Carolator, our pale doppelbock lager, is brewed each year in memory of Carol Crawford, sister of our founder Steve and mother to brewer Chad, who passed away in 2020. Steve, Chad, and Carol’s husband Brian gather each year in November to brew this special bier.
Every year since the brewery opened in 2014, we have brewed a doppelbock in the winter to be blessed and released around the time of Lent, following a Bavarian brewing tradition. This tradition was established in the 1600s by the Paulaner monks of Munich who brewed a strong bier, or “liquid bread”, to nourish them during their Lenten fast. They called their bier Salvator, meaning “Our Savior”. To this day, Bavarian breweries and others commemorate the tradition by releasing a Doppelbock for Lent and by giving their doppelbocks names with the suffix “-ator”.
Carol unexpectedly passed away in 2020, and we saw fit to name our Blessed Doppelbock after her. Carol’s smile and generous spirt were a constant presence in the Bierhalle, and her warmth was felt by all she encountered. So, in honor of her, beginning in 2021, the Blessed Doppelbock was renamed “Carolator” to pay homage to the original Lenten brew and to honor Carol. Each year, we bring a local priest to the brewery to bless the bier and gather with Carol’s family and friends to celebrate.
Carolator is available now in 6-packs and on draft at the Bierhalle and select retail locations. $1 per draft bier and 6-pack purchased at the Bierhalle will be donated to Developing Potential Inc., a local nonprofit organization that provides habilitation services to adults with disabilities, including Carol’s son, Michael.
Carolator: Tradition and Memorium
Every year since the brewery opened in 2014, we have brewed a doppelbock in the winter to be blessed and released around the time of Lent, following a Bavarian brewing tradition. This tradition was established in the 1600s by the Paulaner monks of Munich who brewed a strong bier, or “liquid bread”, to nourish them during their Lenten fast. They called their bier Salvator, meaning “Our Savior”. To this day, Bavarian breweries and others commemorate the tradition by releasing a Doppelbock for Lent and by giving their doppelbocks names with the suffix “-ator”.
In 2020, Kansas City Bier Company lost a beloved family member, Carol, the older sister of founder and managing owner Steve, and mother of brewer Chad. Carol’s smile and generous spirt were a constant presence in the Bierhalle, and her warmth was felt by all she encountered. Beginning in 2021, the Blessed Doppelbock was renamed “Carolator” to pay homage to the original Lenten brew and to honor Carol.
Carolator is a 7.4% Heller Doppelbock brewed with 100% Imported German Pilsner malt and 100% Imported German Perle and Tettnanger hops grown on the 600-year-old Seitz Farm in Bavaria. It was cold-conditioned for more than nine weeks, and then blessed by a priest in the company of Carol’s family before being bottled and put into kegs.
$1 from every Carolator sold will be donated to Developing Potential, Inc., a local nonprofit organization that provides habilitation services to adults with disabilities, including Carol’s son, Michael.
With Carolator, we honor German brewing tradition and honor Carol. We hope that you raise a glass of this bier and think of her.
2021 Blessed Doppelbock Release Honors Brewery Founder’s Sister
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!
Bundle Up in the Biergarten
It’s time to bundle up in the Biergarten! As the temperature drops, so do prices of draft bier for guests who sit outside in the Biergarten! Starting Dec. 5 and running through the end of March, guests who sit in the Biergarten will receive discounts on draft pours of any bier not over 8% ABV, based on the following temperature/discount scale:
- 55 degrees: 15% off
- 50 degrees: 25% off
- 45 degrees: 35% off
- 40 degrees and below: 50% off
For those willing to brave the cold and enjoy a few rounds, we kindly ask that you support our staff by tipping your servers on the pre-discount price of the bier.
To receive the discount, there are a few rules:
- Your server will record the temperature when after you have been seated — this is the discount you’ll receive for the duration of your visit
- Discounts only applicable to bier under 8% ABV
- Guests must spend entire visit in the Biergarten
- Discounts are forfeited for guests who move inside
- Cannot be combined with other discounts
Bundle up, grab a bier and get toasty!
KC Bier Co Wins 2 Medals at GABF!
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.
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