Get ready for Zwanze Day!

Are you ready for tomorrow? Zwanze Day is going to be a blast!! That linked blog post has most of the information, but here are a few details for you here...

• 120 tickets will be available for $30 each, CASH ONLY, starting at 11 am. 
• Everyone will be ID'd, no matter age!
• The $30 will get you a commemorative glass and four 6 oz tastes of Cantillon beers - Fou' Foune, Lou Pepe Framboise, Iris, and, of course, the Zwanze 2012 toast at 2:00 pm. 
• This year's version of the beer is a recreation of the very first Zwanze from 2008, a rhubarb lambic. 

Mmmmmmm..... You can get more information about Zwanze Day here - http://cantillon.be/br/3_21

The Foundry's kitchen will be open when the event starts at 11, so you'll be able to get some tasty food to go along with the tasty beers. There are also going to be some other great beers available to purchase throughout the day! If you're unable to get a ticket for the Zwanze event, or want to show up later, doors will be open for everyone at 2:30 in the afternoon.

We'll see you at The Foundry tomorrow!

Drink a beer, get a glass, support a great cause

Come have a New Belgium beer at The Foundry today, and you'll get a New Belgium globe glass to take home! Usually that's enough to convince me to stop by for a drink, but New Belgium is taking it further. With every glass that is given out, New Belgium will donate $1 to Wayside Waifs! Today only, so don't miss out!

Zwanze Day 2012

The Foundry in Kansas City is happy to announce our Zwanze Day 2012 plans!! 120 Tickets will be on sale at the front door of the Foundry Saturday, December 1st at 11:00 am for the first 120 people. Tickets will be $30 CASH only, and each ticket will get you four 6 oz tastes of Cantillon beer, including Zwanze in a commemorative tasting glass, and a raffle ticket to win one of 3 great raffle prizes! Each beer will be poured at a different time.

Here’s your line-up:

12:00pm-Cantillon Fou’Foune

12:30pm-Cantillon Lou Pepe Framboise

1:00pm-Cantillon Iris

2:00pm-Cantillon Zwanze toast

Be sure to have a valid form of identification, every person will be ID’d, no matter their age! This includes an ID that has not expired, and it must be a US Drivers License, US Military issued ID card, or a valid passport or visa. Foreign drivers license will not be accepted.

Other available beers in limited release:

Cantillon Cuvee Saint-Gilloise (Cuvee De Champions)

Cantillon Mamouche

Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze Golden Blend

Anchorage Love Buzz

Anchorage Galaxy

Jolly Pumpkin ESBam

Trois Dames Grande Dame Oud Bruin

2010 Boulevard Saison-Brett

2011 Boulevard Bourbon-Barrel Quad

2010 Goose Island Night Stalker

This is an amazing event, and The Foundry is one of only SIXTEEN locations in the country chosen to be a part of it, and only a little more than 30 places in the world will have it! Check out Cantillon's site for a little more information - http://cantillon.be/br/3_21

A taste of the Southwest comes to KC

St. Louis isn't the only area sending new beer to Kansas City. Next up for us, a new friend from the southwest: Santa Fe Brewing, the oldest and largest microbrewery in New Mexico. In addition to some tasty brews, they're also sending their owner, Brian Lock!

Brian will join us at The Foundry around 7:30 tomorrow (Wednesday, Nov. 14) to mingle and to enjoy some beers (there may be some giveaways, too...). What beers? I'm glad you asked. We'll have the Java Stout, IPA, and Chicken Killer Barley Wine.

I've had a few of their beers, their Pale Ale, Nut Brown, and Hefeweizen - all very good - but none of the three that will be available tomorrow. So that's pretty exciting. Here's a closer look at tomorrow's offerings, in case you didn't feel like clicking through the links above. (Don't worry, I'm not judging.)

IMPERIAL JAVA STOUT 

This is the kind of beer that gives the word "stout" a reputation. Extra generous quantities of barley malt, followed by vigorous fermentation leaves this "imperial" heavy weight with 8% alcohol A.B.V. and a body as full as chocolate bread pudding. A complimentary and complex array of bitter notes comes form potent American hops, earthy British hops, black-roasted malts and, of course, coffee. Santa Fe Brewing Company uses only top-quality ingredients like organically grown East Timor coffee beans blended with New Guinea coffee beans, locally roasted by O'hori's Coffee House. Its heavenly flavor and aroma can't be beat or imitated.

HAPPY CAMPER I.P.A. 

A classic beer for those beer lovers who love their hops, Happy Camper IPA will take the Pepsi Challenge (or IPA challenge, as we say in New Mexico) against any other pretenders to the throne. Was it divine providence that made this beer the king of the IPA world? Was it a tireless pursuit of glory? No, this IPA has a top-secret recipe to thank for its success, and this meticulously formulated combination of several different hops combined with a very specific brewing process give Happy Camper IPA a spicy, citric, and floral infusion of hop character, which is masterfully counterbalanced with the full-bodied maltiness characteristic of the Santa Fe Brewing Company’s distinctive beers. 

AWARDS:
2012: Bronze Medal, IPA Category, AMERI-can Beer Festival
2012: Gold Medal, American-Style Strong Pale Ale Category, North American Beer Awards
2012: Third Place, Summer Brew Category, Snowmass Chili Pepper & Brew Fest

CHICKEN KILLER BARLEY WINE 

Chicken Killer Barley Wine is the revolutionary beer that will someday define America's unique Barley Wine style. It is brewed with twice the ingredients of the Santa Fe Brewing Company's other beers, and only half the usual amount of liquid is extracted from these ingredients. This makes one substantial beer. At over ten percent alcohol, Chicken Killer is actually as substantial as wine, but this is not to say that it is difficult to drink. On the contrary; be careful with this one. The flavors of the beer are at first as overwhelming as the intense Santa Fe sun. But in the same way our sun gives us the unrivaled brilliant colors of Santa Fe, the potency of Chicken Killer gives us the remarkable spectrum of flavors that can be found in no other beer, in no other city. If you did not have the opportunity to try last year's vintage, come try this year's! 

AWARDS:
2012 Silver Medal, American-Style Strong Ale Category, North American Beer Awards
2011 Silver Medal, NM State Fair
2007 Silver Medal: Barley Wine Ale, N. American Beer Competition
2007 Silver Medal, NM State Fair
2000 Bronze Medal, NM State Fair
1999 Best of Show NM State Fair
1991 Best of Show NM State Fair

I'm getting thirsty just reading about them. They may not be everybody's thing, but I love me a good coffee stout. It's getting to be good weather for both coffee stouts and barley wines, and IPAs are always appropriate. Santa Fe is coming strong with their offerings. Swing on by The Foundry tomorrow at 7:30 to partake the beers and give Brian and Santa Fe Brewing a warm welcome to Kansas City!

Get out and vote, then come out and have a drink!

Hopefully everyone is ready to make their voice heard tomorrow, and will get out and vote! To provide a little more motivation (not that you should need motivation to vote, but, just in case...), bring in your "I VOTED" sticker to Beer Kitchen, The Foundry, or McCoy's, and receive a free beverage! Just ask your server for details. And might as well stick around and join the watch party as the results come in. Drown your sorrows or cheers the victories, we'll have you covered.

A HUGE thanks to everyone who made the 2012 Strong Ale Fest a great success! The weather couldn't have been much better, the beers couldn't have been much tastier, and the crowd was fantastic. 

 As the fest went on, my photography skills got... more artistic.

McCoy's beers were ready for the day, and didn't disappoint!

This is where things go arty

It's hard to pick a standout beer from so many great ones on hand. The St. Louis breweries were great, and will be welcome additions to the Kansas City beer landscape when they make their way here. Mother's had some excellent beers as well, including Uber Pils and Thing 2. And Boulevard's Rye-on-Rye and Saison Brett are always crowd-pleasers (not to mention the rest of the beers they had). Then there's the bleu cheese hand cranked sausage. Oh my delicious.

What were some of your favorites? 

Every Beer Counts!

Fellow citizens, once again it's time for an important decision. Yes, it's election season, and McCoy's is here to help you with two special brews. That's right, we've got the Obaminator and the Romney Red! The Obaminator is a West Coast IPA, and the Romney Red is... a red ale. I did my civic duty, and had them both last night. You know, had to be bipartisan and all that. And may I tell you, they are two fine beers. Make it to McCoy's and let your drink be heard!

Then on Tuesday, after you cast your ballot, bring in your "I VOTED" sticker to Beer Kitchen, the Foundry, or McCoy's and receive a free beverage! Join us for an election results watch party, as we keep our eyes glued to the electoral votes piling in.

And don't forget, today is the last day to get the advance tickets for tomorrow's Strong Ale Fest! After 11:59 tonight, the tickets will be $35, so get to McCoy's and save yourself five bucks! Hey, that would cover a pint of one of the above-mentioned beers... Hmm... Tomorrow looks like it's going to be a perfect day for strong ales. 59 degrees for a high and only a 10% chance of rain. A great day to cozy up to an 8% beer or so. Designated drivers get in at no cost, so call in that favor your friend owes you, or find the saint who will drive you around. Stay safe!

Also, there's the Wild Game beer dinner coming up in a hurry. So after you get your Strong Ale Fest ticket and a Obaminator or Romney Red, head across the street to Beer Kitchen to reserve your spot! $55 gets the a five-course meal with beer pairings, tax and gratuity included.