Pitch Review: Beer Kitchen

Photo: Angela C. Bond

Charles Feruzza - popular food critic & writer for local magazine the Pitch - stopped by Beer Kitchen a few day ago to sample some of the food for his latest review in the Pitch's Dining section.  In his review Charles says, "unexpected touches elevate this joint. The sandwiches come with crunchy house-made pickles, and the comfort-food staples are very good. An "oven fried" chicken, coated in crushed cornflakes, really does taste like something my mother used to make."

"If this Beer Kitchen is "No. 1," it's good enough to inspire hope for a No. 2."

Read the full article - and whet your appetite - here.

Stone/Jolly Pumpkin/Nogne 0 - Special Holiday Ale

Brewing heavyweights Stone, Nogne 0 & Jolly Pumpkin got together for the second release of their Special Holiday Ale, which was first brewed by Stone in San Diego in 2008. The concept behind this collaboration is that each brewery takes Stone's winter warmer recipe - which  includes Michigan chestnuts, white sage from southern California and Norwegian juniper berries - and makes it at their respective brewery.  3 identical beers but from 3 different breweries; differences in brewing and aging practices produce different beers, which are blended to create Special Holiday Ale.

Beer Kitchen has the only 2 cases of this rare collaboration in Kansas City. 

Special Holiday Ale was named one of Wine Enthusiast's Best Beers of 2009 and has ratings of 98/100 on RateBeer & A- on Beer Advocate.  8.5% ABV

Grain vs. Grape - Feb. 13

Join us Sunday, February 13 for the next installment of our monthly Brewmaster's Dinners at Beer Kitchen.  February's dinner is a bit of a departure from our normal beer & food pairing; this time we're offering a 5-course epicurean feast pitting wine against beer as we compare the complimentary aspects of beer & wine with each course.  The Valentine's Day-eve dinner will be hosted by Kansas City's renowned sommelier, Kathi Rohlfing.

Reception Course
Heartland Creamery Chevre Crostini & Burnt End-stuffed Maytag Cheese Puffs
Dupont Avec Les Bon Voeux Saison, Belgium
New Mexico Gruet Sparkling Rose, New Mexico

First Course
Sweet Potato-crusted Sea Bass with Chorizo, Potato Chowder & Cilantro Oil
Urthel Hop-it Blonde Ale, Belgium
Marc Bredif Vouvray, Loire France

Second Course
Lemon-Thyme Roasted Duck Leg with Red Lentil-Baby Arugula Salad
Bell's Pale Ale, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Garnacha, Borsao, "Tres Picos", Spain

Third Course
Braised Beef Short Ribs, Peruvian Purple Potato, Braised Root Vegetables & Chocolate Stout Demi
Aventinus Weizenstarkbier, Germany
E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone, France

Fourth Course

Chocolate Decadence, Caramel Foam, Macerated Blackberries & Vanila Tuille Cookie
Lindeman's Framboise, Belgium
Chapoutier Banyuls, France

Come by Beer Kitchen, McCoy's, the Foundry or call us at 816.389.4180 to make your reservations - $60 per person or $100 couple.  

Who will win this battle of taste?  You will.

Strong Ale Night - Jan. 25

Introducing our first ever Strong Ale Night - a night to sample some of our higher ABV beers. We'll be offering a 5 beer flight (roughly 5oz. pours) of these homemade McCoy's brews:

- 100% Citra-hopped Double Pale Ale - 11%

- Tellicherry peppercorn & plum spiced Winter Warmer - 8.5%

- 2010 Ursa Major Imperial Stout - 10%

- Abbey-style Belgian Dubbel - 8.8%

- GABF Silver Medal Winner Wee Willy Scotch Ale - 8.3%

Come in and try all of these incredible beers for only $10 from 5:00 - 8:00 Tuesday, January 25th.

FYI - Yellow Cab can be reached at 816.471.5000...

Drinking Made Easy - Kansas City

Tonight's episode of Drinking Made Easy features a spotlight on Kansas City bars, restaurants & breweries.  Host Zane Lamprey, previously of Three Sheets fame on the MOJO HD network, visited KC last summer and made several stops throughout the city, including Westport.  Zane made appearances at Harry's, Kelly's, Buzzard Beach & the Westport Cafe and Bar, but all three Beer KC restaurants got honorable mentions on the DME website.  The article says, "McCoy's Public House in Westport also makes their own beer. Brews like their Peach Wheat, Maibock and Ginger Shandy are available on draft and also to take home in kegs and growlers.  Kansas City is also home to many specialty beer bars including The Foundry and Beer Kitchen. With a beer list  too complex to explain, The Foundry is a beer lover’s paradise. From local brews to rotating taps, bottles, flights and reserves, even the pickiest beer drinker is bound to find something here that they like. Located in Westport, The Beer Kitchen has a number of Belgian draft beers and an extensive bottle list. They also serve gourmet burgers, offer a build-your-own macaroni and cheese, and other delicious gastropub fare."

Tune in to HDNet tonight at 7:30 to watch the episode & read the full article here.

Around the Block - Beer Kitchen

Local food blogger, writer for the Kansas City Star's Restaurant Guide, and regular panelist on the local radio show "The Food Critics", Mary Bloch paid Beer Kitchen a visit last week and shared her thoughts on her blog.  Regarding the transition from One80 to Beer Kitchen she writes, "it now resembles more of a gastropub with a strong emphasis on, you guessed it… beer, but serving quality bar food."  She continues, "in addition to a vast array of burgers (made with a McGonigle’s blend), including the Classic, Tur-Duck-En, the Creole Chicken and the Smokestack, the menu includes flatbreads, salads, soups, sandwiches, Build Your Own Mac & Cheese, as well as several entrees and breakfast any time."

"I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the fare, and would suspect that the Beer Kitchen will have a longer life than its predecessor."

Read the full article on Mary's Around the BLOCK blog here.

Foundry named Top 100 Beer Bar

Draft Magazine recently published it's annual list of the Top 100 Beer Bars in America and named the Foundry as one of the best bars for craft beer in the 50 states.  Here's what they had to say: "mid-century cool and yet totally beer-nerdy at the same time, The Foundry marries 200-plus beers with pot roast sliders and IPA-tempura-fried pickles in a casually hip, urban space. Beers like Lagunitas Lucky 13 share the taps with a handful of brewmaster Keith Thompson’s house beers, which get top billing in beer cocktails like the Jim Dandy (McCoy’s Ginger Shandy and an IPA). Check the reserve list for rare bottles."

Read the whole article and see what other bars were named here.   

Now on Tap - Vanilla Toddy Stout

Now on tap - Vanilla Toddy Stout.  This is our nitrogenated Oatmeal Stout brewed with a special cold-extract Toddy blend made exclusively for McCoy's from our friends at the Broadway Cafe.  The Broadway Toddy Stout has been one of our most popular seasonal brews, and this rare version goes even further with the addition of vanilla to compliment the smooth & roasty stout with flavors of coffee & vanilla.  Like a little cream in your coffee?  You'll love this beer.  Come in and drink it before the FDA figures out there's caffeine in your beer!

Brewer's specs:

Malt: Pale, Carapils, Munich, Roasted, Black, Honey & Oats

Hops: Bravo & Willamette

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

OG 15.5 Plato
45 IBU

6.1% ABV

Discovering the Highlife - BeerKC

A couple of months ago Tim from Discovering the Highlife (a traveling food & drink video blog), stopped in Kansas City to visit with BeerKC co-owner James Westphal & McCoy's brewmaster Keith Thompson.  Tim travels the country in search of great bars, restaurants and breweries taking video of his stops and sharing his experiences via the DTH website.  In this episode Tim chats with Keith about brewing Newcomb's IPA, then meets up with James to sample Mom's Mac 'n Cheese at McCoy's, the TNT Tuna Tacos at the Foundry, the incredible burgers at Beer Kitchen and more - as well as beers selected as pairing for each dish.  This video is a brief introduction to Beer KC and why you should visit the corner of Westport Road & Pennsylvania Ave.  Grab a beer and enjoy the video in high-definition here.  Cheers!

 

Beer Kitchen: a Top 5 New Restaurant of 2010

Local food blogger and freelance writer, Dave LaCrone of KC Lunch Spots fame, recently published his Top 5 New Restaurants of 2010 on the KCTV 5 website.  Dave named Beer Kitchen in his list of great new restaurants that also included our neighbor, the Westport Cafe & Bar.  The DLC, as he's probably better known, wrote of Beer Kitchen, "any concern about the demise of Westport’s One80 and its rebirth as Beer Kitchen was put to rest once reviews started pouring in from diners. Beer Kitchen serves some of the best burgers and fries in town, accompanied by a host of intriguing house-made condiments. You can also choose from over 60 bottled beers (hence the name)."

See the other restaurants named and read the full article here.  Cheers!

Fat City on the Tur-duck-en Burger

Jonathan Bender, writer at the Pitch's Fat City food & beverage blog, visited Beer Kitchen to try the infamous Tur-duck-en Burger - our take on the not-so-traditional Thanksgiving dish  that includes a chicken stuffed in a duck stuffed in a turkey.  Our hand-held version consists of a hand-made chicken burger topped with turkey bacon, duck confit, fontina cheese & red onion jam served with cranberry-ketchup on the side.  He said, "this is a thick slab of exceptionally moist chicken. And it's underneath a fat handful of what's called duck confit that is more like shredded duck meat. A few slices of turkey bacon, fontina cheese and red-onion jam round out the burger."  He continues, "this burger does improve on the traditional turducken because the brioche bun manages to keep the sandwich intact, unlike the difficulties presented by slicing."  The Tur-duck-en Burger is available only at Beer Kitchen.

Read the full article here.

Now on Tap - Citra DPA

Introducing the fifth release in our series of single-hopped Double Pale Ales / Imperial IPAs. This batch was hopped exclusively using Citra hops, a relatively new American hop variety bred for its intense tropical fruit & juicy citrus characteristics. Citra hops were originally grown on a small, 3-acre plot of land in the Pacific Northwest developed primarily by Sierra Nevada Brewing for use in their Torpedo Extra IPA back in 2008. We also added 50lbs. of locally-sourced honey to the boil to provide some residual sweetness; while primary fermentation was done with our house ale yeast, we also pitched champagne yeast to give the beer a bit of a drier finish & bubbly effervescence. This is an excellent example of the recent trend in Double IPAs showcasing the sweeter, fruity & juicy flavors of American hop varieties. We tapped this beer at midnight on New Year's Eve as a way to ring in 2011 with a great beer instead of cheap 'champagne' at all 3 of our BeerKC restaurants. We hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

Brewer's specs:

Malt: 85% Pale 2-row, 10% Vienna, 5% malted white wheat

50lbs. of honey added to 105 minute boil

Hops: Citra, added at 10 different times from start to finish

Fermented 7 days at 19C with McCoy's house ale yeast, finished with champagne yeast

SG 23.6 Plato
90+ IBU
11% ABV