City, MO, $35 GA, $60 VIP.  This fest has been around for a while, so they’ve got it pretty well organized.  Over 200 craft beers from around the world, rare keg tappings, live music, and food trucks will be spread across two blocks in downtown Kansas City.
  • 5pm-10pm – Village West Wine Fest & Beer, 9400 State Avenue, Kansas City, KS, $75 GA, $150 VIP.  That’s a hefty price tag, but this fest at Schlitterbahn will showcase over 200 wines and 100 beers from around the world, food from over 30 of KC’s finest restaurants, fireworks at 9pm, and dancing from 9pm until midnight.  Limited to 2,000 attendees.

Saturday, October 17

  • 12pm-7pm – KC Brew Fest Fall Edition, Union Station, 30 W Pershing Rd, Kansas City, MO, $40.  Split between two sessions (12pm-3pm & 4pm-7pm), this fest will include tastings from over 50 breweries.
  • 6pm-9pm – Brew at the Zoo, Kansas City Zoo, 6800 Zoo Drive, Kansas City, MO, $35-$45.  Appetizers, music, beer, and wine samples as well as two drink tickets included in your ticket at this event.  Breweries include KC Bier Co, Big Rip, Boston Beer, Crane Brewing, and more.  In the Valley Below will be performing.

Saturday, October 24

  • 1:30pm-5pm – Beerfest at the Ballpark, 1800 Village West Parkway, Kansas City, KS, $36.  I’ll be honest, you should skip this one.  The venue is great, but the beers and crowd were less than stellar, especially for the price.  If you really want to go, they do have over 200 domestic, microbrewed, and international craft beers while a DJ will be playing.

 

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