Boulevard Amber, Not Just for Omaha Anymore

Boulevard Amber Ale is coming to a tap near you as early as this weekend(Update: Amber will be available mid-September). Amber was only previously available in Omaha and Lincoln because of their mass consumption of Fat Tire. Sure you could get it in the wonderful Boulevard variety pack but that's not like drinking it from a nice pint glass in one of Kansas City's finest drinking establishments.

While amber is not my favorite style of beer, nor even one I seek out, Boulevard Amber is a damn fine specimen. In our Boulevard v. Odell showdown Boulevard Amber dominated with a unanimous victory. Boulevard Amber also makes Fat Tire taste like Busch in comparison. It should be quite the popular tap for KC bars to have, rivaling only Pale Ale and Wheat in popularity. Amber is also being bottled and should be available in six pack form in mid-September.

So won't you be dears and let us know in comments where you're seeing Boulevard Amber on tap. I'm sure if you play your cards right Paul A. Ner might even come by and join you in downing Boulevard's newest offering.

Update: The fine folks at Boulevard are saying that Amber will not be on tap until mid-September, the same time as six pack bottles will be released.

Tumble into Fall

Sierra Nevada is replacing their fall seasonal, Anniversary Ale, with something called Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale. I'm not going to lie, this sounds delicious. I don't recall having feelings one way or the other for the Anniversary Ale and I'm quite a fan of brown ales. This counts as a big win for me.

Wort Hog was able to pick some up Thursday night at Gomer's in Lee's Summit. But, I didn't see it on Friday when I was at the Lukas in south KC. King's Liquor in Olathe (a pretty nice little store with pretty beer knowledgeable employees if you're ever out near Garmin, it's behind the QT on 151st) was expecting it last Thursday so they should have it by now.

I'm really looking forward to trying some Tumbler. If you see it anywhere let us know in comments.

Free State Bottles are Here

For the right thinking indiividuals who don't consider Lawrence part of the KC metro, it's been a long wait to get some Free State in bottles. The day has finally come as Free State bottles will be hitting liquor store shelves this morning. Ad Astra Ale, Copperhead Pale Ale, Oatmeal Stout, Stormwatch Ale and Wheat State Golden Beer should be available on both sides of the state line (definitely in KS) this week. I know that Tipsy's in Mission is expecting their shipment this morning.

Now if we could just get a second location of Free State for Overland Park. I know the perfect spot, downtown Overland Park (Taste is actually in the former Tonic location in that link, but there's an empty spot a couple of doors down in the historic Ford Building that would be perfect for a brewpub).

Glacé + Boulevard Ice Cream Review

You probably heard last week that Glacé Artisan Ice Cream (a Christopher Elbow joint) had teamed up with Boulevard to create two of the most interesting ice cream flavors I've ever heard of. First, there's the Bob's 47. It's a beer I'm not crazy about but I could see it's maltiness being pretty good in a frozen dessert. The second flavor uses Sixth Glass, Boulevard's Quadrupel. This is the one I was most looking forward to because of all the dark fruit flavors that art typically found in a quad would be really really good in a scoop of ice cream.

So, without further ado here's my review of the Glacé + Boulevard Ice Cream flavors:

... ... ...

Yup, I haven't had any. It sounds like these ice creams were made in such small quantities that even some of Boulevard's brewers can't get their hands on it. I made three trips to Glacé over the past week and the only thing the girls behind the counter can tell me is, "It's sold out."

At some point I hope to eventually get my hands on at least a spoonful of these ice creams, but I'm doubtful it'll be any time soon.

If you're one of the lucky few who've had one of the Glacé + Boulevard flavors, drop us a line in the comments and let us know how awesome it was and how greedy you were to not share it with anyone.

Schlafly Beer School at Barley's in Overland Park

It's back to school time and Barley's is starting up another season of their Beer School series. The next session is on Monday August 30th at 6pm. Schlafly is the featured brewery this time around and I'm hearing they'll be bringing their American IPA, Biere de Garde, Grand Cru and maybe the Oak Aged Barleywine as well. The Barleywine seems to be up in the air at the moment...

One beer that I'm surprised is missing from the Beer School list is Schlafly's Pumpkin Ale, which is reaching finer KC area bars this week. I'm fairly certain you'll be able to get it on tap at Barley's though if you're so inclined (and you should be, because it's delicious).

Stephen Hale, head brewer at Schlafly's Taproom in Saint Louis, will be in attendance. If you've got any questions about Schlafly's reserve series or their more experimental beers, he's the guy to ask. I've been to all but two of the Barley's Beer Schools and I've always had a good time, sometimes I even leave with swag shirts, pint glasses or bottles of "SAMPLE - NOT FOR RESALE" beer. Tickets are $8 and will more than likely be sold out by Monday morning based on previous demand.

Other info about the event can be had by checking out the flier I attached or visiting Barley's website. And yes, that is a Boulevard branded glass they put on the flier for a Schlafly event... nice.

Also worth noting, if you aren't able to get tickets to the Beer School or you just don't like drinking this much on a Monday, is that these same beers will be joining Stephen Hale at the Old Chicago in Olathe on Tuesday. I don't have a time or a cover for that event though but it sounds like they'll be available as a flight.

Lagunitas 4:20

If you're a weedtotaler like me weed culture can seem a little strange. The whole 4:20 thing has always seemed like a bunch of hype. I don't know about firing up a bong at 4:20 but I believe I've found a close substitute.

Today I was celebrating a little Tottenham Hotspur victory over the Young Boys of Bern (my official least favorite soccer team name) to get to the Champions League. I popped open a Lagunitas Little Sumpin Sumpin Ale at very nearly 4:20. I've been rather euphoric ever since. I'm not much of a day drinker but this has been a fairly great experience.

Not only did Little Sumpin Sumpin make me feel good, it's great tasting too. I've yet to meet a Lagunitas I don't like, but this one is better than most. It's a double IPA without an overpowering hops flavor or an overpowering malt sweetness. In fact it tastes like a regular everyday pale ale. This is kind of the problem because as you finish the second one, you realize that the 7.3% abv is coursing through your veins. Two bottles of Little Sumpin' Sumpin' would have made Billy Bob Thornton useless to Halle Berry, she would have felt good.

My prescription for your rough day would be to knock off a little early, pop open a bottle or two of Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Sumpin' and drink to your heart's content. Not only will you get a great beer, you'll get a great feeling.

The Great Nebraska Beer Fest is this Saturday

The Great Nebraska Beer Fest is happening this weekend up in Omaha. Actually, it'll be going on in Papillion, NE which is just south of Omaha. Papillion is home to the Nebraska Brewing Company, organizers of the event. It's a bit of a drive just for a beer fest but I've heard some really great things about Nebraska Brewing Company's lineup and was planning on making the trip up anyways, this just seems like a good excuse to do it this weekend. The brewery list for the event is a little hit or miss because most of the breweries that'll be in Papillion on Saturday distribute in Missouri or Kansas and I've had most of their beers already. The upside is the length local Nebraska brewery section. There are 13 "Nebraska Breweries" listed but, well... Granite isn't exactly local and Upstream is listed twice. Either way, I'm looking forward to a slight change of scenery while I try a few new beers.

Tickets to the Great Nebraska Beer Fest are $25 and the event is being held at Shadow Lake Towne Center. There's also an free art thing going on if you're into that kinda stuff...

Here's the current list of breweries slated to attend:

Nebraska Breweries:
Nebraska Brewing Company (Papillion)
Modern Monks (Lincoln)
Schilling Bridge Winery & Microbrewery (Pawnee City)
Thunderhead Brewing Company (Kearney)
Gottberg Brewpub (Columbus)
Misty's Steakhouse & Brewery (Lincoln)
Lucky Bucket Brewing Company (LaVista)
Empyrean Brewing Company (Lincoln)
Upstream Brewing Company (Downtown Omaha)
Upstream Brewing Company (Northwest Omaha)
Spilker Ales (Cortland)
Granite City Food & Brewery (Omaha)
Rock Bottom (Omaha)

Breweries from the rest of our great Union:
Rock Bottom (Des Moines)
Tallgrass Brewing Company (Manhattan, KS)
Boulevard Brewing Company (Kansas City, MO)
New Belgium Brewing Company (Fort Collins, CO)
Stevens Point Brewing (Stevens Point, WI)
Crabtree Brewing Company (Greeley, CO)
Left Hand Brewing Company (Longmont, CO)
Schell's Brewing Company (New Ulm, MN)
Summit Brewing (St. Paul, MN)
Sprecher Brewing (Glendale, WI)
Sierra Nevada (Chico, CA)
O'Dell (Fort Collins, CO)
Big Sky (Missoula, MT)
Avery Brewing Company (Boulder, CO)
JW Dundee Ales & Lagers (Rochester, NY)
Pig's Eye Brewing Company (St. Paul, MN)
Schmaltz Brewing Company (Saratoga Springs, NY)
Ska Brewing (Durango, CO)

Boulevard 21

The speculation started last year when Boulevard did virtually nothing for their 20th anniversary. Most breweries of a certain age do anniversary beers every year.  That's when I first heard a rumor of a 21st anniversary brew. It's legend grew, I would get an email every couple of weeks from people I don't know. The emails would say there's a 21st anniversary beer in a secret room at the brewery aging. I never found any of those emails credible but I did believe in the idea that they would have a 21st anniversary brew.

My suspicions were confirmed this morning by reading a little something on the Boulevard website (go ahead and click the link, your reward is a picture of a bunch of brewers in shorts). The brewers brewed a 21st anniversary beer  a paean to Pale Ale, the flagship Boulevard beer. It was on November 17, 1989 that John McDonald trucked the first keg of Pale Ale down the street to Ponaks and tapped it.  The 21 will be an extreme version or an imperial pale ale. The brewers did their work on Saturday with some special malt ordered for the occasion with 5 different types of hops. In the coming weeks the beer will be wet hopped with 500 pounds of Cascade hops.

The anniversary beer will be released in November and should be greatly anticipated.

Christopher Elbow and Boulevard Collaboration

I wish the collaboration generated a great chocolate stout but not this time. This time the collaboration produced a Sixth Glass ice cream and a Bob's 47 ice cream available this weekend at Glace Artisan Ice Cream (4960 Main by Spin! Pizza).

I'm not sure I'm going to try these out with so many other wonderful flavors available at Glace. Beer flavored ice cream (even beers I love like Sixth Glass) just don't strike me as something I've got to try. Your mileage may vary.

I'm looking much more forward to Boulevard Collaboration #2 with Deschutes.

Hopslam Mini Kegs

Today is a bad day to ride mass transit of any kind unless you like running into beer geek boners. All beer geeks are fully engorged because of the news that Bell's Hopslam will be available in mini kegs next year when the Hopslam is released. This is likely due to be a very limited release so it's doubtful we'll see any mini Hopslam kegs in KC, but we can all dream.

Showdown - Left Hand v. Sierra Nevada

We got the Gents back together for another beer showdown (you can follow gents talk on Twitter by searching #gentskc). This time Left Hand and Sierra Nevada squared off. We upped the headcount to 9 this time with the usual participants, Chimpotle, Paul A. Ner (who hosted), JJSKCK (or Meat Service, which is what I prefer to call him now), Duff, Yuengling and Yeti with 2 new participants Nate (a newcomer to KC who writes the Thank Heaven for Beer blog) and Josh Eans from Blanc Burgers and Bottles. Yuengling brought some RJ's Bob-Be-Que ribs and jalapeno sausage which was featured on the KC version of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Paul A. Ner provided some cold cut plates, chips and hummus because he hates me. Chimpotle provided a cherry cobbler because he hates me. In proper Gents tradition, the cobbler was eaten as a chip dip.

We started with a simple premise, 5 beers of the same style being tasted blind by our group of Gents with one big beer from each brewery. Each taster gets a vote on each style and the brewery with the most votes for that style gets a point. The big beer challenge is worth 2 points. The styles were Wheat, Pale Ale, Stout and IPA. We would have had porter as well but one of the no shows was supposed to bring Left Hand Blackjack Porter.

The Scores
Sierra Nevada Kellerweiss 8 - Left Hand Haystack Wheat 1 
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale 6 - Left Hand Jackman's American Pale Ale 3
Left Hand Milk Stout 9 - Sierra Nevada Stout 0
Sierra Nevada Torpedo 6 - Left Hand 400 lb. Monkey 3

This was quite controversial because our pourers were unsure which wheat beer was which. At first they indicated the winner was the Left Hand Haystack, but Josh and I were pretty sure that the Kellerweiss was the one we preferred and the pourers weren't actually sure which was which. Josh and I even shared a Kellerweiss after the showdown was over and our taste buds agree that Kellerweiss was the one we liked more. In the end, it calls our outcome into question. Because each beer in the styles tested were slightly different styles (milk stout v. stout, English IPA v. American IPA) we all had a pretty good idea which beer was which and without doing the tasting double blind (where we don't even know the competitors which is impossible since we have to buy it) we have to accept the limitation. The Left Hand Milk Stout was the big winner with our group and was clearly superior to the Sierra Nevada Stout, but the Sierra Nevada Stout is pretty good. Our score was more an indication that Milk Stout is wonderful. The most surprising result was 400 lb. Monkey losing to Torpedo. The general consensus was that 400 lb. Monkey tasted off and it was probably the beer that was most unlike everything else we had drank up to that point solidifying my theory that when tasting blind, the beer that is different is viewed as bad.

Left Hand Chainsaw v. Sierra Nevada Southern Harvest Ale
Once again our big beer battle came down to a matter of taste and neither beer was viewed as bad. The Chainsaw won 5 to 4. Chainsaw just had more going on, Josh said it had a grape jelly taste on the back end and that pretty much hit the nail on the head. The Southern Harvest is a great beer as well and is quite a bargain at around $3.50.

Our overall winner was Sierra Nevada 3-3 (Sierra Nevada wins the tie breaker of total votes 28-26). We may have to redo the wheat category and add the porters to get the true outcome of this showdown. As an aside as the Gents read this they will know that I didn't do the math right last night after the challenge because I had it 26-25 Left Hand. The moral of the story is, I can't do math after the equivalent of 5 beers.

So after the business of the evening was done, we drank all the rare or fun beers everyone brought to share. Nate brought us Dark Lord which lives up to the hype. It was quite extraordinary, kind of sweet and thick like I was drinking cream. If the bottle wasn't already empty by the time I drank my glass I would have fought for what was left. Nate also brought one of his homebrews, a sour saison that I believe he said he brewed with dandelion flowers (I could be completely wrong about that). On a night where I drank one of the most well regarded beers on the planet, it would be quite a feat to believe that Nate's sour saison was the best beer of the night. But, I'll say it (of course I like saisons better than anything). Nate became everyone's favorite Gent while we drank the saison and all of universally agreed it was a great beer.

Chimpotle brought Weston Hot Pepper Ale for everyone to try. It didn't taste like beer at all, it tasted like drinking the pickling liquid in a jar of jalapenos. Nate said it tasted like a throw up burp, a blurb I don't think you'll read in any of Weston Brewing's sales literature.

I finished off the evening by drinking the Boulevard Bourbon Barrel Quad that Yeti brought. Even though I've proclaimed my dislike for bourbon barrel beers, I do like the BBQ in a small dose and that is one of the benefits of Gents. We all get to try a bunch of stuff without having to buy it all. Incidentally, Gents is getting to be a large group that makes it a bit unwieldy to host at a house. If you own a restaurant or similar space and would like to host Gents contact me.

Fall is Here and so is Bob's 47

It's a relatively cool morning, especially for August so it's fitting that delivery trucks are being loaded with Boulevard Bob's 47 to hit liquor store shelves today thru the rest of the week. If you're lucky enough to find some tonight, you will be able to drink it tomorrow on the most fall like day in several months.

As always, help out your fellow beer travelers and point out where you found some in the comments section. I know this is one of the most anticipated Boulevard release dates each year so you'll be helping out many people find them some Bob's.

75th Street is Amost Legal

75th Street Brewery is celebrating their 17th anniversary next week August 23rd - 29th. But if you stop in this week you can get a scratch card and maybe win a pint glass or some food or a new car. Okay, they're not really giving away a car. But, I won a couple of pint glasses 2 years ago so winning something is possible. Plus, I think you can fill out your beer bracket this week which will give you the opportunity to guess what will be the most popular beer during the week or month (I don't remember the rules).

As for anniversary week, check out the flyer to the right to find some events that meet your standards for a visit to the ole brewpub (I have it on good authority that the KC famous DLC will be attending the Wednesday bluegrass show). We should have a good couple of weeks where it's not as hot as Satan's beard to enjoy the new Alley at 75th Street (the outdoor patio). If you're lucky maybe you'll see friend of the blog, The Scout, and she can provide you with a Sharpie tattoo.

Where the Taps At?

Who out there can guess which bar in KC has all these beers on tap?

Ska Decadent Imperial IPA

Ska Buster Nut Brown

Boulevard Wheat

Boulevard Pale Ale

Bell's Two Hearted

Guiness

Pabst Blue Ribbon

Houblon Chouffe

Avery Old Jubilation

Avery Maharaja

Avery White Rascal

Avery Salvation

New Belgium Lips Of Faith Berlinner Weisse

New Belgium Lips Of Faith Eric's Ale

New Belgium Ranger IPA

Great Divide Titan IPA

Schlafly Oatmeal Stout

Schlafly Pilsner

Schlafly APA

Schlafly American IPA

Schlafly Kolsch

Schlafly Summer Lager

Schlafly Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout

Schlafly Dort Munder

Schlafly Hefeweisen

Schlafly Pale Ale

Bierra Moretti

Chimay Premiere

Affligem Blond

Shiner Bock

Newcastle

Freestate Copperhead Ale

Freestate Post Rock Pilsner

Dos Equis

O'Fallon Wheach

New Belgium Skinny Dip

New Belgium Fat Tire

Avery IPA

DOne80

One80, a place I enjoyed, will be doing a format change and become Beer Kitchen on Monday. I have no idea what this entails. I think it could be a positive making the corner of Westport Rd. and Pennsylvania quite a little beer destination with The Foundry, McCoy's and now Beer Kitchen.

It's kind of a shame though because One80 had pretty good cocktails, I hope the cocktails don't go away. It might be nice to have an increased beer selection though. I don't know if that will happen.

Sam Adams Harvest Collection

I ventured over to Tipsy's last night during the height of the rainstorm (that lasted 10 minutes). I was trying to fool myself into thinking it was fall so I could feel good about my beer selection. I'm done with summer and its beers. After perusing all the vast selection at Tipsy's I found my pick, the Sam Adams Harvest Collection. The Harvest Collection included 2 beers I was excited to drink, Octoberfest which is one of my favorite Sam Adams beers, and Harvest Pumpkin Ale which is new. Also included in the variety pack were a Dunkelweizen, Black Lager and the Irish Red and Boston Lager which Sam Adams pushes down everyone's throat.

I'm not much of a fan of Sam Adams brews. Boston Lager is a good beer, but I never buy it. As mentioned above, I really like the Octoberfest and I'm a fan of the Summer Ale as well. I've had other good Sam Adams beers but for the most part I can always find something I want more. Sam Adams also makes the worst beer ever, Cherry Wheat, which knocks them down a few pegs in my book.

The first beer I cracked open was the Harvest Pumpkin Ale to pair with watching Big Brother. I decided a couple of years ago I don't really like pumpkin beers because they're either too pumpkiny or have too much clove. The Harvest Pumpkin Ale had neither, it had a nice faint pumpkin taste that was a nice complementary flavor to the malt sweetness of the brew. I could drink a six pack of it easily, unfortunately it is only available in the variety pack, 2 at a time. Harvest Pumpkin Ale was definitely better than watching the 2 biggest idiots, Brendan and Rachel, whine about being on the block and losing the veto competition on Big Brother. Watching them is like watching 2 kinda stupid 7th graders in love.

After the Harvest Pumpkin Ale I cracked open an Octoberfest. It's a really solid marzen that hits me in a good spot. Bob's 47, which should be hitting shelves next week, is better, but Sam Adams Octoberfest fills the void of marzens nicely. It was definitely better to drink than it was to watch Adam Richman eat that monstrosity of a sandwich on Man V. Food. Really Bonner Springs, is there a market for smoked hamburgers? And then put them on top of real smoked meats? It's no wonder Adam couldn't eat it all, he didn't like it.

I wasn't looking forward to drinking the Dunkelweizen because, of course, I don't like most German styles. I was pleasantly surprised. It was definitely my favorite beer of the night. It was quite sweet with the malt and I could taste the slight banana taste of a hefeweizen but also had another fruity flavor and some maple. I really enjoyed every sip. It was nice and thick mouthfeel and really made you feel like you were drinking something substantial. I really liked it, so much so that I will seek out other dunkelweizens. If you know a good one let me know.

The rest of the Harvest Collection is just going to sit in my fridge until I get a hankering for a red or a lager. I'm sure I'll drink them as the 4th or 5th beer on a weekend. But the rest of the pack is surprisingly good. This may have been my favorite Sam Adams purchase in years. Plus it really helped me block out the summer heat and imagine raking leaves in the slightly chilly autumn air.

Flying Saucer Fall Festival

$20 for 10 beers and you get to keep your tasting glass (no word on how big the tasting glass is yet UPDATE 4 oz.), The KC Flying Saucer has quite the deal. The Flying Saucer's Fall Fest figures to be an annual event, the Ft. Worth Flying Saucer is already on their 5th annul Fall Fest. The list of beers is still being finalized but the Saucer always gets the best and rarest beers in the area so I expect a great lineup (one beer is being brewed specifically for the event). September 11 from noon to 10, Fall Fest should be the place to be for some great beer.

UPDATE The event will be held in the parking lot caddy corner from the bar. There will be bands and a raffle for one "doozie" of a prize. Pints of session beers will also be for sale in a tent at the event.

Boulevard Special Brews

This weekend I got a chance to try a couple of special brews that the brewers at Boulevard have put together for kicks. I don't think either brew will ever make it to bottling but it's fun to brew new things.

The first was a Single Wide brewed with Tank 7 yeast which Show Me Beer calls Trailer 7 but I prefer to call it Mickey Mantle* Single Wide. Show Me Beer also reported that the beer he tried was hopped with Sorachi Ace Hops. His hockey jersey must pay better attention than my normal person attire because I heard nothing of the Sorachi Ace Hops. The Mickey Mantle I tried was a different batch and may very well have had different hops in it. Whatever was in it was wonderful. I enjoyed it much more than I enjoy regular Single Wide (and I enjoy it quite a bit). The hops weren't the primary flavor of the Mickey Mantle rather it was that farmhouse yeast which provided a nice depth of flavor. I tried a Tank 7 after I drank the Mickey Mantle and I'd be hard pressed to say which I preferred. In a pinch I would say I liked Mickey Mantle more.

*I've been watching "61*" quite a bit lately because it seems to always be on HBO. I would like to see someone develop a sitcom based on Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle and Bob Cerv. There's was something a little bit great about the three of them sitting on the couch watching "Andy Griffith" together and eating black eggs. You could even get the same 3 stars from the movie to reprise their roles. Someone needs to get this done  ASAP. If HBO does it it might make it to my list of HBO's top original series.

The second experimental brew was the Imperial Stout with a cherry puree. I make no secret of my hate for cherries, but this sounded like something worth trying. It was quite fabulous. The cherries gave it a bright flavor not often found in a stout. The cherries added a sweetness that would be hard to identify as cherry flavor had I not known what was in it. I don't think Boulevard will move forward with this beer but I would welcome its addition to the Smokestack series with a few minor tweaks, namely a little bit of aging to balance the flavors a little.

These 2 beers are not advertised as being available at all on the tour so you have to ask for them to get them. Your tour guide might or might not let you have them. You'll have a better shot getting the Mickey Mantle as they have made quite a bit of it. If you get your shot at them you'll be a very lucky soul because they're both excellent.