What are some of the ways Kansas City area breweries are catering to the interests of Millennials?
Breweries are catering to Millennials in two main areas: innovation and education. Today’s craft beer drinker is always looking for the hot new thing in beer—an exotic ingredient, unique barrel-aging, brand-new hop varieties, etc. Breweries really have to stay on their toes to maintain interest these days, which I think can be both a challenge and a lot of fun for them.
Additionally, Millennial beer drinkers don’t just want to be drinkers, they want to be experts. There’s a strong desire to know the background story of the beer, why it tastes the way it does and whatever additional knowledge they can soak in. Locally, breweries seem to recognize that fact and work to both offer up exciting new beers while also injecting a bit of education into the process.
Are there any great brewery experiences in Kansas City you would recommend for Millennial groups?
Boulevard Brewing Co. offers a great experience because you get to understand and see the evolution of a brewery that started as a guy hand-delivering kegs to a local restaurant 25 years ago and has become an award-winning, highly regarded brewing operation distributing beer to almost 30 states. It’s an impressive facility, and as you experience the tour and sit in the tasting room, it’s pretty awe-inducing when you realize the humble beginnings from which it all sprouted.
On the other end of the spectrum, Martin City Brewing Company is a great experience for Millennials who want to see the “new class” of Kansas City breweries. Martin City’s brewpub, taproom and brewery space are unpretentious and have a neighborhood bar vibe, while still offering up some innovative (and very delicious) beer, from a Brandy Barrel-Aged Tripel to an amazing Coffee Stout brewed with beans from a local roaster. Their brewery space doubles as event space, so if a large group event is being hosted there, you could be sitting right next to a fermenter filled with their newest creation.
What are some of the most unique trends you’re seeing among Millennials in Kansas City?
I think Millennials in Kansas City are showing an increasing appreciation for local, creative flair being infused into common products and activities. Unique clothing companies are popping up here left and right (the successful Royals postseason run saw a bevy of fun T-shirt designs), we host the Paris of the Plains cocktail festival and bartending competition, and the 2014 National Latte Art Champion calls Kansas City home.