Beer Tasting and Brewery Tours at Boulevard Brewing Company
What are the things that allure us the most? The things that come with the label "forbidden". Don't blame us as we all know who implanted this in our nature and how. Yes friends, it's all about the "forbidden fruit", the "original sin", and the "fall of man". That's how you and I exist, so no one can deny or defy that, at least not me, being just a mere mortal. Interestingly, some of these "forbidden" things are accompanied with another label, that is, "age", obviously in countries and societies which follow a certain kind of law. Isn't that a way to make it more desirable? Oh yes! All of us have gone through the prolonged and sometimes almost unbearable wait to finally cut the cake on "the DAY" when we finally turned "eligible".
That's where this story begins. How does it taste like? Yes, I am talking about exploring, for the first time, that mysterious and "forbidden" form of fermented sugar used in the making of a number of beverages, also known as alcohol. So a bunch of enthusiasts agreed on a date, time and place. None of us wished to get drunk on our first attempt and moreover we didn't want to make our parents furious. Therefore, we choose to order beer, as it one of the least alcoholic drinks. We were least aware of the good and bad in terms of brand, thus went for whatever suited our jobless pockets. Then came the moment of truth, time to whiff and sip. Sensation 1: The perfect oxymoron, chilled warmth down the throat. Sensation 2: The most bitter thing I had ever tasted. And on that very day I decided to quit beer. Well, in the course next few years I had tried and enjoyed almost all types of popular alcoholic beverages and everything tasted better than beer.
Believe me not, I never had beer again until I came to U.S.A two years back and finally got rid of the self-imposed beer taboo. And since then it has been 'such a long journey' from hating beer to taking brewery tours and even relishing on a variety of craft beers. So, how could I not explore a famous brewery in the very city that I live in. Therefore, one fine spring Sunday I was at Boulevard Brewing Company with my husband to check out Kansas City's very own brewery.
There are several tours offered by the brewery throughout the week. Find more information on the different tours here. You can choose according to your preference based to time, duration and interest. We opted for the Free Public Tour. This tour is available everyday of the week. It is a 40 minute guided tour of the property, where you can learn about the process of beer making and enjoy a flight of beer at the end of the tour. Did I mention all this is FREE. Well wait before you rush out of your home, remember to wear closed shoes if you are planning to take any of these tours or else you will be sent back. The brewery made this mandatory just a week ago.
So we met our guide John and he lead our group to the building where it all started back in 1989. This brick building is on Kansas City's Southwest Boulevard. You are right, that's why the name. John narrated how young Jon McDonald's travel to France changed his life. There he stopped by a Belgian joint and was amazed by the long list of beer they had to offer. He had no idea that there was so much more to beer as he had experienced nothing like it back home. He came back and started making his own beer which slowly grew to be what Boulevard is today.
It was exciting to know about the history of craft beer making in the U.S. and also the process. The experience of walking amidst a running factory, with all the sound of machines and the sight of towering cylinders producing variety of thirst quenchers is so different than walking down the isles of a supermarket.
The tour gives you an overall idea about the process of beer making starting from the gathering of ingredients to delivering those at superstores and restaurants. And at end of the tour you reach the tasting room and get to enjoy a flight of beer choosing from available varieties.
We choose Tropical Pale Ale, Ginger-Lemon Radler, Tank 7, and Frequent Flier Session. Each one of them was unique. What could you ask more on a Sunday afternoon than enjoying the sun and the ale and the best of company. Cheers to such days which become memories and cheers to Boulevard!
Photographs by Swakshar Ghosh.
This is not a sponsored post and all opinions are that of my own.
There are several tours offered by the brewery throughout the week. Find more information on the different tours here. You can choose according to your preference based to time, duration and interest. We opted for the Free Public Tour. This tour is available everyday of the week. It is a 40 minute guided tour of the property, where you can learn about the process of beer making and enjoy a flight of beer at the end of the tour. Did I mention all this is FREE. Well wait before you rush out of your home, remember to wear closed shoes if you are planning to take any of these tours or else you will be sent back. The brewery made this mandatory just a week ago.
So we met our guide John and he lead our group to the building where it all started back in 1989. This brick building is on Kansas City's Southwest Boulevard. You are right, that's why the name. John narrated how young Jon McDonald's travel to France changed his life. There he stopped by a Belgian joint and was amazed by the long list of beer they had to offer. He had no idea that there was so much more to beer as he had experienced nothing like it back home. He came back and started making his own beer which slowly grew to be what Boulevard is today.
It was exciting to know about the history of craft beer making in the U.S. and also the process. The experience of walking amidst a running factory, with all the sound of machines and the sight of towering cylinders producing variety of thirst quenchers is so different than walking down the isles of a supermarket.
The tour gives you an overall idea about the process of beer making starting from the gathering of ingredients to delivering those at superstores and restaurants. And at end of the tour you reach the tasting room and get to enjoy a flight of beer choosing from available varieties.
We choose Tropical Pale Ale, Ginger-Lemon Radler, Tank 7, and Frequent Flier Session. Each one of them was unique. What could you ask more on a Sunday afternoon than enjoying the sun and the ale and the best of company. Cheers to such days which become memories and cheers to Boulevard!
Photographs by Swakshar Ghosh.
This is not a sponsored post and all opinions are that of my own.
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