UNICO Microbrew Festival, Saturday

Saturday marks the 3rd annual UNICO Microbrew Festival at Zona Rosa. For $20 (in advance, $25 at the door) you can sip and enjoy over 40 brews from a number of breweries. This event has slipped under a my radar the past couple of years. It seems to creep up on me at the last moment when I already have something scheduled. Hopefully a few days notice is enough for you to clear your schedule and meet me up there. Tickets will be limited to 1400, so get yours fast. 


The current brewery lineup includes:


Summit Brewing Company
Ameristar Brew Pub
Tommyknocker
Schlafly
Boulevard
Flying Monkey
O’Fallon
Free State
Tallgrass
Gordon Biersch
Weston Brewing
McCoy’s Public House
High Noon
Granite City
Southern Tier
New Belgium
Green Flash
Schilling Bridge


...and more...


Check out the UNICO Microbrew Festival facebook page for more info.

Brookside Nanobrew Festival - June 11th

This seems to be the year of weddings for my wife and I. Sure, you don't have to twist my arm to go sip some free booze, dance a bit with the lady friend, and sip some free booze, but I've been missing some great events going on around KC. Will they really know if I don't show up to the wedding? Can't I just want my $50 gift so they can return it and get whatever they really wanted? Can you go without me? All questions posed and immediately kiboshed by the wife with her burning laser beam stare. Eeesh...can't blame me for trying, right?

So anyway, I'm out next weekend, but that's no excuse for you. If you aren't doing anything (or can get out of what you're currently doing) and you are looking to sample some homebrews and chow on some good BBQ, you might check out the Brookside Nanobrew Festival next Saturday (June 11th, 4pm to 7pm). There will be around 13 brewers and around 20 different brews to sample. All you can eat barbecue will be provided by Jet Bar-B-Q. In addition to the brews, they will have some wine, spirits and non-alcoholic beverages available as well. Your money will buy you a BBQ pass and a commemorative pint glass to sample the brews. Tickets purchased before June 4th, 4pm, go for $15 for BBQ and brew and $20 if you'd like the commemorative glass. After that, tickets are $20 and $25.

Check out the list of brewers and grab a ticket at  http://brooksidebeerfestival.com/.

Also, be sure to become a Beer, For the Hops Challenged follower and friend us on facebook.

Flying Saucer Fall Beer Festival - Brewfest Done Right

The Flying Saucer has announced its first annual beer festival and I'm going to go ahead and say what we're all thinking: Will it actually have enough beer? Yes, the KC Beerfest was a complete failure in that they ran out of beer an hour into the festival. The difference: that was benefitting a charity and this is benefiting private business...more over, this is perfect marketting opportunity. A poorly executed festival will bruise the checkbook a bit and that's motivation enough to do things right. I conclude that the beer will be flowing and put a much needed smile (or a buzzed smile) on all KC beer lovers faces. Anyway, I rant, I rant. Immediately open your outlook calendar, talk to your wife, or grab whatever typically reminds you of important events and get Sept. 11th blocked out for the day. See you there.

Brewfest - KC Beerfest

May 22nd is coming fast. The KC Beerfest only 4 weeks away and scheduled perfectly on the heels of the Parkville Microbrewfest. I feel as if I was warming up my taste buds for the next round. With a national/international lineup of Laquanitas, Bear Republic, Ommegang, Great Divide, Dieu du Ciel (Montreal), Karmeliet (Belgium), Mikkeller (Denmark), and of course Boulevard and Free State, I'll be in brew heaven...well, after I bribe St. Peter with a $25 fee to let me through the gates.

Of course, with brewers from all over the nation, we can only assume the distributors and reps of many labels will be running the tasting tents. Yes, I understand this is a "beerfest" and not a "microbrewfest," but I believe in having a reputable resource of knowledge providing the tasting of the brews. I'm not saying that all beer reps are lacking in the knowledge department, but there's something to show when a brewery has actually employees explaining the fruits of their labor. I'm not referring to the "John.Q. I know everything there is to know about this beer" rep, but the one who is more concerned with how the brew gets you drunk vs how it tastes, how it's made, how it's different.

I can hear my pal, Yum,Beer!, explaining to me, "Imbibiliciousness, you're being so negative." Well, I don't mean to be so negative, but as I peruse the list of expected tasting tent tenants and run across the likes of Ed Hardy Beer and Heineken USA, I can't deny the picture of a 23 yr old kid in the latest Affliction outfit trying to explain the subtle nuances of the latest bud water 55 commercial. When his counterpart female states, ''that's so hot right now," I give the stink- eye and move on.

All in all, the festivities will be great, the people will be friendly, and the brew will flow steadily. I look forward to posting some of the more personable/intimate tasting notes to the blog and to seeing all of you there...except when I give you the stink eye. Cheers!