Tap List | KC Bier Co. is Bringing Oktoberfest to Crown Center

There will be a little more oomph in the oom-pah-pah at KC Bier Co.’s Oktoberfest this year. The festival, now in its fifth year, is moving from the Waldo brewery’s bier garden to the plaza at Crown Center.

“We ran out of space at the brewery,” KC Bier Co. founder and managing partner Steve Holle said of the popular festival.

This year’s Oktoberfest celebration is this Friday, Oct. 5 and Saturday, Oct. 6, and will feature a carnival, kids’ play area, food from Grunauer and Chicken N Pickle, and bench seating for more than 1,500 people.

KC Bier Co. founder Steve Holle is ready to raise a stein at Oktoberfest. (Contributed | KC Bier Co.)

“Everybody sits at the table together, and I think it adds to the festive communal celebration,” Holle said. “When you sit at a folding table and folding chairs, it’s not the same feeling.”

A pair of bands, Die Wilderer and Die Schornsteinfeger, are flying in from Bavaria to play traditional German tunes.

“Music is very important to Oktoberfest,” Holle said. “You can swing to the music or sing to the music, if you can.”

KC Bier will be serving its Festbier, Dunkel, Hefeweizen, Helles and Pils. They’ll also have a special release of a bourbon barrel-aged dunkelbock, a bourbon barrel-aged Uber-Fest, and Birne cider made with Bosc pears.

“The brewers really enjoy doing something creative. Sometimes drinkers don’t see us as being very edgy,” Holle said. “We want to show that we can do the cool things like everybody else.”

In addition to providing yard games, Chicken N Pickle, will be selling rotisserie chicken. Holle noted that chicken is everywhere at the Oktoberfest celebration in Munich, Germany. As for German fare, KC Bier Co. will have their pretzels and Grunauer will have gulasch, sausages, and schweinhaxe, a bone-in pork roast.

“The schweinhaxe is a traditional Bavarian dish at a beer garden,” Holle said. “A Dunkel or Helles would be a good pairing.”

Oktoberfest is from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday. One-day general admission tickets are $7 until Thursday, and then they are $10 (they will be available at the gate too). VIP tickets ($55) are still available for Friday. Children under 12 years old can get in free.

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Tap Notes

Colony’s (312 Armour Road, North Kansas City, Missouri) Kansas City Coffee Kolsch is back on tap. Cinco Wheat, brewed with cilantro, sea salt, and lime; and Zeus, a Milkshake IPA with lactose and vanilla bean, are on, too.

Crane Brewing Co. (6515 Railroad St., Raytown, Missouri,) has Grapefruit Gose, Gooseberry Gose, Tea Weiss, Beet Weiss, Apricot Weiss and Festweiss on tap.

River Bluff Brewing is open at 1224 Frederick Ave. in St. Joseph, Missouri. They’re serving Sandy Dunes Saison (7% ABV), a porter and an IPA. There’s an oatmeal stout, hibiscus wheat and amber rye ale in the works.

Green Room Burgers & Beer (4010 Pennsylvania Ave.) has tapped Ryen’t You Glad I Didn’t Say Brown, Anna.

Free State Brewing Co.’s taproom will be closed for equipment maintenance today, but will reopen tomorrow at 11 a.m.

Miami Creek Brewing Co.’s Chrissy’s Cream Ale is on tap at Bier Station (120 E. Gregory Blvd).

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