Way back in June, Irene and I headed up to Kansas City to take in the Cardinals/Royals series.  While we were up there, Laura Dale of Boulevard Brewing was kind enough to set us up a tour with John Bryan, the Artisanal Director of Boulevard.  John is the guy behind the Smokestack Series.

I have to say that at the time while I was quite aware of Boulevard, I was unaware just how big Boulevard is.  It’s huge.  Boulevard produced 132,000 barrels of beer last year.  Just by comparison, Schlafly produced about 24,000.  This new facility has the capacity to produce 700,000 barrels of beer a year.  That’s a lot of beer.  If you’re ever in KC, you need to make the trip and check out this facility.  It’s pretty amazing.

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Back in June, Irene and I visited Kansas City for the Cardinals/Royals series. Besides visiting The Flying Saucer, we also had the chance to have a very special tour of Boulevard Brewery with Director of the Artisanal Division, John Bryan. (I promise, I’ll get these photos up soon.) At the end of the tour John sat us down and broke out two of Boulevard’s newest creations, Saison-Brett (lovingly nicknamed the ‘George Brett’) and the Bourbon Barrel Quad (also known as the BBQ.)

First the good news. Unlike the first round of the Smokestack Series which saw a delayed release in St. Louis, these beers will be released in St. Louis at the same time they’re released in Kansas City. The Brett will see a release on October 1st and the BBQ will see a release around November 1st. Now the bad news, as you can see in the images below, these are limited, numbered releases. In fact according to Beernews.org we’ll only be seeing 995 cases of Brett and 550 cases of BBQ total.

The Bourbon Barrel really helps to mellow the sweetness of the Quad and make it more enjoyable for my palate, as I’m not a fan of really sweet beers. But the vanilla and bourbon really comes through and makes for a very pleasant beer. The Saison-Brett was our clear favorite though. It had a wonderful distinctive Brett barnyard, earthy aroma and really took my favorite of the Smokestack series to the next level. Also, aren’t these bottles awesome?

Stuff from around the web

• We’re number 8! We’re number 8!
• Sam Adams and Jim Koch now the King of US beers.
• Schlafly Dry Hopped American Pale Ale reviewed by Brewski Guide.
• The Post-Dispatch’s Joe Bonwich reviews The Stable.
• The Kansas City Star talks fruit beer, specifically O’Fallon’s Wheach.

Beer Releases and News

• Andrew from Bon Vivant Wines informs me to some beers he has in his stock:
  • Schlafly Oktoberfest
  • Sam Adams Oktoberfest
  • Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale
  • Boulder Cold Hop Ale
• Paul at The Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton alerts me to some new beers he has in stock:
  • Mikkeller All Others Pale
  • Jenlain Biere de Mars
  • Birolla Malthus Chestnut Ale
  • Blue Moon Pumpkin
  • Sam Adams Oktoberfest
  • Becks Oktoberfest
• Lukas Liquor posts on their blog some of the new and special selections they have in stock:
  • Left Hand Twin Sisters Double IPA
  • Weihenstephaner Festbier
  • Warsteiner Oktoberfest
  • Schlafly Oktoberfest
  • Sam Adams Octoberfest
  • Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest
  • Schneider Weisse Hopfen-Weisse
  • Breckenridge 471 Double IPA
• Charmaine at Randall’s Wine & Spirits alerts me to some new beers she has in stock at the St. Louis Randall’s:
  • Paulaner Oktoberfest
  • Weihenstephaner Festbeer
  • Sierra Nevada Porter
  • Fuller’s Vintage Ale 2007
  • Ommegang Rare VOS
  • Odell’s Imperial Stout
  • Bell’s Third Coast Old Ale
  • Bell’s Pale Ale
  • St. Ambroise Pale Ale
  • Pinkus Munster Alt
  • Pinkus Hefe
  • Cantillon Classic Gueuze
  • Traquair House Ale
  • Southern Tier Imperial Pumpking
  • Left Hand Twin Sister Dbl IPA
  • Dinkel Acker Pils
  • Dinkel Acker Dark
  • Sam Smith Pure Brewed Lager
  • Sam Smith Organic Apple Cider
• Mike at The Wine and Cheese Place in Rock Hill alerts me to some new beers he has in stock:
  • Mikkeller All Others Pale
  • Jenlain Biere de Mars
  • Birolla Malthus Chestnut Ale
• Jerad Gardner, of the Rotten Apple lets me know about his most current draught selection. If you haven’t been to the Rotten Apple, take the time to visit:
  • Founder’s Brewing - Rubaeus
  • Two Brothers Brewing - Bitter End
  • Lagunitas Brewing - Gnarly Wine
  • Founders Brewing - Reds Rye
  • Victory Brewing - Hop Devil
  • Victory Brewing - Prima Pils
  • Lefthand Brewing - Black Jack Porter
  • Two Brother’s Brewing - Domaine DuPage French Country Ale
  • Pyramid Brewing - Apricot Hefe
  • Breckenridge Brewing - 471
  • Founder’s Brewing - Dirty Bastard
• Kevin at The Wine and Cheese Place in West County has expanded his selection and has added these beers:
  • Baird Red Rose
  • Baird Angry Boy Brown
  • Avery 14er ESB
  • Achel Bruin
  • Achel Blonde
  • Toren Cuvee Angelique
  • Toren Jan de Lichte Imperial White Ale
  • Toren Saison d’Erpe-Mere

Here’s a list of upcoming beer events:

• Aug 15 - Homebrewing Demonstration at St. Louis Wine and Beermaking
  
• Aug 20 - Bell’s Beer Dinner at Newstead Pub
• Sept 13 - Hop in the City
• Sept 24 - Trappist Beer Tasting

A few weeks ago Irene and I traveled to Kansas City to see the Cardinals take on the Royals. Not unlike any other city I travel to, I thought I’d take in some of the KC beer culture. The Flying Saucer is a chain of restaurants that specializes in beer, and a lot of it. This location carries over 220 beer selections and I believe almost 100 draught choices.

Even though there are obviously a lot of chain aspects to the place, it’s actually a really nice location. There is a lot of wood fixtures giving the location a very warm feeling. They also provide couches and lounge area to help provide a very relaxed atmosphere.

When we arrived on Friday evening after the ball game, the place was hopping, but it was still easy to find a place to sit. The rain came through a few minutes before we arrived and really cooled off the warm summer air. The wide open windows were a lovely touch as they provided a nice breeze throughout the location.

We tried the food when we returned on Saturday night and it was good, but not great. Good enough for a quick snack or an excuse just to visit. If I have one complaint is that it’s previous obvious that the people working at the place aren’t really “beer people.” Sure they’re friendly, but I had one person (who may have been a manager) tell me that Schlafly had a sour beer. Now, in all fairness this place has only been open since May 5th, but that still isn’t much of an excuse for getting the wrong beer.

As a member of Slow Food it’s really difficult saying what I’m about to say, but even though it’s a chain I really liked this place. Sure the food wasn’t that great and the service was sub-par, but the beer selection and the ambiance more than made up for it. It’s a really nice spot to sit back with some friends and enjoy some quality beer. If the Flying Saucer landed in St. Louis, I think I’d board the ship.