Hometown Brew: Recent Episodes
Matthew Grosdidier
A podcast taking listeners behind the scenes of all things craft beer in Kansas City. Hosted by beer nerd and amateur homebrewer, Matt Grosdidier.
On today's episode I sit down with Courtney Servaes, owner and head brewer of Servaes brewing in Shawnee. They make some super unique and delicious beers here and also have a kid friendly tap room with craft sodas!
Within the episode we talk about:
- How Courtney got interested in craft beer and eventually decided to start a brewery of her own
- The uni-tank brewing system she uses
- Distribution challenges with supply and demand
- Where she gets her inspiration for her unique beer recipes
- How she and her son started brewing Aaron's craft soda
To learn more about her brewery check out their website at servaesbrewco.com
On today's episode I talk with Chris Meyers, co-owner of Crane Brewing. They brew a variety of beers but focus heavily on farmhouse and sour style ales. They distribute all over the metro area, and they have a taproom in Raytown, MO. Crane has a strong interest in their community and many of their beers have a special cause behind them.
Within the episode we talk about:
- Chris's background and how he got interested in beer
- Crane's name and branding
- Their distribution-first strategy
- My favorite tasting I've done so far on the show where we walk through 5 of Crane's beers and discuss the story behind each of them
To learn more about their brewery check them out on social media or at their website!
This episode features a conversation with Philip, Marshall, and David, the three owners of Rochester Brewing and Roasting Company. They are located in the Crossroads at 2129 Washington St. and have a very spacious taproom. They serve beer and coffee products all day long and host private and public events in their space. This unique business of beer and coffee under one roof is really cool and I recommend you swing by and check it out!
Within the episode we talk about:
- The story of how the three owners met and Rochester began
- Their unique offering of coffee and beer
- Events (Both private and community)
- Their beer styles, along with a tasting
- Favorite hops and also close with favorite beer/coffee ever
To learn more about their brewery check out their website at rochesterkc.com
On this special bonus episode, I finish up my conversation with two of the three City Barrel owners, Grant Waner and Joe Giammanco. City Barrel is a brewery and restaurant serving hoppy, wild, and sour beer with a delicious rotating menu of gourmet food.
In this second part, we discuss:
- A suggestion to use only waffle irons in their kitchen
- Grant's time at Tallgrass Brewing in Manhattan
- Joe meeting Grant's brewing idol in San Francisco
- A story about an exploding barrel in their brewery
- Some chemistry behind the Hazy IPA
To learn more about City Barrel, check them out on Instagram (@citybarrel) or at their website (citybarrelbrewing.com).
On this episode, I talk with two of the three City Barrel owners, Grant Waner and Joe Giammanco. City Barrel is a brewery and restaurant serving hoppy, wild, and sour beer with a delicious rotating menu of gourmet food. They are celebrating their second anniversary this week by releasing tons of new beers in what they call "Week of Rad", so be sure to stop by their taproom in the crossroads.
Because Grant and Joe had so many great stories, I'm splitting this episode into two. In part 1, we discuss:
- The founding story and how they chose the name "City Barrel"
- Their progression of beers and dedication to customer experience
- Sampling of two of their sours
- Discuss the coolship, an old method of cooling wort down
- Try one of the many beers coming out during Week of Rad
To learn more about City Barrel, check them out on Instagram (@citybarrel) or at their website (citybarrelbrewing.com).
On this episode, I talk with KC Bier Co founder and managing partner Steve Holle. Their motto is "We put the i back in Bier", and it shows with their dedication to authentic German style lagers and ales brewed with traditional processes. The majority of their beer is out for distribution in liquor stores and bars/restaurants, but they also have a biergarten and taproom in Waldo.
Steve knows his stuff and I learned lots talking with him. We discuss:
- Steve's background and how he got into German beers
- A unique beer process involving freezing beer to remove some of the water content, called an Eisbock.
- The story of strong, "nutritious" beers being created for the fasting during Lent.
- German culture and what brewing according to the purity laws of Germany means
- The food at KC Bier
To learn more about their brewery check out their very in-depth website at kcbier.com, it has some really great info about their history and processes and also a beer finder to go buy some of their beers.
On today's show I talk with Brian Turner (BT) from Craftapped, a social craft beverage club originally started in Minnesota but has recently expanded it's partnerships into the Kansas City metro. Members of the club can enjoy an easy to use mobile app that helps them explore craft beers in their area or across the country, by giving them 10 complimentary beer credits per month.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Where the idea for Craftapped started
- What makes this beer club unique and the power of a digital platform
- Looking forward to post-COVID social gatherings and what Craftapped normally does for happy hour events
To learn more about the club or to become a member, head to www.craftapped.com and follow them on Instagram.
On this episode of Hometown Brew, I talk with Kevin and Jodie Gittemeier from Nimble Brewing in the Crossroads. The husband and wife duo are the sole operators and the brewery is open every Friday/Saturday night. They have a very unique and fun space that features ~8 continuously rotating beers, a full service bar, and a fridge of guest beers.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Trying to keep up with demand and process of approving new recipes
- Subjectivity of tasting beer and Kevin's ever-changing palate
- A deep dive on Hazy IPAs and Sour beers
- What makes Nimble's atmosphere and space unique
- A tasting of one of their newer "single hop" sours.
To learn more about their brewery or to check if they have to-go beers available, head to www.nimblebrewing.com and follow them on Instagram.
On this episode, I talk with head brewer and co-owner of Limitless Brewing, Dave Mobley. They just hit their two year anniversary, and are best known in the area for the fun community events they host at the brewery.
In our conversation, Dave and I cover the following:
- Dave's beer blog where he traveled to 100+ breweries across the country
- The recent overruling of the Kansas law requiring 30% of sales to come from food
- Their community centered approach and mission
- Transitioning to full time brewing, differences from homebrew scale, and recent upgrades to their brewing process
- Plans to build a new space from the ground up
To find out more about the brewery or place an order for beer, head to www.limitlessbrewing.com and also be sure to follow them on all social media platforms to stay up to date on their latest events and releases!
Strange Days is located in the River Market in downtown Kansas City. They opened in March of 2018 and are currently open Thurs - Sunday. On the show today is Chris Beier, one of the founders and owners of the brewery.
Topics Include:
- The origin of the brewery and how it became a soccer spot
- Dealing with COVID adjustments
- Future expansions
- Current and upcoming beers
- Craft beer community / Beer festivals
To find out more about the brewery or place an order for beer, head to www.strangedaysbrewing.com