I-70 Showdown: A pack of Steve/Steven/Stephens

If you want to be a brewer in the greater Kansas City metro (yeah, we're including St. Louis as part of the metro), you'd do well to change your name to some variation of "Steve." This year, we added a fourth brewery to our annual I-70 Showdown beer dinner - Kansas City Bier Company. We also added a fourth to the Steve group, with KCBC's Steve Holle joining Boulevard's Steven Pauwels, Schlafly's Stephen Hale, and Free State's Steve Bradt. Holle fit right in, wearing Lederhosen to go with his German style beer. And to compete in the "best dressed" category with Hale's utilikilt. Not to be outdone, Pauwels donned his Belgian outfit. . . a scarf.

There was the usual good-natured ribbing between the boys from the breweries, and the usual great beers paired with incredible food. The meal started with halibut cheeks, chestnut brown butter, and greens, paired with Boulevard 80 Acre, Free State Coeur de Saison, KC Bier Co. Helles, and Schlafly American Brown Ale. Each of the beers offered the plate something different - 80 Acre was the hoppy beer of the bunch, and went with the bitter greens, Coeur de Saison was spicy and had the flavor to shine and cut through everything, while the Helles was nice and light and didn't overpower the plate (and was probably the best pairing for this course), and the American Brown gave a roast flavor that helped mellow the chestnut brown butter.

Stealing the photos from Beer Kitchen's Facebook. Way better than camera phone pics

The second course brought Boulevard's Long Strange Tripel, Free State's Ad Astra, KC Bier Co.'s Dunkel, and Schlafly's Biere de Garde together with a duo of roasted quail and acorn squash ravioli. The quail was delicate and was well balanced by Long Strange, the acorn squash ravioli was rich and paired nicely with the Biere de Garde. Not that the other beers didn't work with the food, because they all fit here. 

Third was a lamb shank with heirloom bean cassoulet and glazed carrots. It had a sweet, chocolaty sauce that really pulled the plate together (and I was lucky enough to sit next to an Irishman who doesn't eat lamb, so I got a second helping). The beer for this course had a couple of hoppy beers in Free State's Stormwatch Ale and KC Bier Co.'s Hopfen Doof, a big sweet Belgian style with Schlafly's Quadrupel, and a strong wild ale from Boulevard. 2013 Terra Incognita was the star here, as the Boulevard/Sierra Nevada collaboration matured very well. A little funky and great body, it cut the sweetness of the plate. 

Dessert had a duo of vanilla cake with elderberry mascarpone mousse and pistachio gelato paired with Boulevard Bourbon Barrel Quad, Free State Owd Macs Imperial, KCBC Maibock, and Schlafly Milk Chocolate. While the Maibock was fantastic, it was hard to keep up with the big beers from the other breweries. Free State's Templeton Rye aged imperial stout was boozy and great with the cake. A perfect finish to the meal!

Get ready for a threepeat!

It's time for the third I-70 Showdown Beer Dinner! Last year we added our friends from Lawrence, Free State Brewing, to join up with Boulevard and Schlafly. It was such a great time, but there needed to be a way to top it. So this year, we're bringing in Kansas City's newest brewery, Kansas City Bier Company! 

Four courses, sixteen beers. And if you haven't made it to KC Bier Co. yet, this will be a great opportunity to try their beers (biers?). Then you'll have to go to their brewery/taproom in Waldo, because they're making excellent stuff and have a really cool space.

Make your reservation now for April 14th. $50 will cover you for the night, including the beers, food, and tax/gratuity. The menu looks amazing, so don't miss out!

I-70 Showdown Dinner - The Aftermath

The past Monday three brewmasters from breweries from the I-70 corridor descended upon Beer Kitchen. Fine beers abounded my friends. First, another look at the menu -

This was a hot ticket, selling out in only 9 hours! Good job people. Having Steven Pauwels, Steven Hale, and Steve Bradt on hand is a big draw. And the fellows did not disappoint. They talked about their beers, poked friendly jabs at each other, and walked through the restaurant and spoke with diners. Each took a course to speak first, then to mix it up on the dessert course, they talked about someone else's beer. These guys know beer pretty well.

Since the beers were all local, there was an emphasis on keeping the ingredients as local as possible. Hence the Missouri trout, Green Dirt Farm cheese, brisket, and the local bananas. That last one might be made up.

The evening started with surf & turf crostinis - one with smoked Missouri trout and lemon caper aioli, the other with beef tartar, horseradish whipped potatoes and gherkin. Our beers were the 2013 Saison Brett from Boulevard, Free State's Coeur de Saison, and Schlafly's Grand Cru. The first taste of this year's Saison Brett! And the first time I've had Coeur de Saison. Both were fantastic. And while I've had Schlafly's Grand Cru before, that doesn't make it any less delicious. Stephen Hale joked that he missed the "saison" memo, but the Grand Cru isn't too far off. Brewed with coriander and orange peel, it has some Belgian wit characteristics,and fit right in with its Belgian cousins. Each of the beers had a little spice and a lot of earthiness that complimented the smoky tuna and rich beef.

Once again, I don't normally like fish, but this tuna was great. I think I've said this every beer dinner that has a fish course. I think it might be time to admit that I might normally like fish. I do know and fully admit to LOVING beef tartar. So good.

A salad course followed -- watercress with Green Dirt Farm fresh spicy chili cheese, toasted pistachio, pickled ramps, thyme, and strawberry vinaigrette. It sounds like there's a lot going on, but it wasn't too much. A very, very nice salad, all of the components came together harmoniously for a bright and sweet dish.

This time the beer memo was on IPAs, and Steven Pauwels missed it. Two of the beers choices went full on hops to counteract some of the sweet with a more bitter taste, with the Cloud Hopper IPA from Free State and the American IPA from Schlafly, while Boulevard's offering was a test Nelson Grape Ale. It was sweeter, almost a flavor between a wine and a beer with some tropical fruit flavors from New Zealand's Nelson hops. Light and refreshing. The other two stuck with hops from these United States: Cloud Hopper uses some of the C's, Columbus, Cascade, and Chinook, while the American IPA has Simcoe, Amarillo, and Centennial. These were both nice and bright IPAs, neither bogged down or heavy from hops, and both played nicely with the salad. All around a solid course.

The main course for the dinner was a smoked brisket with barbecue spaetzel, sweet tea glazed baby spring veggies, and pecan pesto. I will come clean and say that I didn't quite know what all of the veggies on the plate were, but I liked them all very much. There was a carrot, that's for sure. Maybe some parsnips too. And, uhh, turnip? Whatever they were, they were good. So was the beef. Well prepared, and a good cut of meat with the right amount of marbling. But the real star of this plate for me was the pecan pesto. I've never heard of such a thing, and now I want it to be a regular part of my life. Nutty and perfect to add to the smoky brisket and spaetzel.

Speaking of smoke (SEGUE), Schlafly brought a smokey offering with the peaty 21st Anniversary Single Malt Scottish Ale. All of the barley malt for this beer came from a farm in Scotland owned by Schlafly's co-founder's in-laws, and the beer is aged in Scotch whisky barrels from a distillery only 10 miles from where the barley's grown. Very cool.

Boulevard's beer for this course wasn't smokey, but roasty. The Coffee Ale was brewed in collaboration with the Roasterie, using Ethiopian coffee beans that gave it a rich coffee flavor.

The third beer for this course was the Free State Ad Astra Ale. As Steve Bradt said, this is a beer that can go with dinner. Almost any dinner, but especially barbecue. A little sweet, a little malty, and really good with the smoked meat.

Unlike the first two, this was a course of three wildly different beers, and each of the three went well with the dish. Very cool how that worked.

Caramelized bananas foster with chocolate creme anglaise paired brought a fine end to the meal. I'm a sucker for bananas foster (another statement I say about a lot of food. I just REALLY LIKE FOOD). They didn't do the tableside flambe, but the bananas had crispy caramelization, and the chocolate creme anglaise rocked. A sweet, light dessert that went with a couple of heavy hitting beers.

Boulevard had their Sixth Glass, a 10.5% Belgian Quad. Schlafly matched that ABV with their Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout. At 6.5%, Free State's Brinkley's Maibock was almost sessionable compared to the two. Again, beers weren't as close to each other in style as the first two course, but they each worked with the dessert. The Sixth Glass and Maibock are both slightly sweet and malty, Sixth Glass and the Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout are both rich. This whole course was delicious. And the brewmasters showed had a good time with it, with Boulevard's Steven Pauwels talking about Brinkley's Maibock, Free State's Steve Bradt talking about the Bourbon Barrel Ages Imperial Stout, and Schlafly's Stephen Hale completing the circle by talking about Sixth Glass.

Schlafly's Steve Bradt, Beer KC's Randyl Danner, Schlafly's Stephen Hale, and Boulevard's Steven Pauwels
Come on, I was trying to not use a flash

Excellent meal all around. It's always so fun to see how much the brewmasters love not only their beer, but the friendly "competition" that they have. And really, it's no competition at all. These guys (and pretty much every other brewer I've been lucky enough to know/talk to/whatever) respect each other and the breweries and like to have fun and drink beers and talk about beers. A heartfelt thanks to Steve, Steven, and Stephen!

Keep an eye out, very, very cool stuff coming up soon with Beer KC!!

Three breweries, one Interstate UPDATE: SOLD OUT!

It's the first Interstate Highway built in the United States, with some sections of it in Kansas and Missouri being claimed as the first to be constructed. Connecting Cove Port, Utah to Baltimore, Maryland is the 5th longest Interstate Highway, I-70 (I've been on Wikipedia). And, luckily for us, there are some great breweries along it in our neck of the woods who are bringing their beers to the next beer dinner. 

In addition to our St. Louis friends at Schlafly, our pals from Free State will be making the quick jog from Lawrence on April 15th! It'll be a gathering of Ste(v)(ph)ens, as Boulevard's Steven Pauwels represents the George Brett Super Highway, Stephen Hale from Schlafly heads over from Mark McGwire Highway, and Free State's Steve Bradt comes from the... hmm I don't know, Danny Manning Highway?

Now THAT is a menu. Even without the beers, I think it would be a great meal. I mean, surf & turf with smoked trout and beef tartar, fresh Green Dirt Farm spicy chili cheese, smoked brisket with barbeque spaetzel(?!) and bananas foster. . . mmmm yes. But then add the beers and WHOA. Each brewery will be bringing it. Hopefully part of "it" that will be brought will a surprise from one of the breweries... Last year it was an experimental Oud Bruin from Schlafly, and it was delightful. Boulevard will have an unreleased "Grape Nelson" beer in the "IPA round," so that should be a nice treat. I'm looking forward to Free State's Coeur de Sasion, a beer I've yet to try. And the first pairing that really jumps out at me is the Schlafly Single Malt Scottish Ale with the smoked brisket. It's such a good, peaty beer so it should go well with the smokey meat. 

For $50 you can reserve your spot, including tax and gratuity! Call Beer Kitchen today for reservations, this one will fill up in a hurry - 816-389-4180. What better way to celebrate the end of tax season? UPDATE: This is SOLD OUT! We're looking forward to hosting everyone on the 15th!

You want beer? We've got beer!

Lederhosen optional, but preferred

We're just a few days away from the next beer dinner at Beer Kitchen! Oktober 22nd is our Oktoberfest-themed dinner, with German-style food paired with German-style beer. $50 will get you the five-course meal and beers, with tax and gratuity included. 7:00 pm. Don't miss it! Call us at 816-389-4180 to reserve your spot.

While McCoy's beers didn't place in this year's GABF, our Kansas City brothers in brewing came home with two golds! Congratulations to Boulevard, picking up gold medals in the Other Strong Beer category with Reverb and ZON winning the Belgian-Style Witbier category. They have a great post that goes into some more details of the fest and judging - Bringing Home the Gold!!!

You're going to have a chance to sample a few winners from GABF at the Beer KC Strong Ale Fest! Below is an ever-evolving list of beers that will be on tap. Some of the medal winners include a couple locals - Lawrence, KS's Free State won a bronze in American-Style Stout with Iron Man Imperial Stout, and Perennial from St. Louis took silver in Other Strong Beer with Heart of Gold (a wheat wine).

Firestone Walker's Wookey Jack won the gold in American-Style Black Ale, and Sierra Nevada got the Imperial Stout silver (while the official GABF list of winners doesn't have the Narwhal name listed, I'm pretty sure it's the same beer).

I-70 Showdown Beer Dinner Recap

Last night's beer dinner, the I-70 Showdown, was a great success!  Steven Pauwels, Boulevard's brewmaster, and Schlafly's brewmaster Stephen Hale were wonderful ambassadors for each brewery, talking about their beers ("If you haven't had Tank 7 yet, shame on you," said Pauwels, before the first pairing), or giving tips on making it through airport security ("Maybe next time I won't wear my utility kilt," said Hale, airing some grievances).

Steven Pauwels of Boulevard (left) and Stephen Hale from Schlafly (right), discussing their beers.

If you weren't able to attend this dinner, here are some pictures, and a little recap.

The Menu

Up first, Boulevard's Tank 7 and Schlafly's Export IPA were paired with duck confit empanadas, with a red pepper and cilantro aioli.  Talking about starting the meal with a bang!  The empanadas were fantastic, and each beer complimented them very well.  Tank 7 pairs well with most any food, and the Export IPA was well-balanced, and worked nicely with the aioli.

The empanadas tasted even better than they looked.  And they looked good.  (Boulevard beers were served in the snifter-like tasting glasses throughout the night, Schlafly in the straight)

There was a change on the second course, as the patty-pan squash was replaced with green, white, and purple cauliflower, and the purple beans and herb vinaigrette remained.  Now, I am an unabashed lover of cauliflower, so this was a very welcome pinch-hitter.  The clean, fresh flavors from the veggies matched with the tart Two Jokers from Boulevard, and hoppy Yakima Wheat from Schlafly.  Both beers were light and refreshing, and fit the overall theme of the course.

The presentation added to the aesthetic value.  So nice.

Now, the main course - rabbit stuffed with wild rice and spinach, with fig jam and micro watercress.  To escalate the course, the rabbit was wrapped in bacon.  I keep going back and forth on which was my favorite course; this one or the empanadas.  I don't think anyone could go wrong with either.  Especially when paired with the beers served for the course - Boulevard Rye-on-Rye and Schlafly Bière de Garde.  The rye whiskey flavors of the Rye-on-Rye were well-suited for the smoky bacon and sweet fig jam.  The balanced Bière de Garde went well with the tender rabbit.  Great course, with both beers.

The watercress is hiding the fig jam, but it was there, and it was delicious.

What meal would be complete without dessert?  How about three desserts?  Paired with Imperial Stouts from each brewery, it got even better.  The mini eclair with stout cream, blackberry gelato, and chocolate wafers with mousse were all delicious, and the beers made them shine.  Boulevard's Imperial Stout had a slight tart and coffee flavor, perfect with the gelato and the chocolates.  And the 100% barrel aged Imperial Stout from Schlafly had a nice, rich flavor, which was fantastic with each dessert.  This may have been the best-paired dish of the night.  The complex beers had a little bit of something to go with each offering on the plate.

The lights turned low, to set the mood for a delicious dessert.

During the courses, both Steven Pauwels and Stephen Hale walked through the room, taking time to talk with each table, answering any questions and providing some insight to their beers.  And of course, they enjoy some of each other's work.

Steven and Stephen

There was one more special treat for everyone... Schlafly brought a beer that's still in the experimental phase, from their "Spoiler Room," an area where they're working on some sour beers.  This one was an Oud Bruin, and if it's any indication of where their sour program is, we're going to be tasting some good things.  Steven Pauwels also hinted at Boulevard's Love Child series, their own sour beer line.  Exciting times ahead for fans of both breweries!

If you made it to the dinner, give us a comment and let us know what you thought!  And if not, keep your eyes open for the next event.

Also, don't forget to head to the Foundry tomorrow night, for some ciders you won't find anywhere else.

Cheers!

I-70 Showdown Beer Dinner - Boulevard vs. Schlafly

Ahh, the blog is back from vacation, re-energized!  And not a moment too soon.  We're under two weeks away from our next beer dinner at Beer Kitchen!  It's going to be a good one - on Sunday, April 15, at 6:30 pm, we'll be pitting the two largest craft breweries in Missouri, St. Louis's Schlafly vs. Kansas City's hometown Boulevard, against each other in the I-70 Showdown Beer Dinner.  Even better?  The brewmasters from each brewery will be in attendance.  Boulevard's Steven Pauwels and Schlafly's Stephen Hale will be on hand to talk about the beers, and answer any questions you might have.

The two breweries will be going head-to-head over four courses, starting with Boulevard's Tank 7 going up against Schlafly's Export IPA, paired with duck confit empenadas with red pepper and cilantro aioli.  This is going to be a fantastic start to the night.  I mean, duck confit empenadas?  And the beers!  Tank 7 is a great saison/farmhouse style beer from Boulevard, one of their year-round Smokestack series releases.  Schlafly's Export IPA is no slouch, either.  This English-style India Pale Ale is a special seasonal release, only available for a few months in the spring.

The second course is Boulevard Two Jokers vs. one of Schlafly's newest releases, Yakima Wheat, with marinated patty-pan squash, purple beans and broccoli with herb vinaigrette.  A "double-wit," Boulevard's Two Jokers is a light, refreshing, and slightly tart Belgian witbier, perfect for a warm spring day.  Currently, it's in retirement, though Boulevard has left the door open for a return in the future.  The Schlafly Yakima Wheat is a hoppy wheat beer, featuring hops from Washington's Yakima Valley, and a new addition to their Brewer's Choice Series.  Both of these beers are pretty limited, and may be hard to get in the coming months, so to have them both in one course is quite the treat!

Next is the entree, wild rice and spinach stuffed rabbit, fig jam, and micro watercress, paired with the Boulevard Bourbon Barrel Quad and Schlafly Bière de Garde.  A big hitter from each brewery.  Boulevard's "BBQ" is a big, boozy, Belgian beer.  A quad, aged in bourbon barrels with cherries.  It's a limited release Smokestack Series beer, so if you didn't get your hands on a bottle, here's your chance!  It'll have some stiff competition from Schlafly's offering, a rich farmhouse ale, their Bière de Garde.  Thankfully, this one is available year-round in a 750 ml bottle.  It's a little sweeter, with a more subtle spiciness than the similar saison style ale.

What dinner would be complete without dessert?  We'll have a couple imperial stouts to go along with chocolate wafers with mousse, mini eclair with a stout cream, and blackberry gelato.  Boulevard brings its 2011 Imperial Stout, and Schlafly will have their Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout.  Boulevard's version is another in their limited release Smokestack Series, and is another big beer.  It's only the second release of the beer, one that we hope keeps coming back.  If we get impatient, though, Schlafly's Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout is a year-round release in their Wood-Aged Reserve Series, and is more than worthy.  Another boozy beer, it's an exceptional imperial stout.  It'll be very cool to have these side-by-side for a comparison.  I think we'll all be winners here!

A ticket for the dinner and eight beers, most of which are in limited supplies around town, are available for $50 per person, with tax and gratuity included.  To get yours, come visit us at Beer Kitchen, or call us at 816-389-4180.  We hope to see you there for this exciting match up!