Crane Brewing and Mike's Wine & Spirits Team Up to Create Mango Lassi

Two area companies team up to create, Mango Lassi.  This is the first ever collaboration brew from Crane Brewing Company, who teamed up with Mike's Wine & Spirits (Waldo, Brookside, and Wesport).  The beer is available at Mike’s Wine & Spirits and Crane Brewing and has limited availability. Enthusiast can purchase 375 ml bottles, or get 32 oz and 64 oz growlers filled. 

This new sour beer is based on Crane's knowledge and the popularity of sour beers in the summer.  The art on the label was created by Jeremy Morton the beer manager at Mike’s.

Start the Year with a Selection of 99 Beers

It may seem a little weird to take a trip off the beaten path for Craft Beers, but there’s a new venue tucked inside the well worn path to the Argosy Casino. Do not second guess yourself: This is the craft

beer destination you’ve been searching for right here in Kansas City. The selection of amazing beers at

99 Hops House are typically on the lists of those who are searching for more sought after brews.

99 might sound like an impressive number of beers - and that’s because it is! The most unique feature of 99 Hops House is their self-serving beer wall with 24 different beer taps to choose from. You only pay for what you pour which is a superb way to test out different styles. All 92 beer taps at 99 Hops House are also available in a “crowler” to-go. Crowlers are a 32 oz. can of beer poured and sealed on-site.

The staff of 99 Hops House is very diligent when it comes to making sure all of the beer lines are properly cleaned / maintained. This extra work helps to ensure the quality of each beer is as fresh as the brewer intended from keg to tap. When you consider this task is normally performed by beer distributors who are known to purge beer lines with more beer, you can appreciate the fact that 99 Hops House isn’t creating a product shortage for themselves by using expensive craft beer to purge the lines during a keg swap.

Where there is beer there must also be food nearby, and 99 Hops House has no shortage of this either.

The made-from-scratch menu is chalk-full of delicious burgers, sandwiches, and entrees that can be conveniently paired with a tasty craft beer to enhance your experience. As far as appetizers go, the Next Level Deviled Eggs are a fan-favorite, complete with wasabi and cured salmon, smoked bacon, and cheddar.

If you’re unsure what beer pairs best with those Next Level Deviled Eggs, you can rest assured your server is trained to pair beers with your menu selections, as well as your beer preferences.  Not only is the General Manager, Eric Flanagan, a certified cicerone, but each member of the serving staff is trained as a certified beer-server.

No matter how you like your beers--from draft, by the ounce, or in a crowler--you may not even notice all of the extra care and preparation that’s done to ensure your visit to 99 Hops House is exceptional.

Make sure to check them out in 2018.  They’re working on some new collaboration beers with a couple of different KC Breweries, and you’ll want to make sure you get to experience these rare beers.  You can visit 99 Hops House inside the Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa at 777 Argosy Parkway, in Riverside, Missouri. Hours are Sunday-Thursday from 11:30am to 12am and Friday-Saturday from 11:30am to 1am.

Authored By

James Bradley                                                                                                           Brad Carl
KC Hop Talk                                                                                                              Craft Brew Crew

Review of the HopCat Wood & Wild Ales Event

You know that feeling you get when you first walk into a bar and you immediately feel like you could turn lunch into all afternoon? That's certainly the way we felt when we went to HopCat KC in Westport, where we were treated to two VIP experiences for Wood & Wild Ales that included tasting glasses, meals, and one flight for each of us. To be honest the most difficult thing we needed to-do was make our choices from the vast assortment of beers on the Wood & Wilds beer menu. The event menu was certainly setup so you could sample beers all afternoon and into the evening. There were many excellent beers on the list, and I really wanted to sample them all. However, there are only so many big beers that you can legally indulge in, on a Sunday afternoon.


This was our first time visiting HopCat, and we were definitely impressed by the whole experience. This place is definitely built with the craft beer community in mind. They have a huge arrangement of beer taps that were setup with popular and hard to find barrel aged and wild beers. The beer menu and tapping schedule printed up to provide us with an idea of how to plan out the afternoon. The menu consisted of 50 different beers from all over the country. By sampling the selection in 4 ounce pours you could certainly enjoy multiple different big beers before you would be forced to quit.



Their food menu is definitely designed around craft beer drinkers, and if you have someone in your party with allergens, be sure to ask for the allergen menu to make ensure everyone has a good time. Everyone loves to get an order of the crack fries, which came as a recommendation from our server. I opted to try the buffalo rolls from the sharables portion of the menu.  They were absolutely incredible, but you have to be a fan of blue cheese.



If you haven't gotten a chance to check out the new HopCat restaurant and bar in Westport, it is definitely somewhere you will want to check-out the next time you are in the area.  They have a huge arrangement of beer taps that are always rotating through the more popular and hard to find beers will definitely entice you off the street to enjoy some beers with friends. For those nicer days, you'll want to head up to the top deck to enjoy some beers on the patio. Also, don't forget there is a hidden Tiki bar in the basement, that doesn't allow anyone under 21.

Growler Filling Stations Have Arrived in the Northland!

I have to admit that I was not necessarily excited about the news of a new Missouri law allowing growler filling stations. Mostly, because the first few articles I read regarding the new law seemed to think that we would be getting growlers filled at a local convenience store or gas station. Thankfully this has not happened in the Kansas City area. 

The law also allowed liquor stores the option to sell beer in 32 ounce and 64 ounce containers. Allowing several locations in KC the option to begin selling beer to customers in containers known as growlers or crowlers. The opportunity to purchase local and seasonal beers from your favorite liquor store is very exciting and it only gets more exciting when those liquor stores are close to home. Recently, two of the Northland liquor stores started selling beer from their own beer tap filling stations.  

The first liquor store to introduce growler fills to North of the River, is Bubbles Wine & Spirits located at 7411 N. Oak in Gladstone, Missouri. Bubbles has been locally owned and operated since 1994, and they offer a large assortment of craft beers and imported beers.  

Bubbles has ten taps available with a rotating stock of local and hard to find craft beers.  They have been receiving a lot of positive feedback on the taps, and they will be focusing the selections around local craft breweries within a four hour car ride away from KC. Stop by this week for some local GABF award winning beers from Cinder Block.

The current tap list includes: Cinder Block English Cherry Cider, Crane Trailsmith Ale, Torn Label Hang Em High IPA, Cinder Block Hop’d Coffee English Brown Ale, Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti, New Belgium Passion Fruit Imperial IPA, Civil Life Rye Pale Ale, Stillwater Shoegaze IPA, North Coast Passion Fruit Peach Berliner Weisse, Dogfish Head Siracusa Nera

Gomer's Northland Fine Wine and Spirits in Parkville, Missouri, is the second liquor store in the Northland to open a filling station. Gomer's has serveral locations around town, and they are the first Northland store to fill crowlers instead of glass jugs.  








Gomer's North started sealing crowlers for the first time this past Friday, with a tap takeover event that offered Crane Brewing's Apricot Weiss and Goseberry Gose. Tyler Mehaffery says, "the Northland location is planning on having a constant rotation of beers on taps, with an emphasis on local brewers, special releases and seasonal beers."

Gomer’s Northland current Crowler List:
1.) Martin City Fall Back Brown 
2.) Cinder Block IPA      
3.) Dog Fish Head Brown IPA 
4.) Crane Apricot Weiss (Sour) 
5.) North Peak Dauntless (Octoberfest) 
6.) The Bruery Mash & Coconut 
(Bourbon Barrel aged Barley Wine with Coconuts)
7.) – (Will fill soon, most likely a stout) 
8.) Crane Goseberry Gose (Sour) 



The new Bubbles and Gomer's Growler / Crowler Station's are NOW OPEN -- stop in and fill up today!

Houlihan's Lunch Bar

Whether you've become bored with your normal lunchtime destination, or it's been a while since you tried Houlihan's for lunch. They offer the perfect atmosphere as an escape from your lunchtime doldrums, and you might just be pleasantly surprised with their new lunch time drink specials called the "Lunch Bar." Also, the Dailies Menu offers a variety of different options for each day of the week, so you can come back as much as you like.

Houlihan’s is now offering their "Lunch Bar," to help Kansas Citian's partake in a little extra noontime relaxation by enjoying a little longer lunch with friends. The Houlihan’s Lunch Bar menu includes $1 craft beers from Boulevard Brewing Company, Cinder Block Brewery, Kansas City Bier Company and Martin City Brewing Company, $2 wine pours and $3 sangria and LIT glasses, Monday – Friday, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

We were recently offered a lunch voucher to stop by one of the area Houlihan's, to check out their new lunch time specials. In our case, it worked out to be the perfect atmosphere for a working lunch for a fellow beer enthusiast and myself. During our visit we opted to get an entrée from the Dailies Menu and one from the Regular Menu. I chose the Char-Crusted Ahi Tuna Salad, and my friend Brad chose the Panko Fried Shrimps.

When the dishes came we were pleasantly surprised with the portions. The tuna perfectly seared on a bed of lettuce with cashews and banana chips. I didn't try the shrimp dish, however they did looked tasty.  Both of us decided to pair our lunches with the KC Bier Company's Dunkel.

This might just be my opinion, but Houlihan's may have that perfect solution to end the noontime blues. All you need to do is head to one of the six Kansas City-area Houlihan’s:

• 8660 Boardwalk Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64154 
• 625 N.W. Murray Road, Lee’s Summit, Missouri 64081 
• 2820 W. 53rd Street, Fairway, Kansas 66205 
• 11851 W. 95th Street, Overland Park, Kansas 66214 
• 4900 W. 119th Street, Leawood, Kansas 66209 
• 16411 W. 119th Street, Olathe, Kansas 66061 

Hip Hops Hooray Beer Fest

On August 26, the elegant DeLeon Event Space and Chapel is opening their event space to the local beer family with an all new beer festival. Instead of one of their wedding parties, they will be treating KC beer enthusiasts to an afternoon of craft beers, home brews, entertainment, and hors d'oeuvres. Plus, a portion of the tickets sales will be donated to Little Warrior Princesses Foundation.

FEST DETAILS

WHERE: The DeLeon Event Space and Chapel

WHEN: August 26, 2017, from 2 to 6pm.

COST: $35 plus tax, for a festival glass, unlimited pours, and appetizers.

TICKETS: Available On-Line at Eventbrite. Click for Tickets

QUESTIONS: If you have any immediate questions, you can send an email to: hiphopskc@gmail.com

The Brewers

     Crane Brewing

     Taylor Jones

     Tall Grass

     Ales vs Lagers

     Bri Burrows

     3 Trails Brewing

     Friction Beer Company

     Beer’d

     Helpful Boxer Brewing

     Colony

     Williams NKC Brewing

     Red Crow

     Middle Ground Zymurgy & Tapworx

     Walnut River

     Fermenting Minds

     Rock and Run

     Eye for an Eye Brewing

     Cinder Block

     Ballast Point

     Scouting the Taps

     K & J Brewing

     North Shore Brewhaus

     Theorem Brewing Conglomerate

     Tk Brews

     The Goat Beer Co.

Kansas City's Oktoberfest Live! presented by Leinenkugel's KC

If you are like me, this time of year tends to puts you into the mood to attend fall festivals and events. A lot of these events tend to be centered on German-inspired foods, beers, contests and live entertainment. On October 8^th, we were given two complementary VIP package tickets to Oktoberfest Live! presented by Leinenkugel's KC at the Kansas City Live! Block in the Kansas City Power and Light District.

The events of the day, started in the morning with  Sprint Family Fun Days in the Kansas City Power & Light District, which included: trick-or-treating, pony rides, barnyard petting zoo, a bounce houses, and other live entertainment.

In the afternoon, things started to transition into Oktoberfest Live! activities that included: a Wiener Dog Race, tapping of a golden keg, German folk music. There were multiple contests that took place throughout the afternoon, including: Pretzel eating, hammerschlagen, stein stance, sauerkraut eating, and log lifting.

Everyone had multiple ways to enjoy the afternoon at the Kansas City Live! Block, starting with beer tasting session that lasted from 4 – 7 pm. Participants received a tasting glass and card that allowed them to visit the three tasting tents from 4 – 7 pm. to redeem five samples of their choice.

Next you could purchase tickets for one of the two VIP sessions from 4 – 6 pm or 7 – 9 pm. Both sessions got exclusive access to Leinenkugel’s patio and bar during the session, along with two Leinenkugel’s 16 ounce beers, a fish fry, gourmet pretzels and a swag bag. Our swag included the bag with a bottle opener, sunglasses, plastic beer mug, $15 gift card, and 5 Leinie Coins good during for Mon – Fri happy hours.

If you were looking to stay throughout the whole event from 4 – 11 pm, you could purchase the a Das Boot Community Table. This package included a table for ten along with five pitchers for Miller Lite or Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest beer, ten commemorative “das boot” glassware, table service and Leinenkugel's swag.

Without knowing how many people would be attending this event, we thought it might be a good idea to show up earlier to the Power and Light District. We arrived just as the Sprint Fun Days were wrapping up around 3 pm, and just as the German band was getting started. We seated in the Leinenkugel's KC patio area where we had a clear view of the events taking place on the main stage, during our VIP session. We were given two Leinenkugel's beers as part of the package and we were also treated to a buffet where most of us in the patio area went back for extra helpings of fish, fries, and pretzels.

The “Festhaus-Musikanten” German folk band set the mood, for everyone who lined up to participate in contests. The “hammerschlagen” game was fun to watch, and I had to look-up the rules of this game to get a better understanding of what was happening. Then there was the beer stance game, which is exactly as you've seen at other German fests. Each participant is given a liter mug full of beer, and the object is to hold it in the air for as long as you can without spilling a drop.

Also, during the games and music, you could sample beers from the tents setup for the tasting session. They had several beers to choose from, and we were given a tasting ticket allowing each of us to get five separate 2 oz pours of beer. The lines were short for all of the beers, and we tried all of the Leinenkugel's beer they were offering.

This was the inaugural year for Oktoberfest Live!, and from our point of view everything seemed to go smoothly and without any noticeable incidents. Overall, this was a great experience for us and we certainly look forward to attending the next Oktoberfest Live! event at the Power & Light District. The VIP session was definitely worth the price and it definitely gave us a taste of how they do Oktoberfests in Wisconsin. The atmosphere was fantastic and very inviting, and we were very impressed with the food, beers, and service.

Barley & Hops Craft Candles

I love the romantic glow of candles, the hypnotic rhythm of the flame, pretty jars and the room permeating aroma. But what I do not love is the all the ingredients that are in candles. I was excited to find soy candles until I burned them. Not a good way to find out that you are allergic to soy. Needless to say, I gave up on candles and turned to incense, but always missing the warm glow of the candles.

So when my husband said we should go to First Friday events and start at Torn Label Brewery, because they are going to have some craft tables set up. One of the the vendors is going to be a candle maker called Barley & Hops craft candles. They make beer scented candles. Okay, let’s go check them out and at least we can enjoy a beer.

Once we got our beer, we went to check out the craft tables. When we walked up to the candle table I first noticed the beautiful brown glass jars with a cork stopper and some very fun and interesting labels. I was interested. I asked what the candles were made of and I was told that they use apricot wax. What? What is apricot wax? I was intrigued. I was informed that when the seed of the apricot is crushed it produces waxy substances. Very interesting. It creates a clean burning and long lasting burning candle. Also, I asked about the wick and found that they are stiffed with a cardboard. Even better. So we started smelling them to find one that we may want. They had beer, whiskey and tobacco scents. They were wonderful smelling. We settled on Screaming Vixen a hazelnut nectar brown ale.

We took the candle home and were very excited to burn it, but wanted to wait for the right moment to fully enjoy the scent and the glow of the it. I felt the wax before I burnt it, and it had a body butter feel to it and you could really smell the hazelnut. I was hoping that it would smell that way when burning. It was very easy to light and the glow is very beautiful in the brown glass. I was very pleased to have the aroma that I smelled in the jar fill the room. Even after an hour of burning, it still smelled as good.

I did burn the candle on the next day for around three hours and was presently happy to have the same scent fill the room again. When the wax gets lower in the brown glass jar it puts more of a romantic and beautiful glow.

I can say that I have found a new candle. YEA!! I still have many more hours to enjoy this one and looking forward to some new scents to try. Go check them out at beerscents.com, @craftbeercandle on Twitter and Barley and Hops craft candle on Facebook. Pick up some wonderful candles, you will not be disappointed. I am off to enjoy the warm glow and the aromatic scent of my candle.

Guest Post by Pink Daisy Crafter

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