Story by Dave Eckert
Ever tried your hand at brewing your own beer? I never have, but I’ve known lots of folks who’ve brewed up a storm and really loved it. Still, I had no idea just how popular home brewing was until I started doing some research for this article. According to the American Homebrewers Association, there are more than 1,000,000 dedicated home brewers in the United States! So, yeah, it’s very popular. I wanted to know how many there were in Kansas City and wanted to try some of their brews. While I never could pin down an answer to the actual number of home brewers in the metro, I had plenty of luck meeting some and sampling their wares.
Photo courtesy of 816Pack
I started with the area’s many home brewing clubs. I discovered there were anywhere from five to eight clubs throughout the metro, some with sizeable memberships, some much more intimate, all meeting at various times, locations, and venues. I caught up with two, the first being the newest – the 816Pack (they all have clever beer-themed names), which meets at Cinderblock Brewery in North Kansas City. I visited with 816Pack Co-Founders Shaun Holbrook and Tony Sasso along with club members Eric Lightfoot and Brian Paur and tasted several of their brews.
First, a little background on the 816Pack. “My friend, Tony Sasso, and I started the club in September 2022 because we wanted a relaxed, approachable club with low barrier to entry. We have approximately 10 members,” Holbrook told me. He started home brewing about five years ago because Sasso did it and it looked like fun. “For me, homebrewing allows me to be creative and enjoy a finished product that I made. And the community is very supportive. Every homebrewer I’ve run into has a love of the craft and a pride of their labors,” Holbrook shared.
As for the sampling part of the equation, Holbrook brought a SchwarzBier to try. The SchwarzBier is a dark German larger, one of the oldest beer styles, according to Holbrook. He described it as “super dry and malty.” My notes simply say, “lovely.” For his part, Sasso sampled a mixed berry hard cider, which was fruity and crisp, but extremely complex with a long finish. I should say here that, yes, while these are home brewer clubs, members often veer into the cider, mead, and other brewing categories. I think my favorite of the tasting was Paur’s Mexican lager, to which he added some hops grown in his backyard. With notes of lemon, lime, and orange peel, and deliciously long finish, you can have your Corona, and I’ll have this! All in all, I considered my time spent with the 816Pack members both informative and tasty. How many times do you get to experience that combination?
Photo courtesy of KC Bier Meisters
From the newest club in the metro to the oldest – KC Bier Meisters, which has been in existence since 1983, making it not just the oldest club in Kansas City, but one of the oldest in the nation. I attended their monthly meeting at the Lenexa VFW Hall, where I had the chance to visit with club member, Eric Martin.
Hovering around 100 members, Bier Meisters is an impressive collection of brewing enthusiasts. I asked Martin what he personally enjoyed about homebrewing. “I enjoy the research about beer styles and recipe formulation. Yes, research does involve drinking. Lol. I also enjoy competing in homebrew competitions across the country. As for the club, it’s a great diverse group of people who nerd out on the same thing that I do. We have great educational meetings every month. We participate in festivals pouring our beer for guests. We have a large competition every year. We also give back to the community – specifically donations and volunteer work for Harvesters and CASA,” Martin shared.
Martin says he’s been homebrewing since 2012, and he just brewed his 213th batch the week before we spoke. That’s a lot of beer and a lot of work. I wondered what got him started? “Back in the fall of 2012, I wanted to get a keg of Tank 7 for the holidays, so I started researching building a kegerator. That led me down a YouTube rabbit hole where I ended up on their Brewing TV channel. I had a few friends that homebrewed, so I had thought about it before but never really knew what went into it. My first batch, a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone, was brewed a few months later,” Martin told me.
I used to love Sierra Nevada, so I was bummed I didn’t know Martin back when he brewed that, but I did get a chance to taste his most recent homebrew creation, a Belgian single malt that was light, crisp, and utterly delicious.
Personally, I don’t think I have the time or talent to attempt homebrewing myself. But if ever given the opportunity to meet these proud homebrewers, I’d gladly oblige. Cheers!
