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Tap List | Trio of KC Breweries Medal At Great American Beer Fest Good Showing

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Above image credit: City Barrel will play host to Hoptoberfest featuring a bevy of new IPAs and Oktoberfest beers. (Courtesy | City Barrel)
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3 minute read

This past weekend saw the return of the Great American Beer Festival after a two-year hiatus imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s event in Denver, Colorado, attracted entries for more than 9,000 beers split across nearly 180 categories from more than 2,100 breweries. Just 268 breweries walked away with medals, and three were from Kansas City.

Here are the local medalists:

City Barrel submitted Rad AF, a hazy IPA, in the “Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale” category, taking home the bronze medal. To make the honor even more impressive, the category was among the most entered in the competition with 375 submissions.

BKS Artisan Ales took home a medal again this year. Last year, Clouds IPA won silver in the “Juicy or Hazy Imperial IPA” category. This year, BKS submitted Rockhill & Locust in the “English Mild or Bitter” category. Among 68 beers submitted, BKS took home the gold medal.

Finally, River Bluff Brewing submitted Brother-Brother in the “International Dark Lager” category. Out of 86 entries, River Bluff won the silver medal.

Congratulations to all three award-winning breweries! 

Beer Releases

Lost Evenings Brewing Co. — 8625 Hauser Court, Lenexa, Kansas — has a red IPA available perfect for football season. People’s Champ comes in at 6.7% ABV and was brewed with Summit, Centennial and Citra hops. The malty and caramel body is rounded out by a citrusy yet floral hoppiness.

Lawrence Beer Co. — 826 Pennsylvania St., Lawrence, Kansas — put out a new beer called Every Vote Counts. This 6% ABV West Coast style IPA was brewed with Simcoe and Chinook hops leading to heavy grapefruit flavors and aromas. The brewery is donating $1 from every glass sold to the ACLU Kansas chapter to ensure everyone has a voting voice.

Pathlight Brewing recently released JOCO Basic, a pumpkin ale.
Pathlight Brewing recently released JOCO Basic, a pumpkin ale. (Courtesy | Pathlight Brewing)

Pathlight Brewing — 11200 W. 75th St., Shawnee, Kansas — has released a beer that pairs perfectly with spooky movies and Halloween candy. JOCO Basic is their 7.5% ABV pumpkin ale brewed with nutmeg, clove and cinnamon. The brown ale base helps give this beer depth and complexity without feeling like the alcohol is taking over.

Grains & Taps — 10 S.W. 3rd St., Lee’s Summit, Missouri — has a pair of new milkshake IPAs available. Both utilize the same milkshake IPA base and then differ via the additions. The first is their passion fruit version which is brewed with passion fruit. The other was brewed with gooseberries. Both beers use Citra and Cashmere hops and come in at 6.7% ABV.

Cinder Block Brewery — 110 E. 18th Ave., North Kansas City, Missouri — teamed up with Kansas City’s Casual Animal for a delicious fall seasonal. Gargoyle is a 6.5% ABV pumpkin ale. It was brewed with real pumpkin plus pumpkin pie spices to give it an authentic dessert flavor.

Double Shift Brewing — 412 E. 18th St., Kansas City, Missouri — has a different type of seasonal available in their taproom. Instead of the quintessential pumpkin beer, they brewed Sliced Bananas ‘n Crushed Nuts. It’s a 6.8% ABV brown ale with flavors similar to banana nut bread. The malt and nuttiness help balance out the banana to ensure this beer isn’t overly fruity.

Strange Days Brewing — 316 Oak St., Kansas City, Missouri — put out a brand new hazy IPA for all you hop lovers. Bozo Rodeo is an IPA hopped with Motueka, Galaxy, Sabro Cryo and Cryo Pop. This combo leads the 7.5% ABV beer to being citrusy and juicy with just the right amount of bitterness.

Beer Events

Friday, Oct. 14

Boulevard Brewing Co. — 2501 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri — has teamed up with chef Brandon Winn, known from restaurants Webster House and Room 39, to put on Beer, Food & Flavor. This beer and food pairing dinner will feature fall-themed suds including some hard-to-find specialty beers. Winn will complement each beer with dishes such as Mole Negro Smoked Chicken, Salted Caramel Custard and more. The event takes place at The Culinary Center of Kansas City and does require tickets.

Saturday, Oct. 15

Red Crow Brewing — 1062 W. Santa Fe St., Olathe, Kansas — is back with another Mutha Firkin Saturday. This event features a very limited firkin release and typically sells out within a few hours. This month’s firkin is a throwback to the very first creation that started it all — Phirkin Phantastico.

Servaes Brewing Co. — 10921 Johnson Drive, Shawnee, Kansas — is releasing five new beers as part of their Great Pumpkin Day event. Each of the releases will be pumpkin-themed, including a barrel-aged imperial pumpkin ale. You can nosh on food from LeeLi’s Chicken & Fish food truck from noon until 4 p.m. If you’re looking for some desserts that’ll pair perfectly with the beers, you can grab some pumpkin treats from McLain’s Market.

Saturday, Oct. 16

ExBEERiment — 925 E. Lincoln Lane, Gardner, Kansas — has quite the deal in store for you. They simply want you to wear your ExBEERiment shirt or hat to their brewery. If you show them some love, you’ll be able to get $3 off your first beer. Seems like an easy way to save some money while enjoying some delicious brews!

Crane Brewing Co. — 6515 Railroad St., Raytown, Missouri — wants you to kick off your Sunday with a little bit of stretching during the latest installment of the Sip ‘N Stretch yoga series. Led by Teri Cartwright of Way of Life Yoga, this class is open to yoga practitioners of all skill levels. Your $15 ticket includes the class plus one free beer when it’s over.

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