Boulevard Harvest Dance = Awesomeness!

I didn't get enough to fully review, but it is some good malty liquid!

KC BeerFest '09

I wasn't going to do a write up on the beerfest because everyone already has, but I need to state my opinions in hopes that they get heard. I had a feeling this festival was going to be not my type of beer event, but I had to go see what it was all about for myself. This event was held at the top of the parking garage at Legends. Not a bad idea in case the ground was wet. We were greeted with a KC BeerFest snifter glass that was pretty cool and a band that was, eh, good enough. I turned the corner and walked right up to Sam Adams area that had their Imperial Series. I am a big fan of that stuff and figured an Imperial Stout was a great way to start off the day! I made my way over to Free State which had a great booth. I tried the Eccentricity which was explained as a barrel aged ale that was blended to perfection. Then I asked what style they were going for and they just said it's a style of it's own. Hm...

From there I found tons and tons of crappy beer you can buy in any liquor store and then all of a sudden I realized that every booth except for Boulevard's Nuttsack Ale and Free State booth everything there was something you could just go to the liquor store and get. But it was kind of cool to see almost 250 different beers in one spot.

None of the volunteers knew about the beer. Don't get me wrong, I am happy that these volunteers were pouring, but I just feel like having some conversation about it. Instead I felt like I was to move out of the way so this other guy can get his drink on. Then it became very crowded. Hundreds of people swarming BMC booths and taking down the Corona, the Smirnoff Ice and the Bud American Ale. Dude, buddy, homey!

The beerfest was to last from 1-5. At 4 most tables were being cleared off and the lines became very long for the people who actually brought kegs. A big thanks to Boulevard, Schlafly and Free State for holding down the fort. The only spots besides High Noon that actually had their own staff pouring.

Closer to 5 people started swarming to the edge of the parking garage to gawk at some white-trashiness fight. We saw two bloody fights ensue and people getting arrested. The whole time I was thinking about Parkville's Microfest and how awesome and laid back it is.

- picture taken from pitch.com

Later that night the Mizzou game was on and what better time to keep drinking. Okay maybe that was a bad idea. Bryan came over and he brought back his collection from Florida: 13th Anniv. Stone, Cigar City Bolita Brown, Terrapin Rye squared, Smuttynose IPA, and a couple others. As a night cap I popped my Southern Tier Cuvee. WOW, what a day of drinking! Time to take a long break from drinking that much.

The Missing Link - A Pilsner Story

Many Kansas Citians know of the recently released Boulevard Pilsner. Some of those beer drinkers know that it pays homage to the late Kansas City's Muehlebach Pilsner, but most probably were not ready for the old school label. What most do not know is that in between the two there was another Pilsner that was created based on the Muehlebach brand. This is the story of those beers.

George Muehlebach came to U.S. from Switzerland in 1859. He was a very well known Kansas Citian like Harry S. Truman or Walt Disney. George had business on the mind and he ran a large Hotel in KC as well as a brewery. In 1879 there were 67 breweries, but only 2 in KC. George had to sustain a business that dealt with alcohol through the prohibition and like Anhueser-Busch selling Bevo through drought, George sold Mulo, a non-alcoholic beverage, or near-beer, to get through rough times. Muehlebach Brewing Company lasted though prohibition and became a very strong contender during World War II. While there were many different styles of bottles that Muehlebach produced I was able to obtain the rare green bottles that have the U.S. Victory Bonds label at the top.


What sparked my interest in this whole story was when I was shopping for some interesting beer at a Berbiglia store. While I do not have any loyalty to a particular beer store I rarely make it to a Berbiglia. As I was purchasing some Rochefort 6 and 10, I noticed behind the register what I thought was a recently released Boulevard Pilsner bottle. As I took a closer look I noticed that it looked very aged. It said "Berbiglia Pilsner" and I thought to myself that Boulevard must have copied off Berbiglia. The next day I talked to Boulevard's marketing and Jeremy Ragonese reminded me of Muehelbach. I took a look online and sure enough both bottles look extremely similar to the much older brew. When I spoke to the beer clerk he said that the manager there had been working there since the 70's and that she saved back a bottle when it was brewed. That made me think it was brewed in the 70's. I contacted Marcia Butterbaugh of BCCA Magazine and she informed me that the Berbiglia Pilsner label by Dick Brothers in Quincy, IL and by Huber Brewing in Monroe, WI date to between 1946 and 1951 and that both breweries are closed. Now what is interesting is that I found this label from the Fischbach Brewing Co in St. Charles, MO. Where was Berbiglia brewed at what times I still do not know.
Boulevard Brewing released the Boulevard Pilsner in the summer of 2009. It created a lot of buzz with the vintage logo. The price of these beers at $6 per 6 pack are lower than typical craft 6 pack that Boulevard makes. This makes it a convenient contender for the Budweiser or the Millers on the shelves. I am often asked how many calories are in a Boulevard Pilsner. While calorie information is not yet obligated by the breweries I was informed that the calories would be more equivalent to a Budweiser as opposed to a Bud Light. While this brew is nice, light and refreshing this was not Boulevard's way to compete with the lightest of light beers. Another interesting fact about Boulevard was that when they opened in 1989 they were the first brewery to open in Kansas City since Muehlebach reopened after prohibition in 1938.

I hope you have enjoyed the first blog article of many to come.

References:

• Hometown Beer: A History of Kansas City's Breweries
• James Maxwell
• Jeremy Ragonese
• Marcia Butterbaugh
• http://www.usbeerlabels.com/

Barley's Beer School with Pauwels and Kins

Please read through all of this to pick up any Boulevard sneak peeks...

Usually I stay away from promoting commercial material on my blog, but I had a great time at Barley's Brewhouse yesterday that I highly suggest signing up for the next event. I will keep everyone posted on the next Beer School. I went to the first event a few weeks ago where Free State brewery from Lawrence spoke about their beers and the technical process of each brew. It was good, but there were so many people there and it was hard to hear. This time they got it right by setting up a p.a. system and toning down the crowd. And for $10 what you get was amazing. The first event was only $5 so you're not going to be breaking your wallet here. It was a little disheartening that I had to miss out on the Founders' tasting at Flying Saucer, but kcworthog was able to go get the scoop over there.

A big thank you to Jake and Mark for donating to my September Drought. I did not pay a penny for all of the beer and food for the night. Also thank you to Randyl and KC Hopps for organizing such events.

The hosts were Steven Pauwels (master brewer at Boulevard) and Carl Kins (International Beer Judge and all around a great beer geek). Also Jeremy and Dustin (brewers from Blvd) came and sat at our table so there was a brewer overload going on. Both guys are from Belgium and the focus was around Belgian beers so I knew I was in for a treat. It was fantastic to hear Carl explain the map of Belgium and get the history of the country instead of diving right into the beer. Before the event started I got myself an Odell IPA which, to me, is an incredible version of that style. Then it was the following for tastings:

1st - Duvel

2nd - La Chouffe

3rd - Urthel Hop-it

4th - Orval

5th - Matilda

6th - Saison-Brett

7th - Sixth Glass

8th - La Folie

First of all, that is a ridiculous line up of decent sized tastings for $10. Second, I was not expecting this and what was to follow. Steven and Carl continued to switch off by explaining the beers and stories that followed them. Also explaining that Jean-Marie Rock from Orval was going to join Steven for the next Beer School at Barley's. Now why would he be coming from Belgium and leaving his Trappist Orval brewery? Well because he's doing a collaboration brew with Steven to be released under Boulevard's name. Man I hope they call this "Rock On Collaboration". I learned this the other day but didn't want to give too much away until Steven announced himself. After the tasting ended I was quite hungry and Markbe, follower of my blog, met up with me and offered me a beer. So we sat down and ordered some food and Tank 7 only to be joined at our table by Steven and Carl. Steven was happy to see we ordered some of his Tank 7 and went to explain that it will be bottled (and I assume) that will replace the Saison. Steven ordered some Seeyoulator and some more Tank 7 along with food so we all were doing 'pretty well' by the end of the evening. We talked about the Wheatwine "Harvest Dance" that will be coming out very soon. I tried the other version of the Wheatwine that had been aged in chardonnay and pinot and liked it very much. We also discussed the smokestack series being packaged in a 4 pack of 330 ml bottles which I had also learned earlier. Now something I can take to lunch at work... kidding.

To Microwave or Not to Microwave

The day started out in the office. I spent the first half of the day trying to convince co-workers to go out for lunch, but no luck. So was it my typical microwave lunch? Jeremy, from Boulevard, would not have it that way. I was invited for the 3rd time to a Boulevard Luncheon and apparently the 3rd time's the charm to where I actually have time to go. Last minute I shot down to the brewery in time for the end of the tour portion of the Luncheon only to find Jeremiah from HopFrog to provide me with some great pictures. J and I sat down across from Payton from Blvd who was great company and later learned that he is in possession of the Muehelbach bottle that I donated to Blvd. Payton has been involved with every bottle label and any aspect of copy or pictures that involve Blvd. He had been old homebrew buddies with John McDonald, owner/founder of the brewery, and had some good stories. The food was prepared by Bluestem.

First up on the menu was a Shrimp Bisque labeled as "Corn Bisque, Rock Shrimp, Fingerling Potatoes, and Braised Berkshire Bacon". Right away I knew I made the right choice in going down to Blvd. The bisque was paired with the Wheat because of the acidity. Interesting. The creamy soup, paired with the rolls, could have been a meal within itself.


Next on the 3 course menu was the main course. Beef short ribs, now we're talkin. This style of ribs was cut to make rib stakes which was kind of a mix between a typical filet and a slow roast. No knife needed. Now this was paired with the rare unblended Rye on Rye. The Rye on Rye (now with a name) is currently set to come out in February of 2010. Now I've already tried this a couple weeks earlier from a bottle Steven Pauwels lended. It was very oaky and will need some blending, but is backed full of flavor. I looked down our table and noticed the slow sipping of the Rye did not go down like the Wheat. More pictures of the Rye on Rye below...

Finally a great treat. Bob's 47 Ice Cream. Bob's is Boulevard's Octoberfest beer and pays homage to a great brewer of the late Muehlebach. 1947 is the year he graduated brewery school. The ice cream was paired with Sixth Glass Quad which Payton decided to make a float out of his dish. Brilliant!

There is one more Luncheon setup and I highly suggest you sign up and try this. I now leave you with some of J's fine photography:

Boulevard Hop Day gets 9 out of 9

Today was 9/9/09. A very, very rainy day in Kansas City, but a very fun day for myself. It all started a few days back when KC Worthog met Steven Pauwels (brewmaster) at a Boulevard dinner. He invited her to a special day at Boulevard for wet-hopping the Nutcracker Ale. She was gracious enough to invite me (hophead) along. The Chinook hops were picked just yesterday in the Yakima Valley in Washington. They were overnight shipped (as they have been for years) to Kansas City where Steven and crew quickly get them into the secondary fermentation tanks to dry hop (or wet hop in this case). We showed up promptly at 8 a.m. to meet Steven. He showed us around the brewery from place to place but I think he was just pacing in anticipation for the hops to arrive. 8:30 and still no hops. We made our way to the microbiology lab where we learned about how tasting panels work and the quality control checks in place to test for off-flavors. There was another lab where new equipment is used to measure alcohol content and other consistency issues.

Once we made it to Steven's office he plucked up a couple of extremely rare bottles for us to try. A Rye aged in Templeton Rye Whiskey barrels. I thought it was a nice tribute to our neighboring state, Iowa. This is unblended so should be pretty raw with oak. Also donated was a bottle of trial Wheatwine that was aged with Pinot and Chardonnay. Now this brew also came from a barrel and was primed with grape juice. More on these bottles after the tasting...

Because the hops did not arrive on time, we headed back to our places of work in waiting for a call from Steven. The hops arrived and I darted back over to the brewery during lunch only to find a large crew of beer-loving fellows beginning to bag the hops. Once the door opened up you could smell the lupulin right away. Steven found me a pair of gloves and with my nice work clothes on, I dove right in with my free labor. I found myself stuffing hop bags full of these 2 inch cones and prepping them for the fermentation tanks. This lunch hour was far from some reheated leftovers at my desk.

As time was running out for me, I collected some left over hops from the ground to smell back at work. After it was all over I met up with Jeremy from Boulevard who came to our 3rd Big Brew Day to get a hardy send off back to work. It was a great day that even all the rain could not get me down.

August Brew Day

August represented our 3rd successful brew day. A lot of great, rare beers were drank, a lot of interesting people conversed, a lot of good food was ate, and I don't remember the rest. The highlight being the Boulevard Seeyoulator that Jeremy from Boulevard so graciously brought along with a couple others. More on that in a moment. A mead, braggot and an Amber ale were made. My posts are usually not wordy, but there's a lot to talk about here.


The day started off right around noon with 3 Westvleteren beers. Westvletern 12 is the highest rated beer in the world. It is incredibly hard to get a hold of in Kansas City. I've heard different distributing stories, but the main one is that the only place you can purchase this beer is in limited quantities from the monastery in Belgium. The monks look down upon resale of the beer and with my compulsive ways, I had to break the monks wishes in order to taste the best beer for myself. I have been reading "Brew Like a Monk" and I find the 6 Belgian monasteries who brew very interesting and historical. My taste buds did not agree that their '12' was the best beer in the world unfortunately. It was a magnificent brew with a ton of sweetness. It is truly an original of its kind and I highly appreciated drinking it. Their '8' was quite delicious and I found it to be their best. Their 'Blond' was very good as well and is under-appreciated in the beer world making it that much more rare.


Tim will be our lovely hand model for the bottles:

I went to pour a Boulevard Tripel that had been opened only to find that everyone was itching to get the bottle of Seeyoulator poured. I think people overlook the fact that a drinker or eater's judgement on drink or food is altered by the place when and where consumed. The brew day was an amazing setting to try the finest beers in the world. The Seeyoulator Dopplebock was hyped and did live up to the expectation only to have unexpected flavors and color. The cedar that it was aged with gave a nice piney taste, but was surprised that it wasn't overpowering. This beer had a good amount of bittering hops which you know I will not complain about. The color was much lighter and orange that I expected. This brew crosses lines of different styles and categories but what progressive brewery actually follows standard guidelines on the best brews?

The day kept producing several incredible tasters. Dogfish Head Burton Baton was by far my favorite of the day. The Lost Abbey 10 Commandments was another incredible beer that I was excited to drink. I brought a Pliny the Elder that made one hophead very happy. Bourbon County Stout, Inferno, 75th Street's Dante's Dream, Augusta Saison and the list went on and on of incredible commercial brews. Several homebrews were handed out as well.
Some new bloggers came along. Of course Worthog, the other organizer, was there. Along with another hophead, Muddy Mo and a Missouri beer lover. I know a lot of people almost made it out but next brew day will be in another location so we should see another good showing.As the Chiefs game began and the gathering ending, what other way is there to complete a 12 hour drinking session than to go bar hopping in Waldo area? I think the long, long day was incredible. My only complaint was that some of the beers for savoring could have been more appreciated towards the beginning of the day when I could remember them.

Boulevard's Seeyoulator Dopplebock

From Boulevard's Facebook Page:

"The first batch of our new fall Smokestack Series Seasonal, Seeyoulator Doppelbock, is bottling this morning. A Doppelbock aged on cedar, it will be released along with Bob’s ‘47 Oktoberfest near the end of August.
Medium amber in color, Seeyoulator offers a heady, estery banana aroma. A luscious maltiness predominates, with balancing notes from Hallertau hops. Cedar aging lends just a hint of spice to the finish."

A good beer to match this side-by-side with is Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock that I have seen at Hy-Vee in the singles for $2.

Boulevard Pilsner & Random Wednesday Night

I have to revise my thoughts from my last post about the new Pilsner. I was ranting about how I wish your local craft brewery would make a "light" beer to compete with the big dogs. I actually think they are making a small dent in that area with the Pilsner. Now if they would put their pilsner in the aluminum bottles and sell it at the games and golf courses I think we're getting somewhere. The taste isn't going to rock your world but it is a nice refreshing brew for the summer. They are able to compete with BMC by charging $5.69/6 pack (at least that's what Gomers was charging). I had my 5th one with a nice family meal. This picture represents just how American we are :)

After putting baby hophead to bed I was off to see my friend before he travels the world. He wanted to hit up the Republic Tigers in a free concert at Power and Light. Pretty crowded for a Wednesday. We hit up Raglan Road for a Boulevard Tank 7 on tap and then over to Flying Saucer where I had New Belgium's Lips of Faith on tap.

Birthday Boulevard Bourbon Barrel Quad

That's right Quad B's for my bday. I took this Thursday off of work and it was worth it. After a while I went up to Smithville Lake with my waverunner and headed for a nice quiet cove where I could get my drink on and read some of Brewing Like a Monk. I popped No. 8000 of Boulevard's Bourbon Barrel Quad from last year. I'm not going to lie, I like it WAY better than Saison-Brett and it still remains in my top 5 all time (which includes situations where I've drank). What are the top 5? Wouldn't you like to know. Email me...

Right before I went to the lake I stopped off at Oxbrow Brewing to pick up some chocolate malt for my next brew. I've got to say that I was very impressed. I don't think Tim will mind me pimping out his side business, but if you look at Kansas City's home brew shops in Olathe and Shawnee, then you've got to wonder where you can get local supplies on the MO side or North of the river for that matter. Oxbrow is very small but can get just about whatever you want at a competitive price and has bulk grains. He meets by appointment. Just email Tim.

Boulevard Two Jokers - Double Wit

Boulevard has been enhancing their regular beers with a more powerful, tasty limited brew in some of the Smokestack Series. They have gone from a numbering system to a seasonal Smokestack and Two Jokers is their latest. It is a delicious double-wit based on the Zon summer beer. At 8% abv yet very light and bubbly, it is a great summer brew coming out at a good time. If you are able to get some a hot July day is a good time to hammer a 750 ml down with a friend. Not sure how much will be out this summer, but Gomers in the Northland has already sold out and I found Bubbles on N. Oak had just got their shipment in and was able to pick up a few before they got it on the shelves. Back to the taste: you definitely taste the carbonation bubbles dancing with a dominant Belgian yeast. Orange and coriander stand out (just like the Zon). Very easy to drink especially when sweating (sorry no electrolytes). Expect to belch with the carbonation level. Lovely. Overall I like the beer but it won't make my top 5 for this month. Maybe it will for a hot June month? If you get some let me know how you like it.

Boulevard Pilsner

Boulevard Pilsner is coming out later this summer. Is a pilsner really an American lager? I guess it's turned into one but what makes a German pilsner different? Regardless, I look forward to tasting the hoppy, light beer.

I wrote a comment on beernews and figured I'd post my thoughts on my blog as well. I'd be interested in what others have to say about this idea. Craft brewers basically put out the good stuff. They put out the beers using pure, quality ingredients. Why don't I see craft brewers battling the "light" beer market? I always support local brewers when I can but there are lots of events where I can't drink too many craft brews. If I was at a game and there was a choice between $6 Bud Light, a $6.50 Boulevard Light and a $7.00 Boulevard Wheat I'm going to pick the $6.50. Sure it's a little more but hey I'm not have a dinner beer because I'd like a few more after this one. On a side note, sorry if those were your kids sitting next to me at the game. I don't know, what do you think?

Boulevard Imperial Stout

I was heading to 75th St Brewery yesterday and had some time to kill so I stopped off at Berbiglia nearby and discovered that the Imperial Stout had been distributed. I picked up a bottle and drank it late last night. It was good but not great. I've been really impressed with the Smokestack Series, but maybe it's because of my taste for sweet bitter hops but Imperial Stout just doesn't float my boat. I am definitely proud to add it to my collection. You'll have to give me your thoughts on it...

Speaking of 75th St Brewery, what do others think about the establishment? I have mixed feelings about it. Service is pretty good, but the beer overall is a bit flat to the taste and they don't seem to carry much if at all of anything else besides their own beer. I can tell by the beer collection around the brewery that there is a good beer appreciation, but I think they should substitute beer styles that they do not make with ones from around KC. Their food is okay. Overall, I do love going there, but I think there are things that bother me about the place. If you have not been there, you've got to try it out.

Single Wide

I was down at Boulevard Brewery yesterday getting Christmas presents (for myself) and found out that they're making wine. So I picked up a bottle of Chardonnay to add to the collection. I saw the Single Wide on tap and unfortunately the tap room was not open for taste testing. I still have yet to make it out to a bar that has it on tap. People have already been complaining about too much hops. That sounds like the perfect beer to me!

I asked one of the workers when it was going to be bottled to see if there were any updates and it's still in March of '09. Of course I am now awaiting the Imperial Stout (2) that will be coming as #7 in the Smokestack Series.