The quarantine had us itching to get out and try something new for date night. Now , I’m embarrassed to admit, I have never been on a Boulevard tour even though I’ve lived in KC for the majority of my life. WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG? The place is gorgeous, the tour was so interesting, and the tasting was great— so says my husband on that last part. You will laugh, but I don’t like beer. This made the tasting and tour all the more interesting for me.
I didn’t know making beer was such an interesting process, and I didn’t know a lot about how to make flavors or that there was such a thing as sour beer? Yes, it is just as it sounds: SOUR. Our tour guide, Keith kept us on our toes, engaged in witty banter, and made us laugh all the while, doting on their company: A local treasure and an amazing success story.
From the first second we walked in the door, I could tell the work culture is friendly, relaxed and inviting. Honestly, I considered working there after I saw how much fun the employees were having teaching, guiding, bartending, and general razzing of one another in good fun. Boulevard embodies what we love about KC: good people, good drinks, good food, and good , clean, fun. God, I love the midwest!
Back to the beer. Unlike College days, we learned how to taste a beer, not just chug it. “Smell the beer. Now take 3 quick sips. What do you taste?”
We yelled various components:
Grass!
Is that clove?
I’m getting a floral in this one.
Keith wrote them on the board like a guy who missed his calling as 4th grade teacher. Then turned around, “None of that is in there! It’s all about your taste buds and the psychology of taste!” How cool is that? We all tasted something different, while drinking the same thing. Go figure.
Once the crew knew I wasn’t a beer drinker, they pulled me a hibiscus sour beer (probably to watch my one-eyed pucker face contortion?). Keith reminded us, "Same rules as before!" The first sip was really not palatable, and my face showed it. Laughter filled the room. Second sip, I noticed the hibiscus —but, it's still not tasting great. Third sip, oh, this is kind of light and floral. And this is where I surprised myself, I think this one is my favorite? How did that happen? If Keith didn't have a mask on, I think I would have seen him smile.
After the tour ended, we sat on the patio at sunset and eves-dropped on conversations, as we all do. I was surprised at how many first dates were happening! But what a perfect place to ease the tension by trying a beer flight together and taking in the KC skyline. I topped the night off with their new blackberry sage vodka seltzer— Quirk. I hadn’t seen these in stores yet, so was excited to try it. Two thumbs up! And, while I won’t go so far as to say I like beer (I’ll leave that to my husband), I will say, it was a really fun experience to do together. We laughed a lot, tried something new, and broke up the monotony of quarantine. Unlike 2020, I will give Boulevard Brewery 5 stars, would recommend.