Boulevard Brewing, Kansas City MO

I’ve had a few Boulevard beers on previous travels through this region so figured it was worth a stop at the Mother Ship. Conclusion: I’ll be back if I’m ever traveling this way again!

Boulevard has a massive presence here; this is just a part of it, the main brewing operation. There are other buildings including the one I was in that has the Beer Hall on the second floor and a visitor’s center and gift shop on the first. As you can see, the Beer Hall is spacious and doesn’t feel packed even with a lot of people there (although the lines at the bar could be better managed). There’s quite a bit more space that doesn’t show in this photo as well.

Their tap list is certainly interesting – this is the menu from the tables, although I believe there were two or three not listed here that were available at the bar.

I started off with “Flight #1” which is numbered from 1 to 4, counter-clockwise from the near left position. I loved every single one of them, but especially the Pale Ale and the Tank 7 (which I’ve had before).

And aren’t those nice little carriers for the flights?

Boulevard doesn’t have much available for food, but the Pretzel-Wrapped Cheddarwurst with Beer Cheese Dip absolutely hit the spot for me! I was enjoying it already when I remembered to get a photo …

Flight #2 was a custom flight, and I’ll describe the beers in the same order as Flight #1, counter-clockwise from the near left.

80 Acre Hoppy Wheat Beer – This one puzzled me a bit as I struggled to taste a real difference between it and the Wheat Beer from the first flight. It certainly was good, though, and would stand up well to an extended session on a hot day.

Space Camper Cosmic IPA – Well-balanced, clean, not too hoppy – what can I say? It was very tasty but not particularly unique.

Space Camper Alpha Vapor – This hazy IPA was more to my liking with some real character to it. Still, I was drawn to the Pale Ale and the Tank 7 from the first flight more than to this.

The Calling – On the other hand, this was a truly fine DIPA. Smooth, balanced, and not heavy on the alcohol taste at 8.5%.

Unusually, they only do crowlers (32 oz cans) of a select handful of beers, mostly experimental, and generally ones not available in flights or pints. That’s an interesting model! I opted for a crowler of their Test – American Bitter, a 4% take on an English Bitter. similar in taste to the Pale Ale, this one would be a perfect all-day drinker!

Plus, during June – Pride Month – $5 from every crowler sale is donated to non-profit organizations in Kansas City supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Depending on how tomorrow goes, I may just return to Boulevard for another crowler to support the cause!