Tap List | Snake Saturday Suds
Anti-grabber Irish Red is one of two beers that The Big Rip Brewing Company will release for Snake Saturday. (Pete Dulin I Flatland)
Published March 7th, 2017 at 6:00 AM
Sipping Suds on Snake Saturday
The annual Snake Saturday Parade in North Kansas City, scheduled to start at 11 am, brings up to 100,000 participants, spectators, and revelers to the city. The parade begins at 16th and Swift Street. As a reminder, the city has a zero-tolerance policy about carrying open containers of alcohol. It’s smart to dance a jig to a local taproom and imbibe responsibly.
To aid in getting jiggy with it, The Big Rip Brewing Company (216 E. Ninth Avenue, North Kansas City) will have two seasonal beers available that day. Available on tap around March 7th, Anti-grabber Irish Red is named after the Irish movie “Grabbers.”
Kipp Feldt, co-owner of The Big Rip, said the beer “has a touch of sweetness to start and a slight dry finish. It is lightly hopped. One should also pick up on a well-balanced caramel and toasted malt characteristic with a dark amber to red color profile.”
The Priest Mint Chocolate Milk Stout is named after a “Gangs of New York” character.
“The Priest will be [available] Snake Saturday morning,” said Josh Collins, brewery co-owner. “It’s our traditional milk stout with real peppermint [added] while it was brewed and again in the fermenter. Cocoa and milk sugar gives a dark chocolate flavor that is complementary to the stout without being overpowering or sweet.”
Check the calendar below for details on Snake Saturday events.
March Mustard Madness
Earlier this month, Free State Brewing Company (636 Massachusetts Street, Lawrence) launched its annual March Mustard Madness. Free State offers its customers a chance to win a set of 64 different mustards in a drawing, held at the end of the month, that sees several thousand entries.
The annual tradition has been an ongoing collaboration with Barry Levenson, founder and curator of the National Mustard Museum in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, for the past two decades. Levenson curates the list of 64 mustards.
“The tradition originally grew out of a desire to escape the doldrums of winter and offer a splash of flavor, or as our owner Chuck Magerl would call it, ‘a springtime tonic to the tastebuds.’” said Geoff Deman, Free State’s brewer and director of brewing operations.
Visit Free State Brewing to enter the contest for a chance to win a bonanza of mustard.
Tap Notes
JumpsTart IPA (39 IBUs, 6.9 percent ABV) is Free State Brewing Company’s (636 Massachusetts Street, Lawrence, Kansas) monthly specialty release draft offering for March. These releases are typically produced at its original brewery and released in small quantities. The beer will be on tap at a handful of accounts in Kansas and Missouri.
“Nelson Sauvin, Mosaic, and Citra hops contribute zesty flavors of passionfruit, lemon, mango, and papaya along with the accompanying aromas in this tart, kettle-soured IPA,” said Deman. “The sugars collected in the kettle are soured overnight with Lactobacillus bacteria before being boiled the subsequent day, incorporating hop flavors into the tart, sour base.”
Rock & Run Brewery and Tap Room (115 W Washington Street, Kearney) expanded its hours from 2 to 10 pm.
Brewery Emperial (1829 Oak Street) has Kristallweizen, a limited-release filtered German Wheat, on tap while supplies last. Staples on tap include Kolsch, Lager (a Modelo tribute), Biscuit, Porter, IPA, Milk Stout, and Nut Brown.
Boulevard Brewing Company’s Show Me Sour is the lead-off hitter in the brewery’s rotational series of tart/sour session beers. Show Me Sour is available on tap in Greater Kansas City with other cities to follow. Originally brewed as a collaboration between Boulevard brewmaster Steven Pauwels and Side Project Brewing’s Cory King to celebrate Boulevardia 2015, Show Me Sour is available on draft and in six-packs of 12-ounce bottles.
Boulevard also unveiled Scotch on Scotch, its newest Smokestack Series Limited Release beer. This Imperial Scotch Ale is aged on Scotch whisky barrel chips. Scotch on Scotch is available in four-packs of 12-ounce bottles and on draft.
Ambassador brewer Jeremy Danner describes the play-by-play on Scotch On Scotch. Namely, “its massive malt presence” is derived by “layering caramel and amber malts with just a touch of peat-smoked malt for additional complexity.” Brief resting on oak chips after primary fermentation teases out “rich woody, char, and vanilla notes.” Aromas of fig and raisin emerge over the beer’s subtle oak and whiskey character. Flavors include hints of “toffee and molasses with a slightly sticky mouthfeel.”
— Pete Dulin writes about food trends for Flatland and is the author of the “KC Ale Trail.” Follow @FlatlandKC and #TapList on Twitter for more food news and trends.