Parkville Microfest - A Rite of Spring

Spring is finally starting to come back to Kansas City after a few false starts, which means it's once again time for the Parkville Microfest!

This Saturday, April 27th from 1 - 5 pm, come on out to English Landing Park for the 10th Annual Parkville Microfest! It's always a fun time with fun people and fun beers.

McCoy's will be there with some of their own fun beers - a Watermelon IPA, Ginger Shandy, Good Farmhouse, and (a personal favorite) Blackberry Tart. So come to the tent, say hello, taste a beer or four, and tell us what you think! The Watermelon IPA is going to be a tasty treat! And be sure to get to the Blackberry Tart before I do, because I may just camp out there until it's gone.

Tickets are $25 in advance, and can be purchased online at http://parkvillemicrobrewfest2013.eventbrite.com/. They'll be $30 at the gate, but there's going to be a cap of 3,000 attendees -- if they sell out online before the day of the event, they're gone! Designated drivers will get in free of charge, so find a friend and be safe!

45 breweries from all around the country with beers you won't usually be able to get in the area, live music, and the weather looks like it's going to be PERFECT for having some fine craft beers at the beautiful English Landing Park in Parkville!

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!!

Something for our veggie friends!

If you haven't been to Beer Kitchen to grab a bite to eat recently, now's the time! There's a new menu with some great new options, like fried green tomatoes, pork belly flatbread, or barbecue braised short ribs. We also have a new vegan menu that could tempt the heartiest of meat eaters! Check it out -

Peas & shitakes are two of my favorite veggies, so I might have to get in there and try some soon.

Also, have you ever wanted to work at your favorite brew pub or beer bar? You're in luck! McCoy's and the Foundry are looking for servers. Come by either location to apply in person.

Now, time to hit the patio before the rain gets here this afternoon!

Save the Date - Westport Summer Beer Festival is coming June 15!

It's getting to be nice weather outside, which brings one of my favorite pastimes - enjoying a beverage outdoors. We're lucky to have two of the best patios in town right next to each other, at McCoy's and the Foundry! While you're out enjoying the gorgeous day and Middle of the Map Fest, swing by for a beer and a burger.

Speaking of outdoor drinking, the next beer fest will be here before you know it! The Westport Summer Beer Festival returns June 15. Over 70 beers from 35 different breweries. Sign me up. Tickets are $25 in advance, and will be $30 at the gate. Be sure to RSVP on Facebook to stay up to date on the details - https://www.facebook.com/events/294011130730644/ and keep an eye on http://www.mccoyskc.com/ for a link to purchase your tickets in the near future.

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!

The Biggest Upset in March

Alright, after more than two weeks (and a trip out of town), I've finally come to terms and am ready to talk about the Grain v Grape beer dinner.

Jarrod Finn from Cellar Rat brought five French wines to go up against five Belgian (style) beers in a showdown for beverage superiority!

The first course was a delicious boudin blanc with a soft poached hen egg (which led to me wondering if there were such a thing as an egg NOT from a hen, but that's probably some deep philosophical thing) and frites, paired with Foret Organic Saison and Andre Delorme Brut Reserve. This is a beer I like very much matched up with a wine I knew nothing about (that'll be true with most of these... I don't know wines).

It turned out it was a nice sparkling wine in the Champagne style, but since it's not made in the Champagne region, it can't be called champagne. It was sweet and light, and paired well with the breakfast sort of theme of the dish - sausage, eggs, and fried potatoes. The hoppy beer worked as well, but, I must admit, my vote for the first round went to the grape. My foundation was shaken right off the bat. What is happening?

The second round pitted Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck Bacchus against Domaine de Vaufuget. When there are Belgian/French names involved, spell check gets very confused/angry. These two were paired with a foie tourtiere with brandied apple and black truffle. I've been to a number of beer dinners now, and it seems like there's a new dish I love at each one. But this one may best them all. A perfect dinner for me would have this foie gras "pot pie," the lobster fondue from the Green Dirt Farms dinner, and finished with the bread pudding from when Local Pig's Alex Pope stopped by. Yes, each of those are super rich, but I DON'T CARE, THEY'RE DELICIOUS. 

The beverage pairing on this wasn't close for me. Bacchus is a favorite of mine, and the wine-like acidity in it cut through the richness of the dish, complimenting it very nicely. The wine was nice, a sweet white, but didn't fit the food as well. A red wine-like beer against a white wine. Grain gets this vote all the way. Whew, back on track.

Up next was a sea scallop "coquille" with lardons in a consumme, paired with Lindeman's Cuvee Renee and Domaine de Tranquillite Rose. 

As I've stated at other dinners, I love scallops. And lardons. This dish was another winner, especially when some of each element was in a bite. It was very well put together. And the paired drinks were well thought out, with another almost wine-like beer in the gueuze. Old hops! The Cuvee Renee is another favorite of mine, so the wine didn't really have much of a chance in my book. It was a good wine though, with good acidity and minerality to balance with the seafood flavors. I just liked the beer better with the dish. 

Now this next beer wasn't from Belgium, but it was a Belgian style, so we bent the rules a little. Still counts!!! It was the Bell's Hell Hath No Fury, sometimes called Belgian style dark ale, sometimes called a dubbel, against Domaine des Rozets Coteaux de Tricastin (and this might be totally wrong... based on my notes, I was getting scribble-y), a blend from the Rhone Valley. I have Grenache and Syrah written down, so those might be the blends involved. The dish was canard au povre with fork smashed fingerlings and buttered pea shoots.

Don't know why I opted for no flash on this one...

Once again, a dish featuring something I love. This time duck, and it was perfectly prepared. On the rare side of medium rare. And once again, both drinks paired with the dish were great. I'm only beginning to like red wines, and this is one I will most definitely drink again. The tannins cut through the duck fat (credit Jarrod for that one, I wouldn't have come up with that on my own). But, once again, to me the beer was just better. The wine was good, borderline great. Both had full bodies, both went well with different aspects of the dish. This was the hardest decision of the night, but in the end I just like the beer paired with it more. What more justification is there??!? Alright, so beer should have this wrapped up already, leading 3 to 1 with one course left. Time for a dessert victory lap!

Crepes with mousse, berries, and gastrique made up the beautiful dessert (that got totally washed out in my photo :( ohhhh camera phone). Back to Belgium with this beer, the St. Bernardus Tripel. And over towards the German border of France with the wine, the Willm Gewurztraminer.

This was another pairing that I didn't feel was even close. I am somewhat familiar with the Gewurztraminer style of wine, and expected this to be sweet, but in a pleasant surprise it was drier, offsetting the sweetness of the dessert. Still, there was something in the combination of the food with the wine that kind of reminded me of some sort of liquor flavor. It was strange, and possibly all in my head. The tripel, however, was perfect for this. Tripels love berries. A great balance, and a nice end to the meal. Once again, beer takes the round, and after questioning myself in the first course, beer pulls ahead for a decisive victory.

My confidential ballot

After the ballots were collected and tallied, I thought it was all a formality. 

First course - Grain 24, Grape 30. OK, that makes sense. It was close, but if wine was bound to win one round, it'd be this one. I mean, I even voted for them this time.

Second course - Grain 38, Grape 21. There we go. Great dish, great beer, great choice.

Third course - Grain 33, Grape 26. A little closer than the last, but it's expected. A gueuze can be a shock to someone not ready for it, and that could have swayed some voters.

Fourth course - Grain 16, Grape 42. WHAT?! Yeah, I thought it was the toughest decision, but dang that one is lopsided. Maybe the "not from Belgium" thing made people vote against the beer. Yeah, that's what I'm going with. That's cool, because beer has this last course all wrapped...

Dessert - Grain 22, Grape 34 OH MAN WHAT I thought this one was going to be won by beer by a wide margin. Goes to show you I don't really know much. 

So, for the first time at Beer Kitchen, Grape takes the win, 3-2. Grain is going to have to regroup and get back on track for the next meeting. 

This was such a fun event! Jarrod was a humble winner, and Randyl a gracious loser. These two were great hosts, playful and educating, and Michael Peterson outdid himself with amazing food. If you were unable to make it to the dinner but are interested in trying the wines, well they're all available at Cellar Rat, and all less than $20! So pick up a bottle or two and have your tasting. And congratulate Jarrod on this monumental upset while you're there.

All of this talk and I'm already looking forward to the next dinner, which is...

The I-70 Showdown! This year it's going to be even better, as Free State will join in with Boulevard and Schlafly! We'll have more details soon, but keep April 15 free. After you file your taxes, you're going to need a beer dinner. 

A great weekend to spend in Westport!

If you're in Kansas City from out of town, come on out to McCoy's or The Foundry and enjoy the beautiful weather on our patios! Or sit inside watch some of the great college hoops action while drinking one of our house-brewed beers. Either way, you'll win!

And come Sunday morning, celebrate St. Patrick's Day with us! Grab brunch and beers at Beer Kitchen or McCoy's. McCoy's will open at 7, so get there early and get your table!

There'll be a write-up of the Grain versus Grape beer dinner shortly.... so check back for that!

Big Ass Stout Night is here!

Big Ass Stout Night is upon us! Head to the Foundry tonight for some great stouts on tap, including: 

Bell's Java Stout
Bell's Expedition
Deschutes Abyss 2012
Deschutes Black Butte Porter XXIV
Founders Imperial Stout
Founders Breakfast Stout
Goose Island Night Stalker
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
Goose Island Big John
Southern Tier Choklat

6 oz. and full pours are available. NOW!!