Category: Reviews

October 5, 2014

Boulevard Oktoberfiesta Review

Maybe I got there too early (5:15pm), but Boulevard’s attempt to combine Oktoberfest and Día de los Muertos fell a little flat. The decorations were wonderful and the beer was great, per usual, but the atmosphere felt like any other day at the brewery. For an event lasting only 2 hours, I expected the fiesta to be going full steam when I arrived.

It seemed as though a tour had just let out, so they were busy. The food grill was just getting started, so I imagine the Chorizowurst and other food wasn’t ready until at least 6pm. I drank a Fall Flight of Collaboration No. 4; Tasting Room Oatmeal Stout; The Sixth Glass; and Dark Truth Stout, and bought two Smokestack beers to get my free Freaker, and left. I have been to Boulevard several times, but this time I felt a bit confused on what was going on; I expected the staff to be more warm and friendly and to get patrons involved in the party, but they stayed behind their counters and only spoke when spoken to. Next time, maybe have a greeter at the door or have someone walk around handing out some crafted flowers.

Overall, I would give the event a 6 out of 10. Maybe next time get more involved with the party guests.

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 21, 2014

2014 High Plains BrewHoff Review

The inaugural High Plains BrewHoff was yesterday at Brew Lab in Old Downtown Overland Park. While it had a few hiccups, overall it was a terrific event. About 500 beer enthusiasts packed into the Brew Lab parking lot to get a sampling of the best homebrews in Kansas City. With brews like Strawberry Basil Saison, Sour Cherry Porter, and Sour Black Saison, this is one of the more unique beer events in Kansas City. Red Crow Brewing Company won Best of Show for Isabelle, a Belgian Blonde.

Some bad things about the event:

Babies. I saw at least ten babies, most of them with strollers. It was a small event space, so every person’s presence was felt. This is an adult event and organizers should not have allowed anyone under 21 to enter.
Small event space or too many people. 500 people was quite a bit to fit in the location it was held. After two hours, it did start thinning out, so it wasn’t too bad.
Line processing. My group showed up at 12:45pm and didn’t get in until 1:30pm. The end of the line didn’t get in until about 3pm. They had three stations that everyone had to go through. With so many volunteers, there easily could have been a few lines checking people in.
The glass. I bought one and so did everyone else in my group and I knew about it beforehand. A lot of people did not know about the cost of the glass until they got there. Yes, they did have little plastic cups you could have used, but with the quality of the beer that was being served, you need to use glass.

Some good things about the event:

Water stations at every booth.
Pretzels and other snacks at most of the booths.
Enough tables to stand/sit.
Rarely a line at any of the booths.
It was free.
The musician played great songs and played them well.
A great variety of quality beer.
Each booth had beer that lasted through the event even though the pours were pretty big.

Breweries in the making got to show off their selection of beers and give a short speech about their company.

Red Crow says they are looking for a location in Johnson County, but are having some trouble with laws and regulations. Currently, 30% or more of gross sales need to be derived from food sales. They hope the laws will change soon so they can concentrate on making great beer.
Double Shift Brewing expects a Spring 2015 opening in the Crossroads and are committed to making a great product and having a relaxed atmosphere in their tap room. I had Double Shift’s Summer Session IPA at the event and it is exactly that – a summer session that’s easy to drink when it’s 85° out.
Another Crossroads brewery set to open is Torn Label Brewing Company. They’re brewing system is in place to brew three year-round beers and many experimental beers. I tried their Grasping at Straws Wheat Wine, which has an ABV of 9%, but was surprisingly light. They also let me try their Tongue Lash, a sour that wasn’t brewed like a regular sour. They expect to open in a few months.
Crane Brewing Company has been making a name for themselves in the beer industry. They were pouring some of the most creative beers at the event, such as a cream ale brewed with beets and a Belgian Saison brewed with black tea. They will be opening up 18,000 square feet of beer and food space in Raytown in Spring 2015. They intend to stand out from other local breweries by bottling beers for distribution right off the bat and offering sour and wild styles beers.

All of the upcoming breweries had spectacular beers so there’s no doubt that they will all succeed. Kansas City is quickly becoming a great city to get your beer fix.

Overall, I would give this event an 8.5 out of 10 and look forward to next year!

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