On the first night of Hanukkah, River Bluff Brewing and 1st Barrel Brewing will debut their collaborative “Everything Bagel Beer” at River Bluff’s River Market taproom in Kansas City.
A bagel pop-up by Jewish community member Michael Crane will accompany the release, with 100% of bagel sales donated to Slow Food Kansas City — and the breweries will match the total donation, doubling the community impact.
The beer release and bagel pop-up will be held on Sunday, Dec. 14, at River Bluff Brewing (201 Main St., Ste. 101, Kansas City, MO 64105).
The idea for the Everything Bagel Beer came from Vinny Weille, co-founder of River Bluff Brewing, who has long wanted to create a beer inspired by the flavors of his Jewish heritage.
“My mom is Jewish, and I’ve been wanting to do something like this for years,” Weille said. “I can’t wait to tell my mom’s rabbi — he’s a homebrewer.”
Weille approached his longtime friend Eric Harkleroad of 1st Barrel Brewing to bring the concept to life. Known for his creativity with unconventional ingredients, Harkleroad experimented with sesame, poppy and garlic before they finalized the recipe.
To create the signature flavor, the brewers steeped roasted garlic, four pounds of roasted sesame seeds and three pounds of poppy seeds during the last 10 minutes of the boil.
“We tasted the wort, and it does taste very bagel-like. We’re excited about this beer,” Weille said.
The brewers invited Michael Crane — a former brewer turned baker — to host a bagel pop-up during the event. Crane proposed that all bagel sales be donated to Slow Food Kansas City, and the breweries immediately agreed.
Weille added that philanthropy is already part of their holiday focus this year.
“We’ve asked our families to donate to food banks instead of buying us anything for the holidays,” he said.
“Vinny and I wanted this beer to honor tradition while having fun with ingredients,” Harkleroad said. “Partnering with Slow Food KC gives this release real meaning.”
Slow Food Kansas City (SFKC) is part of the global Slow Food movement, promoting good, clean and fair food for all. The Kansas City chapter supports local producers, educates the community and partners with nonprofit organizations to address hunger and food insecurity.
“Slow Food Kansas City’s work is essential,” Crane said, “and supporting them through food and tradition feels like the perfect way to celebrate Hanukkah.”
