First of all, I’d like to commend Boulevard for stepping up to the plate to provide a wonderful luncheon in the absence of Boulevard’s Brewmaster. They were kind enough to send their COO, Steve Mills, down to walk us through the pairings, as well as some other exciting stuff coming up on the Boulevard Calendar, to be discussed later.

I was especially excited to find that the brewmaster luncheon at Boulevard Brewing Co was catered by Bluestem out of  Kansas City’s Westport neighborhood, a marvelous restaurant at which I have spent many dollars for not just phenomenal food, but also an awesome experience. Owner/Chef of Bluestem and James Beard Award semifinalist Colby Garrelts was there to cook for us, and his pairings with Boulevard’s beers were absolutely superb.

The event began with a few warm-up beers in Boulevard’s recently renovated tasting room, followed by a quick tour of the brewery. In the barrel aging room, we were given samples of Boulevard’s current seasonal Bob’s 47 Oktoberfest. A perennial favorite, Bob’s 47 sells out quickly as compared to their other seasonal beers, and can usually be found from Labor Day to late October within Boulevard’s area of distribution.

It was fun to glance at the barrels to see what Boulevard had up their sleeves – I first saw their forthcoming rye beer back in April, and was definitely curious/excited to see what they would end up doing with it. Well,we had the privilege of trying Boulevard’s forthcoming aged rye, to be released this February in 22oz champagne bottles – the difference between the product we tried and the final version, as I understood it, is that we had the barrel strength variety that was then bottle-conditioned, whereas the final version will be cut down a bit to avoid scaring those away who may not be as enthusiastic about such an intense beer.

Back to the Rye later – let’s get on to the menu and pairings.

We wrapped up the tour after a view of their new (as of last November) bottling line, and proceeded down the hallway to Boulevard’s beautiful Muehlebach Suite, named after the last major brewery in Kansas City post-Prohibition. The room is a healthy 10,000 sq. feet, with a circular bar in the center containing most of Boulevard’s beers, but the real attraction is the generous outdoor terrace overlooking Kansas City’s downtown skyline. This room was spectacular in the daytime, and would be even more so during the evening, with the iconic shapes and lights of Kansas City’s Skyline dominating the view from the terrace.

The menu was a three course ordeal, beginning with a phenomenal corn bisque with rock shrimp and cured pork – a perfect fall dish that was absolutely delightful when paired with Boulevard’s popular Unfiltered Wheat. The acidity of the wheat beer cut very nicely through the body of the soup, and were overall quite complimentary to each other. I was too busy enjoying it to remember to take a picture.

Dish number two was a braised short rib with whipped horseradish potatoes and some buttered root vegetables, paired with Boulevard’s new barrel-aged rye beer. The rye was intense, malty, and different, but quite manageable for those who haven’t ever gotten into this particular style. We were told that the rye, as we were tasting it, would never again appear in the barrel-strength version which we were enjoying, but a slightly diluted version for their popular Smokestack series. I have yet to taste the final product, as it will not be out on store shelves until February of next year, but I’m anxious to see how it fares with consumers.

Although aged in whiskey barrels, the bourbon is subtle and balanced, perhaps a result of the aging period of just over one year. Color is a clear ruby-brown, and the beer was not overly boozy on the nose. It was a perfect compliment to Chef Garrelts’ short rib, which literally fell apart with the touch of my fork. This is one of the better entrees I’ve had the privilege of eating in quite some time, and paired with the rye, was the paramount of the afternoon.

For dessert, Chef Garrelts created an ice cream made with Bob’s 47 Oktoberfest Lager, complete with candied dates and paired with Boulevard’s Sixth Glass Quadruple Ale. The quad, after all the food, was much more manageable – I usually drink it by itself. Beer pairings are something I’d like to really get into, and this luncheon definitely showed me how good they can be. I’ll write little blurbs on occasion and let you know how that’s going.

Finally, Steve Mills dropped a bomb on us – In November, Boulevard will be doing a dinner to discuss a collaboration between Orval Brewmaster Jean-Marie Rock. That’s right. Boulevard. And Orval. Together. Awesome.

ORVAL. Yeah.

Boulevard did several of the Brewmaster Luncheon Series this year, and with the success they had, you can bet they’ll be coming back next year. Reserve your spots early – I would imagine they’ll be announced in April or as early as March. Call the brewery to find out. Maybe we’ll bump into each other. Wouldn’t that be nice? Great food, beer, and new friends. Nothing better.

Jameson OUT.

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