Boulevard Brewing Company exists on the edge of one of the great neighborhoods of downtown Kansas City, the historic Crossroads Arts District.

What was once full of abandoned warehouses and historic buildings is now a bustling art and social scene. The Crossroads neighborhood is a mecca for creativity – an abundance of art galleries, tech development, dining, and nightlife.

Nestled in the heart of this district are our friends and neighbors, Rochester Brewing and Roasting Company. The name comes from the historic Rochester Brewery that operated in the neighborhood during the late 1800s.

Rochester Brewing and Roasting Company started as a dream shared between friends Philip Enloe and Marshall Van Tuyl in 2017. That dream became a reality in the summer of 2019 when Philip combined his coffee roasting know-how, with Marshall’s brewing prowess. Together they brought in longtime friend and fellow brewer David Bulcock to get things up and running. Today, Rochester boasts a lively coffee business in the early part of the day and a vibrant beer tasting room in the evening.

Not only is the coffee amazing, but their philosophy of “providing direct-from-origin coffee to ensure that workers are getting paid a fair wage” resonates with many of Boulevard’s core principles. With those two elements in mind, Rochester was the perfect choice for collaboration on our next Brewhouse One release.

The crack team of barrel aging experts here at Boulevard hand-selected barrels in which to add carefully selected roasted coffee beans. A blend of two different types of whiskey barrels, 60% in rye whiskey barrels and 40% in whiskey barrels with maple added at the finish. While our brewers were selecting the barrels for this blend, they also worked closely with the folks from Rochester to find the perfect coffee beans to add to the beer. After a fun cupping session, both teams were buzzing with excitement (and caffeine) when they landed on their Rochester Original blend, comprised of beans sourced from Guatemala and Brazil.

The result is Crossroads Double Barrel Aged Imperial Coffee Ale with Maple. A mouthful to be sure, but then, so is the beer. Clocking in at 13% abv the beer is buzz-worthy in more than one way. Spicy rye up front, tempered by the subtle addition of maple. While the coffee is bright and floral and not typical of a coffee chosen for a barrel-aged beer, the body of the blended beer supports a coffee that is lightly roasted. Well balanced, you’ll be able to note the character of each barrel, coffee, and a touch of the richness provided by the addition of maple.

One interesting by-product of adding the rye barrel-aged beer was how it lightened the color of the beer when blended. When poured into a clean glass, the beer is remarkably similar to the color of a great cuppa joe.

 RELEASE DETAILS

Friday, October 7^th , 11 AM – EXCLUSIVELY IN OUR BOULEVARD TOURS & REC CENTER GIFT SHOP

Our friends from Rochester Brewing & Roasting will be here when we open with Donuts and coffee while supplies last!

Take it home:

4-pack 12 oz. bottles - $32

Draft pours in the Beer Hall will be available for your enjoyment on draft:

5 oz. pour - $5

8 oz. pour - $8