Have a beer or two with us Saturday at the inaugural City Market Beer Festival
Kansas City sees a beer festival almost every weekend nowadays, and Saturday, August 1, is no exception. But this one is different: The Pitch‘s first City Market Beer Festival is free to get into, for one thing.
What else is different? And how do you get your beer once you’re through the gate? Here are the answers to these and other questions.
When and where is the festival?
From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, August 1, in the City Market Park (Third Street and Main) — the grassy area west of Minsky’s and the shops.
Wait, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.? That’s a long time.
Yeah, but we don’t expect you to Iron-Man this. You don’t have to worry about getting your “money’s worth” at this event because the City Market Beer Fest has a free admission.
Free?
Yep. There’s no cover charge to get into the festival.
But what about the beer? Is that free, too?
Hey, this isn’t Cheers. Sorry, the beer isn’t free. We’re a free newspaper — we’re not rich.
OK, so how much is the beer?
Beer tickets cost $10 for four or $20 for 10. Each ticket entitles you (as long as you’re 21 or older) to a 6-ounce pour. Or you can swap two for a 12-ounce pour. So you pay as you go. At most beer bars in town, you pay $2.50 or more for a 6-ounce pour.
If I can do that at a bar, why should I come to the fest?
Who doesn’t like drinking outdoors with friends? Plus, we’re not asking you to shell out $35 or more to get in the door. Come have a drink with us or not. Either way, it should be a fun time.
OK, I’m in. Where do I park?
We’ll be honest: It’s going to be tricky. The City Market’s farmers market is busy. Really busy. So public transportation — a cab, the bus, Uber, B-cycle — is your friend.
It’s going to be hot. Can I bring water?
Yes! Bottled water is allowed as long as it’s unopened.
What else is there to do?
We’ll have food trucks (see “There’s Food, Too” below). We’ll also have music playing. And, of course, there’s the farmers market.
Should I expect Abraxas and Parabola and other super-rare beers?
Not this year. We’re going to have some really good beers to drink, and we’re going to do everything possible to make sure you have a good time — because if you have fun, we’ll do this again next year (and we really want to do this again next year). But this year, we’ll have solid flagship beers and some seasonals — and a lot of fun.
So what can I expect to drink?
We’ll have close to 100 types of beer to choose from. We’re locking everything in, but here’s the list so far. Of course, this is subject to change.
Achouffe
Houblon Chouffe (Belgian IPA)
La Chouffe (Belgian blonde/golden)
Bell’s
Oberon (American pale wheat ale)
Two Hearted (American IPA)
Blue Moon
White IPA
Boulevard
The Calling (imperial/double IPA)
80-Acre Hoppy Wheat (American pale wheat ale)
Heavy Lifting IPA (American IPA)
Saison-Brett (saison/farmhouse ale)
Tank 7 (saison/farmhouse ale)
Tell-Tale Tart (sour ale)
Breckenridge
Agave Wheat (American pale wheat ale)
Breck IPA (American IPA)
471 IPA (imperial/double IPA)
Vanilla Porter (American Porter)
Bur Oak
DeVine IPA (American IPA)
Trail Bender Wheat
Cinder Block
Block IPA (American IPA)
Lusus Naturae (sour ale)
Northtown Native (California common)
Rivet Rye (hoppy rye wheat)
Crispin Cider Co.
Honey Crisp (cider)
Pacific Pear (cider)
Defiance
Thrasher (session IPA)
Willy Nilly (golden ale)
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Deschutes
Mirror Pond (American pale ale)
Pinedrops IPA
Duvel
Duvel Single (Belgian pale ale)
Founders
All Day IPA (session IPA)
Centennial IPA (American IPA)
Curmudgeon (old ale)
Dirty Bastard (Scotch ale/wee heavy)
Rubaeus (fruit beer)
4 Hands
City of Dreams (American pale ale)
Contact High (American pale wheat ale)
Opus (saison)
Single Speed (American blonde ale)
Send Help (American blonde ale)
Super Flare (American IPA)
Free State
Ad Astra Ale (altbier)
Iron Man (imperial stout)
Stormchaser (American IPA)
Wheat State Golden (kölsch)
Goose Island
IPA
Sofie (farmhouse/saison)
KC Bier Co.
Dunkel
Helles
Der Bauer (German farmhouse)
Lagunitas
IPA (American IPA)
Olde GnarlyWine (American barleywine)
Leinenkugel’s
Big Eddy (Russian imperial stout)
Grapefruit Shandy (radler)
Liefmans
Fruitesse (fruit beer)
Martin City
Abbey (Belgian dubbel)
Belgian Blond
Coming Undone (Belgian red)
Quid Feci (American wild ale)
Mother’s
Chocolate Thunder (porter)
Lil’ Helper (American IPA)
Three Blind Mice (English brown ale)
Towhead (American blonde ale)
Uber Pils (imperial/double Pilsner)
Nebraska
Ale Storm (American blonde ale)
Cardinal Pale Ale (American pale ale)
EOS Hefeweizen (Bavarian wheat beer)
Odell
Brombeere (blackberry gose)
IPA (American IPA)
Loose Leaf (session ale)
St. Lupulin (American pale ale)
Ommegang
Game of Thrones Three-Eyed Raven (saison/farmhouse ale)
Samuel Adams
Boston Lager (Vienna lager)
Double Bock (doppelbock)
Honey Queen (braggot)
Rebel IPA (American IPA)
Summer Ale (American pale wheat ale)
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Santa Fe Brewing
Black IPA (black IPA/Cascadian dark ale)
Happy Camper (American IPA)
Java Stout (American imperial/double stout)
Schlafly
Helles Summer Lager (helles lager)
Yakima wheat (American pale wheat ale)
Shock Top
Wheat (American pale wheat ale)
Lemon Shandy (radler)
Sierra Nevada
Hop Hunter (American IPA)
Kellerweis (Hefeweizen)
Nooner Pilsner (German Pilsner)
Pale Ale (American pale ale)
Stella Artois
Cidre (Belgian cider)
Summit
Pilsener (Pilsner)
Sága IPA (American IPA)
Summer Ale (kölsch)
Tallgrass
8-Bit Pale Ale (American pale ale)
Ginger Peach Saison (saison/farmhouse ale)
Halcyon Wheat (American pale wheat ale)
16-Bit Double Pale Ale (American pale ale)
Traveler
Curious Traveler Shandy (American pale wheat ale)
Illusive Traveler Grapefruit Shandy (American pale wheat ale)
Woodchuck
Amber (cider)
Gumption (cider)
Hopsation (cider)
Summer Time (cider)
There’s Food, Too!
Beer has been around since biblical times — and even then, drinkers wanted salty fish, greasy meats, yeasty breads and roasted fowl with the fermented elixir.
Your hunger Saturday may not quite be of Mesopotamian proportions, but we’ve got your cravings covered with three food-truck vendors and a popular local restaurateur serving food under a tent.
“Fried fish is the best company for cold beer,” says Verletta Martin of Lutfi’s Fried Fish, which will have its food truck at the fest. “We’ll be serving fried fish, fried chicken, fried okra, potato salad, coleslaw and hush puppies,” she says.
Kin Kin’s Little Truck Eats & Snacks offers a United Nations approach to food-truck cuisine: Chinese egg rolls and steamed buns with barbecue pork, Cajun chicken wings, a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich, tacos and tortas.
Jerusalem Café‘s food truck is stocking the time-tested basics. “We’ll have hummus with pita, and falafel,” says the café’s Farid Azzeh. Also: gyro sandwiches, chicken tenders, and a Greek spin on the Philly cheesesteak (gyro meat sautéed with pepper and onions and topped with tzatziki sauce, inside a traditional hoagie bun).
Among the other beer-friendly food options unlikely to have been available in ancient Jerusalem are the sandwiches made by Carlos Mortera and his City Market restaurant, the Bite.
“We’ll be doing ‘Hot Pocket’ versions of our most popular sandwiches,” Mortera says. That means the Sloppy (a meat-free sloppy Joe made with soy chorizo, corn, olives, queso fresco, pickled onions and Sriracha crema) and the Bay of Pigs (smoked pulled pork, prosciutto, smoked gouda and habanero pickles).
Spicy? Yes. But you’ll be surrounded by plenty of cold beer for relief. Let the drink-food-drink cycle begin again.
— Charles Ferruzza
