Introducing BeerKC

As one door closes, another one opens. Beginning in 2011, we'll be doing away with this blog and transitioning to one all-encompassing site known simply as BeerKC. This transition will allow for a single resource of information regarding the Westphal-Kelpe Restaurant Group's three beer-centric bars & restaurants in Kansas City's historic Westport district. Most of you are already familiar with these three establishments, but for those that aren't, BeerKC will cover McCoy's Public House & Brewpub, The Foundry, which is located next door to McCoy's and features 40+ taps and over a hundred bottles, as well as our latest beer-inspired endeavor, Beer Kitchen. Beer Kitchen, which opened in September, is located across Westport Road from McCoy's/the Foundry and specializes in unique, rare & high quality beers. BeerKC will become your 'one stop' resource for daily specials, Brewmaster's Dinners, rare beer releases, suggested pairings, homebrew recipes and much more. We're looking forward to turning the corner of Westport Road & Pennsylvania Avenue into BeerKC!

Cheers to 2011 - the year of beer.

Now on Tap - Ursa Major

Last night we celebrated the annual release of Ursa Major, our tough-as-nails Russian Imperial Stout. This beer is always a customer favorite and last night's Ursa Major Fest was the first time we've brought the beer out in such style. From 5:00 - 8:00, on the shortest day of the year, guests were offered full pours for $5.50 complete with a commemorative glass, or for an extra $1.50 you could add an additional 9 oz. pour of either 2009 or 2008 vintages. The 2008 was aged on oak briefly, right after it was brewed, then keg-cellared for 2 years; the 2009 was bottled last year and kept in our icehouse until they were all sold out around 5:30 last night. For one night only we offered 30 oz. growlers of all three vintages so you could enjoy this beer at home. It was a great time celebrating a great beer with great people - Nightlife KC even showed up to take some pictures. We've still got some 2008 on tap, along with plenty of 2010, so come get warm with this bad-ass brew!

Brewer's specs:

Malt: Pale 2-row, Crystal, Roasted, Chocolate & Black

Hops: English East Kent Goldings

Brown Sugar & Belgian Candied Sugar

Fermented with McCoy's House Ale Yeast

85 IBU
10.5% ABV

Cheers!

New Year's Eve Party!

Yo! Tired of spending a ton of money to celebrate at some lame New Year's Eve party? We've got you covered: $10 gets into any of the 3 BeerKC restaurants - McCoy's, The Foundry or Beer Kitchen - and includes DJ Boyfriend at McCoy's, DJ Leo Night Us (and his crew of B-Boys, poppers & lockers) at the Foundry & DJ Praxis at Beer Kitchen. Not only can you bounce between bar to bar, but we're releasing a very special beer to celebrate the closing of 2010 - a 100% Citra-hopped Double IPA fermented with champagne yeast. Whoa! Rather than toasting cheap "champagne" at midnight, we'll be raising glasses of this exciting new beer instead. $10 gets you entrance, food specials, midnight toast and the ridiculously huge selection of beers from all 3 restaurants. And be sure to stop in Beer Kitchen for brunch on January 1st for some delicious food (and maybe a little bit of the 'hair of the dog') from 10a - 4p.

Cheers & Happy New Year!

Ursa Major Fest

Join us next Tuesday, December 21 from 5:00 - 8:00 as we release the 2010 batch of our Ursa Major Imperial Stout. We're celebrating the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, by offering commerative glassware for only $7 which are, of course, filled with this rich and complex imperial stout. We'll also be selling 30oz. growlers of 2010 Ursa Major for only $12, and just a few bottles of 2009 Ursa Major for $15 each. We'll only have a few bottles available so get there early!

2009 Brewer's Specs:

Malt: Pale 2-row, Crystal, Roasted, Chocolate & Black

Hops: English East Kent Goldings

Brown Sugar & Belgian Candied Sugar

Fermented with McCoy's House Ale Yeast

85 IBU

10.5% ABV

See you here - cheers!

Now on Tap - Winter Warmer

Now on tap: the 2010 release of our annual Winter Warmer. Typically maltier & sweeter than most releases, and flavored with seasonal herbs & spices, Winter Warmers are usually higher in alcohol, hence the "warming" aspect of these beers. This year's batch has big fruity malt flavors to restrain the alcohol presence, with a light hop regimen of American, English & German varities. We also added 40 lbs. of Italian plum puree during fermentation, which allowed more fermentable sugars to achieve the higher ABV, as well as provide some citrusy characteristics to the beer's already complex flavor. It was then gently spiced with whole Tellicherry peppercorns to add a hint of spice and further the beer's complexity. Considered to be the finest pepper in the world, these Indian peppercorns have a full, robust flavor often described as nearly fruity.

Brewer's specs:

Malt: Pale, Vienna, Caramel, Melanoidin & Crystal

Hops: Horizon, Hallertauer & East Kent Goldings

Fermented with McCoy's house ale yeast

SG 20.4P
8.3% ABV

Pics - Feast of Samichlaus

Last night was the twentieth in our series of monthly Brewmaster's Dinners. December's "Feast of Samichlaus" was held at Beer Kitchen across the street from McCoy's; guests seem to prefer the larger venue & dedicated service rather than the smaller, yet more intimate, Cigar Lounge located between McCoy's & the Foundry. Perhaps this relocation was due in part to the desecration of the Cigar Lounge by the group of foul-mouthed drunks ironically known as GentsKC...

Smoked salmon rillettes - a pâté-like dish of smoked salmon, salmon poached in Pernod anise-flavored liquer, shallots, chives & crème fraiche mixed together and stored in a mason jar sealed with butter. Served with Bateman's Rosey Nosey winter warmer - 5% ABV.

The namesake of the dinner - Brauerei Schloss Eggenburg's Samichlaus Bier. The strongest lager in the world at 14% ABV, this doppelbock is brewed only one day of the year (St. Nicholas' Day - Dec. 6th) and cold-stored for a year before being released. Given the time difference between us & Belgium, there was a decent chance the 2010 batch was being prepared concurrently with our enjoyment of the 2009 vintage.

Salad of duck confit, apples, figs, potatoes & toasted hazelnuts with blood-orange vinaigrette. The savory confit, salty hazelnuts & slightly tart dressing made for an excellent compliment to the rich & sweet Samichlaus.

Mikkeller's Red & White Christmas ale - a blend of a British-style red ale & a Belgian wit, then loaded with orange peel & American hops. A remarkable beer only available to the United States in 1.5L magnums - 8% ABV.

Locally-made veal Weisswurst sausages poached in a spiced Mikkeller Christmas ale broth, served with braised red cabbage, Brussels sprouts, smoked bacon & hops-infused apple-mustard. This dish was the wurst! Actually, it was really damn good.

Corsendonk's Christmas ale - Belgian strong dark ale - 8.5% ABV.

The main course - slow-cooked crown roast of pork with garlic-herb mustard rub, mashed rutabagas & Norwegian lingonberry demi-glace served with Corsendonk's Christmas ale. Delicious.

Risalamande - a traditional Danish dessert of rice pudding, whipped cream, vanilla & chopped almonds with warm cherry compote & almond tuille cookie. Paired with the very rare Mikkeller's Ris a la M'ale - a brand new "liquid version" of the dish brewed with rice, vanilla, sugar, salt, cream, cherries & almond extract...very unique!

The Sugar Plum Tree - bite-sized balls of ground spices (anise, fennel, cardamom, & caraway seeds), ground almonds, dates, figs, raisins & currants rolled in sugar; served with Gouden Carolus Noël, a Belgian strong dark ale - 10.5% ABV.

We're taking January off as it falls so close to the holidays but we'll be back in full force for February's Valentine's Day dinner. More info on that as it develops.

Cheers & happy holidays!

Now on Tap - Belgian Dubbel

Now on tap: the 2010 release of our Belgian-Style Dubbel. A rich malty beer with some spicy/phenolic and mild alcoholic characteristics. Traditionally a Trappist ale, many breweries creat similar "Abbey Dubbels" in an attempt to emulate originals like Westvleteren 8, Westmalle Dubbel & Chimay. Spicy Belgian yeast and a dark malty body compliment notes of dried fruit and mild charred oak. There are plenty of flavors to pick out on this one!

Brewer’s specs:

Malt: Pale, Brewer’s, Munich, CaraPils, Chocolate, Vienna & Biscuit

Hops: Hallertaur, Perle & Styrian Goldings

OG. 21 Plato
8.8% ABV

Now on Tap - California Uncommon

Back on tap for a very limited time is our California Uncommon - imperial steam beer. We've been cellaring this keg for over a year since it was first brewed and the results are definitely worth the wait. This is a big, hoppy beer perfect for cold November nights like this. Click here for a brief history of steam beers.

Brewer's specs:

Malt
90% Pale
5% Crystal
5% Munich

Hops
75% Northern Brewer
25% Cascade

Fermented at 18°C (64.4°F) with McCoy's house lager yeast

OG: 23.3 Plato
10.2% ABV

A postmodern twist on a modern revival of a classic American beer

Now on Tap - Broadway Toddy Stout

Oatmeal stouts are generally medium to full bodied & have a remarkable smoothness to them due to the addition of oats to the mash. The oats not only add a lot of smoothness to the mouthfeel, but give a touch of sweetness that is unlike any other type of stout. Ours is a very smooth and delicious, malt forward stout that is nitrogenated to make it even more smooth & creamy. This time around our good friends at Broadway Cafe put together a very special cold-extract Toddy blend to compliment and enhance our oatmeal stout with a burst of coffee.

Brewer's specs:

Malt: Pale, Carapils, Munich, Roasted, Black, HoneyOats

Hops: Bravo & Willamette

Fermented with McCoy's house ale yeast
Cold extracted Broadway Cafe Toddy added after maturation

OG 15.5 Plato
45 IBU

6.1% ABV

Feast of Samichlaus - Dec. 5

It's almost that time again - Sunday December 5th at 6:30 is the next installment of our monthly Brewmaster's Dinners. This time we're offering 6 beers from 5 European countries paired with their respective regional holiday dishes. Some of these beers are particularly rare so this is a great opportunity to try some hard-to-find beers carefully matched with chef-inspired small plates. Here's whats on the menu:

- Belgium: smoked salmon rillettes & herb garlic crostini with Fantôme Spéciale De Noel - 10% ABV

- Denmark: warm duck confit salad with apples, figs, roasted potatoes & red ale vinaigretter with Mikkeller Red & White Christmas ale - 8% ABV

- Austria: wood-roasted weisswurst sausage, braised red cabbage & apple mustard chutney with Samichlaus Bier - 14% ABV

- Norway: crown pork roast with garlic-herb mustard, mashed rutabaga & lingonberry demi with Nogne-0 Special Holiday Ale - 8.5% ABV

- Denmark: traditional risalamande with cherry compote & almond tuille cookie with Mikkeller Ris a la M'ale - 8% ABV

- England: hand-made sugar plum Christmas tree with Criminally Bad Elf Barleywine 10.5% ABV

Tickets are available for only $50 including tax & gratuity so come by McCoy's, the Foundry or Beer Kitchen, or call us (816) 960-0866 to make your reservations ASAP.

Happy Holidays!

Now on Tap - Rye Pale Ale

Now on tap - the second batch of our Rye Pale Ale. This hop-forward ale is smoothed out by the addition of flaked rye malt, which provides subtle hints of grain and fresh-baked bread while adding some viscosity for a slightly thicker mouthfeel & fuller body to this refreshing English-style pale ale.

Full Brewer's specs coming soon - 5.8% ABV.

Welcome to Beer KC!

Greetings and welcome to Beer KC!  The online home for Kansas City's emerging craft beer scene located in the city's historic Westport district.  Comprised of three beer-centric restaurants & bars - McCoy's Public House, the Foundry and the newly opened Beer Kitchen - Beer KC will be your destination for some of the best beer & food in the region.  This blog will become your resource for staying up to date with rare beer tappings & small batch releases, daily specials & monthly Brewmaster's Dinners, as well as much more including suggested beer pairings, tastings & reviews and upcoming events.  If you like beer and are in the Kansas City area, or are an out-of-town visitor, we welcome you to the corner of Westport Road & Pennsylvania Avenue for great food, delicious beer & awesome people.  Be sure to check back often or click the 'follow' button on the right to add us to your RSS / Google Reader feed.

Cheers!

Pics - Lagunitas Dinner 11.07.10

Last night's dinner was the first of our updated series of monthly Brewmaster's Dinners now held on Sunday nights at Beer Kitchen

Lagunitas taphandles at Beer Kitchen - Czech Pils & Fusion IV

Chicago resident & Lagunitas midwest sales rep Karen Hamilton; Karen is the sister of brewmaster/owner Tony McGee, who started the brewery in the small California town of Lagunitas in 1993. Since then the brewery has expanded to Petaluma with a capacity of 100,000 barrels annually, making them the 25th largest craft brewery in the US.

Czech-style Pilsner paired with pastry-wrapped brie & lingonberry-apple compote

Lucky 13 "mondo large red ale" - 8.56% ABV. This keg was cellared in the Foundry cooler for nearly 1 year allowing the hops to mellow and the rich maltiness to proceed to the fore

Lucky 13 served with butternut squash & patty pan soup

India Pale Ale paired with roasted acorn squash & apricot-walnut compote. Lagunitas' IPA was the first to be brewed & bottled in California and remains the #1 selling IPA in the state for over 15 years

Little Sumpin' Wild - their Little Sumpin' Sumpin' hoppy wheat beer - fermented with Westmalle Belgian yeast. Little Sumpin' Sumpin' was so well-recieved that it will become their latest year-round brand in just a few months. Also be on the lookout for Little Sumpin' Stoopid in mid 2011...

Little Sumpin' Wild paired with venison loin in a wild mushroom demi with spaghetti squash & miniature twice-baked potato

Fusion IV paired with a trio of pumpkin brulee, ginger spice cake & salted caramel ice cream. This beer - a blend of lager & ale brewing techniques - is very rare and limited to select markets. Kansas City is now one of those markets.

Tickets are on sale now for December's Bremaster's Dinner, "Feast of Samichlaus", which will feature 6 traditional Christmas dishes from around the world carefully paired with beers from their respective country. $50 including tax & gratuity. More info on that very soon...

Now on Tap - BBB

Back on tap for a very limited time is our 13th Anniversary Ale known as Triple B. We hopped this badboy with a blend of Pacific Northwest (Chinook & Horizon), English Fuggle & German Hallertauer hops for a dominant hop profile, while creating a balance of the citrusy American hop qualities and the spicier, more floral notes of European varities. It's then dry-hopped for an even stronger hop aroma. Clean malty sweetness is found in the background, while some fruitiness, either from esters or hops, is also prevalent. This big, bold & beautiful beer defies classification sitting somewhere between an Old Ale, ESB & Barleywine.

Brewer's specs:
Malt: 78% Pale 2-row
9% Crystal
9% CaraPils
4% Melanoidin

Hops: Whole leaf Chinook added to mash

Fuggle added to first wort

Horizon & Hallertaur for 90 minutes

Fuggle & Hallertaur for 60 minutes

Hallertaur for 10 minutes

Fuggle & Hallertaur at whirlpool

Dry-hopped with Fuggle

OG. 23 Plato
90+ IBUs

11% ABV

Now on Tap - Farmhouse Ale

Join us in welcoming back our extremely popular Farmhouse Ale. This is only the second-ever batch of the cloudy Belgian-style ale featuring bold earthy yeast flavors, a mild hop profile and just a touch of sweetness. It is dangerously easy to drink considering it weighs in at 7.1% ABV. Cheers!

Lagunitas Dinner - Nov. 7

We're very excited to announce the first in our updated series of monthly Brewmaster's Dinners which now take place at Beer Kitchen on the first Sunday of the month. Sunday, November 7th we'll be offering a 5 course dinner featuring chef-inspired small plates paired with beers exclusively from Lagunitas Brewing Co.

Hosting the dinner is Chicago resident & midwest Sales Rep for Lagunitas, Karen Hamilton. Karen is the sister of owner & brewmaster Tony McGee. Tony, also a Chicago native, moved to California over 20 years ago to sell printing supplies. In his free time he started brewing beer at home, and as it turned out he made some pretty damn good beers. He started Lagunitas Brewing Co. in the small city of Lagunitas, before demand quickly forced him to expand and relocate to Petaluma, where they maintain operation today. In 2008 the brewery added a $4,500,000 expansion and has brewing capacity of 160,000 barrels annually.

Lagunitas is best known for their quirky attitude and their takes on highly hopped & notoriously citrusy west coast-style ales - particularly Hop Stoopid and IPA; in their words, "Lagunitas Brewing Company is emerging as a battle-tested brewery capable of making great beer out of goat's milk, brambles, and asphalt on the surface of the Moon, if need be."

Karen is bringing in some beers that are unavailable in the Kansas City market, one of which has only 1 review on BeerAdvocate. Beer Kitchen is closed Sunday nights so we'll have the entire restaurant - and staff - reserved just for us. Here's what's on the menu:

- Czech-style Pils with pastry-wrapped brie & lingonberry-apple compote

- Lucky 13 American amber with duo of butternut squash & patty pan soup

- American IPA with roasted acorn squash & apricot-walnut compote

- Little Sumpin' Wild with venison loin with wild mushroom demi, spaghetti squash & mini twice-baked potato

- Fusion IV with trio of pumpkin brulee, ginger spice cake & salted caramel ice cream

Tickets are $50 per person, which includes tax & gratuity. These dinners are always a ton of fun: great food, incredible beer & generally awesome people. Come by McCoy's, the Foundry or Beer Kitchen, or call us at (816) 960-0866 to make your reservations ASAP.

Cheers!

Pics - Amerisports Beer Dinner

Amerisports' Half Court Light - an American wheat lager

Brothers in beer - Amerisports head brewer Stacy Payne & McCoy's head brewer Keith Thompson hosted the dinner

Watermelon & feta salad paired with the Half Court Light

Knock Out Blond Munich-style helles lager; Amerisports is a particularly "lager-centric"

Baked bean cassoulet with coffe-rubbed braised pork shoulder. Yum!

The Red Zone amber lager

Chile-marinated hickory-smoked jumbo prawn wrapped in bacon with roasted red pepper BBQ sauce and pineapple-cilantro salsa.

Faceoff Pale Ale - the only ale of the night

Applewood smoked wild boar ribs with chipotle BBQ sauce, cole slaw & white cheddar jalapeno corn muffin

The Hard Ball Dark - a Munich-style Dunkel lager

Hard Ball Dark paired with chocolate pecan pie & house-made burnt molasses ice cream courtesy of the "Gelato 3000"

Beginning in November, we're moving these dinners across the street to BeerKitchen - and switching to Sunday nights. Tickets are sale now for the next Brewmaster's Dinner on Sunday, November 7th: say "LAH-GOO-KNEE-TUSS" More info soon. Cheers!