Kansas City Beer

Westbound immigrants, pioneers and entrepreneurs alike arrived in Kansas City with a thirst for progress and beer. Breweries both small and mighty seized opportunity in a climate of ceaseless social change and fierce regional competition. Muehlebach Brewing Company commanded the market, operating in Kansas City for more than eighty years. Built in 1902, the iconic brick warehouse of Imperial Brewing still stands today. Prohibition made times tough for brewers and citizens in the Paris of the Plains, but political "Boss" Tom Pendergast kept the taps running. In 1989, Boulevard Brewing kicked off the local craft beer renaissance, and a bevy of breweries soon formed a flourishing community. Food and beer writer Pete Dulin explores Kansas City's hop-infused history and more than sixty breweries from the frontier era to the twenty-first century.

Prohibition came early to Kansas in 1881, driving more than 125 breweries out of business or underground. Refusing to even vote on the 1933 national repeal, the state remained dry until 1948, with liquor by the drink finally being approved in 1987. Lawrence's Chuck Magerl worked with the legislature to pen new laws allowing something (little known at the time) called a "microbrewery." Chuck started the state's first brewery in over a century, appropriately named Free State Brewing Company. John Dean of Topeka's Blind Tiger Brewery counts more awards than any other brewer in the state, including Champion Brewer at the World Beer Cup in 2014. Props & Hops Brewing, in tiny Sylvan Grove, is owned and operated by an enterprising pilot who also owns and operates a crop-dusting business on the weekdays. Author Bob Crutchfield explores the state's breweries and recounts the Sunflower State's hoppy history.

Set out with a true aficionado and affable guide to sample a dizzying array of beverages made in America's heartland. Expedition of Thirst maps routes that crisscross eastern Kansas and western Missouri, with stops at some 150 breweries, wineries, and distilleries along the way. Pete Dulin, a seasoned writer on the subject, explains how and why these businesses produce beer, wine, and spirits tied to regional terroir and represent the flavors of the Midwest from the Flint Hills to the Ozarks. More than a travel guide, his book is a cultural journal exploring the people, places, and craft that make each destination distinct and noteworthy. Dulin shares the stories of many of these brewers, winemakers, and distillers in their own words. Expedition of Thirst captures the character of the small business owners and makers and offers insight about their craft. For good measure, Dulin delves into the history, culture, and geography that have shaped these producers and their practices, from the impact of Prohibition to the early influence of immigrant winemakers and brewers, regional agriculture, and politics. As informative as it is engaging—even intoxicating—his Expedition is sure to work up readers' thirst to travel and discover firsthand the singular regional pleasures so richly described in these pages.

A Tour of the Kansas Beer Industry Breweries in the state of Kansas are opening at a fast pace, in communities from Council Grove to Olathe. As the industry grows, the opportunities for craft beer fans to enjoy the communities and beer abound. Check out Ryan Triggs and Nick Feightner at Tall Trellis Brew Co. where you can enjoy a pint while sitting next to hop bines. Visit Fields & Ivy Brewery, the only brewery in the state with an active grain silo. Author Michael Travis traveled for a year and visited every brewery, capturing the heartbeat and story behind the owners and head brewers who make the magic happen.

While some cities owe their existence to lumber or oil, turpentine or steel, Kansas City owes its existence to food. From its earliest days, Kansas City was in the business of provisioning pioneers and traders headed west, and later with provisioning the nation with meat and wheat. Throughout its history, thousands of Kansas Citians have also made their living providing meals and hospitality to travelers passing through on their way elsewhere, be it by way of a steamboat, Conestoga wagon, train, automobile, or airplane. As Kansas City’s adopted son, Fred Harvey sagely noted, “Travel follows good food routes,” and Kansas City’s identity as a food city is largely based on that fact. Kansas City: A Food Biography explores in fascinating detail how a frontier town on the edge of wilderness grew into a major metropolis, one famous for not only great cuisine but for a crossroads hospitality that continues to define it. Kansas City: A Food Biography also explores how politics, race, culture, gender, immigration, and art have forged the city’s most iconic dishes, from chili and steak to fried chicken and barbecue. In lively detail, Andrea Broomfield brings the Kansas City food scene to life.

From antique bottles to closely guarded recipes and treasured historic architecture, breweries have a special place in American history. This fascinating book brings the material culture of breweries in the United States to life, from many regions of the country and from early 16th century production to today’s industrial operations. Herman Ronnenberg traces the evolution of techniques, equipment, raw materials, and architecture over five centuries, discusses informal production outside of breweries, and offers detailed information on makers marks, patents, labels, and beer containers that allows readers to identify items in their own collections. Heavily illustrated with photographs and line drawings, this book will be popular with collectors and general readers, and a key reference in historical archaeology, local history, material culture, and related fields.

Beer. Friends. Fun. Put them together, and you have a beer fest! Join M. B. Mooney as he travels the United States to bring you the delights of Beer Fest USA. While beer has always been an important part of American culture, the last three decades have seen an explosion in the popularity of craft brews and microbrews, and, along with them, beer festivals. Modeled on their German counterparts such as Munich's Oktoberfest, beer festivals allow brewers to introduce customers to their creations, to educate the public about the differences between various craft beers, to learn from beer drinkers, and to promote friendship. Beer Fest USA introduces beer enthusiasts—novices and seasoned beer geeks alike—to thirteen of the biggest and best beer festivals in the US, giving you a taste of the unique history and flavor of each. So get ready to drink up, laugh with friends, and start planning your next beer festival vacation.