Port Fonda Boulevard Beer Dinner Tonight

Port Fonda Boulevard Beer Dinner

I am headed to the Westport area tonight for dinner with my dad. We are joining a few others from the area at 7 PM to have a five course meal paired with Boulevard beers. The dinner is at Port Fonda down the street from McCoy's and Beer Kitchen. I will be taking some notes and enjoying hanging out with Dad. I think we are going have a great time.

As February approaches I will be taking a look at some chocolate beers and planning Valentine's Day for C and I. I have heard of a few possible events happening around town. I will get some details and post some events that will be going on over the next few weeks. That is unless I want to surprise C with some plans.

Rock & Run Brewery: Worth the hike!

With window garage doors facing the street and a U shaped bar defending the tap handles crowding all of the wall space behind the bartenders; it is easy to see that Rock & Run Brewery and Pub has a lot of potential.

C and I found out about this new brew pub opening up in Liberty, MO through social media, and a local beer fest. Rock & Run opened its doors for business in mid December. This bar is just off the square of downtown Liberty.

We met a good friend there for dinner on a Saturday night. The restaurant was full and even had a 45 minute wait. This is to be expected for a new restaurant at 7 PM on a Saturday night. However, I was okay with the wait because the 'waiting area' is literally a couple of benches that are just a few steps from the bar, which will serve you even if you aren't seated. After perusing the really nice electronic beer menu above the bar, I pick Boulevard's Foeder Projekt #1. For those of you who don't know, that beer was a limited release sour ale, released last fall. I thought it was all gone citywide but I guess this place was able to get a keg for their opening. That beer is a indicator of the norm for the beer menu. They have 30+ beers on tap! Other restaurants will have Miller Lite, Coors Light, Blue Moon, Bud light, and Boulevard Wheat as their four taps. None of these beers could be seen on the wall, not even the Boulevard Wheat! They have a huge selection of beer. This also means there were no tap options that would be a light beer equivalent. They also had a wide variety from Boulevard to Lagunita to Ska and even quite a few some breweries I hadn't heard of, but would like to get to know. If you are worried about some of your friends who have not ventured down the craft beer path, there have been sightings of Bud light bottles and glasses of red wine, most likely just a house red.

Oh I forgot to mention, that doesn't even include the beer they MAKE on their own! Rock and Run got their start as home brewers and have grown and honed their craft to make quite a few solid craft beers. While I was there they had 5 beers ready for everyone to drink, with at least another five coming soon. They had a blonde (the beer style, although it could potentially be served by a blonde waitress), a wheat, farmhouse ale, a porter, and a stout. I had a flight of the Rock and Run brewed beer. The five beers were pretty good; I really enjoyed the darker side of the flight. I really liked their porter, farmhouse ale, and their stout. An interesting fact, that was pointed out to me, is that all of their beers are unfiltered or hazy but not in a bad way.

The food was really good. The staff was really good and attentive, despite being really busy. Our server was playful and knowledgeable. She tried her hardest to make our visit a pleasant one. C ordered the pretzels as that is one of her favorite things to get anywhere. The pretzels are light and fluffy as you pulled the hot bread apart. We then had a salad and sandwich that were both good. Next time I will try the pasta. I spied another table that had a nice size portion of creamy pasta. We drank our dessert via a pint of beer. I opted for the farmhouse ale they had.

A friend of mine that has also been to the brew pub suggest a good improvement for their menu would be to have beer styles paired with menu options, so that you could easily pick out a good beer for what you are eating. I would also like to see flights of the other beers on tap, but that's just me wanting to try them all.

Growlers are becoming increasing popular these days, and Rock & Run has one for you! The growler is $7, and then you can fill it with most any beer they have on tap. Unfortunately, this doesn't include their own brew for now, due to needing more on hand while they increase production. The rest of the beers on tap range anywhere from $15 to $22+ for 64 ounces of beer. They even seal the beer so there is no worry of an open container violation. When you bring the growler back, you can reuse it and only pay for the beer. This might not sound like a great deal (64 ounces is less than a normal six pack) there are a few perks for this option. One it is draft beer that you get to take home, which in my opinion is better than bottled beer. Furthermore, if you were to look at the list of beers available for the growler, you would see that you would be paying more for that much of those beers in the store.

Overall, Rock & Run Brewery and Pub is a great place to go, especially if you are in the area or looking for a new place to go. I would make the trip just for the beer selection. We will definitely be going back! Let me know if you want to go and we will go grab a pint or 12.

How to find your next beer!

What beer should I drink?!?!?!

Let's say that I am taking FOREVER making up my mind in while trying to pick a beer to drink. What do I do? How do I answer the question of what beer to drink?

Now my mother always told me to not talk to strangers, yet I have never listened to her about that. When I am wandering the liquor store aisles, especially one with a good beer selection, and I don't know what to get, I will ask someone on staff. The beer person at a liquor store is usually knowledgeable and is enthusiastic about beer. They are also very happy that you aren't asking them where you can find the greatest quantity of beer for the cheapest price.

Here is my thought process when I go up to talk to that clerk in the store.

1. What am I looking for in beer?
• I don't want to waste my time or theirs so I figure some basics out first. 
• Do I want a specific style of beer?
• IPA, Wheat, Porter, Stout, Saison, Sour Ale, etc...
• Do I want a beer similar to a specific beer I have had before?
• Is there a seasonal style that is out that I might like?
• Am I willing to just give in to chance and listen to any suggestion the clerk may have?
2. How busy is the store?
• Never interrupt or try to monopolize the clerk's time. 
• DON'T BE THAT GUY!
• You are the one asking for help, so it would be in your benefit to be nice and patient.
• If there is a rush, you may just want to try to pick something out rather than wait out the masses.
3. How do I know who to talk to? 
• This generalization might be sweeping but I don't intend offend, especially females with knowledge of craft beer, BUT...
• You will most likely be looking for a thirty something guy; some of them have big woodsman beards, usually restocking a shelf of beer. You can also look for someone that looks like an owner or manager.
• This clerk and especially owner/manager will know their inventory and has either been educated by their distributor or is actually a craft beer buff and knows their stuff.
• Generally speaking (**salutes**) I will gauge the person's knowledge of beer by the look they give when I ask about any good beers they have gotten recently.
4.  What should I ask?
• This is why the first step was to ask yourself what you want in a beer.
• While you might not know exactly what you want, this forethought will give you a starting point in the conversation.
• Use those questions to guide the conversation.
• You would be surprised by what the store clerk will come up with to suggest.
5. Why should I trouble myself when I can just pick up a thirty pack of the cheap stuff?
• I can definitely understand this question. You have places to be, and besides you can save money by going with the cheap stuff.
• The best reason is taste and experiencing a new reality that is the art of craft beer, which you just don't get with a "light" beer.
• If you want to know what makes a quality craft beer take a look these: Part I and Part II.

Again just remember, as long as you are polite and have a smile the store clerk at most liquor stores with a decent beer selection will be happy to chat because you are asking more than just, "Where is your cold domestic flavored water?"

Plus once they get to know you they might start saving the good stuff in the back for you, but more on that some other time.

Coming up is a review of Rock and Run Brewery in Liberty, some more beer reviews, a contest, and maybe a poll question. I am also going to list out some of my favorite places to go buy beer!

"An Honest Beer Commercial" By Random At Best

WARNING THIS VIDEO HAS STRONG LANGUAGE!

WARNING THIS VIDEO MAY OR MAY NOT REMIND ME OF PEOPLE I KNOW!!!

I am just saying... Have a few laughs. Even if they are at yourself...

I found this today from a friend @blogaboutbeer. The video was made by Random At Best.



Quote for the post, "Don't take life to seriously. You will never get out alive!"

Red Hook ESB: Extra Special Bitter

I looked at the label that read Red Hook ESB or Extra Special Bitter. I was worried. EXTRA SPECIAL BITTER?!? All that was going through my mind was the image of beer commercials from the 90's.


I got past it and sucked it up. I opened the bottle and pour it into a cup. The beer looked like a light beer, a dark gold hue, with light white foam bubbling to the top. This 5.7% ABV beer was not the bitter beer the label might be taken to suggest. It's not overpowering but in fact a good easy to drink beer. This is a nice transition beer from those beers that feel they can change the way you spell light. There is just enough hop profile to balance with the maltyness of the beer. Just because I say malt doesn't mean this beer will coat your mouth. In fact this beer is crisp and a good one to have relaxing pool side. (Man I wish I could be relaxing by body of water in the sun!)

The phrase extra special bitter comes from England and the style was synonymous with pale ale. However a bitter ale was usually served from a cask under no pressure that actually gave the beer a less hoppy or bitter profile. I would actually like to try a cask beer sometime. Moral of the story for you is to not worry about the name and enjoy the well balanced beer.

Red Hook Brewery was founded in the Seattle, WA area in 1981. They currently have operations in Portsmouth, NH and Woodinville, WA. The next beer I review from them will hopefully be the KCCO Black Lager. I am a big time Chiver and I am patiently... okay not patiently... waiting for this beer to come into the Kansas City market.

I give the Red Hook ESB a 7 out 10.

New Year's Day Brunch at the Foundry

While standing around with wine drinkers as they discuss what is in their glass, you may come across the idea of pairing food and drink. For a wine, this usually means something like a red wine with a steak or white wine with chicken. This concept can get so specific with styles of wines or blends pairing with specific spices used in food. Well a beer just like a wine can be paired with food that accentuates the flavors both of the food and the beer. I know this could be overwhelming sometimes for someone who just wants to just have a drink with dinner. I am just learning the principles of pairing food and beer. However there is a way to enjoy the complementary flavors from combinations you wouldn't even think of.

The Foundry by McCoy's in Westport put on a Brunch pairing foods specifically with beers that complimented the food. C and I found out about a beer brunch from social media and saw that this brunch was scheduled for New Year's Day at the Foundry in Westport. She looked at the menu for the food and I looked at the menu for the beer. She got excited for the Chicken and Waffles course and I was stoked for quite a few of the beers.

The brunch started at noon, which felt like 9 am for being New Year's Day. We showed up and found a table that had four place settings, none of them were set for fewer, which I was perfectly fine with. If you don't know me, I am extrovert and some would say for me that there are no strangers, just friends I haven't met yet.

As we sat down the staff brought us a beermosa. If you have a wheat beer that you feel is less than stellar or maybe you don't want to be judged for morning drinking then a beermosa is definitely an alternative for a bloody Mary or actual mimosa.We were lucky to find the couple that sat across from us were very nice, friendly and sociable. The high school sweethearts were funny and good conversationalists. This trifecta of good beer, good food, and good conversation made for a awesome way to start the New Year.

The beermosa was accompanied by a citrus oyster slider. C was off put a little by it, but I liked the combination of oyster and tomato juice with the orange juice and wheat beer. The reason it was called a shooter was because it slide nicely down the throat.

While finishing the drink and getting to know our table mates, the second course was brought around. This one had Prairie Ale paired with a salmon frittata and creme fraiche. We decided creme fraiche was a fancy way of saying sour cream. Having since looked it up, this is actually pretty close to what it is. The Prairie Ale is made by an Oklahoma brewery that at least has this quality beer and has peaked my interests to try some of their other brews. So keep an eye out as I look for others from them to review. The salmon was good with the fancy sour cream.

As we finished up our beer and salmon, the staff brought around the next course starting with Boulevard's Bourbon Barrel Quad. This is one of their Smokestack series beers. Nicknamed BBQ, this beer has a strong cherry flavor that isn't an overpowering manufactured flavor like cough syrup but a smooth and refreshing flavor like eating a fresh cherry. The beer was strong enough to stand up to a pork belly Monte Cristo slider. If you have never had a Monte Cristo think of french toast with cheese and pork, usually ham to make it a sandwich. This one was nicely prepared and had a thick cut of what was essentially ham with the consistency of bacon. This sandwich was very good, and I will have to make it at home real soon. Despite the really good Monte Cristo, the BBQ was definitely the highlight of this course as it was very good and I am on the look out for this beer in stores and bars around the area.

The next beer was the Cambridge Red God, this beer was well named as it was a VERY red beer and was surprisingly light. The hop characteristic of this beer was wild, but that will happen with 7 different hops used in making the beer. The only other time I have heard the phrase of the Red God was on Game of Thrones, also known as the God of Light. Coincidence? This powerful beer was paired with a very good eggs Benedict made with corned beef hash. I am definitely a fan of corn beef hash and this use of hash was very good.  We were having such an amazing time that we didn't get pictures of this course.

After the plates were cleared, we were given C's favorite course. She is a chicken and waffles fanatic. The Foundry's take on this one was great! They took the sweetness of the waffle and savory of the chicken, tying them together with a nice brown gravy and sweet malty Cutthroat porter from O'dell. The waffles were nice and fluffy. The chicken was fried and juicy. I was also really impressed by O'dell's Cutthroat porter, as a well balanced malty dark beer.

The final course was very good. C was stoked for the beignets that were brought by. These were essentially doughnut holes set on a layer of caramelized sugar then powder sugar sprinkled over top. The light and fluffy goodness bites were paired with one of my new favorite beers, Founder's Breakfast Stout. Take a look at my review of that one. This was an amazing way to wrap up the great brunch with good company.

I am going to be keeping my eye out for more of these kind of events. I know I am going to be at the Boulevard Beer dinner at Port Fonda on January 29 at 7 PM. This one I will be hanging out with Dad. Please feel free to come join us eating good food with great beer. If I hear of other beer events around the Kansas City area I will be sure to post them. Make sure you look at the Contact me page above to find different ways to stay up to date.

To summarize the brunch menu:

1. Beermosa with a Oyster Shooter
2. Prairie Ale with smoked salmon and creme fraiche
3. Boulevard's BBQ with pork belly Monte Cristo slider with a maple drizzle
4. Cambridge Red God with Corned Beef Hash Benny
5. O'dell Cutthroat porter with Chicken and Waffles
6. Founder's Breakfast Stout with Beignets

Humboldt Hemp Ale... It's not what you think!

I will be honest and admit that I got Humboldt Brown Ale solely for the novelty of an ale brewed with hemp. Just to prevent the question, after drinking this beer I did not want Cheetos or some brownies.

This beer poured like a dark soda, a dark brown. As with a lot of brown ales, I smelled the mildly roasted malts. The brown ale had medium body feel, which really just means that it is not crisp like some lighter beers and it doesn't coat my mouth like a thick oatmeal stout.

When I first took a drink of this beer, the first thing that came to mind was that I was whelmed. "I know you can be overwhelmed and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed? I think you can in Europe." (If you know what that is from you can't make fun of me, and if you don't... don't worry.) This beer just had absolutely nothing that stuck out to me, good or bad. It was drinkable and I didn't immediately want to spit it out. On the flip side, there was nothing remarkable or noteworthy about this beer. (Ironic because I took notes and I am writing a post about it.) If I was worried about calorie intake or, more likely for me, wanting to taste ever better beer, I would pick a lot beer over this one.

Humboldt Brewing Company is out of a northern Californian city named coincidentally Humboldt.  The brewery was founded in 1987 as a microbrewery. Unfortunately, their website didn't have a lot of helpful information about the brewery itself. However if you want to find this beer or any of their other beers please feel free to do so, here. If you like their beer, please help me find what I am missing.

I would give this beer a disappointing 4 out of 10.

Next time I will tell you about a really fun beer event I went to recent at the Foundry in Westport.

A positive for being a KC sports fan? You get to experience a lot of beer!

Toasting a victory. Or more often than not for Kansas City fans of most major league sports, drowning sorrows of a crushing defeat. This is what a good beer is for!

Kansas City has had only TWO major league championship in the last 28 years (Thank you, Sporting Kansas City/Wizards). The Kansas City Chiefs haven't won a playoff game in 20 years, just recently having set an NFL record of an eight game losing streak in the playoffs, brought about by a record breaking loss on Saturday! The Kansas City Royals haven't been to the playoffs in 28 years and even with playing meaningful games in late September this last season, the Royals were still not among the teams playing in post-season baseball.

I have found solace from disappointing sports seasons even when my father's perpetual mantra of "There is always next year" isn't quite enough. This solace comes in the form of enjoying good beer with good friends. I have also found an enemy in our own city thanks to the help of Sam Mellinger and his article on the Nelson-Atkins' Shuttlecocks. I am just saying the museum may want to consider the possibilities of an angry, frustrated, and deprived fan base looking for a scapegoat. Especially with events in Indianapolis this past weekend. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a torch and pitchfork style mob on the lawn tearing these pieces of "art" down.

Because of these spirit crushing woes that I have been subjected to over the years, I have some tips for you while you drink your beer rooting for our doomed Kansas City teams.

1. Make sure your beer is securely ON the table or firmly in your grip as to not to be knocked over.
• There is no telling when a friend reaching for a chip or a sugar hyped kid could run by and knock over your beer and commit a party foul.
2. Speaking of beer being knocked over, keep in mind arm radius in relation to your beer.
• This is helpful for when an unexpected or freak play happens like a Graham Zusi goal or a fumble bouncing in to the hands of an opponents quarterback who then somehow scores a touchdown.
3. Drink with at least one friend.
• This will facilitate high fives, discussion when you try new beers, and maybe even winning some wager resulting from stubbornness between friends.
4. Be responsible when you drink.
• Never utter the words "Hold my beer and watch this."
• If you are not at your own place, put someone else in charge of your keys, so that you can have that conversation of being able to drive.
• Never drink and text. IT NEVER ENDS WELL!!!
5. When you team lets a 28 point lead slip away in less than a quarter... switch to shots and call it a night...

What are some tips (may or may not be drinking related) you may have for others when you watch a sporting event?

Why, you ask, are these tips or the fortunes of Kansas City sports team important? And more importantly what does this have to do with craft beer? This is important because Kansas Citinites?... Citans?... Kansas Citians! We have had more opportunity to drink beer because of our disappointments. This has given us reason for a demand of more diverse and better drinking options.

This, among other reasons, is why I want to help you find different options this year and encourage you to explore with me the joys of craft beer. Despite recent events I know that 2014 will be the best year yet! And together we can make sure it happens. Happy New Years and welcome 2014 in with a beer in hand! Cheers!