Putting the i back in bier.
Eat This, Not That picked KC Bier Co as the best beer spot in the state of Missouri! They specifically mentioned our Festbier, which is available at the Bierhalle, Biergarten, and in stores now! Bring your family and friends for some bier and snacks, and see why Eat This loves KC Bier Co! Check out their pick for each state here.
Every winter, we follow a Bavarian brewing tradition established in the 1600s by the Paulaner monks of Munich who brewed a strong beer, or liquid bread, to nourish them during their Lenten fast. They called their bier Salvator, meaning “our Savior.”
To this day, Bavarian breweries commemorate this tradition by releasing a Doppelbock for Lent, also known as Starkbierzeit, meaning “strong bier season.” Brewers honor the original Salvator by giving their Doppelbocks names with an “ator” or ‘a-tor’ ending, such as the Ayinger brewery’s Celebrator, Spaten’s Optimator, and Augustiner’s Maximator.
This will be the first year we have given an ‘a-tor’ ending to the name of our annual Doppelbock, which for 2021 is named Carolator. Carolator is named in memory of Carol Crawford, older sister of KC Bier Co. founder and managing owner Steve Holle. Carol passed away in 2020 and was loved by many at the brewery.
Carolator is a 7.4% ABV Heller Doppelbock brewed with 100% Pilsner malt that was cold conditioned for more than nine weeks to develop an incredibly smooth, clean finish. It will be available in bottles and on draught exclusively in our Bierhalle beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 17. (Carolator 6-packs will be $9.99 each).
In keeping with Doppelbock’s historical purpose, Carolator was also blessed in our cellar before packaging by the Rev. Jeremy Loesch of Holy Trinity in Grandview, MO, where Carol was the director of the pre-school.
Carol was a devoted teacher and a tireless volunteer for many causes. One cause especially close to her heart was Developing Potential Inc., a local nonprofit organization that provides habilitation services to adults with disabilities, including Carol’s son, Michael. KC Bier Co. will donate a portion of the Carolator sales to DPI in memory of Carol.
From the moment we opened the brewery in 2014 to her passing last year, Carol’s benevolent smile, endearing laughter and warm spirit were a constant presence in our Bierhalle. She inspired many with her generous, selfless nature, and is missed dearly. Please remember her when you raise a glass of this bier — and may we all aspire to live as she did, with a loving and generous heart. Zum Wohl!
KC Bier Co., Kansas City’s largest independent and locally-owned brewery, announces that it won two medals during the 34th Annual Great American Beer Festival (GABF), the largest beer competition in the United States. Winners were announced during the first-ever GABF virtual ceremony on Oct. 16 by the Brewers Association (BA), the national trade group representing independent craft breweries in the U.S.
Two of the brewery’s year-round brands were awarded medals in two of the most competitive categories: Hefeweizen took silver in the German-Style Wheat Ale category (145 entries), and Pure Pils received a bronze in the German-Style Pilsener category (the third largest category with 200 entries). More than 100 judges evaluated 8,806 total entries from 1,720 breweries from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., in 35 socially distanced judging sessions during an 18-day period.
Steve Holle, KC Bier Co. founder and managing owner, and Karlton Graham, KC Bier Co. head brewer, both studied German brewing at the Doemens Academy outside of Munich, where they learned traditional brewing techniques including decoction mashing, two-tank fermentation and conditioning, and natural carbonation.
Holle said the two medals are a testament to the brewery’s commitment to brewing high-quality German-style bier using time-honored brewing methods and only four ingredients: water, yeast, and all-imported German malt and hops.
“Our mission always has been to brew authentic-tasting German-style beer and deliver it with the same character, flavor and freshness as beer brewed and consumed in Germany,” Holle said. “We go to great lengths to brew our bier in the traditional way, and are honored that the judges recognized our dedication to these methods that helped Hefeweizen and Pils stand out among hundreds of entries in their categories.”
The GABF medals for Hefeweizen and Pils round out an impressive set of accolades for the brewery’s core four year-round brands. Dunkel, a Munich-style brown lager, was named the Best Local Lager in Kansas City in The Pitch Best of KC Awards in 2019 by more than 40,000 voters; and Helles Lager was named one of the 19 Best Beers of 2019 by Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine.
All four brands are available year-round on draft and in 6-packs in liquor and grocery stores across the entire state of Kansas, and in western and northeast Missouri.
We’re pleased to announce that Prost in Place “Oktoberfest To-Go” kits will be available to order at shopkcbier.com beginning Thursday, Sept. 10. Perfect for your socially-distanced, small-group Oktoberfest gatherings at home in the driveway, patio or backyard, the Prost in Place package includes the following:
Each kit also will include pretzel reheating instructions, a link to an Oktoberfest Spotify playlist curated by KC Bier Co. staff and an “Ein Prosit” lyric sheet. Guests are encouraged to post a video selfie on social media of their group singing “Ein Prosit” and use #prostinplace for a chance to win KC Bier Co. prizes! (Must post video and use hashtag to be eligible to win prizes)
The first 10 customers to purchase a Prost in Place package will automatically receive a reserved table (for up to 6 guests) in the Biergarten for a live performance by Das ist Lustig on Thursday, Sept. 24. One of the main stage performers from KC Oktoberfest 2019, Houston-based Das ist Lustig is a high-energy trio performing German polka, drinking songs and folk songs. Guests must order the Prost in Place package by Sept. 17 @ 11:59pm to be registered.
All orders for Prost in Place packages must placed online at shopkcbier.com to allow time for our staff to prepare and stage orders for pickup on the dates listed below.
Prost in Place Package Pickup Dates:
While we’re heartbroken we can’t prost and polka with you and 15,000 other merrymakers at Crown Center this year, we hope these take-home kits will help get you in the Oktoberfest spirit and enjoy a little fellowship with Festbier, family and friends.
Kansas City’s Largest Independent and Locally Owned
Brewery Now Among Top 3 Percent of U.S. Breweries
Jan. 10, 2020 – Kansas City, Mo. — KC Bier Co., Kansas City’s largest independent and locally-owned brewery, announces that it has advanced from microbrewery status to regional brewer status, per definitions set by the Brewers Association (BA), the national trade group representing the craft beer industry in the United States.
The brewery attained this status with its production volume of 16,526 barrels of bier in 2019 — a 24 percent increase over 2018 — which also outpaces the 4 percent national average growth rate for independent craft brewers. As a regional brewer, KC Bier Co. is now part of a class of breweries representing approximately the top 3 percent of all breweries in the U.S.
According to the BA 2018 data, there were 7,346 total breweries operating in the U.S., of which 7,116 breweries, or approximately 97 percent, are defined as brewpubs and microbreweries, while only 230 are defined as regional breweries. (2019 data is not yet available).
Steve Holle, KC Bier Co. founder and managing owner, said the brewery’s growth into regional status is a testament to its commitment to brewing high-quality and genuine German-style beers using time-honored traditional German brewing methods and only four ingredients: water, yeast, and all-imported German malt and hops.
“Our mission always has been to brew authentic-tasting German-style beer and deliver it with the same character, flavor and freshness as beer brewed and consumed in Germany,” Holle said. “We’re grateful for the consumers, retailers and our distributors who helped us achieve this milestone in only six years even through our distribution area included just one major city, Kansas and western Missouri.”
Other brewery highlights from 2019 include the brewery’s Helles Lager being named one of the 19 Best Beers of 2019 by Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine, a national trade publication; being named one of the Top 10 Small Businesses of the Year by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce; and the brewery’s KC Oktoberfest, which drew more than 11,000 attendees to Crown Center on Oct. 4-5, was named Favorite Beer Festival in KC in VisitKC’s 2019 Visitors’ Choice Awards.
310 W 79th St
Kansas City, MO 64114
(816) 214-8691
Our bier is made to be enjoyed by adults of legal drinking age.