Brewhouse One: Caramel Apple Pie

Caramel Apple Pie Barrel-Aged Brown Ale with Pecans, Cinnamon & Brown Sugar

“Decadent. Sticky. Warming.”

Three words used by Boulevard’s innovation brewer, Greg Garrity, to describe our latest Brewhouse One collaboration with The Upper Crust Pie Bakery. Forty caramel apple pies were pulled gently out of the oven and then delicately laid into Brewhouse One. The result? A barrel-aged imperial brown ale with pecans, cinnamon, and brown sugar that tastes like autumn wrapped in a glass.

A Sweet Tradition

For Kellie and Lisa, the current owners of The Upper Crust Pie Bakery, this project is more than a collaboration—it’s the continuation of a story that began over twenty years ago. Sisters Jan and Elaine launched the bakery in 2003, first selling pies at the Overland Park Farmers Market before opening a small shop in the basement of Pryde’s in Westport. By 2012, the business found its forever home on Santa Fe Drive in downtown Overland Park.

When Jan and Elaine retired in early 2024, Kellie and Lisa—longtime employees who had fallen in love with the rhythms of baking and the community around it—stepped in to carry on the tradition and to keep this little slice of Kansas City history alive. “We’re so excited to be carrying on the tradition of fresh-baked goodies on Santa Fe Drive,” they shared.

Pie Meets Beer

That next chapter took a delicious turn when Greg Garrity came calling with an idea: what if Boulevard turned one of The Upper Crust’s pies into a beer?

“We were honestly just flattered,” Kellie recalled.

Pumpkin pie was the first idea tossed around—after all, nothing says fall quite like pumpkin spice—but Kellie and Lisa wanted to do something unique to their shop. Caramel apple pie, a fall bestseller, felt like the perfect fit. “It’s one of our most beloved flavors,” Lisa said, “and it felt a bit more unique to our shop.”

Greg was more than happy to take their lead. “I like to let our collaborative partners run the show as much as possible,” he explained. “When they lightly put their feet down for caramel apple, I knew it was meant to be.”

Out of the Oven, Into the Brewhouse

On brew day, The Upper Crust team joined Greg and the Boulevard crew, balancing the demands of the bakery with the chance to see their pies transform into beer. Greg made sure the timing worked so staff could be there. “Sometimes it’s tough to step away from our ovens,” Lisa admitted, “but being there was so worth it.”

That’s because the pies didn’t just inspire the recipe, they became the recipe. Forty freshly baked caramel apple pies were layered directly into the lauter tun, mingling with a rich imperial brown base brewed with wheat, oats, caramel malts, Greg then topped up the brew kettle with molasses, and brown sugar.

“The apple flavor that came off the wort was unreal,” Greg remembered. “It had the craziest apple flavor and aroma. That’s when I knew we had something really special.”

For Kellie and Lisa, watching their pies disappear into the brew was surreal. “There’s no higher compliment,” they said. “Seeing The Upper Crust’s name next to Boulevard’s on a bottle? That’s just flat-out cool.”

Autumn Ready

The finished beer is exactly what you’d hope for: rich, warming, and deeply autumnal. The aroma brims with pie crust and spiced apples, while the flavor is balanced—sweet but not cloying, with a smooth mouthfeel that begs for a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Both baking and brewing are labors of love, and that’s what Kellie and Lisa hope shines through. “We want people to taste the care, the creativity, and the love that goes into everything we make,” they said.

Gratitude & Community

At its heart, this collaboration is about more than pie and beer—it’s about Kansas City’s community of makers and supporters. “We hope people walk away with a greater appreciation for pie,” Kellie and Lisa said with a smile. “And maybe they’ll even come visit us on Santa Fe Drive.”

They added a note of thanks: “Supporting small businesses has never been more important. The KC community is the reason our doors are open and our ovens are on, and we’re so thankful.”

And if you’re already planning for Thanksgiving, here’s a pro tip from the bakers themselves: Upper Crust’s Thanksgiving pre-orders open November 1. Call the shop at (913) 642-2999 to get on the email list—don’t wait too long, because certain flavors always sell out.