Category: Reviews

November 17, 2014

Westport Strong Ale Fest Pictures & Review

Maybe I just like the cold weather, but the 4th Annual Westport Strong Ale Fest was one of the best festivals I’ve been to in a while. The street in front of McCoy’s Public House in Westport was closed off to celebrate Strong Ales this past Saturday.

The beers were great. The very last keg of Love Child No. 4 from Boulevard , limited amount of Owd Mac’s Double Russian Imperial Stout Aged on Templeton Rye Whisky Barrels from Free State, Sierra Nevada‘s Narwhal Imperial Stout, and the quickly-out 4 Hands Madagascar were the highlights of the beer selection. I tried everything I wanted to try except for Oskar Blues‘ Ten Fidy. They were listed to be there, but I didn’t see them. A few other breweries who weren’t on the list showed up, so it’s not like there was a lack of beer.

The lines at each brewery were nonexistent and the crowd was pleasant. Even though the beers were all 8%+ ABV, nobody was wasted by the end of the event. This is the type of event you enjoy the beer rather than try to drink to get drunk. The DJ played great music that appealed to the crowd with a mix of late nineties to current day songs.

There were enough heaters to keep everyone warm and with the amount of people there, it was easy to stay warm. A few more tables for attendees would have been great, but with McCoy’s open to the attendees it wasn’t that big of a deal.

Overall, if my biggest complaint was the lack of enough tables, it must have been a great event, right? 9.5 out of 10.

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November 13, 2014

KC Bier Co to Release Winter Bock

Want a big bier to warm you up? Kansas City Bier Company will be releasing their biggest bier yet on Monday, November 24th.

A Winter Bock is a strong, dark bier that has a history of being used by Bavarian monks to help sustain themselves during winter fasts. KC Bier’s version is a strong 8% ABV, but comes off smooth and a little lighter in the taste of alcohol. I tasted flavors of chocolate and dried dark fruits in this full bodied bier. The type of drink you get just one glass at the bar and get a growler to take home. Full details below.

Along with the brewery location, KC Bier plans to distribute this Bock to several area bars and restaurants on the day of the release, including a special Tap Takeover at Rock & Run in Liberty.

On a side note, KC Bier Company has already started planning for their first anniversary in February 2015. A glassware night, special one-off biers, and other fun events will be taking place in a week long celebration.

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November 2, 2014

The Pitch’s Crafts & Drafts Pictures and Review

Some of the best breweries and crafters were all packed into the Uptown Shoppes on Saturday. Starting at 11am, you were able knock out some of your Christmas shopping or splurge on something for yourself in an Etsy-in-real-life setting, while drinking some fantastic drinks from Crane Brewing, Boulevard, 4 Hands, KC Bier Co, Tallgrass, Urban Chesnut, Cooper’s Hawk Winery, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, and Crown Royal.

The event was planned really well, although I didn’t see a lot of advertising for it, which kept the crowd down. Even when I left at 2:30pm, there were still enough parking spaces to accommodate the vendors and attendees. I appreciate it was a free event, but before going I was unsure if the beer would be free and/or if I should bring my own glass. When I arrived, the bar was set up for $6 a beer, so I figured I would walk around a little bit, take a few pictures, and head out. When I got back around to the beer area, the breweries had set up and started to serve their beers for free. They provided small, plastic taster cups that were tossed away in a trash bin. It would have been nice to have some recycle bins set up. Bridging the Gap often provides these at events for a small fee. The floor plan of the event was perfect. Enough room for lines at the brewery tables, aisles were big enough to easily get through, and even a lounge area set up with couches, tables, a DJ, and college football on TV.

The beers were amazing and were drinkable with little-to-no wait. Crane Brewing was the best with their Orange, Peach, and Braun Weiss beers that were a dream to any sour beer lover. It was nice to watch as patrons excitingly inquired about their location, when they are going to open, where they could buy bottles. Although a bit out of the way in Raytown, they will be the brewery to check out whether you’re a Kansas City native or just a visitor.

The other breweries brought good beers and mostly good attitudes. The people working the Boulevard and Urban Chestnut booths seemed like they didn’t want to be there at first, but warmed up a little as the day went on. While this is a beer blog, I did indulge in some wine and Whisky. Cooper’s Hawk Winery‘s table had several wines from Sangria to a Cabernet Zinfandel and a well setup booth. The gentlemen at the booth were friendly and enthusiastic. Crown Royal was giving away their new Regal Apple along with some few other favorites.

Great, free event with plentiful parking, an upbeat crowd, enough space to chill out, and the crafters were amazing. 9 out of 10. Can’t wait for next year!

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October 8, 2014

Rock & Run’s Vanilla Peanut Butter Stout

It’s close to Halloween so if you want a liquid form of the orange and black wrapped peanut butter candies you get trick-or-treating (do those have a name?), then drink Rock & Run’s Vanilla Peanut Butter Stout.

I attended Screenland Armour‘s Retro BREWvies on Monday, mainly to try the stout by Rock & Run Brewery. The event was great especially since there was a max attendance of 60 and only 5 people attended; made the theatre a little more cozy. The feature film was Back to the Future II which was fun to watch considering the future they go to is October 21, 2015. We have a little over a year to get some hoverboards and sleeveless books produced. Cell phones will be nonexistent and that might be a good thing.

So, about the beer. Are you a fan of the candies I stated above? I actually enjoy those Halloween treats, so the beer started off a delight for me. The aroma and original mouth feel was that of those candies. The backend had a sour taste that I’m not sure was intentional. If they can figure out how to get rid of the sour taste, this would be an excellent beer. It paired well with the dessert served by Screenland, sweet plantains and roasted butternut squash.

For now, I’d give the beer a 6 out of 10. It should still be on tap at Screenland Armour and at Rock & Run Brewery’s brewpub in Liberty.