Tap List | Chatting with Calibration, Plus A Reuben Beer Pairing

Calibration Brewing Company (119 Armour Road, North Kansas City, Missouri) celebrates its first anniversary with a beer festival from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21. The event features live music and regional vendors, such as Cinder Block Brewery, Colony KC, Fringe Beerworks, Restless Spirits, Lifted Spirits, Earthbound Brewing Company from St. Louis, Beer Paws, The Brewkery, and Martin City Brewing Company. Proceeds from a raffle will support hurricane relief efforts. Tickets ($25) include a commemorative glass.

As the brewery nears its first year in business, Flatland reached out to Glen Stinson, owner of Calibration Brewing, with five questions about his fledgling company.

Flatland: What can you share that demonstrates the brewery’s growth since inception?

Stinson: We started out as a seven-barrel [brewhouse] system with 15 fermentation and conditioning tanks. We still have room to grow. Our hope is to start distributing before the end of the year. We started out with seven different beers and now have 16 different beers.

What was the biggest initial challenge to open the brewery?

Meeting self-imposed deadlines. Since we served as our general contractor, doing the construction, designing and work was enjoyable but at a great effort.

What milestones would you like to note?

Getting our patio area open. Although we are nowhere near completion, it is great to see our patrons enjoy the space. Bocce ball courts are soon to come.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of operating the brewery?

Looking back and seeing what has been accomplished. Also, getting to know the different personalities of those working at Calibration and appreciating them as our greatest asset.

Any advice you’d give to up-and-coming brewery owners and brewers?

Count the cost and see if you have the time and the energy.

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Prime Pairing: Beer and Food at Rock and Run Brewery and Pub

Rock and Run Brewery and Pub (110 E. Kansas St., Liberty, Missouri) recently regained its full dining room after renovation, installed a new brewhouse, and upgraded its menu. A close look at the menu reveals several tempting beer and food pairings to enjoy at the brewpub.

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Try an appetizer of pork belly flatbread with Rock and Run’s Rocktoberfest Marzen on tap. Tender pork belly, red onions, feta cheese, arugula, and barbecue sauce top toasted naan. The yeasty flavor of naan, a leavened flatbread common to Indian cuisine, and meaty bits of pork belly pair well with the beer’s malty profile. Sweet barbecue sauce accents the sweet maltiness of Rocktoberfest while peppery hints of arugula and the salty tang of feta cheese deliver a pleasing contrast.

The hearty reuben, made with thick-cut marble rye bread, corned beef, Swiss cheese, Thousand Island dressing, and sauerkraut, is an ideal match with Ryely Porter, a porter made with rye malt. Used in beer, rye adds a hint of peppery bite that stands up to the rich flavors of a reuben.

For a lighter touch, consider the cedar plank grilled salmon served with quinoa and seasonal vegetables. Liberty Squared American Blonde Ale and Bleach Blonde Pale Ale each have low IBUs and hoppiness that won’t overwhelm the delicate flavors of the dish, yet provide enough crisp finish to counter subtle, smoky notes from grilling.

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Tap Notes

Red Crow Brewing Company (20561 S. Lone Elm Road, Spring Hill, Kansas) has Anne, a German Alt (5.2-percent, 25 IBUs), on tap. Starting with a Pilsen malt base, Munich, Vienna, and crystal malt is blended with roasted barley to give this German Alt a smooth, caramel, malty body.

Colony KC (312 Armour Road, North Kansas City, Missouri) released Gose The Distance, a pink rosé-inspired gose. A portion of proceeds from sales of this beer go to metavivor.org in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

See calendar listings below for additional releases.

Tickets are now on sale for the Seventh Annual Strong Ale Fest in Westport (4057 Pennsylvania Ave.). Held on Saturday, Nov. 11, 1 to 5 p.m., the popular fest is a cold weather outdoor event. Tickets ($40 advance, $50 day of event) include entry, a commemorative glass and unlimited beer sampling of more than 70 beers at 8-percent ABV or higher. More than 30 American and international craft breweries will be represented. The event is a benefit fundraiser for AIDS Walk Kansas City.

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— Pete Dulin writes about food trends for Flatland and is the author of the KC Ale Trail. Follow @FlatlandKC and #TapList on Twitter for more food news and trends.