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).

Colder weather means time for Strong Ales!

The weather is turning cooler, which means the beers you're drinking should get a little stronger in ABV. At least, that's what I feel. I don't usually want to be drinking too much of something that's 9 or 10% (or higher) when it's over 100 degrees outside, but when it's in the 40s and 50s? Ah, perfect. Especially when paired with the changing leaves. Call me a beer romantic. If you're looking for a good place to start in on some of the higher-octane beers, you're in luck! From 1-5 on November 3, Beer KC will have its 2nd annual Strong Ale Festival, featuring beers with an ABV of 8% or higher.

The fest will take place at 4057 Pennsylvania, on the street between McCoy's and Kelly's. If you're worried about space, don't be - it'll be set up to use more of the street, a little different than has been done in the past. Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 day of, and available at this link: http://www.etix.com/ticket/online/performanceSearch.jsp?performance_id=1663931. The cost includes a commemorative tasting glass, and all the samples you can handle in 4 hours. And, even better, proceeds will benefit AIDS Walk KC. 

Now, for the important stuff... the breweries! We'll have some usual faces, and a whole host of friends from St. Louis! Here we are, the participating breweries in a somewhat alphabetical order

2nd Shift Brewing - St. Louis, MO
4 Hands Brewing Co. - STL
6 Row Brewing Co.  - STL
75th Street Brewery - Kansas City, MO

Amerisports - KC
Anchor Brewing - San Fransisco, CA
Avery Brewing Co. - Boulder, CO
Brasserie de Blaugies - Belgium
Boulder Beer - Boulder, CO
Boulevard Brewing Co. - KC
Cathedral Square - STL
Deschutes Brewery - Bend, OR
Firestone Walker Brewing Co. - Paso Robles, CA
Founders Brewing Co. - Grand Rapids, MI
Free State Brewing Co. - Lawrence, KS
Goose Island Beer Co. - Chicago, IL
Grand Teton - Victor, Idaho
Great Divide Brewing Co. - Denver, CO
Green Flash Brewing Co. - San Diego, CA
Gulden Draak (Brouwerij Van Steenberge) - Belgium
Kulmbacher - Germany
Lagunitas Brewing Co. - Petaluma, CA
Leinenkugel Brewing Co. - Chippewa Falls, WI
Maredsou - Belgium (the Maredsou website doesn't seem to be loading, but you should know they make great beers)
McCoy's Public House - KC
Mother's Brewing Co. - Springfield, MO
Nebraska Brewing Co. - Omaha, NE
New Belgium Brewing Co. - Ft. Collins, CO
Brewery Ommegang - Cooperstown, NY
Perennial Artisan Ales - STL
Samuel Adams - Boston, MA
Schlafly Beer - STL
Sierra Nevada - Chico, CA
Southern Tier Brewing Co. - Lakewood, NY
Stone Brewing Co. - Escondido, CA
Summit Brewing Co. - St. Paul, MN

If you haven't had a chance to get to St. Louis and try breweries like 2nd Shift, 4 Hands, 6 Row, or Perennial, this is an excellent opportunity! If you have had them, well, now you can get some more of their beers without a 4-hour drive! Don't miss out, get your tickets early, and save yourself $5 at this link - http://www.etix.com/ticket/online/performanceSearch.jsp?performance_id=1663931

McCoy's Beers Head to GABF!

In a little more than a week, craft beer brewers, judges, and enthusiasts will make their yearly invasion of Denver, CO, for the 31st annual Great American Beer Festival. McCoy's will be there, from October 11-13, attempting to bring some more medals back to Westport. You may have seen some of the hardware hanging on the wall by the brewhouse -

GABF isn't just a run-of-the-mill beer festival. It's one of the most prestigious beer competitions in the country. Four McCoy's beers have won medals in the past - Ginger Shandy won bronze in 2001 and silver in '02 and '03, all in the Specialty Beer category. Newcomb's IPA won the IPA bronze medal in 2002 and '04. A little more recently, Wee Willy Scotch Ale won the 2010 silver medal for Scotch Ales out of 34 entries, and last year the Pilsner took the bronze in Bohemian-Style Pilsener out of 42 entries. Interesting aside about the Pilsner's win last year - there was no gold medal winner in the category. If judges don't think that a beer in the category meets the quality and style-accuracy criteria, they may elect not to award a medal.  So last year they gave a silver to Mama's Little Yella Pils from Oskar Blues and the McCoy's Pilsner got bronze.

Today I talked with McCoy's brewer Morgan about the beers they're sending for this year's festival. All four previous award winners will be returning, along with 6 of their brethren. This year, Ginger Shandy will be entered in the Session Beer category, but the categories for the rest should be pretty straightforward. The Pilsner and the Scotch Ale are both fantastic this year, and the Newcomb's is always a favorite. The Shandy will be back on tap soon, and the other three are there right now.

Two other submitted beers are also currently on tap - the Unfiltered Wheat and Oatmeal Stout. The other four beers are some excellent brews that have made an appearance in the last year. It's hard to pick a favorite out of Toddy Stout, the Quad, DPA #9 (with Pacific Jade hops), and Blackberry Tart. . . We're excited and think we've got a great shot at a few more medals!

Are you heading out to Denver for GABF? Or is there a favorite beer of yours heading to be judged? Let us know, and check back here for results!

Oktoberfest continues at Beer Kitchen

The October beer dinner at Beer Kitchen is going to celebrate German tradition, on Oktober 22nd! There will be beers from Germany, one from Austria, as well as some locally brewed Oktoberfest style beers, paired with German-influenced foods.

Yeah this all looks good. I don't think I've had the Innstadt Pilsener or the Asam-Bock from Weltenburger. Stiegl makes great beers in Austria, and we all know and love KC's own McCoy's and Boulevard. And dang, the food. Crispy potato pancakes with one of my favorite cheeses, emmentaler. Chicken liver and truffled butter bread. Dry-hopped cheddar. Caramel braised pork and salted spätzle. Vanilla-blueberry donuts. All of that, yes. Get your lederhosen dry cleaned for this special dinner!

Call Beer Kitchen at 816-389-4180 to make your reservation for the 22nd. $50 per person will get you the five-course dinner, with tax and gratuity included.

Celebrate Oktoberfest with Beer KC!

When the clock strikes noon in Munich this Saturday, Lord Mayor Christian Ude will tap the first keg of Oktoberfest beer, and the celebration begins! A few days later, we'll be kicking off an Oktoberfest of our own, when McCoy's taps their latest seasonal release.

At 4 pm on Tuesday, September 25th, the McCoy's Oktoberfest beer will be tapped. You'll be able to get a 16 oz pour of this seasonal for $6, and you'll get to keep the commemorative Mason jar mug, while supplies last. This will be available at McCoy's and at the Foundry, so come out on Tuesday to get festive (lederhosen not required)!

If that's not enough for you, next month's beer dinner will have a German twist. On October 22, Beer Kitchen will have German-style ales and lagers, including Innstadt Pilsener, Weisse Naturtrüb from Stiegl, Weltenburger Kloster Asam Bock, and  a couple "Kansas City Germans" - Boulevard's Bob's 47 and McCoy's Oktoberfest. These beers are going to be paired with food in a five-course meal, starting with crispy potato pancakes and ending with a Berliner (in this case, a vanilla-blueberry donut), with chicken liver, braised pork, and a dry-hopped cheddar in between. $50 will reserve your spot, including tax and gratuity. Make your reservation by calling 816-389-4180 today!

Remembering the night that was: The Local Pig Beer Dinner

A very full Beer Kitchen played host to September's beer dinner last night - a six-course meal prepared by Local Pig's Chef Alex Pope. It was fantastic. I know I say it after every dinner, but I promise, it doesn't make it any less true.

If you're not familiar Local Pig, you should be. Alex Pope opened the charcuterie early in 2012, with an emphasis on local products. In addition to the ever-changing meat offerings, the store offers premium spices, a butcher box subscription (spots fill up in a hurry, so if you see an opening announced, act quickly!), and classes on breaking down whole animals and making your own meats. And everyone at the shop is a beer lover! If you're a home brewer, you can trade some of your beers for sausages. I believe there's a limit of six at once, but that's unofficial, so don't hold me to it.

That's a little look into why this dinner was so enticing, and sold out in a hurry. Now, a course-by-course breakdown of the dinner, with some of the tunes that came on during the meal, a la my write-up of the Green Dirt Farm dinner (what can I say, when I find a gimmick I like, I'm not afraid to return to it. Plus, the music was great. And apologies for any ads that might play before the songs).

(EDIT: YouTube got all clever and changed the minimum size requirements for the players. I think. My eyes may be too tired and I may not know enough to know any different. So now the players are slightly bigger, but the music's still there!)

The Cask Chipotle Cinnamon Oatmeal Stout is here!

It's a mouthful to say, but you'll be alright just ordering "the cask beer." This is a smooth beer, with subdued flavors. Good for a cool, rainy evening, so come on out and give it a taste!

Beeeeer!

Mmmm so tasty!

Tomorrow (Thursday, September 13th), McCoy's will be tapping a special brew - the McCoy's Oatmeal Stout, kicked up with chipotle peppers and cinnamon! This clocks in a little over 6% ABV, so it's a drinkable smooth stout, with a little bite. And that's not all that makes this beer special... Julian's Celina Tio showed up, and helped on the brew day. This is going to be quite the treat!

There are a couple other special beers that will be on tap at McCoy's in the next few days. Right now, the IPA is back, this time with a slight English spin. A little maltier, not quite as hop-forward as American IPAs, but not any less delicious.

The next beer is special for the Caffeine Crawl taking place this weekend. You may be familiar with the tasty Toddy Stout that McCoy's brews, but coming soon, they'll have a different version of it. The Indian Monsoon Brown. It's the McCoy's Hogpound Brown, with a special Indian Monsoon Coffee twist, specially roasted by Broadway Roastery. Keep an eye out for it. I know the Toddy Stout is one of my favorites, so there are high hopes for this one!

One last special event coming up in a couple weeks. September 25th will be the release of McCoy's Oktoberfest! You'll get a delicious beer, in a special glass you can take home! We'll get you some more details as the day gets nearer, but keep the night free. It'll be fun.