Schlafly No. 20 Volume 4 - Southern Hemisphere IPA

Today the fourth and final beer in Schlafly's 20th Anniversary Series hits shelves on the Missouri side. Called Southern Hemisphere IPA, this beer is described by Schlafly as "kettle-hopped and dry-hopped with a unique hop from Tasmania, called Galaxy.   This strong, aromatic hop is distinctly different from traditional Pacific Northwest varieties."

Stores receiving Southern Hemisphere include Lukas Liquor, Royal, and all Gomer's locations. I've been informed that there is very little of this beer to go around, so if you are hoping to get your hands on it, keep an eye and ear out and act quickly once you find out it has arrived at any of these stores. It will be hitting the Kansas side at some point as well, but it sounds like there will be even less available in Kansas than there will be in Missouri.

Happy hunting!

Imbibing Kansas City

Photo courtesy of Imbibe, credit Brandon Cummins.

 In the January/February 2012 issue of Imbibe Magazine, a story titled 'Kansas City Here We Come' is included, which examines drink culture in the Kansas City area. While the article covers everything from soda and cocktails to wine and coffee, there is a nice chunk that recognizes the beer presence in the city (even going so far as to call KC a 'serious beer town').

Of course, Boulevard gets the immediate mention, with references to GABF medals, the Smokestack lineup and Chocolate Ale. Steven Pauwels is quoted regarding the growth of craft beer appreciation in Kansas City:

"…It’s easy to forget craft beer wasn’t always so popular in Kansas City, says brewmaster Steven Pauwels. “We had to convince people that a beer that’s hazy or cloudy isn’t bad.”

Besides Boulevard, Imbibe gives the rundown on some of the hot beer spots in town. Special mentions are given to The Riot Room (which is given the most attention out of all the venues), McCoy's/Foundry/Beer Kitchen, Blanc, Swagger, Grinders and Waldo Pizza.

Overall, I think it's fantastic that Kansas City drink culture is getting national attention from a respected publication like Imbibe. Of course, given my beer bias, I think an article could have been dedicated solely to the city's appreciation for beer, but I understand that had to cover all areas with this specific piece.

I will say, though, that this article got me to thinking, and made me a little more appreciative of what we have in terms of beer culture in Kansas City. Sure, we may not have the insane amount of breweries that a town like Denver has. We may not be in the distribution areas of some of the higher echelon breweries like Dogfish Head or Russian River. But, we still have some great stuff going on in this town.

Boulevard and all the venues mentioned in the article are great. But they are just the tip of the iceberg.

We have newer venues like Martin City Brewing Company and Lakeside Tavern making a push for craft beer appreciation in 'unmarked' areas of town. Places like 75th Street Brewery, Barley's Brewhaus, All Star Pizza, Gram & Dun, Urban Table and BRGR are working to make restaurant beer menus as important of a consideration as the food menu.

We have a beer festival scene that seemingly exploded in 2011 and is sure to continue growing.

We have upstart brewing companies in Doodle Brewing and Wilderness Brewing that show promise for the future of breweries in Kansas City.

We have liquor stores that actually care about their craft beer customers, working hard to keep a consistently stocked selection of craft beer options and notifying customers of limited and new releases.

But most importantly, and what really ties all of this together, is the fact we have awesome beer PEOPLE. Not to have a Kumbaya-singing, holding-hands-around-the-fire moment, but the beer community in this town is awesome, and it's what makes all of the stuff listed above work so well and prove to be successful.

I have my 'grass is greener' moments sometimes where I think I'd prefer to live in Denver or somewhere in California where maybe the beer selection is more plentiful. But the article in Imbibe gave me a little perspective on the fact that when it comes to beer in this town..well, I think Randyl Danner said it best:

Right now is prime time to be a beer geek in Kansas City.

Six Row Coming to KC

Evan Benn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch announced today on Twitter that Six Row Brewing Company out of St. Louis signed a statewide distribution contract and is expected to have bottles and kegs available in Kansas City (as well as Jefferson City and Columbia) sometime in January.

It appears that (at least as of a month ago) the only beers they are bottling are their 'Whale' (a wheat/pale ale), a Strong Porter and a Double IPA. I'm currently trying to find out exactly what Kansas City will be getting in terms of kegs, and will update this post once I have that information. Just looking at their beer list, I'm interested in trying the Belgian Dubbel and Fresh Hop Black IPA, so hopefully we will be seeing some of their seasonal and special styles in kegs.

While I've never had the opportunity to try Six Row beers, I'm excited to have another Missouri brewery available in our area. Have any readers tried Six Row? What did you think?

UPDATE: I was able to get in touch with someone at Six Row who provided me with specifics on their arrival in KC. North Kansas City Beverage will be distributing, and initially we will be receiving 1/6BBL kegs and 22 oz. bottles of the three styles mentioned above, the Whale, Porter and Double IPA. 

Is Jim Koch crazy?

Last night, with the help of beernews.org, I came across an article in the Washington Post about craft beer. I'm sure we've all read some rather dubious newspaper articles about craft beer, few papers are known for well researched craft beer articles (unlike beacons of journalistic integrity like this blog), but this one was interesting. The article explains, for anyone who has not purchased beer in the last 5 years, that thanks to American craft breweries you can now find good beer in a can. This is a trend we all need to get used to apparently.

But beyond catching the laymen up on a movement that started nearly ten years ago, the article also rehashes some of the old anti-can arguments. One involves Bisphenol A (aka BPA), the chemical an increasing number of water bottles and tupperware proudly proclaim their independence from. BPA is also found in beer can lining. I for one do not understand the science behind this so I won't pretend to know if this is something we should be concerned about or not. In the end, I think we are all just putting our trust in breweries, the FDA, and others that the things we buy won't kill us, at least not quickly.

Regardless, the BPA issue is not why I am writing this post. I am more concerned about the second complaint about canned beer: the metallic flavor. From the Washington Post article:

"For Boston Beer’s Koch, the main problem with cans is how they affect beer’s taste. Although many brewers disagree with him, he believes that tiny tears in can linings frequently lead to metallic notes and that the plastic linings suck up delicate hop aromas. 'The cans tend to absorb the floral character of the hop and, to me, dumb the hop down,' he says. In developing cans for Samuel Adams, he adds, he hopes to create thicker, denser linings that address those problems."

When I was a retailer in Colorado, this topic came up almost daily. In KC, we have Tallgrass, Avery, Ska, New Belgium, and a few others selling canned craft. But Colorado is ground zero for the Oskar Blues-led "Canned Beer Apocolpse." Oskar Blues, Ska, New Belgium, Upslope, Boulder Beer, Breckenridge, Wynkoop, and AC Golden are just some of the local breweries selling canned beer in Colorado. The state is seen as an early adopter of canned craft, but even in that can-friendly environment, I had many customers who insisted that canned beer just didn't taste as good.

I for one have never had an issue with this. I don't taste metal when I drink canned beer just like I don't taste metal when I drink beer poured from a metal keg. But I am willing to admit that maybe I am just biased, maybe I just want canned beer to taste better because I want to see these breweries succeed. I have tried to be objective about it though. When Ska was still bottling and canning Modus Hoperandi, the brewery blind tasted our staff and we all either preferred the canned version or noticed no difference. Avery produces several of its beers in both cans and bottles and if anything I prefer the cans. But regardless of my preference, I have never detected a metallic flavor from the cans. And I am not the only one, otherwise you would think canned craft wouldn't be exploding like it is right now. From the WP, "In 2009, about 50 craft breweries, mostly small ones, packaged beer in cans; now there are close to 150, and they aren’t all small. By the end of 2012, at least half of the 25 largest U.S. craft breweries will be selling canned beer, twice as many as this year."

So that begs the question, what's with all these people who still think canned beer tastes like metal? Are they crazy? Is it the result of decades of marketing? The stigma of mass-produced beer? Are they literally drinking out of the can instead of pouring it into a glass? What do you think?

Does canned beer taste metallic?
	Yes
	No
	Only if the beer inside is flavorless
pollcode.com free polls

Weekly Bar Buzz

I know this post is thin, my bad. I'm sure there are all sorts of New Year's specials this week, but I dropped the ball. Too busy stuffing my face with Christmas leftovers to do my research. Please feel free to share in the comments if you've heard of some can't miss events.

Now:

Martin City Brewing Company - Nectar Black Xantus Imperial Stout and Odell Bourbon Barrel Stout now on tap
The Foundry/McCoy's - Randalling Oatmeal Toddy Stout through Espresso beans
The Foundry - Flight of the Moment: Goose Island Christmas 2011, Noel de Geant, Blaugies Special Winter, and Mikkeller's Santa's Little Helper for $8

This Week:

Tuesday 12/27

Martin City Brewing Company - 3 to 6pm - Draft and Well Tuesdays: $1 Off All Drafts
The Flying Saucer - 4 to 7pm - Happy Hour: $1 off all draft beers
Lakeside Tavern - Bucket Specials 5 for $10
Barley's Brewhaus (OP) - 10 for $10 Bombers
RJ's BBQ - $3.50 Sam Adams Draws

Wednesday 12/28

The Flying Saucer - 7pm - Buy the Beer, Collect the Glass: Boulder Beer Nitro Mojo IPA

McCoy's - 3 to 6pm - Happy Hour: $3 pints
The Foundry - 4 to 6pm & 10 to Close - Happy Hour: $3 McCoy's pints
The Flying Saucer - 4 to 7pm - Happy Hour: $1 off all draft beers
Lakeside Tavern - Half off canned beer
Barley's Brewhaus (OP) - Hophead Night – $3 IPA’s, and $4 Double IPA’s
Barley's Brewhaus (Shawnee) - $3.00 Local Pints
RJ's BBQ - All draws $3.50

Thursday 12/29

The Flying Saucer - 7pm - Rare Beer Tap Night: He'Brew Jewbelation

Martin City Brewing Company - 3 to 6pm - Bottle Service (Bomber) Thursdays: $2 Off Bottled Service Beers
McCoy's - 3 to 6pm - Happy Hour: $3 pints
The Foundry - 4 to 6pm & 10 to Close - Happy Hour: $3 McCoy's pints
The Flying Saucer - 4 to 7pm - Happy Hour: $1 off all draft beers
Lakeside Tavern - Shiner and Labatt Drafts $2
Barley's Brewhaus (OP) - $3 Pints
Barley's Brewhaus (Shawnee) - $3 Pints
RJ's BBQ - All Free State draws $3.50

Friday 12/30

Martin City Brewing Company - 3 to 6pm - Hoppy Fridays: $1 Off All IPAs
McCoy's - 3 to 6pm - Happy Hour: $3 pints
The Foundry - 4 to 6pm - Happy Hour: $3 McCoy's pints
The Flying Saucer - 4 to 7pm - Happy Hour: $1 off all draft beers
Lakeside Tavern - Boulevard drafts $3
Barley's Brewhaus (OP) - Unfiltered Fridays: $3.25 Boulevard Wheat
Barley's Brewhaus (Shawnee) - Unfiltered Fridays: $3.25 Boulevard Wheat

Saturday 12/31

The Foundry - 4 to 6pm - Happy Hour: $3 McCoy's pints
The Foundry/McCoy's - Complimentary toast of McCoy's Calypso DPA Batch 8.5
Lakeside Tavern - Local drafts $3

Sunday 1/1

The Flying Saucer - Local Pints: Local beers only $3 a pint
Lakeside Tavern - All bottled beer $3, including Boulevard Smokestack Series 12oz
Barley's Brewhaus (OP) - $3.00 Local Pints and $3.66 Mug Club Local Beers
RJ's BBQ - All Boulevard draws $3.25

Monday 1/2

McCoy's - 3 to 6pm - Happy Hour: $3 pints
The Foundry - 4 to 6pm & 10 to Close - Happy Hour: $3 McCoy's pints
Swagger - Monkey Mondays: $2 Flying Monkey Pints
The Flying Saucer - Pint Night: A bunch of damn brews for $3 a pint
Lakeside Tavern - Big Monday: All draft beer $3 a pint
Barley's Brewhaus (OP) - $3.00 Local Pints and $3.66 Mug Club Local Beers
Barley's Brewhaus (Shawnee) - $3.00 Wall (That means $3.66 Mug Wall)

Mistakes, omissions, comments? Let me know.

Beers for Festivus

  In lieu of the typical Beer for the Weekend post, I decided instead to celebrate an often overlooked and under-appreciated holiday: Festivus. Traditionally celebrated on December 23rd, this Costanza-born tradition is just begging for some alcoholic accompaniment. Below is my list of suggested beer pairings for the standard Festivus activities, the majority readily available in the Kansas City area.

Putting up the Festivus Pole - As Frank Costanza notes, the Festivus Pole requires no decoration, is made from aluminum, and has a high strength to weight ratio. To me, a beer that aligns itself perfectly with this description would be Ska Brewing Company Modus Hoperandi. Presented in a green aluminum can, Modus is a fairly basic, hop-forward American IPA. And at just under 7% ABV, it has enough strength to place it just above a sessionable level but not something that will put you out for the rest of the evening. No distracting 'tinsel' or beer gimmicks here, just a solid, worthy IPA.

Festivus Dinner - You may recall that alcohol was not served at Festivus dinner, but George's boss, Mr. Kruger, drank out of a flask throughout the meal. So when it comes to beer for Festivus dinner, you want something with a high ABV that you could conceal in a flask or other conspicuous container. My suggestion would be to turn to Great Divide Old Ruffian Barley Wine. Smooth, easy to drink, and a heavy hitting 10.2% ABV make this beer the perfect one to sip on sneakily. Plus, it could pair well with a variety of foods, from a marble rye to a lobster bisque.

Airing of Grievances - Arguably the most popular of the Festivus activities, the Airing of Grievances is a time to let everyone in your life know how they've disappointed you in the past year. An activity that is sure to leave a sour taste in everybody's mouth, you may as well purposefully put a sour taste in your mouth with a beer. Jolly Pumpkin La Roja is one of my favorite go-to beers for a sour kick. As you sit there and receive a tongue-lashing from your loved ones, soothe your bruised ego with this delicious beer.

Feats of Strength - After being taken down a peg during the Airing of Grievances, the Feats of Strength offer you an opportunity to redeem yourself in the eyes of your family and friends.  A proper beer to get you prepared would be Stone Brewing Arrogant Bastard Ale. A strong ale that seems to have an ego of it's own, this brew is sure to instill a renewed sense of confidence in you that will surely bring you victory in the annual family wrestling match.

Witnessing a Festivus miracle - When it comes to celebrating a miracle on this holiday, you want to do so with a beer that leaves a lasting impression that you won't forget. For me in 2011, that beer was Anchorage Brewing Company Love Buzz Saison. Now while this one isn't available in Kansas City year-round, it made a couple of limited appearances, making it that much more special. Brewed with rose hips and brettanomyces and aged in french oak pinot noir barrels, this beer is very unique and was one of my absolute favorites of the year. And even if you don't witness any Festivus miracles,drinking this beer will prove to be a miracle of its own.

Happy Festivus to all, and to all a great beer!

Choklat Rain

I confess, I've lusted over Southern Tier Choklat since the first time I tried it.

A chocolate beer virgin at the time, I randomly picked up a bottle one cold day to take with me to Hays, Kansas during a Christmas vacation. When I finally popped the bottle open and took my first taste, it was heavenly. I single-handedly finished the bottle, which was probably a poor choice because I had to attend mass shortly thereafter. Granted, it was probably the most entertaining and enjoyable church service I've ever been to, but I'm sure I was catching some suspicious glares from all the sober Catholics (I think there might have been a couple of them there).

Ever since that Christmas Eve miracle with Choklat, I've looked forward to it being back on shelves. Well, the joyous day has come. Choklat is now available again in Kansas City. As is the case with all the Southern Tier Blackwater beers, this will be limited, so if you're interested, go sooner than later to grab some.

While I'm on the topic of the Blackwater beers, you may also want to consider picking up a Southern Tier Blackwater Gift Set from Royal Liquor on 103rd. The set includes one bottle each of Choklat, Oat, Jahva, Mokah, and Creme Brulee plus a Southern Tier tulip glass. For $49.99, it's a nice deal and a pretty fantastic set of beers to give as a gift, or as I'll probably end up doing, buy for yourself.

Crooked Stave

I love a good IPA and really enjoy dark beers, especially this time of year. But few things get me as excited as rare wild ales. Cantillon and Russian River are two of my favorite breweries ever and I can't wait for Boulevard's Love Child series to get going. In the meantime, local access to such beers is a struggle to say the least. Most of us have to resort to beer trading or stocking up when we go out of town.

A friend of mine opened a brewery in Colorado called Crooked Stave that is dedicated to producing this sort of beer. While Crooked Stave's beers are not distributed to Kansas City, I thought some of you might still like to hear about them. In my first post for this blog, I wrote a Colorado Beer Travel Guide based on my time working as a beer retailer in Denver. Crooked Stave was one of the breweries I mentioned in that post and I think its a brewery fans of barrel aged wild ales need to know about.

Chad Yakobson started the Brettanomyces Project as part of his dissertation at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, he helped develop Friek and Deconstruction Ale while brewing at Odell, and last November he created Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project in Fort Collins. Crooked Stave initially opened as a brewery within a brewery leasing space from Funkwerks, another new Fort Collins brewery (an idea other brewery startups might consider). Now the brewery is ready to move to its own facility in Denver and to raise money they are offering membership in a Cellar Reserve program that will provide exclusive access to some of the most rare barrel aged beers in the country.

As I mentioned, Crooked Stave does not sell beer outside of Colorado, but I know how resourceful you beer geeks can be. If I was able to track down some bottles, I'm sure you guys can make it happen too. Membership is not cheap, but then again, good barrel aged beers never are. Also, according to the brewery, "The proceeds from the purchased memberships will be going directly to our Denver expansion project and be the first big push needed to lay the groundwork for the rest of the project and our future brewery."

Here is a link to the brewery's website and below are details about the Crooked Stave 2012 Cellar Reserve Program:

2012 Cellar Reserve Membership which will be available starting at 10am MST on December 17, 2011. 2012 Cellar Reserve Memberships will be $300.00 each this year. Given the low production for most of the beers on the list (some only being a single barrel) space is limited to 400 members. We look forward to seeing you at future Cellar Reserve Member events!

If you are located out of Colorado and choose to have someone other than yourself pick up your Cellar Reserve allocations, you must email trustee@crookedstave.com with the name of your designated trustee who is the person responsible for picking up your beers.

Crooked Stave Cellar Reserve Membership 2012:
- 2012 Membership Card
- 2 Cellar Reserve stemware glasses
- Exclusive members only T-Shirt
- Neoprene Dual Bottle Beer Tote
(1 bottle) Blackberry Petite Sour (upon release, estimated Feb 2012)
(2 bottle) Batch #1 (100% Brett, 100% barrel fermented) (upon release, estimated March 2012)
(1 bottle) *Surette Reserva Chardonnay barrel-aged (upon release, estimated April 2012)
(1 bottle) L’Brett d’Or – 100% Brett Golden Sour (upon release, estimated May 2012)
(1 bottle) *Persica – Sour Peach (upon release, estimated July 2012)
(1 bottle) *Nightmare on Brett Street (Cognac barrel) (upon release, estimated Aug 2012)
(1 bottle) *Nightmare on Brett Street (Brandy barrel) (upon release, estimated Aug 2012)
(1 bottle) *Sour Quad (Cognac barrel) (upon release, estimated Nov 2012)
(1 bottle) *Cellar Reserve Blend (upon release in 2012)
*Denotes beer is a Cellar Reserve exclusive.
- Access to purchase specialty bottle releases at 20% discount (subject to allocation limits)
- First right of refusal for 2013 membership
- Future discounts to be added once our taproom is open.
- Future planned Cellar Reserve Member events (additional charges apply)

As well as receiving the above listed beers and merchandise, the following beers are planned for release from our Barrel Cellar in 2012 and available to Cellar Reserve Members.
- Blackberry Petite Sour
- Batch #1 (100% Brett, 100% barrel fermented)
- L’Brett d’Or – 100% Brett Golden Sour
- Burgandy Sour (not yet named)
- Oculus – Sour Belgian Golden Ale with Vignole grapes
- Barrel Aged 2012 Petite Sour (w/soon to be added fruit)
- Dark Sour (not yet named)
- Sour Quad (Bourbon barrel) (not yet named)
- First Anniversary Blend

**Please note that a few of these beers will likely be available to the public for purchase. As a Cellar Reserve Member you are guaranteed the first opportunity to purchase these beers, to some limitation, before they go on sale to the public.

Weekly Bar Buzz

Well, here we go. This is the Weekly Bar Buzz, an effort to share information about this week's local craft beer specials, limited release draft offerings, and other events area beer geeks should know about. Moving forward, I hope to have less boiler plate happy hour info and more tapping events. As Pat said last week, the Weekly Bar Buzz will ultimately be as successful as the local bars make it. So if you want to see your bar on this list, contact me. Cheers!

Tuesday 12/20
McCoy's/The Foundry - 4 to Close - Ursa Major Fest 2011: Commemorative snifter with purchase of Ursa Major Imperial Stout 2011. Bottles available. Green Eyed Monster Ursa Major on tap (Ursa Major aged with Chartreuse soaked oak.)
Martin City Brewing Company - 3 to 6pm - Draft and Well Tuesdays: $1 Off All Drafts
The Flying Saucer - 4 to 7pm - Happy Hour: $1 off all draft beers

Wednesday 12/21
The Flying Saucer - 7pm - Buy the Beer, Collect the Glass: Goose Island Christmas in a Yule Fuel Glass, also tapping Kerstmutske Christmas Nightcap and Seriously Bad Elf
McCoy's - 3 to 6pm - Happy Hour: $3 pints
The Foundry - 4 to 6pm & 10 to Close - Happy Hour: $3 McCoy's pints
The Flying Saucer - 4 to 7pm - Happy Hour: $1 off all draft beers

Thursday 12/22
The Flying Saucer - 7pm - Rare Beer Tap Night: Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza
Martin City Brewing Company - 3 to 6pm - Bottle Service (Bomber) Thursdays: $2 Off Bottled Service Beers
McCoy's - 3 to 6pm - Happy Hour: $3 pints
The Foundry - 4 to 6pm & 10 to Close - Happy Hour: $3 McCoy's pints
The Flying Saucer - 4 to 7pm - Happy Hour: $1 off all draft beers

Friday 12/23
Martin City Brewing Company - 3 to 6pm - Hoppy Fridays: $1 Off All IPAs
McCoy's - 3 to 6pm - Happy Hour: $3 pints
The Foundry - 4 to 6pm - Happy Hour: $3 McCoy's pints
The Flying Saucer - 4 to 7pm - Happy Hour: $1 off all draft beers

Saturday 12/24
The Foundry - 4 to 6pm - Happy Hour: $3 McCoy's pints

Sunday 12/25
Really?

Monday 12/26
McCoy's - 3 to 6pm - Happy Hour: $3 pints
The Foundry - 4 to 6pm & 10 to Close - Happy Hour: $3 McCoy's pints
Swagger - Monkey Mondays: $2 Flying Monkey Pints
The Flying Saucer - Pint Night: A bunch of damn brews for $3 a pint

Direct from our Readers:

"Just wanted to let you know that Goodfellas in Belton is doing $2 wells and $3 pints all the time. They have happy hour everyday from 3-6 and offer 25 cents off each drink. Also, if you go to their website, you can print off a coupon for buy one get one free on pints. Pretty good deal. Bartenders are real friendly, foods pretty good. Here's their website http://www.goodfellasbar.weebly.com."

"Attention hop heads, ale babes, stout fellows, lager lovers, cerveza chasers and suds guzzlers. If you could have any beer on tap at Nick and Jake's - what would it be? Tell us your "number one draught choice" and why it gets your vote, in the comments below. We'll take responses through the end of December and place the winning beer on tap for the entire month of January. Winner will also receive a $25 Nick and Jake's Gift Card and a mug (you know, to put your beer in). Post your response at either location (we will add a new beer to each in January)"

http://www.facebook.com/NickandJakesOP

http://www.facebook.com/NickandJakesParkville

Mistakes, omissions, comments? Let me know.

Are You There God? It's Me, Tebrew

With a Saturday Night Live skit poking fun at him and nearly every sports journalism outlet talking about him nonstop, Tim Tebow has quickly become one of the most, if not THE most, talked about athlete at the moment. And sure enough, the beer world is following suit.

Bonfire Brewing out of Eagle, Colorado revealed that they are working on 'Tebrew' a high ABV barley wine that pays homage to everyone's favorite God-loving quarterback (of course, I use the term 'quarterback' loosely).

This isn't the first time an athlete has inspired a beer. In 2010, after LeBron James left Cleveland to play for the Miami Heat, Great Lakes Brewing Co. created a beer called 'Quitness', a dry-hopped IPA. It was initially so popular that the first 30 gallons sold out in 3 hours.

Are we going to see a new trend of athlete-inspired beers? If so, I have a few ideas:

Jared Allen 69 Barley Wine - With a 14% ABV that's sure to get you a DUI after just one bottle!

Nate Robinson Double IPA - Sold in 7 ounce bottles, this beer would have the slogan "Small in size, big on hops."

GSP ESB - Hey, you'd be Extra Bitter too if you missed out on a title match thanks to a torn ACL..

Sharapova Stout - Russian, with fantastic body and mouthfeel.

And of course, in honor of our own Kansas City Chiefs, Stanzi Light - Because if you drink anything other than American Light Lager, you're a terrorist foreigner. 'Merica.

Tebrew is only available in Bonfire Brewing's tap room, so unless you are planning a trip to Eagle anytime soon, don't expect to get your hands on any.

To Infinium and Beyond (Again)

Today, Sam Adams Infinium (not to be confused with the $200+/bottle Sam Adams Utopias) is being released around the Kansas City area. First brewed as a collaboration with Germany's Weihenstephan, this champagne-like beer has been met with pretty polarizing opinions. This may be a perfect pick up for those of you that want to stick to drinking beer while making your New Year's Eve toast. Although at $20 a bottle, it's a pretty pricy toast to make, especially compared to some of the other brews you can get for the same or less money.

Besides Infinium, there are a couple other beers available today that are worth noting.

First is Odell Bourbon Barrel Stout, which is part of their limited Single Serve Series and probably won't be around long. As a huge Odell mark, I am really looking forward to grabbing a bottle of this, especially since I'm doing everything in my power to let my bottle of Friek age for a couple months and not drink it now.

Second is Southern Tier's Krampus (fun fact: a Krampus is a mythical creature that accompanies Santa and punishes bad children), an Imperial Helles Lager. Krampus is Southern Tier's winter release in their Seasonal Imperial series. While I'm not always a fan of Southern Tier's year-round offerings, I enjoy the majority of their Imperial and Blackwater releases, so I'll definitely be giving this a try.

Happy drinking!

Coming Soon: Weekly Bar Buzz

So last week, Pat and I finally met each other. Over a few pints at Martin City Brewing Company we shared our ideas for this blog and the direction we would like to take it in. I think we both agree that while we hope that KC Beer Blog remains entertaining, we want it to be about Kansas City beer news above all else. We discussed Pat's post about the Lakeside Bucket List. It was a killer deal on craft beer, but by the time people read about it, it was too late for most of them to take advantage. As more area bars offer beer specials and rare keg tappings aimed at attracting craft beer drinkers, it is becoming more important than ever to be in the know. I hope that is something Pat and I can help with.

Our goal is to post a rundown of local craft beer specials and tapping events each week. If you work at a bar, restaurant, brewery, distributor or you're just a well informed beer drinker that would like to spread the word, please contact us with the location, date, time, and other pertinent information and we will happily share it with our readers. I am going to try to post every Tuesday, so please email me by Monday evening with your events for the week. Don't see your favorite bar listed in our posts? Tell them to contact me and I'll add their events for the week.

We will start this new feature next Tuesday, 12/20. Hope you enjoy it!

Lagunitas Sucks and Boulevard BBQ are on the way

Ah, Winter seasonals; is their any better time of the year for beer geeks? Many have already come and some are already gone, but two will be showing up on Tuesday that are worth talking about. The first shipments of Lagunitas Sucks and Boulevard Bourbon Barrel Quad should start arriving at local stores this week.

Lagunitas Sucks is a brand new beer brewed to temporarily replace BrownShugga'. According to the brewery, "This sad holiday season we didn’t have the brewing capacity to make our favorite seasonal brew, the widely feared BrownShugga’ Ale. So this substitute beer is a ‘Cereal Medley’ of Barley, Rye, Wheat, and Oats…. Full of complexishness from the 4 grains, and weighing in at 7.6% abv, Then joyously dry-hopped for that big aroma and resinous hop flavor." I haven't tried it yet, but based on that description and the brewery's track record, I think its fair to say this one's worth tracking down.

I assume anyone who reads this blog already knows about BBQ, but for the uninitiated it is a Belgian-style Quadrupel aged in bourbon barrels with cherries added. It is one of Boulevard's best beers (it gets 99pts from Rate Beer and is the 8th highest-rated Quadrupel in the world according to Beer Advocate, if you care about such things) and one of my personal favorites. I will never forget drinking my first BBQ with my family at Christmas back in 2008. Not only did it blow away me and several people who don't typically drink beer, but along with Saison Brett it also helped change my perception of the brewery. The original Smokestack lineup, the Sixth Glass, Long Strange Tripel, the original Saison, and Double Wide IPA, was a great collection of beers. But the creation of the Special Limited Release line of the Smokestack Series and its first two beers, Saison Brett and BBQ, brought the brewery to another level. That's when Boulevard went from being my hometown brewery to being one of my absolute favorite breweries.

Both of these beers should be reasonably easy to find, at least in the early going. BBQ figures to be the more rare of the two, but I've heard there will be over 200 cases for the greater KC metro. Still, I wouldn't chance it, start your search Tuesday!

B4TW - Ska Steel Toe Stout

Around this time of year, I start to crave stouts like crazy. I'm sure I'm not alone, but when the cold weather starts to hit, I just can't seem to get enough of them. And while I love the big Imperial and Imperial Russian stouts, sometimes I want one that is a bit more of an easy drinker, and won't put me on the floor if I have more than a couple.

Ska's Steel Toe Stout, a milk stout, is one of those. While not everyone is a fan of milk stouts, and when most people think of them, they think of Left Hand's offering, I think Ska does a solid job with their Steel Toe Stout. It has just the right amount of sweetness without being overly sugary, and at just over 5% ABV, it's not an issue putting back a few of these.

And even more importantly, I recommend Ska Steel Toe Stout this weekend because our Kansas City Chiefs are taking on everybody's favorite foot fetishist, Rex Ryan, and his New York Jets. As our players take the field and Ryan mentally undresses the feet of Tyler Palko and Dwayne Bowe, let's drink a Steel Toe Stout as a symbolic form of protection. A pair of steel toe boots would assuredly keep Ryan at bay. Godspeed, Kansas City (or should we say Godfeet?)

And that's why Ska Steel Toe Stout is the beer for the weekend.

Stone Vertical Epic Ale Release

It's that time again where the latest limited Stone release that everyone has been drooling over finally gets released in Kansas City. Most recently it was Double Bastard, and this time around it's the Stone 11.11.11 Vertical Epic Ale . This year's Vertical Epic will be hitting Kansas City store shelves tomorrow, Friday the 9th.

The 2011 Vertical Epic Ale was brewed with Anaheim chilies and cinnamon. According to Stone, the idea behind the Vertical Epic Ales is to age them until 'sometime after December 12th, 2012' and then after that point, enjoy them in a 'vertical' tasting. Of course, knowing my level of patience, there's no way I'll be able to hold onto one of these for a year, especially since I'm very curious how the chilies and cinnamon will work together in this beer.

So keep an eye on the usual suspect liquor stores tomorrow to see when this hits the shelves. I don't know exactly how much of this is coming to the Kansas City area, but I'm sure it will go relatively quickly.

A Swift Kick to the Rumpkin

There are a couple notable beers available right now in Kansas City that I thought would be worth putting up a quick post for.

75th Street Brewery originally released their limited edition Swift Kick on November 25th, but sold out of bottles. Well luckily they announced today that more bottles are now available. Swift Kick is described as a double honey brown aged in bourbon whiskey barrels. While I haven't tried this beer yet, I was able to try their last limited release, Barrel Betty, and really enjoyed it. Stop by 75th Street Brewery to pick one of these up, and do it soon, I'm sure this batch will sell out quickly as well.

Also, the VERY limited Avery Rumpkin is starting to show up in bars around town. Flying Saucer has it available, and I've been informed that Martin City Brewing Company expects to get some in today, albeit in very small quantities and I don't know exactly what time it will be coming in. Either way, if you are interested in heading out to grab some, it may be worth calling ahead to make sure it is still around, as I'm sure it will sell fast in the bars just as it did in stores. I was fortunate enough to grab one of the bottles from Royal, and while I wasn't sure what to think about it after the first couple sips, as I continued to drink it the beer really came together and is something pretty unique. Plus a 12 ounce bottle will give you a pretty significant buzz at almost 16% ABV.

If you are out and about today in any of these areas, I'd suggest stopping in to grab a bottle of one of these beers, because they won't be around for long.

Lakeside Bucket List

After a morning commute that took twice as long as usual, I, as well as many other Kansas Citians, am ready to just stay inside and drink instead of go back out and brave the absurd traffic. If you choose to do the same, Lakeside Tavern is the perfect place to settle into today.

Today, Lakeside Tavern has a $10 bucket special. However, this isn't your standard Bud Light or Corona bucket deal. For $10, you can get a bucket of any 5 of the following beers:

Boulevard Double Wide IPA

Boulevard Sixth Glass

Boulevard Dark Truth Stout

Guinness Black Lager

Old Rasputin Imperial Stout

5 Lil Smokies or Old Rasputins (or any assortment you choose, as this is a mix-n-match offer) for $10 is a fantastic deal, and quite frankly is probably one of the best beer deals you'll find around town. If you need a refuge from the cold, or simply want to knock back some great beer for cheap, head over to Lakeside Tavern today to take advantage of this special.

Black Butte Porter will soon be mine!

For those who missed it, Deschutes finally made their move into Missouri official yesterday. Deschutes has long been one of my favorite breweries and I suspect they will find an abundance of fans here in KC. I had been working on an interview with an employee of the brewery, but then I read the brewery's well-written press release and decided it really answers just about all the questions you might have, so here it is:

Deschutes Brewery officially announced today that it will begin selling Black Butte Porter and Mirror Pond Pale Ale in Missouri starting the week of January 9, 2012!

Missourians along the I-70 corridor will be pleased to know that they can extend the New Year celebratory festivities with Deschutes’ Black Butte Porter, the nation’s number one selling craft porter, in 22-ounce bottles and on draft. For those who view dark beer with suspicion, this deep, velvety brew dispels lingering myths and has been creating zealous enthusiasts for over 23 years. But the cup of kindness for auld lang syne doesn’t end there: Mirror Pond Pale Ale will be bringing its own definitive Cascade hop aroma and hop forward flavor into play. This quintessential, deftly balanced pale ale will likewise be available in 22-ounce bottles and on draft.

Deschutes will also be bringing in a limited amount of The Stoic, Black Butte XXIII and The Abyss for Missouri’s serious beer fanatics, as well as, 22-ounce bottles of Hop Henge Experimental IPA. Six-packs of Mirror Pond, Black Butte Porter, Inversion IPA and Red Chair NWPA will be available later down the road.

“For years, our fans have been pleading with us to bring our beers farther east, and Missouri was the ideal step in that direction,” said Gary Fish, president and founder of Deschutes Brewery. “Our recent collaboration brew with Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City gave us tangible knowledge of just how passionate Missourians are about their craft beer. We’re looking forward to formally introducing our beers to the market there and getting to know the beer enthusiasts in this region even better.”

For the initial launch, Deschutes will partner with nine distributors to provide beer to the Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis markets, including Lohr Distributing, County Beverage, County Distributing, NH Scheppers Distributing, North Kansas City Beverage, HW Herrell Distributing, United Beverage, Grey Eagle and Krey. Phase two of the brewery’s entry into Missouri will expand distribution to the rest of the state via an additional 15 distributors in March.

Happy Repeal Day

If you are a beer drinker, or drinker of any type of alcohol for that matter, today is a very important day to celebrate: Repeal Day. On December 5th, 1933, the repeal of prohibition was accomplished with the passage of the 21st Amendment of the Constitution.

Today we should raise a glass to people such as John D. Rockefeller, Jr., William H. Stayton, Joseph H. Choate, Jr.,  the three du Pont brothers (Irénée, Lammot and Pierre) and Pauline Sabin (founder of the Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform) for their efforts to bring alcoholic beverages back into our lives.

And of course, on the other hand, we can curse the Congress that sat under Woodrow Wilson in 1919 and passed the absurd National Prohibition Act, despite Wilson's veto.

What many people may not know about Prohibition is how it changed brewing in the United States. Before Prohibition, American beer culture wasn't dominated by major national beer brands like Budweiser, Coors, etc. There were bunches of small, neighborhood brewers, serving a variety of styles to the friends and neighbors close to them.

However, when the National Prohibition Act was passed, many of these smaller brewers were forced to find other occupations and professions to make a living. When prohibition was repealed 13 years later, most of these smaller breweries didn't return, but the larger brewing companies survived and were able to resume operations. Thus, the variety of local and regional styles that existed pre-Prohibition were replaced with the mass-produced, filler-laden 'light lager' style that we've all come to know and hate.

Of course, fortunately for us craft beer drinkers, we've seen the BMC popularity waning over the past few years, and the craft beer presence around the country increasing. The variety of styles available seems to be ever-increasing, more and more micro and nanobreweries are popping up, and we are finally returning to the pre-Prohibition days of appreciating the smaller, hometown brewery.

So how can you celebrate Repeal Day? Well, you could always visit your local brewpub to show some appreciation for the neighborhood brewer. Head to 75th Street Brewery or McCoy's to have a couple beers or take home a growler. Make sure to tell them that you are drinking in honor of Joseph H. Choate, Jr. to thoroughly confuse them.

Or, if you are planning on an evening at home, pick up a six-pack of Anchor Steam. Steam beer (or California common beer, as it is typically called since Anchor trademarked the term 'steam beer') was a popular style of beer on the West Coast in the mid-19th century to early 20th century. The Anchor Brewing Company that we know today was founded in 1896, but was on the verge of closing until Frederick Louis Maytag II purchased it in 1965. Maytag reworked the recipe of the steam beer, and became the first person to brew beer without adjuncts or fillers since the repeal of Prohibition, essentially becoming the first modern craft brewer.

Today is a true beer drinker's holiday. Celebrate beer, celebrate the local brewery. And probably most importantly, celebrate the fact that we don't have to drink a stranger's bathtub hooch in the middle of a filthy underground speakeasy.

Love Child, we hardly knew ye

I know what I was thinking yesterday and I'm sure many of you had the same thought: LOVE CHILD!!!! Beernews.org and others reported that Boulevard had received label approval for Love Child No. 1, a Wild Ale brewed with Lactobacillus, Brettanomyces and cherries that was aged in Bourbon barrels for a year. While whispers about the Love Child Series have been heard around Boulevard for quite some time, these beers have never been released to the public. For one brief moment it looked like our luck had changed, but alas, the wait continues.

From Julie Weeks, Boulevard's Marketing Communications Manager:

"The 'Love Children' are beers from a new branch of the Smokestack Series family tree that explore the wilder side of of our barrel aging program. Each release will feature varying amounts of funk, sour, or fruit characteristics that are gaining popularity among beer enthusiasts. The label recently approved by TTB revealing 'Love Child No. 1' is for a first run, pre-release batch that we experimented with. Because the barrel-aged brew is such a small amount, we won't be able to release it to the public. Instead you'll see it continue to appear at brew fests, beer dinners, and in other sampling or sharing opportunities. Don't fret, however — we've already been filling barrels with larger batches, in the hopes that sometime soon another offspring will emerge and we will be able to share the funk with all who desire it."

So there you have it. On the bright side, while these beers aren't quite ready yet, they are finally getting closer to public release. If you're a Wild Ale nut like I am, that's pretty damn exciting.

Hopefully that clears up a few things about Love Child, but now you're probably wondering who I am. Well, I'm Brad. I was born and raised in Kansas City, dove into beer geekery during college at MU and got involved in the beer industry in Denver. I have spent several years selling beer on the retail side and now I work for a local beer distributor. I hope that makes me a knowledgeable blogger, not a biased stooge, but I'll let you be the judge.

B4TW - Trader Joe's 2011 Vintage Ale

Bull E Vard's Beer For The Weekend posts have been one of my favorite parts about this blog, so I thought it only made sense to keep them going.

It's getting colder. Snow is starting to get forecasted around the country, and will inevitably hit KC soon. Plus, Christmas is sneaking up on us and some of our beer budgets are getting redirected toward gifts for people that we have to pretend to care about. So, what better than a nice dark beer that will warm you up a bit and will go easy on your wallet?

Trader Joe's 2011 Vintage Ale is just that. Now, some of you may scoff at the fact that I'm recommending a Trader Joe's beer. But keep in mind that Trader Joe's has contracted their brewing to such breweries as Goose Island, Firestone Walker and in this case, Unibroue.

Unibroue has brewed up a Belgian strong dark ale that has a good amount of spice and a touch of sweetness to keep things balanced. This is the perfect beer to sip on in your living room while you watch the temperature drop and think 'Good God, I'm glad I don't have to go out there.' At 9% ABV, this will definitely make A Michael Buble Christmas considerably more entertaining, and for only $4.99 a bomber, it shouldn't ding your bank account too terribly.

Generally, I can't stand Trader Joe's or the socially unaware customer base that clogs its aisles. But, I will say that for the combination of price and quality, this beer is worth braving the ineptitude for. That's why Trader Joe's 2011 Vintage Ale is the beer for the weekend.