R Bar – Classy Classics

We finally made it to Kansas City’s R Bar last night and it was a nice change of pace. We haven’t been going out much over the last year, so when we do go out these days we’re always looking for something quality and different than the usual. We had purchased a Groupon for R Bar a while back and it was about to expire, so we headed here to have some libations and dessert (we couldn’t get a dinner reservation until 9:15 and didn’t want to eat that late).

R Bar is set up to be like a speakeasy, and it’s down in the West Bottoms, right across the street from the Golden Ox. The decor is cool… brick walls, old tile floors that were evidently common for the West Bottoms back in the heyday, and a huge, gorgeous mirrored bar. The decor is simple, but it works great for this narrow space. It was PACKED when we showed up on a Friday night around 9:30, but we surprisingly got a table right away. There was a great swing-jazzy band playing (think Squirrel Nut Zippers and you’re in the genre) and it was a super fun atmosphere.

The beer list was overpriced, and we’d had dinner at the Beer Kitchen, so I went straight to the cocktail menu. The cocktail menu is expansive (see the “Menus” on R Bar’s website for a list and details) and features a lot of classics, some simple and others very complicated. I started off with a Negroni because I’m a sucker for this drink. They made it with Campari, an unknown gin, and Lillet Rouge (no mention of vermouth on the menu, but I could taste it in there). I had a choice of on the rocks or “up” so I had it “up” (shaken on ice, but served neat without ice). It came in a martini glass and, as is the case with any Campari-based drink, it was gorgeous to look at with it’s simple orange wedge garnish (strange they don’t do a nice orange peel twist, which would work great in a martini glass…).

The Negroni was good, just like it’s supposed to taste. My fiancee had an Old Fashion and they unfortunately made it the “bar” way rather than the traditional original way, so it had a bunch of orange and cherries in the bottom and was topped off with soda water. I prefer my own, as you readers already know, which are made with just rye whiskey, Angostura bitters, a small piece of orange peel and a dash of simple syrup. It still tasted good, though.

My second and last drink was a Sazerac, which is a classic cocktail that R Bar made with rye whiskey, absinthe, Peychaud’s bitters, a lemon twist and poured over a sugar cube. The lemon aroma was intense on this cocktail, and I was originally disappointed to see it only filled about 3/4″ of my double old-fashioned glass, but keeping in mind that the drink it 100% liquor, it was PLENTY and it lasted me a long time. I enjoyed it a lot, but it’s definitely a sipper.

We had a goat cheese tart, which was goat cheese with sugar cut in (think of rich cheese cake) in a little tiny pie crust cup with a scoop of concord grape sorbet on top and mint sauce dribbled around the plate. Weird-sounding combination, but very good! The grape sorbet was a little overpowering, but an unusual and nicely-done dessert all the same.

R Bar is on the pricey side, but it’s a classy place with good food and drinks and we had a great time, so we’ll definitely be back. The speakeasy-like charm isn’t overplayed here, particularly since there are still REAL speakeasies (think jazz, people smoking, illegal card games and not just cigarette smoke in the air) operating in the West Bottoms that I’ve been lucky enough to be invited to!

Magic Hat #9

Courtesy mybeerbuzz.com

#9 is a “not quite pale ale” brewed by Vermont’s Magic Hat Brewing Company. Magic Hat seems to have penetrated the Kansas City market within the last year or so. I’ve reviewed their Hex Octoberfest style beer previously, and I’ve enjoyed #9 on numerous occasions in the bottle and on tap.

#9 is technically a fruit beer, brewed with apricot. To my palate, the fruit flavor is subtle, but some people find this to be a very sweet beer. I’ve not had that experience. I’m reviewing this after a long day of work in the third week of our massive heat wave, so I’m honestly chugging it out of the bottle! LOL And it’s a perfect beer for just that!

So, without getting hung up on how it looks in the glass, #9 has a neutral, clean aroma that is malty (from my past experiences when I have drunk it in a glass). The malt carries forward with some fruitiness in the taste and a tartness in the sides of my tongue later in the taste. It’s not sour, but that tartness that comes across in apricots, peaches and nectarines even when they’re sweet. There is good balance to this beer, but nothing I would call hops comes across in the actual flavor.

The apricot is most evident in the aftertaste, and it’s pleasant and natural in my opinion. I find #9 to light, refreshing and easy to drink, all the hallmarks of a good summer beer. It has just over 5%ABV, so it’s something you can drink a fair amount of without getting smashed, and you will never develop palate fatigue from it like you can from hoppy beers. If you’re looking for a light summer beer, in addition to the usual pilsner suspects, I think #9 is a great beer!

New Belgium Blue Paddle

I was at Hy-Vee liquor store on State Line recently and picked up a mixed 6-pack because I wanted to try a few different light and summery beers. I’m not sure if I’ve had New Belgium’s Blue Paddle before, so it was an easy choice.

Blue Paddle is a pilsener lager. Pilseners (sometimes spelled “pilsners”) tend to be light, crisp, easy to drink and dry. Perfect for summer, in other words! On a side note, not only is it close to 100° in Kansas today, but Overland Park has a water boil alert on due to a water main break, so I’m getting back to my pioneering roots by subsisting on beer instead of that dirty water!

Pilseners were first brewed in Bohemia in the 1800′s and they spawned a whole new movement in beer. In England, where thick, dark porters were the norm during this time, the German pilseners took over a large part of the market, causing English brewers to dream up (thank God!) the English pale ale style.

Blue Paddle pours super clear with a yellow-gold-straw color. Nice full, fluffy white head and a lot of bubbles in the beer. If you weren’t paying attention, you’d think you were served a Bud Light or something, although the color is deeper and more robust. It’s a nice-looking beer after I’ve been used to dark and cloudy stuff for so long.

Aroma is very mild with a little maltiness and maybe a touch of noble hops. The first sip is just wonderful. I’ve always found the first sip of a pilsener to be the best one! This is one of those flavors that takes me back to the 1970′s when my dad would sneak me a little taste of his Pabst or whatever he was drinking at the time (back when macro beers at least tasted like real beers). It’s a great memory and pilseners always take me right back to that time!

Each sip is malty with a good hop balance, and the aftertaste is all noble hops and slightly bitter for a very dry finish. Pilseners are case studies in proper beer balance and Blue Paddle is a great example. Lots of carbonation, a dry, almost astringent finish, and a touch of sweetness tempered by a touch of bitterness. This is what a summer beer is all about. Very refreshing, easy to drink, simple but still with flavor to explore and enjoy. The 4%-ish ABV is a nice side-benefit in that it is a session-able beer and you can stay hydrated throughout a long summer day without ending up face down in the pool! If you’re on the fence about a beer to pick up for this holiday weekend, make things easy on yourself and grab a six-pack of Blue Paddle!