Short Pours - Week of 2/8

Chocolate Ale week has come and gone but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other exciting beer events and releases to look forward to.  This week will see another Smokestack Series release from Boulevard begin to hit shelves in the Kansas City area along with tappings of a beer that has not seen distribution since late 2011.  Let’s take a look at some of the events and releases to keep on your radar this week and into the next.

Char Bar Smoke & Fire Dinner - Beer, Bourbon and Fireside Cigars 

Westport’s popular new restaurant, Char Bar, is hosting their first ‘fancy’ (their words, not mine) dinner on Monday 2/9.   Instead of your typical four or five course dinner paired with a different beer, Char Bar has created a menu that will pair some of the dishes with beer, while others will be paired with bourbon.  For those of you that enjoy a cigar after a meal, there is an option for that as well.  If you haven’t had a chance to check out Char Bar yet, this is a great opportunity to do so.  The full menu for the event is pictured to the right.  There are only a few tickets left for this event so don’t wait too much longer.  For tickets or more information, call Char Bar at 816-389-8600. 

Boulevard Imperial Stout X – Coffee Release

A few weeks back we took a look at the 2015 release schedule for Boulevard Brewing Co. and highlighted some of the beers Boulevard plans on debuting this year.  One thing that really stood out to me was the fact that four variations of Boulevard’s popular Imperial Stout would be released throughout the year.  On Tuesday 2/10, the Kansas City area will see the first variation of the series released as Imperial Stout X – Coffee will start hitting shelves.  Don’t hold out on this one expecting to see it on draft at your favorite bar though as Imperial Stout X – Coffee will only be available in 750ml bottles. 

Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout Tappings

Rumors started swirling a little over a month ago that Founders Brewing Company had sent out a limited amount of their extremely rare Canadian Breakfast Stout  (CBS) for draft distribution.  The rumors proved true as check-ins on Untappd and pictures on Instagram of this rare gem started surfacing shortly afterward. 

If you're not familiar with it, CBS is an Imperial Stout brewed with chocolate and coffee then aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels.  It was the second release as part of Founder’s Backstage Series back in 2011 but hasn’t seen distribution since. 

Locally, questions started to arise if Founders would show Kansas City some love and send some kegs our way.  Well it turns out they did.  On Wednesday 2/11 Waldo Pizza will tap the first keg of CBS in the Metro Area along with 13 other Founder’s beers.  On Friday 2/13, Bier Station gets in on the fun and will tap CBS at 5:00pm and will have some other Founder’s beers on tap as well.  Martin City Brewing Company will also have CBS on tap Tuesday 2/17 as part of their 2 Rare 2sdays for a Founder’s Tap Takeover including five other Founder’s beers.

Perennial Artisan Ales Tappings & Brewer Presentation – Bier Station

Perennial Artisan Ales will be bringing some special kegs across the state on Wednesday 2/11 for a tapping and brewer presentation at Bier Station in their Biergarten.  Perennial Artisan Ales brewer, Jonathan Moxey, will be on hand to discuss the role of brettanomyces in beer and how Perennial uses brettanomyces to develop the flavor profile in some of their beers.  To assist with the presentation, Bier Station will tap an assortment of Perennial beers brewed with brettanomyces including Aria, Dual Artisanship, Stefon and Owen.  This is a ticketed event so don’t wait too long to get yours as it is expected to sell out.  Tickets can be purchased here.

Chocolate & Beer Pairing - Rock & Brews

For those of you looking to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your significant other but can’t stand the idea of dropping a couple hundred dollars on dinner and overpriced champagne, Rock & Brews in Overland Park, KS has something that will appeal to beer and chocolate lovers alike. 

On Tuesday 2/17, at 6:30 PM, Rock & Brews will host its first ‘Sweet Surrender’ Chocolate & Beer pairing.  Rock & Brews teamed up with Cocoa Dolce Artisan Chocolates and hand-selected six craft beers to pair with some of Cocoa Dolce’s gourmet chocolates.  The lineup planned sounds delicious and can be seen here.

Tickets for this event cost $30 per person, excluding tax and gratuity and can be purchased here.