Goose Island Dinner - 3.27.11

Join us March 27th for the latest installment of our monthly Brewmaster's Dinners.  This month's dinner will feature regional sales manager Paul DeVries of Chicago's Goose Island Brewing Company.  We'll be sampling 5 of Goose Island's Belgian-style beers each paired with a chef-inspired dish.  Here's what's on the menu:

- Lump crab & artichoke beignets with remoulade paired with Sofie - farmhouse ale fermented with wild yeasts & aged in wine barrels with orange peels - 6.5%

- Braised walleye cheeks with smoked tomato confit served with Fleur - pale ale blended with hibiscus & kombucha tea - 7%

- Hickory-smoked pork belly with roasted beet, faro & maytag salad paired with Pere Jacques - Belgian-style Abbey ale - 8%

- Lamb chop with mint jelly foam, mustard greens & tillamook cheddar gratin served with Juliet - sour ale fermented with wild yeasts and aged in cabernet barrels with blackberries - 6.7%

- Apple tart tatin with bourbon cherry ice cream & almond brittle served with Dominique - sour ale aged in used Heaven Hill bourbon whiskey barrels (currently only available on draft) - 8.5%

Reservations are $60 per person or $110 per couple, including tax & gratuity.  Tickets are available at all 3 Beer KC restaurants or by calling Beer Kitchen at (816) 389.4180.  Seating is limited so make your reservations ASAP.  See you then - cheers!

Now on Tap - BBB



Introducing the latest batch of our Anniversary Ale known as Triple B. Celebrating 14 years of McCoy's Public House, 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

Firestone Walker Nectar Ale Release - 3.13.11

We're very pleased to announce that California's Firestone Walker is finally going to be distributed in Missouri beginning in March.  On Sunday, March 13 at 5:30 we'll be joined by FW regional sales rep John Bryan as he hosts an informal release party showcasing their Nectar line of award-winning beers.   Here's what's on the menu:

- Chinese five-spice seared Ahi tuna on wonton crisps with micro-greens paired with Red Nectar amber ale - 5.8%;  2010 GABF Gold Medal: American-style Amber Ale

- Mini-pastries filled with Jamaican jerk chicken & roasted pineapple red pepper relish served with Nectar IPA - 6.7%; 2008 World Beer Cup Silver Medal: American India Pale Ale

- Mini kobe beef corn dogs with sweet corn pistachio batter paired with Hemp Ale - 5.7%; 2006 World Beer Cup Bronze Medal: American Brown Ale

Seats are limited and only $20 per person, including tax & gratuity.  Reservations can be made by calling Beer Kitchen at (816) 389-4180 but we recommend just stopping by for a pint and getting them then.  Cheers!

McCoy's: Under Construction

Beginning Monday, February 21, McCoy's will be closed for some major kitchen upgrades and other back-of-house renovations until March 3rd.  The Foundry will be open for lunch during this period, as well as Beer Kitchen.

Now on Tap - Westporter

Porter is said to have been popular with transportation workers of Central London, hence the name. Most traditional British brewing documentation from the 1700’s state that Porter was a blend of three different styles: an old ale (stale or soured), a new ale (brown or pale ale) and a weak one (mild ale), with various combinations of blending and staleness. The end result was also commonly known as "Entire Butt" or "Three Threads" and had a pleasing taste of neither new nor old. It was the first truly engineered beer, catering to the public's taste, playing a critical role in quenching the thirst of the UK’s Industrial Revolution and lending an arm in building the mega-breweries of today.

Porter saw a comeback during the homebrewing and micro-brewery revolution of the late 1970’s and early 80’s in the US. Modern-day Porters are typically brewed using a pale malt base with the addition of black malt, crystal, chocolate or smoked brown malt. The addition of roasted malt is uncommon, but used occasionally. Some brewers will also age their beers after inoculation with live bacteria to create an authentic taste. Hop bitterness is moderate on the whole and color ranges from brown to black. Overall they remain very complex and interesting beers.

Brewer’s specs:

Malt: Pale 2-row, Chocolate, Crystal, Carapils, Melanoidin & White Wheat
Hops: American Horizon, Bravo, English Fuggle and Goldings
Starting Gravity: 15 Plato
Fermented with McCoy's house ale yeast
5.9% ABV

Now on Tap - Good Farmhouse Ale

Back on tap at McCoy's & the Foundry is our extremely popular Good Farmhouse Ale. Named after Gib Good, the farmer who generously picks up our spent grain every week, Good Farmhouse is the fourth batch of our unfiltered & characteristically cloudy Belgian-style ale.  This complex ale tends to be semi-dry  with lots of fruity flavors and aromas.  Bold earthy yeast flavors, a mild hop profile, lots of spice and just a touch of sweetness round out this complex and refreshing ale.

Brewer's specs:

Pale 2-row & unmalted wheat

Styrian Goldings hops

Fermented with Belgian Ale yeast

7% ABV

Cheers!

Pics - Grain vs. Grape Dinner

Sunday night's 'Valentine's Day Eve' Brewmaster's Dinner at Beer Kitchen was an epicurean battle that pit wine against beer, and the night couldn't have been more interesting or informative.  Each of the 5 chef-inspired courses was paired with a wine, chosen by guest-speaker & sommelier Kathy Rohlfing, and a beer chosen by Beer Kitchen manager Randyl Danner.  Guests were asked to vote for their favorite pairing with each dish, and the votes were counted at the end of the night to declare a winner for each pairing as well as overall.  Many thanks to those who made it out, but for those who didn't - here's what you missed:

 

The ballots.  Each card was hand-made by McCoy's bartender Ricardo Ruiz, as well as the commemorative buttons.

The ballots.  Each card was hand-made by McCoy's bartender Ricardo Ruiz, as well as the commemorative buttons.



Reception course: Heartland Creamery Chevre Crostini & Burnt End-stuffed Maytag Cheese Puffs





Reception course part 2: Dupont Avec Les Bon Voeux Saison from Belgium & New Mexico Gruet Sparkling Rose from New Mexico.  The highest-rated Saison in the world won this battle.





Sweet Potato-crusted Sea Bass with Chorizo, Potato Chowder & Cilantro Oil served with Urthel Hop-it Blonde Ale, from Belgium & Marc Bredif Vouvray from France.  This dish was out of control!  Wine took the victory on this one.





Lemon-Thyme Roasted Duck Leg with Red Lentil-Baby Arugula Salad paired with Bell's Pale Ale from Michigan & Garnacha, Borsao, "Tres Picos" from Spain.  Wine took a 2-1 lead on the third course.




Braised Beef Short Ribs, Peruvian Purple Potato, Braised Root Vegetables with Young's Double Chocolate Stout Demi served with Aventinus Weizenstarkbier from Germany & E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone from France.  Beer tied the score 2-2 to make things interesting...




Chocolate Decadence with Caramel Foam, Macerated Blackberries & Vanila Tuille Cookie paired with Lindeman's Framboise from Belgium & Chapoutier Banyuls from France.  Beer won this dish by a landslide.  The tart, slightly acidic flavors and light effervescence of the lambic paired wonderfully with the dense cake.



Overall, beer may have won the battle in a narrow 3-2 victory, but the real winners of this dinner were everyone who attended.  It was truly a great way to spend Valentine's Day and these dinners are always something to look forward to.  Next month's will be no exception as we welcome Paul DeVries of Chicago's Goose Island Brewery on March 27.  We'll be tasting their Belgian-inspired beers including Sofie, Fleur, Pere Jacques, Juliet & Dominique.  More information on that as it becomes available.  Cheers!

Boulevard Chocolate Ale

We're tapping a fresh keg of Boulevard Chocolate Ale at the Foundry tomorrow night at 4:00.  Get there ASAP because the last keg was gone in a few hours...

Now on Tap - Broadway Toddy Stout

Well, the Winterberry certainly didn't last long, but have no fear -we just put on a 1/4-barrel keg of our insanely delicious Broadway Toddy Stout.  This is our oatmeal stout infused with a special "toddy" coffee blend made exclusively for us by the Broadway Roasting Co. and served on nitro tap.  The toddy method of brewing is a cold-extraction which reduces the coffee's bitterness by up to 70%, resulting in a highly-concentrated coffee with tons of flavor & packed with caffeine.  

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

Now on Tap - Winterberry

You might be wondering, "what the hell is Winterberry?" Well, it's our 2009 Winter Warmer blended with oak-aged Blackberry Lager that's been keg-cellared for over a year. This is a very limited release that will not last long; we've only got about a half-keg left. Its tart, sweet, hoppy & just boozy enough to keep you warm on these bitter cold nights.

Farmhouse Ale & Westporter will be on tap in the next week or so. Cheers!