You can’t get any more local than homebrewers and we would like to celebrate local Kansas City homebrewers.
There are quite a few long-standing events for homebrewers to show off their creations, but in the last few years the scene has expanded as the interest in beer and homebrewing grows. This year, homebrewers are serious about crowd pleasing. From inflatable pubs with air conditioning to a van that pours beer, each beer event gets more and more fun. Organizers are taking note, too, offering attendees more than just a ticket to drink beer. Glasses are bigger, food vouchers, live entertainment, and games are all now commonplace for beer festivals.
What’s so great about homebrewing? Unique beers, passionate people, and a fun hobby to meet people who share a similar interest. If you’re not so adventurous, most homebrewers start with simple beers rather than jumping right into something like a saison with brettanomyces, pineapple, and gin oak.
Here’s a list of some local homebrewers. Support them by following them on social media, it encourages them and we need more breweries in Kansas City!
If you’re reading this, you probably already know how to homebrew so these tips are more for how to present your beers to the public. We all love homebrewed beers. They’re exploratory, creative, inventive, and overall a great hobby. It’s a great way to meet new people who share a common interest. With National Homebrew Day on Saturday, May 07, and the festival season underway, I have a few tips for homebrewers. Whether you share just with your friends, pour at a festival, or are at the edge of operating on a larger level here are the tips.
Sharing with Friends
If you want honest feedback, tell them so and be able to accept the bad things they have to say. We usually don’t want to hurt people’s feelings, but if we’re given permission to be honest without the fear of hurting feelings, we’ll be more open to tell the truth. Instead of a, “It’s pretty good.” we’ll be more likely to suggest adding more hops or less mint in the next batch.
Be receptive of constructive criticism. Maybe your friends aren’t into beer as much as you are, but they still have valid opinions (if they didn’t, why are you sharing your beer with them?).
Bring enough for everyone. If you are going to a party with a lot of people, maybe skip bringing your beer if you don’t have enough. Try not to make people feel left out.
Get your beers on Untappd. Your friends may be a little biased, but, hey, those first few 5 star ratings will help you in the long run.
Pouring at a Festival
Get your social media set up. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter – we want to see you succeed and want to follow you for updates.
Have a QR code or link to your beers on Untappd. Make it easy for us to rate your beers!
Business cards are like $10 for 500 on VistaPrint, so why not buy a pack to hand out? Don’t forget to put your social media channels on them.
Snacks are great to hand out at festivals and something I see more commonly at homebrew festivals than big beer fests. Pretzel necklaces, boiled peanuts, bread made from spent grains, all good festival snacks!
Talk, talk, talk! Talk to everyone who’s trying your beers. The more people you talk with, the more support you will get maybe leading to something bigger than homebrewing.
Have fun with it! Make your table the party everyone wants to attend. Themes are fun, too! With so many breweries and homebrewers at festivals, make a way to stand out.
Handing out free stuff like buttons, magnets, and stickers is always a hit!
Operating at a Larger Level
You should have your Untappd and other social media set up, but now it’s time for your website. You can set up sites relatively easily or get a friend to help. Keep it simple to start and when you’re ready hire someone to make it look awesome.
Share your beers with bloggers (I’ll take some!) and local media to promote your beers and business plan.
Share your beers with local breweries to get some professional thoughts on quality and to build a relationship with the community. It may seem counterproductive, but our beer community is very welcoming and encouraging of new breweries. Local breweries are going to be extremely helpful in figuring out laws, licensing, and other matters about which you may not have thought.
Accept that it’s going to take a long time to open a brewery, if that’s your goal. Most of the time is waiting on state and federal approval. Don’t get frustrated, though. We’re still thirsty, so keep on keeping on!
Overall Tips
Attend homebrewer meetings. There are several groups in Kansas City that meet up once a month. They’re fun, informative, and you will make friends and connections that will help you in the long run.
Be confident in your beers! Not everyone is going to love what you make, but as long as you’re confident and are willing to learn, you can only get better.
From buying your ingredients to drinking your beer, just have fun and if it’s not fun anymore, maybe a new hobby is what you need.
Homebrewing has been legal in the United States since 1978, and in 1988, May 7 was announced before Congress as National Homebrew Day. The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) created AHA Big Brew Day as an annual event to celebrate around the world. AHA Big Brew Day is held each year on the first Saturday in May. It’s held on Saturday for one, because it’s easier to get a group of people together on the weekend and two, the first National Homebrew Day in 1988, was on a Saturday.
A few homebrew groups and retail stores are holding events in our area. Here’s the list:
Greater Topeka Hall of Foamers, 3422 SW 47th Ct. Topeka, KS 66610, are at 9am at. They’ll be brewing a Barleywine and a Pale Ale from the 2nd Runnings. Brats and Chips for Lunch. Samples of Homebrew will be available.
KC Nanobrews, 635 E 61st St, Kansas City, MO 64110,will begin at 10am.
Bacchus & Barleycorn, 6633 Nieman Road, Shawnee, KS 66203,will begin at 10am at their store location. They invite you to bring your kettle and propane burner and brew with us or just come and celebrate homebrewing with them.
Grain to Glass, 1611 Swift Avenue, North Kansas City, MO 64116, starts at 10am. Join local homebrewers, including Missouri Mashers, brewing in the Grain to Glass parking lot (making a really big brew). They’ll be serving bratwursts.
Each one will be toasting to homebrewers at noon.
If you’ve never homebrewed before, it’s a fun experience especially with a group of like-minded people. This Saturday is a good opportunity to participate or just hang out and ask questions.
We will be at this event handing out buttons and taking lots of pictures. Say hi if you see us!
Sunday, November 02
Set your clocks back for an extra hour of drinking beer today!
Chiefs play the Jets at noon.
Monday, November 03
Flying Saucer has expanded International Stout Day to a week that starts today. Founders will be on tap with KBS, Imperial Stout, and Breakfast Stout.
Tuesday, November 04
It’s Election Day! Go vote!
Flying Saucer will have 4 Hands Bonafide 2012 & 2013 on tap for International Stout Week.
Wednesday, November 05
Flying Saucer’s International Stout Week continues with Oskar Blues Ten Fiddy. It’s also Glass Nite.
Big Rip Brewing Company’sBeer Dinner at Webster House finally takes place. After a delay because of baseball, enjoy delicious foods that are paired perfectly with the brews from Big Rip. Chefs’ creations such as duck confit with drunken goat cheese mousse, sesame braised bok choy, savory bread pudding, ice cream cake with snickerdoodle crust and toasted marshmallow creme (drool) will be served with corresponding beers. Starts at 6:30pm, $45 per person not including gratuity and tax.
Beer Me! is a weekly event post where we let you know what’s going on beerwise in the Kansas City area. If there’s something we missed, please comment below or email us and we’ll add it to the list. Get home safe and get a taxi or have a designated driver!
What’s so great about homebrewing? Unique beers, passionate people, and a fun hobby to meet people who share a similar interest. If you’re not so adventurous, most homebrewers start with simple beers rather than jumping right into something like a saison with brettanomyces, pineapple, and gin oak.
Greater Topeka Hall of Foamers
