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KC Bier Co.

Putting the i back in bier.

A [New] German Tradition: Starkbierzeit at KC Bier Co.

Written by · Categorized: Bier, Bier News, Heritage

We’re starting a new tradition in the Bierhalle, paying homage to a centuries-old tradition in Germany: the commemoration of Starkbierzeit, which translates to “Strong Bier Season.”

In Munich, Starkbierzeit is an Oktoberfest-style celebration lasting three weeks in the middle of Lent, which Germans refer to as “the fifth season.” Starkbierzeit is traditionally only celebrated by locals without millions of tourists and weekend revelers common to Oktoberfest.

And, instead of the traditional Munich Festbier (the only bier served at Oktoberfest), only one style of bier is served during Starkbierzeit: doppelbock, the rich, malty and full-bodied bier created by 17th Century Paulaner monks in Munich to sustain them during their Lenten fasts. This is how the style became known as flussig brot, or “liquid bread,” in Germany.

Starting Saturday, March 16 at 11:00 AM, we’re putting a bunch of doppelbock-style biers on tap, where they’ll remain for several weeks or until our guests finish the kegs! These biers are available in very limited quantities, so there’s no guarantee they’ll all last the duration of Starkbierzeit. This is an excellent opportunity to sample multiple doppelbock biers together as well as taste a few of the non-Reinheitsgebot-compliant biers we create, namely, the barrel-aged doppelbocks.

  • Mai-O-Maibock: An amber doppelbock lager based on the same recipe as our traditional Maibock. The wort is concentrated to create a much higher alcohol content, yet it remains the same drinkable balance as the base bier. Crisp, clean and refreshing with rich malt flavors of honey and toasted biscuits, and a hint of boozy character. (10% ABV)
  • Bourbon Barrel Dunkelbock: A double-strength version of our most popular year-round bier. A dark doppelbock lager with rich malt flavors of chocolate and coffee with notes of anise and raisin, and a hint of boozy sweetness from aging in bourbon barrels. (10% ABV)
  • Blessed Doppelbock: Rich, smooth and full-bodied amber doppelbock lager with malt flavors of caramel, molasses and toasted bread. The original “liquid bread.” (7% ABV)
  • Whiskey Barrel-Aged Doppelbock: Our traditional amber doppelbock lager aged in whiskey barrels, which adds notes of booze, oak and vanilla to the malt flavors of caramel, molasses and toasted bread. (7% ABV)
  • Bourbon Barrel Über-Fest: A high-octane spin on our traditional Festbier recipe. A smooth and clean amber doppelbock lager with rich biscuit malt flavors and boozy sweetness from barrel-aging. (10% ABV)

You’ll need a hearty meal to hold up to the bier, so we invented a new “German-style” special menu item to accompany the bier: the German Chili Brat = any of our bratwurst topped with pork gulasch.

Mai-O-Maibock released in limited edition 6-packs last week. They’ll be available for sale during Starkbierzeit. In case you missed that announcement, click here for details.

Hope to see many of you here!

Mai-O-Maibock Bier Release

Written by · Categorized: Bier, Bier News

Our White Label Series of limited edition bier continues this spring with Mai-O-Maibock, an amber doppelbock-style version of our spring seasonal, Maibock. It is the same recipe as the traditional Maibock, but brewed to a higher alcohol content (10% ABV). This adds a boozy character to the rich malt flavors of honey and toasted biscuits — yet it remains crisp and refreshing. Mai-O-Maibock is double decocted, naturally carbonated, and brewed with only four ingredients: water, yeast, and 100% imported malt and hops.

Mai-O-Maibock will be available in limited edition 6-packs exclusively in the Bierhalle and will go on sale beginning at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5. Pricing info is below.

  • 6-Packs: $13.99 each
  • Case: $55
  • Limit 1 case per customer

From 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on March 5, guests can purchase a traditional Maibock/Pretzel Combo for $7, or a traditional Maibock/Bratwurst Combo for $9. Sales will continue during regular business hours while supplies last. The bier also will be available on draft in the Bierhalle while supplies last.

5th Anniversary Bier Festival: Announcing The Bier

Written by · Categorized: Bier, Bier News

We’re excited to announce the full list of bier to be featured at our upcoming 5th Anniversary Bier Festival, which is set for Saturday, Feb. 16, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in our brewery and bottling hall. (FAQs and other event details can be found here.)

Featured biers include unique styles brewed by each KC Bier Co. brewer of his/her choosing, in addition to high-alcohol and barrel-aged varieties, vertical tastings of Winterbock and a few other special varieties and seasonal biers we’ve been reserving just for the occasion.

This your opportunity to taste samples of our traditional German-style bier as well as our non-Reinheitsgebot-compliant bier. So, without further ado, here’s the list:

KC Bier Co. Brewer Series

Träger: Baltic Porter (Brewed by Chad Crawford)
Our version of a Baltic Porter. This is a dark lager bier with a surprisingly smooth malty character to go along with a slight roasty chocolate background. (5.90% ABV / 30 IBU)

Lolli Lager: American-Style Pale Lager (Brewed by Chris Blevins)
An easy-drinking pale lager modeled after Chris’ wife’s favorite beer: Coors Light. (4.25% ABV / 15 IBU)

Hasselhoff: German-Style New England IPA (Brewed by Elizabeth Belden)
The world’s first German-style version of the über popular New England/Hazy/Juicy IPA that has gained widespread notoriety in the craft beer world. (6.0% ABV / 30 IBU)

Märzen Rauchbier: Smoked Amber Lager (Brewed by Cody Wente)
Brewed with a portion of smoked malt to impart a slight smoky flavor, this bier is more balanced and drinkable than the intense versions served in Germany. (5.80% ABV / 35 IBU)

Altbier: Düsseldorf-Style Ale (Brewed by Chris “Hambone” Hamm)
The traditional bier that has been brewed in the city of Düsseldorf for centuries. “Alt” in German translates to “old.” While it’s an older style, this bier is fresh. It’s a drier ale that pairs esters from an ale yeast strain with a noble hop bitterness. (4.70% / 55 IBU)

Farmbock: Doppelbock-Style Farmhouse Ale (Brewed by Karlton Graham)
A high-octane version of our popular summer seasonal, Der Bauer. It’s the same recipe, brewed to a much higher gravity and dry hopped even more aggressively. (12.0% ABV / 42 IBU)

Schwarzbier: Black Lager (Brewed by Cody Wente)
Germany’s darkest bier (schwarz means black in German). It’s drier and more bitter when compared to Dunkel, with malt flavors of coffee and chocolate. Often referred to as the “German stout.” (5.20% ABV / 26 IBU)

Laurel Rose: Brandy Barrel-Aged Apple Cider (Brewed by Karlton Graham)
Our traditional Apfel Cider (Apple Cider), aged for four months in a freshly dumped brandy barrel, which adds notes of booze and oak to the dry apple flavors. (6.75% ABV / 0 IBU)

Barrel-Aged Bier

Bourbon Barrel Dunkelbock: Dark Doppelbock Lager Aged in Bourbon Barrels
A double-strength version of Dunkel, our most popular year-round bier. Rich malt flavors of chocolate and coffee with notes of anise and raisin, with boozy character from aging in bourbon barrels. (10% ABV / 25 IBU)

Bourbon Barrel Über-Fest: Amber Doppelbock Lager Aged in Bourbon Barrels
A higher ABV variation on our Festbier recipe, but it’s not a barrel-aged Vienna-Style lager. The higher starting gravity of this bier is what classifies it as a doppelbock. It’s more full-bodied and maltier than Festbier, smooth and clean with rich biscuit malt flavors and boozy sweetness. (10% ABV / 25 IBU)

Oak-Aged Winterbock: Dark Doppelbock Lager Aged on Oak Staves
Imagine the rich malt flavors of chocolate, coffee and caramel of our traditional Winterbock seasonal, with a noticeable vanilla-like boost of flavor from aging on oak staves. (8.25% ABV / 24 IBU)

Whiskey Barrel-Aged Doppelbock: Amber Doppelbock Lager Aged in Whiskey Barrels
Our traditional doppelbock aged in whiskey barrels, which adds notes of booze, oak and vanilla to the malt flavors of caramel, molasses and toasted bread. (7.0% ABV / 24 IBU)

Winterbock Vertical

2016 Winterbock: Dark Doppelbock Lager
Dark, full-bodied lager with rich malt flavors of chocolate, coffee and a hint of caramel, with low bitterness and a smooth finish. Aged two years!

2017 Winterbock: Dark Doppelbock Lager
Dark, full-bodied lager with rich malt flavors of chocolate, coffee and a hint of caramel, with low bitterness and a smooth finish. Aged one year!

2018 Winterbock: Dark Doppelbock Lager
Dark, full-bodied lager with rich malt flavors of chocolate, coffee and a hint of caramel, with low bitterness and a smooth finish. Fresh!

Seasonal / Spezial

Festbier: Vienna-Style Lager (fall seasonal)
Crisp and clean with biscuit, caramel and honey malt flavors. The official bier of our KC Oktoberfest — save the date for Oct. 4-5, 2019! (5.50% ABV / 25 IBU)

Der Bauer: Dry-Hopped Farmhouse Ale (summer seasonal)
German-style interpretation of a traditional Belgian or French saison. Dry, crisp and effervescent with fruity esters, rustic yeast notes and citrus hop aromas. (7.75% ABV / 37 IBU)

Mai-O-Maibock: Amber Doppelbock Lager
The same recipe as our traditional Maibock, but in the doppelbock classification per German standards due to higher gravity. A portion of the wort is concentrated to create a much higher alcohol content — yet it retains the same drinkable balance as the base bier. Look for this in bottles in the Bierhalle in March! (10% ABV / 25 IBU)

Blessed Doppelbock: Amber Doppelbock Lager
Rich, smooth and full-bodied with malt flavors of caramel, molasses and toasted bread. Known in Germany as “liquid bread.” Why is it called “Blessed?” Click here to read more about this unique German tradition. (7.0% ABV / 24 IBU

Kingdom Lager: Red Lager
A crisp, clean, malty red lager modeled after the Rot Bier (Red Bier) of Nuremburg, Germany. (5.0% ABV / 23 IBU)

Hop Schlagen: Dry-Hopped Lager
An amber-colored, high ABV bier heavily dry-hopped with Mosaic, our favorite non-German hop variety. (10.0% ABV / 25 IBU)

Sauer-Weisse: Berliner-Style Sour Wheat Ale
The traditional sour wheat ale of Berlin. Napoleon’s forces named this pale, dry and especially tart style of bier the “Champagne of the North” because its effervescent character was like the sparkling wine of their homeland. (4.80% ABV / 9 IBU)

Rot Rauch Roggen: Smoked Rye Lager
A red lager with balance of malty sweetness, spicy rye malt flavor and a touch of smoked aroma and flavor from smoked malt. (6.75% ABV / 26 IBU)

Weizenbock: Pale Doppelbock Wheat Ale
Pale and hazy doppelbock-style version of our traditional Hefeweizen with soft, bready malt character and complex aromas of banana, clove and vanilla. A silver medal winner in the German Wheat category at the 2015 Great American Beer Festival. (7.25% ABV / 18 IBU)

According to 4 out of 5 Billy Goats, Maibock is Mighty Good

Written by · Categorized: Bier Nerd, Bier News, Bier, Heritage, Behind the Scenes

Hallo!

Steve Holle here, founder and owner of KC Bier Co., with another installment of our bier nerd blog series. This edition focuses on Maibock — our next seasonal release — with some interesting history on the origins and development of bock bier as a style.

Bock is the German word for billy goat, but it’s also the name for a moderately strong German lager. While Bock is most commonly identified as a Bavarian style, the origins may be linked to a strong ale from the northern city of Einbeck around the 16th Century. Historians believe that Bavarian Royalty was so fond of the style that they had it brewed at their court brewery, Hofbräuhaus, but as a lager, rather than an ale. Beer folklore suggests that because Einbecker Bier in the Bavarian dialect was pronounced Ainpöckisch, the name was shortened to Pöckisch Bier, and finally Bock Bier. So, the name historically has nothing to do with a billy goat, although many brewers still depict a goat on the label.

In Germany, lagers with an original extract of 16° Plato or higher (i.e. 16% sugar by weight) but less than 18° Plato, are classified as Bock, which usually means 6% to 7% ABV. Lagers which are 18° Plato and higher are classified as Doppelbock (Double Bock), which usually results in ABV greater than 7%. Traditionally, Bock and Doppelbock are copper to dark brown, malt-forward styles produced with a high percentage of Munich malt and small amounts of dark caramel or roasted malts. Doppelbock is a traditional winter seasonal, especially in late winter during the Lenten season when Monks were permitted to consume nutritious Doppelbock during their fast.

Maibock (May Bock) is lighter in color than traditional Bock and associated with spring as the term Mai (May) suggests. Some versions are extremely pale and golden and are referred to as Heller Bock (pale bock).  The lighter-colored Maibock provides a springtime transition from the dark and chewy Doppelbocks of winter to the refreshing golden Helles Lager of summer.

KC Bier Co.’s Maibock has an original gravity of 16.25°Plato, 18 IBUs and 6.25% ABV. The bier presents a reddish amber color, smooth maltiness accented by flavors of honey and toasted biscuits derived from a majority portion of Vienna-style malt, and subdued bitterness from a single addition of Perle hops from the Bavarian Hallertau Valley. The bier offers a rich maltiness accentuated by double decoction mashing, yet it remains crisp and refreshing. Our version leans toward the amber end of the style’s color scale in comparison to the Blind Tiger in Topeka, Kan., that brews an excellent version of the style that is lighter in color.

Following our Maibock tapping party in the Bierhalle on Jan. 29, we will release Maibock in bottles and on draught in stores and taverns on February 1st. A month later, we follow up with a 10% ABV Doppelbock version of Maibock that we call Mai-O-Maibock, which will be available on draught and in our white label bottles exclusively sold in the Bierhalle. Mai-O-Maibock has the same recipe as Maibock, but it is brewed to a higher ABV. Comparing Maibock and Mai-O-Maibock allows the consumer to experience the boozier flavor effects of higher ABV and associated fermentation by-products in combination with more concentrated malt flavors.

Remember, no matter what version of Bock bier you prefer, KC Bier Co. has your Bock!

We will be Bock with more nerdy bier information soon.

Three Biers Featured in The Beer Connoisseur Top 100 Beers of 2018

Written by · Categorized: Press, Bier, Bier News

We are beyond thrilled to announce that The Beer Connoisseur, a nationally-distributed beer magazine, featured three KC Bier Co. biers on its list of the Top 100 Beers of 2018. The featured biers include Festbier at #10, with a “World Class” 96 rating; Helles Lager at #55, with an “Exceptional” 94 rating; and Hefeweizen at #88, with an “Exceptional” 93 rating. Follow the links below to read the reviews of each bier and the Q&A features with KC Bier Co. head brewer Karlton Graham.

Festbier also enjoyed a “Judge’s Second Opinion” review for landing in the #10 slot:

KC Bier Co. of Kansas City, Missouri has gone to exhausting efforts to bring us their quality Vienna-style Festbier. Vienna Lager was the original bottom-fermenting beer first introduced by Austrian Anton Dreher in 1840/1841 after a lengthy study tour of breweries throughout Germany and England.

Traditional German Pilsner and Vienna malts utilized here create a base that marries nicely with German noble hops and a special Bavarian monastic yeast strain that rounds out the flavor profile. The labor-intensive brewing technique of decoction mashing, which is seldom used in modern brewing, is not spared here and makes a strong presence via the complex and engaging malt character.

The final steps to brewing this beer include a six-week lagering period followed by a natural conditioning process that cuts down on the beer’s carbonic bite and smooths out the mouthfeel considerably.

It should also be noted that this beer adheres strictly to the Reinheitsgebot (The German beer purity law of 1516), which further maintains the style’s originality and KC Bier Co.’s credibility.

Considering the care and effort in creating this traditional example of the Vienna Lager style, it is of little wonder that the end result was a beer of high quality and one that would have made its creator Anton Dreher proud.

This is a beer style that has stood the trials of time for more than 178 years and credit should be given to the brewer in helping to preserve it and present it in its original form to the twenty-first century.

– James Link

We’re honored to be in such great company and are proud of the results that come from brewing with 100% imported German malt, hops and yeast, and using traditional and time-consuming production methods. Thanks to all of our fans and supporters, and here’s to 2019 — a great year for bier!