And Speaking of Firkins in Kansas City...

A couple of weeks ago, I was whining about Kansas City’s poor state of affairs when it comes to beers in a firkin around town. I was pretty damn happy to, soon-after, read on the KC Beer Blog that Blanc is considering doing cask beer from time to time (sounds pretty tentative, but at least they’re actively considering it).

So I’m excited to hear that the next Rare Beer Night at Flying Saucer (Aug 4th) will feature a firkin of Tallgrass’ “Dream Warrior” - Halcyon with strawberries & vanilla. If you haven’t tried regular Halcyon yet, you’re missing out on a fantastic summer beer that’s light, citrusy, and far less embarrassing to order than a similarly-refreshing radler. I can’t guarantee that asking for a glass of strawberry-vanilla beer won’t be embarrassing, but maybe that’s why they named it Dream Warrior (am I the only one picturing Game of Thrones imagery?). It sounds delicious.

Sour Beer Week at the Saucer

As you can probably tell, I've lost a lot of steam in the world of blogging. Work travel has nearly taken over my life, but I've also become a lot more invested in other hobbies & time-consuming things of late. And with KC Beer Blog doing such a great job at covering all things local these days, they make it hard to come up with unique content. Not a bad thing, of course!

However, I received a press release from Flying Saucer today that I can't ignore. SOUR BEER WEEK will be taking place at the end of this month, and there are some fantastic breweries being represented. Monday starts it off with a Goose Island dinner (about which you can find out more on Facebook).

And, as fate would have it, I'm going to be traveling on business for most of that week. Hopefully there will still be some good beers left on tap when I get into town. I may have to stop in on my way home from the airport Thursday, as I'm not sure how much of the Cantillon will last. Then return Friday for Jolly Pumpkin night.

I've been thinking for a while about voting Jolly Pumpkin one of the best breweries no one in KC seems to be talking about much. If you've never had their beer, you owe it to yourself to make the trek to the Saucer on the 29th. As well as pretty much every other night that week.

More Love of Crispin

I was checking out the Flying Saucer calendar today and - how timely ...  On the last week of March, Wednesday night is Crispin glass night and Thursday is Four Musketeers night. Though the shape of the glass is still unknown (maybe it's this one!), they're tapping kegs of all four Four Musketeers - all at once - on Thursday the 31st. Descriptions of each are below, taken from Crispin's site.

Athos: Stately, courtly, bold, noble and elegant. Aged in a Cabernet Sauvignon barrel.
A deep plum color lends into the aroma of clover honey with a hint of anise. An elegant refined sweet start moves to a plum honey flavor, with hints of black licorice and a clean rich finish on your mouth.
ABV: 5.7%
Appearance/color- plum, deep purple.
Aroma- clover honey with hints of anise.
Mouthfeel- very full upfront with a clean soft finish.

Porthos: Fun, lively, very full bodied & robust. Aged in a Zinfandel barrel.
A rich red Rose' colored cider with an aroma of elderberry, cranberry & oak. Upon swirling it in your mouth you get a rich, full, lightly sweet feel. Opens to tart, round fruit & rolls into light tannin, with a rounded full finish.
ABV: 6.8%
Appearance/color- Rosé & rich, while still remaining translucent
Aroma- Elderberry, Cranberry, vinous oak
Mouthfeel- Rich, full, slightly sweet

Aramis: Sexy, smooth and silky, fragrant & perfumed. A slightly dangerous edge. Aged in a Merlot barrel.
Pinkish hued with a slight haze, Aramis has an aroma of rose & pomegranate. With a delicate, soft roundness in the mouth, and a light lingering bite. The flavor is subtle with a soft vinous start, while the middle is semi-sweet fruit.
ABV: 5.3%
Appearance/color- light pink, slight haze
Aroma- rose, fruit, pomegranate
Mouthfeel- delicate, soft roundness with light crisp bite.

D'Artagnan: Spicy, lively. Peppery temperament. Aged in a Pinot Noir barrel.
Soft, light, peachy appearance & hue. The aroma is of spicy ginger with faint hints of fruit. A slightly sweet flavor with light ginger notes up front & a round honey dew like finish with a slight hint of warmth.
ABV: 4.8%
Appearance/color- Soft, peachy, light
Aroma- Spicy, ginger, faint fruit
Mouthfeel- Velvety & soft with a backbone of ginger warmth.

See you at Flying Saucer on the 31st!

Finding Love in Lee's Summit

We had a great night last night. Despite driving through traffic for over an hour yesterday (at least it wasn't that insane traffic jam in China) and arriving at the Flying Saucer to only obtain one ticket for CBS, we still had a nice time hanging out with our friend J and Mark from The Hopry. The CBS wasn't as "maple-y" as I remembered it being last year, but it was still an incredible beer. (And it's very possible my palate has changed.) Coffee, bitter roasted malt, dried fruit, vanilla, oak, and just a touch of maple sweetness. Keep an eye out for it next year; the Saucer's had it the past two years in a row, and I wouldn't be surprised if it made an appearance in '11.

We ate dinner, split an 8oz pour of CBS, and figured the night was still young - we had plenty of time to finally go to Gomer's in Lee's Summit. We'd both heard so many good things about it, and I'd recently seen that they had Mikkeller Rauch Geek Breakfast stout in stock. What else were we going to do with our evening?

So, we hit the highway and, half an hour later, found ourselves in a beer wonderland. We walked in and saw an incredible amount of craft beer in refrigerated coolers straight in front of us. (It's worth mentioning, by the way, that they have a fantastic gin selection that rivals Lukas' in Martin City.) They have the entire Mikkeller yeast series, a ton of Belgian beer I've never seen here, and put simply, THE BEST beer selection in Kansas City. By "best" I don't mean the largest selection or the most bottles; they have the most thoughtful and interesting selection I've seen in this city.

We talked to the beer buyer for a while, who's about our age and a major beer nerd as well. He keeps their blog pretty up to date and works hard to ensure their beer selection's current and creative. I just wish they weren't so damn far out of town. However, I now have a reason to go to Lee's Summit at least once a month, and recommend you do the same. I'm embarrassed that I've never been here before. If you're any self-respecting beer lover, you owe it to yourself to make it out there on a regular basis.

In case you're curious, here's what we came home with:

• Drie Fonteinen Oude Kriek
• Southern Tier Pumking
• Mikkeller Frelser triple bock
• Cantillon broucsella 1900 Grand Cru
• Trois dames grande dame oud bruin
• Mikkeller Rauch Geek Breakfast
• Rogue Chatoe Rogue OREgasmic 
• Ska Nefarious ten pin imperial porter
• Haand Bryggeriet barrel aged porter (aged in an aquavit barrel)
• De Molen Heaven & Hell 
• Charlevoix Dominus Vobiscum double
• Nogne O/Mikkeller Tyttebaer (cranberry wild ale) 
• Vikings Blod Mead
• Pirtle Blackberry Mead
• Ben Middlemiss Benediction ale
• Mikkeller Monks Brew
• Sierra Nevada Tumbler
• O'Fallon Pumpkin
• Schlafly Pumpkin

Prost!

Canadian Breakfast Stout is Coming!

The Flying Saucer got a keg of this Founders delicacy back in June and has been holding on to it through the summer... until now. They're putting this baby on for Rare Beer Night on August 26th. They've been tapping some stellar stuff for Rare Beer Night lately, and this one continues the trend.

I probably don't need to say anything more, but JUST in case you're not sure what this concoction is, it's their standard Breakfast Stout that is aged in barrels that were initially used to age Heaven Hills Kentucky Bourbon, then were shipped up to Canada to age craft maple syrup. The result, as I wrote about last year for Present Magazine, "carries smoky flavors from the charred barrels, vanilla notes from the bourbon, and a prominent douse of maple sweetness."

Simply delicious.

Rare Beer Nights - and Mikkeller

Flying Saucer's on a roll recently with its rare beer nights. Last week featured Mikkeller's Big Worse, which was a wonderfully decadent barleywine full of malt aroma, rich dried fruit flavor, and enough bitterness to keep it balanced. I enjoyed it so much, I didn't realize how quickly I was drinking it until my glass was nearly empty.

Tonight's featured rare beer is Founders' Devil Dancer, a "triple" IPA clocking in at over 100 IBUs and dry-hopped with 10 different hop varieties. I'm sure Devil Dancer will not disappoint these hop-loving Wort Hogs.

Next week is Dieu du Ciel's Aphrodite (or, "Aphrodesiaque" if you're in Quebec), which is a stout brewed with cocoa and vanilla. I've been impressed with nearly all of Dieu du Ciel's beers, Deese Nocturne being probably the sole exception (and a recent rare beer). Aphrodite, though, is a wonderfully rich stout and one you can easily find in bottles around the KC metro (Royal & Lukas both carry it, and I'm sure other stores do as well). And if you ever find yourself in the Montreal or Quebec City area, make a point to go to their brewpub in Montreal. It has  wonderful ambiance and about 15 different beers on tap. When we were there 2 years ago, they had I think 4 or 5 smoked beers among the list; impressive.

August 5th, though, is something I am really looking forward to:  Mikkeller Chipotle Porter. Apparently only being sold in bottles in Texas, Flying Saucer appears to be getting a keg of it. Sweet! (or, spicy?). While browsing the Mikkeller site, it appears they aged some in bourbon barrels and bottled that too. Awesome.

While on the topic of Mikkeller, I thought their single-hop series was clever and interesting, but not that engaging. What I'm really looking forward to, though, is their upcoming Yeast Series beers. It is truly fascinating to me just how much a strain of yeast can completely change a beer, and I don't think that the beer blogging/reviewing community really pays enough attention to its role. Yeah, we all know that Belgian beers wouldn't be what they are without the signature yeast esters. And "bretted" beers have received a lot of attention lately. But what happens when you make several batches of a simple base beer (say, a strong pale ale) and ferment each batch with a different yeast? Mikkeller has the answer. I can't wait.

Stuff to Keep on the Radar

I started building a list of things to do during the week, specifically happy hours or notable beer deals (think sidebar list gadget). In looking around for beer-related happy hours, it seemed most of what I could find was "domestic bottles" paired with shots. While I did get to learn what a "starburst shot" is, I'm not sure I found everything I was looking for. Here's what I got - what else can I add?

• Mondays: OK so this one isn't beer, but it's such a good deal and I enjoy wine as well, so I can't help it. Every Monday from 11:30am - 6pm, Extra Virgin does one hell of a happy hour day. Half-price bottles of wine (under $100) and tapas. Where else are you going to get halibut cheeks and grilled beef tongue for under $10?
• Mondays, pt II: What, not up for adventurous food? McCoys does a great happy hour on Monday: $7 each for a pitcher, a burger or a pizza. Some of their special brews have been noteworthy (and I was too late for their coffee stout, damn it, but their Cerveza is quite good), and if you're not following their blog, you should be.
• Mondays, pt III: Not convinced that Monday happy hour is a great way to drown your sorrows over the end of the weekend? Head out to Free State in Lawrence for $1.75 beers. A dollar seventy five!

• Tuesdays: 75th Street recently started up "Big Ass Beer Night" on Tuesdays, where they feature some special beers. Tonight is Founders Breakfast Stout. They don't currently publish this on the web, but if you sign up for their email list you'll get notified.
• Wednesdays: Glass night at Flying Saucer. These are pretty widely known now, so you could always work on maximizing your caloric intake at Old Chicago and get $1 off their featured beer.
• Thursdays: Flying Saucer wins again. They started their Rare Beer Nights this summer, tapping a special keg each week. Everyone's looking forward to October 1st when they tap that keg of Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout. Imperial Stout aged in maple barrels. Seriously.
• Fridays: Exercise your brain at The Brick for Trivia Riot while ordering beer off a menu that is never up-to-date and eating good but cheap food. And for the diet-conscious, they offer raw veggies as a side instead of fries. Sometimes I want a gut bomb, but not always; it's nice they offer the choice. They also have lots of vegetarian options, too. And a bacon fluffernutter.
  
• Fridays, pt II: Need more glassware? Old Chicago does glass night too, on Fridays. More caloric maximization. Now with a glass.

Other various things:

• Royal Liquor now has Seeyoulator available. I also picked up an O'Fallon Chocolate By the Barrel Cream Stout and, when paying for it, got to talking to Cody there about the Southern Tier Creme Brulee Stout (scroll down to the bottom of the page). This is a summer seasonal and may no longer be around, but if you haven't had it, you should try it. You'll probably want to share it, but man is it good.
• The O'Fallon stout, by the way, was good but not worth it. It was $12 (including tax) and a little thin on mouthfeel. Bitter from the cocoa and not sweet enough, in my opinion, for the style. Disappointing. Oh well; it happens.
• Speaking of Royal Liquor, they're doing a huge beer tasting and bottle discount on October 1st from 6-8pm. If you're not that keen on the Canadian Breakfast Stout at Flying Saucer, definitely check this out (or stop by Royal on your way to/from P&L). They're sampling a ton of craft brews that are worth trying.
• Free State's pouring a small beer, not something you see very often. Anchor does one (from its Old Foghorn), but I don't believe we get it out here. The second runnings from Old Backus, Little Backus, is full of Cascade & Simcoe hops but appropriately at 33IBUs for the style. Sounds good, doesn't it?
• Lagunitas is now in KS and MO. Hurrah! Do yourself a favor and pick up a bottle of Hop Stoopid. At around $4 for a 22oz bottle, you're almost losing money not buying it.

What else?

I Wonder if They Gruit on Premises

We met a couple of friends tonight down at Flying Saucer to pick up their first year's harvest of Nugget hops. Despite the belief that you only start to get hop flowers in your third year, they acquired a reasonably-sized hop harvest. Perhaps it's because this summer has been more akin to the climate of the Northwest or Germany. Or, perhaps modern strains of hops are taking less time to produce hop cones. Regardless, we scored ourselves some nice little Nuggets tonight.

I ordered New Belgium's latest in their Lips of Faith series, their Dandelion Ale. I suspected it might be a hop-free Gruit, but wasn't sure and the internet on my phone wasn't working very well so I went for it. Sure enough, gruit. And I have to say - it's the best one I've had yet.

First of all, it tasted more like beer than the others. It didn't have the mouth-numbing experience the others imparted (from wormwood, anise, or whatever the breweries were using) and it had significantly more bitterness than the others. It tasted a little like tropical or summer stone fruit: apricot, peach, or maybe mango. I'm sure a large part of that came from the Belgian yeast New Belgium uses. The mouthfeel was awesome for a beer this light in color and taste, and I've never experienced something like that before. At first "creamy" and "velvety" came to mind, but then the perfect word hit me: silky. This beer is silky! Overall, I'd rate it a top-notch gruit and a perfect accompaniment to the meat & cheese plate we ordered. I could also see drinking this with a slice of cheesecake or maybe a bowl of fruit salad. Fresh, summery, fruity, and easy to drink - I wouldn't have guessed this beer was anywhere near 7.8% ABV.

This is a very well-executed version of Gruit and I recommend trying it, even if you're a dyed-in-the-wool hop head and skeptical of anything under 70 IBUs. After all, part of the fun of drinking beer is trying something different.

"Excellent Things are Rare"

The New York Times today has an article about two of my favorite subjects: beer and food. Specifically, the article explores why it seems so difficult to find places that excel at both, and do it via great service and knowledgeable staff. Though the article is specific to New York, I find it applies anywhere.

Great beer abounds today in New York, and the choices keep getting better. Nowadays, almost every neighborhood bar has at least a few craft beers. The better beer bars offer an expanded selection, scouring the world for unknown brewers and new beers. And the mark of a top-flight spot is one or two cask beers, served unpasteurized and unfiltered with natural carbonation, rather than from a pressurized keg.

Yet an imbalance exists that threatens to undercut the pleasure to be found in a perfectly drawn pint. While aficionados yearn to have beer taken as seriously as wine, too often beer is presented in a context that diminishes the respect it deserves.

Sometimes, the problem involves food, as with Studio Square. At Pony Bar, a new bar in Clinton that specializes in American craft beers, the River Horse ESB, served lightly chilled from a cask, was pure and delicate. The beer selection was excellent. The roast beef sandwich was tough, the burger desiccated.

Other times, it’s simply a clueless staff...

I was recently reading an article on Beer Advocate about the top beer bars in the country. The article was from four years ago, but most of the places on the list still exist. I read the BA reviews for over half of those places, and noticed three consistent trends, all of which apply to one or more of my favorite watering holes here in KC:

1. Bad service. Not just mediocre, but bad. Do these places even train their staff?
   
2. Bad food. Why provide something that is guaranteed to disappoint your customers?
3. Bad atmosphere. What? I can't hear you over the Ozzy and guys cheering over beer pong.
   

Now, I'll point out that we are lucky here in KC to have the options we do: Waldo Pizza, Barley's, 75th Street, Flying Saucer, Gordon Biersch, Harry's Country Club, Grinders... and I'm sure I'm forgetting some. However, it seems like no one place has it all nailed. Gordon Biersch comes pretty damn close with great beer and pretty decent food - but the service?

All I ask for is this:

1. Make sure it's easy for your patrons to hear others in their party. Barley's has this nailed. Flying Saucer, not so much.
2. Educate your staff about beer. I don't care if they all hate beer; if you have it on tap, your staff should know what it is. They should be able to describe a Kölsch and how Schlafly's compares to Reissdorf's. That goes for your wine selection as well. There's no reason I should hear "ummm... let me go ask" when I ask about a new beer on tap and what it is. Sell me your products!!
   
3. Be creative with your menu. Many of your customers eat out frequently and tire of the same old things - burgers, wraps, sandwiches, fries, onion rings, and so on. Gordon Biersch gets it, and Barley's is starting to (they now have seasonal salads). Check out The Brewer's Art in Baltimore or Higgins in Portland. Yes, these are bar menus. You don't have to get ultra-chic, and should provide at least some staples (can you spot the burger on Higgins' menu?). But get adventurous and offer seasonal, different items for those of us who enjoy trying new things.
   
4. Mind your beer. Rotate your taps and bottles frequently, clean your beer lines, and, for the love of all things holy, please don't serve us stale beer.
   

These seem kind of obvious, but they're clearly harder to pull off than it appears. Many places come close. I will say that it seems restaurants that focus primarily on food tend to have somewhat-decent beer menus, offering at least some Belgian beer and perhaps a couple items from Bells, Schlafly, or Boulevard. So why is it that good restaurants can make a decent attempt at providing good beer, but so many beer bars fail at providing good food?

There's one bartender at Barley's in Shawnee I always look for when I go, because he clearly knows beer. Elliott over at Waldo Pizza is now a Cicerone-certified Beer Server and also loves to talk beer. Both places have good food and beer selections; Waldo Pizza seems to swap out their kegs more frequently than Barley's, but Barley's usually has new stuff in bottles every time I go. They're about as close to great-beer-bar as we have here in KC... and guess where I spend most of my beer money.

title quote attributed to Plato

Brewin up some math

My brother posted a link to a homebrew recipe calculator tool on Facebook and I thought it was so handy that I wanted to share.

The site also has over 4000 recipes as well as a good catalog of styles (with recipes and notes on each).

That's all! Short & sweet today. I'm off to Flying Saucer to get some Founders, then to Grinders for more beer and some Ben Folds. Have a great Saturday!

Tap Nites at Flying Saucer

Looks like Flying Saucer has a new schitck - Tap Nite. They tap a new keg at 7pm each Thursday, and the selections are special ("rare") brews.

Tonight, Flying Saucer taps a keg of New Holland's trippel:

Mysterious, alluring and seductive, yet tantalizingly elusive; these are the storied characteristics of the Black Tulip.

Golden in color, Black Tulip Trippel is a delightful beer with a slightly sweet body. Its ester-laden character reveals an enigmatic dance between Belgian ale yeast and Michigan beet sugar, conjuring hints of bananas and rock candy. Its inviting flavor is complemented by a pleasing dry finish.

19.6° Plato, Alc. 8.8% by Vol.

Their calendar already identifies kegs for each Thursday through the end of July, including beer from Arcadia, Left Hand, New Holland, and Schlafly.

And while I'm talking about Flying Saucer, the first two weeks in June celebrate the Missourian arrival of beer from two fantastic breweries - Founders and Moylan's. Each has its own glass night (6/3 and 6/10 respectively) and will provide me with two more reasons to spend more money on beer.

Local Updates

More updates!

Looks like Schlafly just released their quadrupel which should be in stores soon. "Schlafly Quadrupel is, as its name implies, a serious beer. But don’t be intimidated. This fourth beer in our bottle-conditioned Belgian-style beer series has a rich, malty backbone that is generously balanced by select, fresh hops to create a luscious, smooth character. Sharing it with friends enhances the enjoyment, whether in front of a roaring fire or at the finest dinner party." I've found their other Belgian styles to be quite good, and expect the same from the quad.

Great Divide, which competes with Avery for my "favorite Colorado brewery" designation, is releasing two new brews this month:

Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti: We toned down the hops a bit to allow cocoa nibs to contribute some pleasing bitterness, while vanilla notes from the oak combine with the cocoa to create an aroma and flavor akin to a gourmet chocolate bar. A dash of cayenne keeps things lively, adding just a bit of heat to the finish. A Yeti for summer? Hell yes.

Double Wit: Our more muscular take on the beloved white ales of Belgium. Unmalted wheat and Belgian malted barley give the beer a light body and straw hue, while coriander and curaçao provide the traditional notes of spice and light acidity. This cloudy, deceptively drinkable creation should be enjoyed without the addition of fruit.

Looks like they'll be bottling & distributing them, though I can't find any further info on that - anyone know?

Most of you already know Boulevard is coming out with an American Pilsner this summer. It will be "available initially only in Kansas City in 6-packs. We’re paying homage to the legacy of past Kansas City breweries with a classic American lager; all malt, real hop character, unpasteurized. Basically an American beer 'revival' for local consumers made by a traditional Midwestern craft brewery.'"

Founders is indeed set to arrive in Missouri in early June. A kick-off promo at Flying Saucer in the P&L is on June 3 at 7:00 PM. And for those of you keeping score, Wednesdays are also the Saucer's "keep the glass" night - buy a beer, keep the glass. Yes, celebrate the arrival of a top-notch brewery's products with a free glass to boot. Here's hoping it's something more exciting than a standard pint glass.


And that's all I've got for today. Prost!

Weekend of the Craft Beer Trifecta

Saturday was a great day for beer lovers and makers. First, there was the 6th annual Parkville Microbrew Festival. Second, Flying Saucer's 1st anniversary in KC. And finally, National Homebrew Day. As we were too busy with the first two, we did not participate in National Homebrew Day. Perhaps we'll create our own "National Homebrew Day, Redux" in the near future.

The Parkville festival was an overall win, and the selections were plentiful and varied. Upon arrival, we were handed a flyer listing all the breweries and 2 beers for each one. As it turns out, most breweries had at least 3 on tap - several offered at least 5. There were two breweries that impressed me - Little Apple out of Manhattan, KS and Empyrean out of Lincoln, NE. I will definitely drink my fill of their beer given another opportunity to do so, and recommend you do the same. 75th Street offered their IPA pumped through Randall, which contained 100% Simcoe hops (yeah!). It was my #1 favorite at the festival, though not by a large margin (and I will fully admit a bias for Simcoe hops). I asked if they'll be using Randall much at the brewpub and was told that it's a real pain to set up and clean, so they tend to only set it up for special occasions. I will definitely keep my eye out for such occasions and will post about them here.

Free State's Bumper Crop Saison was fantastic as well (and note their new web site). I am not a big Saison person, but do appreciate good versions of them (Boulevard and Rogue included). At 35 IBUs, this one was hoppier than most in the style and definitely not for someone who shies away from hoppy beers. But if you enjoy a good Saison and are not scared by a bit of bitterness, I highly recommend it. This was my #2 favorite at the festival.

The loser of the day, by the widest margin imaginable, was Lucky Bucket's Concentrated Evil - a barrel-aged quad. I have no idea what they were trying to do here, but it was the strangest beer I think I've ever tasted (not including the wormwood beer some friends & I tried making years ago. Bad idea.). It was exactly how I would imagine watered-down rotten prune puree to taste. And, it was the ONLY sample I dumped out prior to finishing. Funny enough, it was KC Hop Head's favorite. I wonder if what I got was ruined or tampered with somehow (it was poured out of a plastic cup) - this should have been something I found delicious and warming, but it wasn't even close. I'd be interested in trying it again in a different environment - say, from a keg for starters.

That said, nearly all the beer I had there ranged from "I'd buy a pint of that" to "I can't wait to have this again." There wasn't one brewery there that I thought should look into doing something else. The only disappointment I had in the event itself was that there wasn't more seating. Some fest tables would have been great - drinking all that beer is hard work!

We headed over to Flying Saucer for their 1-year-in-KC anniversary and ordered a couple of beers. I got a Sierra Nevada Brown Saison (hey, Free State inspired me) which I also found highly enjoyable. This is a very drinkable beer, with a soft mouthfeel, sweet toasty aroma, and slightly spicy saison funk. We were watching the Kentucky Derby and was reminded that saisons are often described as "horsey" - this one is no different. But, true to Sierra Nevada style, it was also well-hopped for a saison - again at 35IBUs. We were there, though, for Bear Republic's Racer X which was tapped at 5pm. The big brother of Racer 5, this Imperial IPA is not to be missed. Not overwhelmingly malty, it provides just enough sweetness to back the citrusy pineyness of the hops. While it won't hit you over the head with bitterness, it is definitely a West Coast IIPA - less sweet and hoppier than its eastern and midwestern counterparts. If you are a hophead, you owe it to yourself to get a pint before they run out (if they haven't already).

In terms of trying new, solidly good beer, this was definitely one of the best beer weekends I've had in a while. I am already looking forward to next year!

Texas, Beer, and UFOs

Thank you, Lee! 

I had the GREATEST time hanging out with the KC-beer-blogging (and drinking) mini-gang Lee assembled on Friday night. We went to 75th Street and occupied at least a couple of tables for a handful of hours. I can't remember everything we talked about, but the topics of conversation included beer, Oregon, knitting, running, swimming, losing weight, and homebrewing. I can't even begin to do the evening justice, so I'll just say that I enjoyed the company to the fullest and was so glad that I went.

Lee was also kind enough to bring some Texas beer with him - Saint Arnold Christmas Ale & Real Ale Firemans #4.  I'm currently enjoying the Christmas ale - YUM, thank you! I have yet to crack open the #4 but probably will tomorrow.

Upon the mention of Texas beer, I shared a story about the time I went to Dallas for work and spent a lovely Wednesday evening at the Flying Saucer in Addison to get some work & drinking done (multi-tasking is a beautiful thing). Long story short, the place was packed so I grabbed a spot at a table in the corner where a middle-aged guy was working with his laptop. I thought for sure I'd get some work done. I thought wrong. I ordered a Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA (which I can't get in KC and miss dearly) and it all started from there. The guy wouldn't stop talking! I learned a lot about Texas brewing and was even encouraged to try a beer I wouldn't have otherwise tried - Live Oak Hefeweizen. It's a German-style hefeweizen and absolutely delicious. It reminded me a lot of Paulaner, which I think is a fantastic representation of German hefe. I also ordered an Arrogant Bastard and the talking continued. 

I didn't get a lot of work done that night, but I did learn a lot about goings-on in Texas... most of which I've since forgotten. I will not, however, forget that glass of Live Oak.

Which also brings me to the 2nd of two things I came here to post. It irritates me that Flying Saucer in KC is located in the P&L district. Not only is that area not my type of hang-out, I'm just not keen on hose planned urban "entertainment centers" with their targeted dress codes and sugary sweet vodka "martinis" (IT'S NOT A MARTINI!) and "sexy co-ed" ads etc etc... 

What was I saying? Oh yeah, Flying Saucer. As I mentioned, I was in the Addison location on a Wednesday night. At every location it seems, Wednesday night is Pint Night where you can get a pint glass of their featured brewery & keep the glass. This December, KC's Flying Saucer featured Chimay, Gouden Carolus, and La Chouffe. January's beers are yet TBD, but I'd keep my eye on their calendar. December looked like a good month to add to the glassware collection.