Boulevard brewery tour

Hey guys, I'm going to Kansas City next weekend and plan to visit one brewery. How is Boulevard? Are there any smaller places that would be better? Thanks!

 

The tours fill up weekends in advance, however you should be able to show up day of and get into an open spot. That is what me and the g/f did. On a taste preference, I find that boulevard beers lack any character. They remind me of bmc beers done in craft beer style, a wolf in sheeps clothing if you will. There isn't much else in the city as far as brewpubs. There is mccoys public house which is my favorite in the westport area ad 75th street brewery which think has a problem with diactyl in all their beers.

 

I have been a couple of times to the BLVD tour and I thought it was great. They give you a short tour, answer any questions you have, and open their tasting room to you to have as many as you would like before the next tour. They want you to try them all. I really enjoyed myself. Here is a tip.....get in on the last tour of the day and the tasting room usually stays open a little longer......or it did last time I was there.

Get on their website and find the number to call about tours and they will set you up.

Enjoy, it is a cool brewery.

 

boulevard is a great brewery, and the tours are fun, though as stated they fill up fast, so you might be out of luck. probably worth a call-ahead to check and see. the last one i did was for a friend's bday, and they pulled a fresh six pack of irish ale off the line for him. wonderful folks there, can't recommend boulevard enough
75th street is also an option, but not a great one IMO. never been impressed by the beer or the food. McCoy's/ the foundry is great to visit too.
a bit outta the way, but there's also the high noon saloon in leavenworth. not amazing, but definitely decent, beer (did love the stout), good food, and superb service when i've been.

 

Boulevard, while their year round beers do significantly lack character, does offer some great beers in their Smokestack series. Harvest Dance is hitting shelves today as is their winter seasonal Nutcracker Ale. I'd definitely give those a shot if you get on a tour. McCoy's, arguably the best brewpub in town, has better beer than any of the year round offerings of Boulevard, IMO. I think it's a must visit place along with their sister bar/restaurant, The Foundry, which also has one of the better craft selections in town. 75th street is worth going to if you happen to be in the neighborhood. Free State in Lawrence, KS is worth visiting if you have time to drive an extra 45 miles (each way). I only narrowly prefer them over McCoy's though. Plus, some of their year round beers can be had on tap at numerous places in town. Their seasonals are what really shine, however.

 

There is a Flying Saucer in the Lamp and Light District. They have good food and plenty of taps.

I like there NutCracker for what it worth..

 

I live in Lincoln, NE so this isn't a huge long trip. I have been to Free State and was very impressed. It was next door to the concert I was going to so that was even better.
I love the Smokestack series, Tank 7 is my current favorite. My wife found McCoys and wants to go there so I am glad to hear a good review. McCoys is really close to where we are staying. Thanks for the tips guys, I'll let you know what I think of McCoys but I doubt a Boulevard tour will happen as they are booked 3 months in advance right now.

 

The Double-Wide IPA is, imho, fantastic!

 

i've always thought boulevard had good offerings. sure, they're fairly widely adaptable beers, but they are brewed well and IMHO are good examples of the style most of the time. take this year's GABF medals for Boulevard:

Category: 17 American-Belgo-Style Ale - 43 Entries
Gold: Angry Birds, Haymarket Pub & Brewery, Chicago, IL
Silver: Blue Reserve, Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton, VA
Bronze: Boulevard Collaboration #2, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO

Category: 48 International-Style Pale Ale - 20 Entries
Gold: Boulevard Pale Ale, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Silver: Intercontinental Pale Ale, Flossmoor Station Brewing Co., Flossmoor, IL
Bronze: Radiant, Ninkasi Brewing Co., Eugene, OR

Category: 67 Belgian-Style Witbier - 53 Entries
Gold: Witte, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY
Silver: La Perouse White, Maui Brewing Co. - Brewpub, Maui, HI
Bronze: ZON, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO

Category: 68 French- and Belgian-Style Saison - 65 Entries
Gold: Saison-Brett, Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, MO
Silver: Funkwerks Saison, Funkwerks, Fort Collins, CO
Bronze: Sofi e, Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL

pretty solid showing for them.

edit: i've always wanted to try the Brett-Saison, looks like I'm gonna have to now!

 

I might suggest Swagger as an alternative. They have a lot of character, a lot of draft beers on tap too. It was on Diner and Dives.

If you're going to McCoys (brewpub), go to the Foundry next door (owned by same people but sells commercial craft beers) and the Beer Kitchen across the street. They're all worth a try.

Yes there's a Flying Saucer, but other than the beer selection (which can largely be duplicated with visits to the other places recommended on this thread) I don't care for it. Indifferent service and overpriced, mediocre food. If I'm going to have so so service I don't want to pay those prices.

 

If I could offer a suggestion, since you are headed down from Lincoln, take a side jog over to Weston Brewing Company in Weston, MO. They aren't too far off the path to KC. Fun tour and pretty good beer. Owners are good guys. I was there in the summer and had a blast.

But Boulevard is great also. Been there too many times to count. I would recommend either.

 

I'm going to KC in dec.. glad I found this thread. We'll be flying in, then driving out to Manhattan. Are the lawerence and topeka brewpubs any good?

Also, what about the granite city? I presume that's a big chain.. but I've never been.. are the brews and food good?

We'll be looking just to get beers and dinner, not a brewery tour.

 

Also forgot to mention that KC Beerfest is this weekend at the Legends shopping center from 2-5 on Saturday (Oct. 22). Just FYI if you get adventurous.

 

granite city... ehh, take it or leave it IMHO.

 

Go to Freestate in Lawrence! Worth the stop. Quality beer and food.

Skip Granite. If you're wanting to try another place not mentioned yet, try Barley's Brewhouse. Lots of beers on tap.

 

Granite city is a chain. From what I understand they make all their wort in one location then ship it and ferment it on site at their local restaurants. Free State is worth the time, go there.

 

So our hotel was on Westport, literally 2.5 blocks from McCoys. I went there and was disappointed to learn they were out of their stout. I had an Infamous Artie instead, and a pretzel. Their beer was pretty good, my wife had the IPA and I liked it too. Went next door to the Foundry! Wow! Our waiter was about as big of a beer geek as I am. I tried a bunch of wild and crazy beers and ended the night with a Wee Willy Scottish Ale which was superb. Didn't hit anywhere else, but it was a good time all and all.