Not brand new beers, just new for the year and how it’s distributed, Heavy Lifting and Hibiscus Gose hit kegs this week. Hibiscus Gose was also released in bottles for 2015. First released in 2014, this Gose is a sour, slightly salty beer that receives coriander and sea salt during boiling. Boulevard then steeps dried hibiscus flowers at the end to create a vibrant pink hue. With its beautiful pink color, it’d make a great Mother’s Day gift for the beer-loving mom.
More a fan of their Smokestacks? Barley’s Brewhaus Shawnee will be celebrating American Craft Beer Week all next week and on Thursday, May 14th, they’ll have a Boulevard Smokestack Vertical Night. Saison-Brett 2014 and 2015, Imperial Stout 2013 and 2014, Rye on Rye 2013 and 2014, Foeder Projekt, and Love Child No. 5 will all be served beginning at 5pm.
On Monday, May 18th, Brewbound will be hosting Brew Talks in Boulevard’s Muehlebach Suite. Brew Talks provides craft brewers, distributors, and retailers the opportunity to come together to socialize and discuss the business side of craft beers. Simon Thorpe, president of Duvel Moortgat USA, and John McDonald, founder of Boulevard, will be speaking as well as a few others who have not been announced. It’s a free event, however donations are encouraged and go to The Animal Rescue Alliance (TARA), an all-volunteer organization dedicated to helping homeless pets in the Kansas City Area.
And, of course, Boulevardia is next month. Volunteer opportunities are now open, however Taps & Tastes volunteer opportunities are not open to the public. When you volunteer with Boulevardia, you receive a free t-shirt, free admission on the day of volunteering, a free ticket for entry to the festival on another day, and plenty of thanks from a grateful Boulevardia nation. I volunteered last year, and it was one of the better volunteering experiences I’ve had. I highly recommend it.
The Certified Cicerone® exam is in town on April 21, but unfortunately for you it is booked full this time around. It will be back on September 21, so you’ll have a few more months to study before taking one of the hardest tests related to beer.
Not everyone can use the term Cicerone when explaining how educated they are on beer, but I’ve been to bars where they say they’re Certified Beer Specialists. So I asked one bar manager, “What makes you a Certified Beer Specialist?” Her answer, “Because it says so on my shirt.” Not quite the answer I was expecting or hoping for, so I told her about the Certified Beer Server certification through Cicerone. She said she would look into it, but maybe she was just being polite.
Cicerone “certifies and educates beer professionals in order to elevate the beer experience for consumers.” They offer three levels of testing – Certified Beer Server (for those who work with beer at a bar, liquor store, etc.), Certified Cicerone (for those who work more in depth with beer such as distribution, bottle shops, and breweries), and Master Cicerone (for those with encyclopedic knowledge of beer and highly refined tasting ability).
The Certified Beer Server certification is an online exam of 60 multiple choice questions. You need a 75% or better to pass and each payment allows for two attempts. Over 100 people in the Kansas City area are Certified Beer Servers. The cost is relatively low at $69 and would look good on a resumé if you’re looking for a job at a beer bar, distributor, or even a brewery.
The Certified Cicerone certification is much more in depth than the Certified Beer Server and that’s why less than 25 people in our area hold this certification. Well, that and the fact that they just recently started testing in Kansas City. After tomorrow, I hope to see that number much higher. Locally, the testing takes place at Boulevard Brewing Company. It’s a written exam with short answer and essay questions plus tasting and a demonstration component. A grade of 80% overall and at least 70% on the tasting portion are required to pass. The initial test is $395, with retakes being $100 and $175 for tasting and written, respectively.
The toughest of all, Master Cicerone. So tough, only nine people in the world hold this certification. We are lucky enough to have one right here in Kansas City. Neil Witte, who works for Boulevard as a Training/Technical Support Manager, passed the test about 2 1/2 years ago on his third try. At $795 for the initial testing and 80% of the current Master exam price for retakes, it’s not cheap. It’s a two-day exam that includes multiple written, oral, and tasting components. An overall grade of 85% or better is required to pass.
If you’re interested in the tests, here are a few tips to help you pass.
Drink lots of beer, but really taste each beer and try to pick out flavors and aromas.
Try different kinds of beer. You may love your IPAs, but it’s a beer test, not an IPA test.
Attend beer events. Especially homebrewing club meetings where they discuss, at length, types of beers.
Brew your own beer. National Homebrew Day is May 2nd, so it’s a great time to start getting into it or continue on your path. There will be a few local events to celebrate the day including Missouri Mashers hosting a large brew day at Grain to Glass. Also, 75th Street Brewery is having another Homebrew Contest that starts May 11th.
Get a job! No, seriously, get a job at a bar, bottle shop, liquor store, brewery – anywhere with beer. The more you’re around it, the more you’ll know.
If you learn better in a classroom environment, Cicerone has two bootcamps you can attend.
Good Friday, everyone! A few newer businesses are showcasing their offerings and a few older businesses are spicing up this Easter holiday with some fun events. From brunches with Cap’n Crunch Chicken Fingers to bottomless cocktails to a Kegs N Eggs event, Kansas City’s beer scene is hopping!
Friday, April 3
Grain to Glass, 1611 Swift, NKC, is hosting two Adult Easter Egg Hunts! Search for plastic eggs throughout their store and parking lot starting at 6pm. The eggs contain Askinosie Itty Chocolate Bars, tickets for swag, and more surprises. After your hard work of hunting for eggs, enjoy a pour of Boulevard Chocolate Ale. Yes, they still have a keg and have tapped it specially for Easter. $15, tickets to be sold at the door.
Saturday, April 4
Grain to Glass holds their second Adult Easter Egg Hunt at 10am with all the perks of the one held on Friday.
Tapcade, 1701 McGee Suite 200, KCMO, will be serving brunch at 11am. This isn’t your grandma’s brunch! The aforementioned Cap’n Crunch Chicken Fingers, Bro-mosas, and Judd Nelson’s Wake N Steak Burrito are just a few of the unique items on the menu. Click here to view the full menu.
If you’re not a morning person, continue Kansas Craft Beer Week with Tallgrass tastings at Schuler’s Liquor, 928 S 55th St, KCK, and Fairway Liquor, 2848 W 47th St, KCK, at 1pm and 3:30pm respectively. Old classics like Buffalo Sweat, Velvet Rooster, and 8-Bit will be making an appearance as well as new classic 16-Bit.
Sunday, April 5 – Easter! You’ve spent the morning with the kids and now they’re off with the grandparents. It’s time to drink!
75th Street Brewery, 520 W 75th St, KCMO, offers a brunch with a $10 bottomless cocktail menu. As they put it, who said brunch couldn’t be boozy?
Screenland Crossroads Tapcade is holding another fun brunch beginning at 11am with the same menu mentioned above.
Rock & Run, 110 E Kansas St, Liberty, will be open normal hours (10am-11pm) and will be hosting brunch. Also, it looks like their website is finally up and running! Check it out.
The Renaissance Festival, 633 N 130th St, Bonner Springs, will make use of their grounds for a Kegs ‘N’ Eggs Event. Tickets include admission to the event, access to the Egg Hunt, one draft Beer, a t-shirt, and some other fun stuff. Upgrade to VIP for all of the regular ticket perks plus a commemorative mug and unlimited beer. Breweries such as Goose Island, River North, Torn Label, North Coast, Breckenridge and more are all scheduled to be there. The event begins at 1pm and goes until 5pm.
Boulevardia has announced their ticket packages for this year’s festival. From $15 all the way up to $1,000, the festival is affordable for every budget.
It seems much more organized this year. Taps & Tastes was a bit of a disaster, but moving from the bridge will be a great step. Also, last year they sold well over the listed amount of tickets (2,500) and even let people in without tickets. This year, it will be limited to 1,800 tickets total with 300 being VIP. I will more than likely purchase a VIP ticket to avoid the rush of a huge crowd and get to the good beers before they are gone. It was a great experience, last year, and well worth the money for the quality of vendors. Tickets will be on sale in March and will sell out quickly.
Here’s a breakdown of the tickets and also some photos we took from last year’s Boulevardia.
General Admission: $15 per single-day pass to the festival grounds (Friday, Saturday or Sunday). Children 12 and under are free.
The Buzz / Sporting Kansas City VIP Ticket: $65 single-day pass (Friday or Saturday). Includes general admission to the festival, three beer tickets, private space on the 12th Street Bridge with prime viewing of the festival stages, exclusive performances, VIP giveaways, complimentary water, a private bar and restroom. Must be 21 or older.
Father’s Day Beer and BBQ Brunch: $65 Sunday pass. Includes general admission to the festival, a BBQ-inspired brunch on the Historic 12th Street Bridge from 11am to 2pm featuring delicious food and beverages from local vendors.
Ride to Boulevardia: $40 – $50 for 15, 30, 60 or 100 mile ride on Saturday morning (price depends on length & early-bird pricing through March 30th). Includes participation in the fully-supported cycling ride for all skill levels starting and ending at the Boulevardia grounds, a Ride to Boulevardia t-shirt and swag bag, secure bike parking, Saturday general admission to Boulevardia, a food and beer voucher to use inside Boulevardia for the post-ride party.
Taps & Tastes General Admission Ticket: $75 Saturday pass. Includes general admission to the festival, entry to Taps & Tastes from 4 to 7pm where principals and brewmasters from more than 40 national and international craft breweries will pour selections from their lineup alongside several Kansas City culinary stars who will serve savory bites to enjoy. Tickets include unlimited beer and food sampling along with a keepsake glass. Must be 21 or older. Please note: Taps & Tastes will move its location off the 12th Street Bridge but is staying in the general vicinity giving patrons more room to enjoy their beer, bites, music and yard games.
Taps & Tastes VIP Ticket: $100 Saturday pass. Includes everything listed for a Taps & Tastes General Admission Ticket plus early entrance to Taps & Tastes at 3pm. Must be 21 or older.
Ultimate VIP Weekender Pass: $1,000 all weekend pass. Includes general admission for two people to all three days of the festival, two BUZZ / Sporting Kansas City VIP tickets for both Friday and Saturday, two VIP Taps & Tastes tickets, two passes to the Father’s Day Beer & BBQ Brunch and three nights hotel accommodations (Friday, June 19 through Sunday, June 21). Must be 21 or older.
There are ample general admission tickets available for all three individual days of Boulevardia. Other packages featured above are limited in quantity and are expected to sell out shortly after they are put on sale in March. A specific launch date to purchase these experiences will be announced later next month. For additional details about the tickets above, visit Boulevardia’s website: boulevardia.com.
The festival’s creators continue to secure commitments from craft brewers from throughout the country for its Taps and Tastes event. Those breweries will be announced later next month prior to Taps & Tastes tickets going on sale. The music lineup that will include local, regional and national acts is also being finalized. More details and a full entertainment schedule will be revealed later this spring. Additional experiences will be announced for general admission citizens to look forward to throughout the festival grounds Boulevardia weekend.
About Boulevardia
The three-day urban street festival is scheduled to take place June 19-21st in the historic West Bottoms area, specifically in and around the iconic, multi-leveled 12th Street viaduct. The multi-day event will be highlighted with a craft beer and food sampling experience, music from local, regional and national acts as well as family activities, entertainment, shopping and eco-education in a unique urban setting. Learn more at boulevardia.com, facebook.com/boulevardia, twitter.com/Blvdia andinstagram.com/blvdia.
Hibiscus Gose was also released in bottles for 2015. First released in 2014, this Gose is a sour, slightly salty beer that receives coriander and sea salt during boiling. Boulevard then steeps dried hibiscus flowers at the end to create a vibrant pink hue. With its beautiful pink color, it’d make a great Mother’s Day gift for the beer-loving mom.
