I have had an incredible time over the last few years attending Beer festivals that showcase many of the great brewers here in the Midwest. I have been lucky enough to have made so many new friends who share my love for craft beer and have come to love the community that beer brewing has created.
Brewing Company. Congratulations to Abbie!
I got a chance to ask them a few questions about the Hip Hops Hooray Music & Beer Festival recently so they could share their event with our readers.
I got a chance to ask them a few questions about the Hip Hops Hooray Music & Beer Festival recently so they could share their event with our readers.
| Abbie and Woodie Bonds |
I am so glad to be able to chat with you both. Tell us a bit about your history in the craft beer community.
"Oh yes...how it all began...honestly its hard to pinpoint for me," says Abbie. "I always drank things that were a little different, but I recall one of the first “craft beers” that Woodie and I drank together was Pete’s Wicked Cream Ale."
"That was back in 2006-ish, it was a gateway for me for sure," says Woodie. "It grew from there, trying new things when buying a mix 6 pack at a local liquor store, some of which we liked...a lot of which we didn't."
"Woodie started drinking “dark beers” on a bet from one of his friends," Abbie said, "Bully Porter from Boulevard is what got him hooked and he has been a stout-high ABV guy ever since."
"Our first beer festival was the Nano Brew Fest in 2013, which is where we ended up meeting some new friends." Woodie agreed and told us "It was a GREAT experience and we decided that we HAD to continue to surround ourselves with these great people, and so we have! We have attended multiple beers festivals and love them."
What was the motivation behind the idea to create the Hip Hops Hooray Music & Beer Festival?
"Woodie loves the idea of combining craft beer and hip hop music, because it is something a little out of the "norm", and it's his dream scenario to eventually have a venue that would be able to do this on a regular basis." "We thought this might be a good trial run so see how our community receives the idea," said Abbie. "There seems to be a lot of negative connotations about hip hop and we would like to change how people view it in the craft beer community."
Tell us what it’s been like working with and coordinating the various brewers/vendors you will feature.
"It has actually been a great experience with a lot of support from the major brewers, " Abbie said, adding that they have been very helpful and have been a great resource when it comes to things they may not know about having a festival.
Share a bit about the event itself, maybe something we don’t know yet?
"We are trying to switch up how we are doing things just a little," Abbie explains. "The venue is unlike any other place where typical beer festivals are held in Kansas City." Abbie notes that the building itself is a part of history here that has been renovated into an amazingly beautiful and elegant space for all kinds of events.
"We will have brewers set up inside and out...which should be perfect balance and please the festival attendees," Woodie said. "We are crossing our fingers for an amazing weather day to make that all happen."
"We will have brewers set up inside and out...which should be perfect balance and please the festival attendees," Woodie said. "We are crossing our fingers for an amazing weather day to make that all happen."
"In addition to the great brewers and beer, we will have passed appetizers for guests, with lots of goodies for everyone. This is also something that no other beer fest has done in this area so instead of having to take time away from sampling, the food will right there at almost any time you are ready," Abbie said.
"Well, that is a loaded question for sure...and a hard one to answer. KC has so much variety and each of them has their own special reason as to why we love them...I think that our personal relationships with people at certain breweries have made us slightly partial, which isn't a bad thing for sure!" Abbie adds that "Crane Brewing and Red Crow Brewing are our two go-to breweries and are always our first recommendations to friends coming from out of town looking for places to go. It really depends on the styles of beer people are looking for. "We also enjoy Cinder Block Brewery, as they are close to us and are often doing things a little outside of the box."
We are also lucky to have many friends in the homebrew community here that also have contributed substantially to our love of craft beer and trying new things
As far Midwest breweries we love Tallgrass (Manhattan, KS), Madhouse (Des Moines, IA), Narrow Gauge and Side Project (St Louis, MO). They all have really different things that make them stand out to us.
Do you hope to plan additional festivals or perhaps make this an annual event?
"If things go well, we would love to do this annually, and hope that it grows into something more," said Abbie.
Any predictions/thoughts/wishes you both have for the future of craft beer and brewing here in Kansas City?
"We love this city and all that the craft beer scene has to offer, and that fact that it is ever changing and growing says a lot about the love we have as a community and family, "said Woodie. "Some of the best friends we have came from this “hobby” and we are beyond thankful for that. We really hope to see it continue to flourish!"
Get your tickets here to the festival: Hip Hops Hooray Music & Beer Festival
EVENT INFORMATION HERE
