Boulevard & Odell Silver Anniversary
Boulevard sold its first keg of beer to Ponak's 25 years ago on November 17. Odell sold their first keg one day later. Now, both breweries are getting together for a joint 25th anniversary celebration with a bunch of events and a new collaboration beer. The Pitch and Recommended Daily both have great interviews with John McDonald and Doug Odell on the occasion. I love that John still buys his own beer at Costco. Also, canning line! Let's just hope for the sake of all hikers and canoers that John's musings on the future of Boulevard come true.
We owe a lot to Boulevard and Odell. The hard work these two breweries have put in over the last 25 years has made a huge different to the American beer revival. Congratulations to John and the Odell's and everyone else who works at both of the breweries for making it this far and still making great beer!
The collaboration beer is a strong English ale clocking in at 7.3% abv and 40 IBU. They brewed the same base beer in Ft. Collins and KC, then each brewery put their own spin on the base with their own aroma hop and yeast selections. As Doug Odell puts it, "It came out like I had in mind. It’s a strong ESB in that it was a little more malty than pale. It’s not as bitter. It’s a little more malt forward. I think we got the balance right between bitterness, hop flavor and the malt backbone."
Boulevard's version is going to be on draft in KC only and in bottles across their distribution network. The kegs will be hitting bar taps next Monday 11/10, and bottles should start showing up at retail shops on Tuesday, 11/11. The Odell version should be on tap and in stores around the same time. Odell has also put out another special 25th anniversary beer--180 Shilling. It's a double version of their popular 90/- beer at 9.6% abv. You should also start seeing this one around town soon, if not already in some places.
Bier Station Odell Tapping - 11/7
Not only are Boulevard and Odell releasing the special beer for their 25th, but they're also hosting a bunch of events. Bier Station will be hosting the first of the events--an Odell tap night tomorrow night starting at 5p. You will be able to get your first taste of the Odell version of the Silver Anniversary Ale at this event, and Odell is also bringing a firkin of Gramps Oatmeal Stout with Smoked Maple, and a keg each of Mountain Standard and their FOCOllabration brewed with New Belgium.
Silver Anniversary Pub Crawl - 11/8
This Saturday marks the officially sanctioned Silver Anniversary Pub Crawl in Westport from 2p-8p. The event is officially sold out now, but hey, it's a pub crawl. I never met a pub crawl that I couldn't crash. The crawl will be stopping through Riot Room, Foundry, Kelly's, Harpo's, Westport Ale House, Preservation Market, Harry's, Buzzard Beach and Green Room.
Barley's Silver Anniversary Beer School - 11/10
Barley's Brewhaus on 119th St is continuing their Beer School series on Monday at 6p with an extra special 25th anniversary installment. John McDonald and Wynne Odell will be in attendance to lead the tasting and answer questions.
They're going to have both the Boulevard and the Odell versions of the Silver Anniversary Ale and Odell 180/-. They will also have the two beers that started it all--Boulevard Pale Ale and Odell 90 Shilling. A little Saison Brett is thrown in there for good (great) measure too. Jeremy Danner from Boulevard and Matt Shadid from Odell will also be on hand to answer questions and shoot the shit at the event.
The event is $15 and you MUST purchase tickets in advance. Stop by the bar or call them at 913-663-4099 to reserve a spot.
Jax Fish House and Oyster Bar Beer Dinner - 11/11
The final event planned right now is an anniversary beer dinner at the newly opened Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar (another export from the Colorado Front Range). The five course pairing menu sounds pretty damn fantastic and John McDonald & Wynne Odell will be at the event to walk you through the parings and talk about the breweries. The tickets are $65 per person and you can make reservations by calling the restaurant at 816-437-7940
We owe a lot to Boulevard and Odell. The hard work these two breweries have put in over the last 25 years has made a huge different to the American beer revival. Congratulations to John and the Odell's and everyone else who works at both of the breweries for making it this far and still making great beer!
The Collaboration Beer
The collaboration beer is a strong English ale clocking in at 7.3% abv and 40 IBU. They brewed the same base beer in Ft. Collins and KC, then each brewery put their own spin on the base with their own aroma hop and yeast selections. As Doug Odell puts it, "It came out like I had in mind. It’s a strong ESB in that it was a little more malty than pale. It’s not as bitter. It’s a little more malt forward. I think we got the balance right between bitterness, hop flavor and the malt backbone."
Boulevard's version is going to be on draft in KC only and in bottles across their distribution network. The kegs will be hitting bar taps next Monday 11/10, and bottles should start showing up at retail shops on Tuesday, 11/11. The Odell version should be on tap and in stores around the same time. Odell has also put out another special 25th anniversary beer--180 Shilling. It's a double version of their popular 90/- beer at 9.6% abv. You should also start seeing this one around town soon, if not already in some places.
Events
Bier Station Odell Tapping - 11/7
Not only are Boulevard and Odell releasing the special beer for their 25th, but they're also hosting a bunch of events. Bier Station will be hosting the first of the events--an Odell tap night tomorrow night starting at 5p. You will be able to get your first taste of the Odell version of the Silver Anniversary Ale at this event, and Odell is also bringing a firkin of Gramps Oatmeal Stout with Smoked Maple, and a keg each of Mountain Standard and their FOCOllabration brewed with New Belgium.
Silver Anniversary Pub Crawl - 11/8
This Saturday marks the officially sanctioned Silver Anniversary Pub Crawl in Westport from 2p-8p. The event is officially sold out now, but hey, it's a pub crawl. I never met a pub crawl that I couldn't crash. The crawl will be stopping through Riot Room, Foundry, Kelly's, Harpo's, Westport Ale House, Preservation Market, Harry's, Buzzard Beach and Green Room.
Barley's Silver Anniversary Beer School - 11/10 Barley's Brewhaus on 119th St is continuing their Beer School series on Monday at 6p with an extra special 25th anniversary installment. John McDonald and Wynne Odell will be in attendance to lead the tasting and answer questions.
They're going to have both the Boulevard and the Odell versions of the Silver Anniversary Ale and Odell 180/-. They will also have the two beers that started it all--Boulevard Pale Ale and Odell 90 Shilling. A little Saison Brett is thrown in there for good (great) measure too. Jeremy Danner from Boulevard and Matt Shadid from Odell will also be on hand to answer questions and shoot the shit at the event.
The event is $15 and you MUST purchase tickets in advance. Stop by the bar or call them at 913-663-4099 to reserve a spot.
Jax Fish House and Oyster Bar Beer Dinner - 11/11
The final event planned right now is an anniversary beer dinner at the newly opened Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar (another export from the Colorado Front Range). The five course pairing menu sounds pretty damn fantastic and John McDonald & Wynne Odell will be at the event to walk you through the parings and talk about the breweries. The tickets are $65 per person and you can make reservations by calling the restaurant at 816-437-7940
