Tap List | Boulevard and Vine Street Collaboration Beer Honors Buck O’Neil Proceeds Go to Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
Published October 25th, 2022 at 11:30 AM
Above image credit: Buck O'Neil stands with a statue of himself in the Negro League Baseball Museum in 2005. (AP Photo | Charlie Riedel)With the World Series just days away, the 2022 baseball season is beginning to wind down. But there’s some big baseball and beer news brewing here in Kansas City.
Boulevard Brewing Co. and Vine Street Brewing Co., the city’s first Black-owned brewery, have teamed up to create Buck O’Neil Barrel-Aged Saison Ale to honor the recent Baseball Hall of Fame inductee. The big 9% ABV beer was aged in chardonnay barrels, leading to a flavor profile that’s crisp with a light hoppiness.
Buck O’Neil Barrel-Aged Saison Ale is set to be available locally in both bottles and kegs the first week of November. It will be a one-time drop, so once retailers are out there will be no additional shipments.
All of the proceeds from the beer will be donated to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum on Nov. 12 also is hosting “Thanks A Million Buck,” a gala to celebrate Buck’s induction to the Hall of Fame this past summer. The new beer honoring the baseball legend will be sampled throughout the event.
In a press release to announce the collaboration, Vine Street co-founder Kemet Coleman said: “Vine Street Brewing Co. is humbled and honored to collaborate with Boulevard and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to commemorate Buck O’Neil, a true American treasure. Buck’s incredible story and legacy continue to strengthen Kansas City’s heartbeat with his talents and ability to bring people together. Buck O’Neil Barrel-Aged Saison offers us a sacred chance to inspire our city. We could not have asked for a better opportunity to pay homage to such an essential pillar of our community.”
Whether you love beer, baseball or both, this is the perfect way to pay homage to Buck O’Neil and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
Beer Releases
Pathlight Brewing — 11200 W. 75th St., Shawnee, Kansas — has another new beer born out of their love for Formula 1 racing. Fearlessly Forward is a 7% ABV hazy IPA. You’ll get notes of melon, tropical fruit and citrus along with a nice, hoppy bite. Whether you choose to watch F1 racing or football, this beer is a great accompaniment.
Apex Aleworks — 4356 S. Noland Road, Independence, Missouri — has a new beer for all the cookie lovers out there. The Snickerdoodle is an American amber ale that was brewed by the September homebrew class participants. It comes in at 6.6% ABV and is malty and sweet with the same hints of cinnamon and sugar you would find in a snickerdoodle cookie.
Cinder Block Brewery — 110 E. 18th Ave., North Kansas City, Missouri — released Beaver Moon Brown, a southern English brown ale named after the first full moon that takes place in November. It comes in at 6.6% ABV and is the perfect combination of malty and slightly sweet.
Big Rip Brewing Co. — 216 E. 9th Ave., North Kansas City, Missouri — is getting in tune with the shorter days with their new Schwarzbier, The Client. This dark German lager has plenty of delicious characteristics. It’s got some roastiness, a little smokiness and some dark chocolate flavors. It comes in 5.3% ABV and pairs perfectly with campfires and smores.
Border Brewing Co. — 512 E. 18th St., Kansas City, Missouri — released a beer perfect for crisp patio weather. Patio Pale Ale is a new American pale ale that comes in at an easy drinking 5.4% ABV. This pale ale uses an exceptional dose of Cascade and Simcoe hops leading to lots of citrus characteristics.
Alma Mader Brewery — 2635 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri — has a new autumn warmer on its beer menu. An 8% ABV imperial oatmeal brown ale, Neverknown: Maple/Vanilla encompasses all the great fall flavors. British malts help bring out notes of caramel, toffee and plum. It was conditioned on maple and Madagascar vanilla to give the flavor profile of this beer even more depth.
BKS Artisan Ales — 633 E. 63rd St., Kansas City, Missouri — released a new variation of Holstein in honor of the brewery’s fifth anniversary. The beer itself is a 6% ABV milk stout. This particular variant uses vanilla beans and one pound of coconut per gallon to drive that flavor.
Beer Events
Saturday, Oct. 29
Rockcreek Brewing Co. — 5880 Beverly Ave., Mission, Kansas — wants you to get healthy while having some fun. The brewery will be doing a Halloween version of its brewery yoga series. Feel free to come dressed in your Halloween costume for this 50-minute intermediate yoga flow class. There may even be glowsticks to add to the spooky vibes!
East Forty Brewing — 1201 W. Main St., Blue Springs, Missouri — is hosting Halloweenie, an event for the whole family. East Forty will be providing fun treats all day. Staff members will be walking around taking pictures of everyone’s costumes and choosing their favorite on Sunday to win a prize. To add to the fun, they’ll be doing a weiner dog race at 4 p.m. There will be prizes for both the fastest dog and the best dressed pooch.
Big Rip Brewing Co. — 216 E. 9th Ave., North Kansas City, Missouri — is hosting an old timey Halloween party. The taproom will be spruced up with all sorts of vintage Halloween decor and regalia. The night will feature a DJ along with a costume contest, drink specials and more.
Servaes Brewing Co. — 10921 Johnson Drive, Shawnee, Kansas — is celebrating Halloween a little early with a candy beer and barbecue pop-up event. Servaes will release four candy themed beers and be welcoming in Point & Flat BBQ from noon until 4 p.m. A special hour from 11 a.m. until noon will be dedicated to kids activities.
Red Crow Brewing — 1062 W. Santa Fe St., Olathe, Kansas — will be doing the annual weenie roast and outdoor movie night. Red Crow will be blocking off the back parking lot for the event. Before the movie, the brewery will host a weenie roast. As soon as the sun goes down you’ll be able to watch the original “Ghostbusters” on a big screen.
Pathlight Brewing — 11200 W. 75th St., Shawnee, Kansas — wants you to get your pets involved with Howl-O-Ween. You and your dressed up pet can get a fun treat! Pathlight will have coloring activities for the kids and delicious Halloween candy and a candy-themed beer for the adults. KC Koshery will be on site serving up food starting at 4 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 30
Crane Brewing Co. — 6515 Railroad St., Raytown, Missouri — has invited Eclair de la Lune back for a fun Halloween-themed event. The two will put on a freeze-dried candy pairing. While the $20 flight is still being finalized, each of the beers will be paired with a different candy type. Eclair de la Lune will also be selling the candy separately should you want to try some but don’t want to do the flight.
Alex Andujar is a former beer sales rep turned personal trainer. When he’s not training clients you can find him trying new beers at many of Kansas City’s great local breweries.