Last week I wrote about my experience with Jousting Pigs and one of the main components of that experience was the brewery that shares its space. That brewery is 3Halves Brewing Co and it has quickly become one of my favorite micro breweries. So, I wanted to take time to reflect on it and felt I needed more space to do so than the typical “B”eer side that I include at the end of each review. So, I present to you my first full write about beer. Keep in mind, while I love beer, I am not a full on connoisseur. I don’t know all the right words to use when describing it. I don’t know the specifics that make a stout a stout and not a porter. I know what I like, though, and I love 3Halves and here’s why.
Unsurprisingly, because both 3Halves and Jousting Pigs are so fundamentally linked at their core, I fell in love with each of them at the exact same moment. It was the moment I walked in and smelled the hops and the yeast mixing in the air with the smoked meat aroma. It was truly a light bulb moment as I realized the potential of such a combo. Back in South Dakota, as mentioned in my previous blog, we had an amazing BBQ joint called JR’s Roadhouse BBQ Pit. We also had a wonderful brewery called Lost Cabin. The two were about half an hour from the other, though, and I see now how much of a shame that was. JR’s beer selection consisted of bud light and I believe that was it. Now, I don’t want to be a beer snob here. People should enjoy what they enjoy and not worry about what the experts say. But, bud light tastes like urine. It just does. So, it’s the last thing I want to pair with a good BBQ. Or pair with my throat, for that matter. So, when I stood in line that first time at Jousting Pigs and I studied the beer list above the bar, I felt like I was discovering a whole new world.
Just being paired with good BBQ is not all there is to 3Halves, though. I do not want anyone to think for a moment that their beer cannot stand on its own. Just today, in fact, I stopped in and picked up a four pack of their Billy Strange IPA. A hazy, hoppy, but balanced concoction that is perfect for sipping on while sitting outside and writing a blog. While I’d be lying if I said it was easy walking into Jousting Pigs and coming back out without tasting a lick of BBQ, it is a testament to 3Halves that I did exactly that. I was there for the beer and the beer alone. While it was the magical combination of the two that made me fall in love, the beer at 3Halves has consistently kept me coming back and would do so even if, barbeque gods forbid, Jousting Pigs was ever out of the equation.
I mentioned earlier that I am not well studied when it comes to the specific vocabulary one usually uses to describe beer, but let me just try to tell you about what makes 3Halves beers so good. If I had to keep it to just one word, it would be nuanced. This is a blog, though; it would be dumb to keep it to just one word, so let me elaborate. Each new beer I have tried at the brewery has shown restraint and complexity. One flavor never overpowers another. The best example I can think of for this is their Italian Stallion, a tiramisu stout. This is one I had at a Saturday brunch pairing. I had assumed, since this beer was based on a dessert, that it would be super sweet and I was also sure that the coffee flavor would be overpowering. However, when I took my first sip I remember being visibly surprised by it. The man behind the bar knew exactly what I was reacting to and made a comment about it not being what I was expecting. He was exactly right. Though, there was a sweetness to it and of course, there was a hint of coffee, the real thing it had in common with tiramisu was the idea of layers.
Since having the tiramisu stout, I have come to expect this from 3Halves beers. Layers of flavor that work with and complement each other. The Billy Strange IPA I mentioned earlier is a hazy IPA, but the fruitiness does not overpower the hops and the hops do not overpower the fruitiness. They exist together in harmony. Another one off beer that 3Halves did in collaboration with Hammerhand Coffee was a beer called the Mayan Mocha Stout, named after the Mayan Mocha latte it was based on. The latte was easily my favorite drink at Hammerhand, so when I saw 3Halves was doing a stout based on it, I was excited,but a little worried. This is a drink that could easily have had one flavor completely drown out the others, after all. Fortunately, 3Halves Brewing’s restraint and ability to layer flavors came through. The cocoa, the cayenne, and of course the coffee were all present and each had a place in this beer’s flavor profile.
It is really this balance and this restraint that have made almost every beer I have had a 3Halves fantastic. I say “almost every” because in my mind, there have been a few misfires. The one I can think of, off hand, is one of their recent ones: an iced tea beer I cannot recall the name of. This was not a bad beer, but it did not have the crispness I was looking for in an iced tea themed release. There was still not one flavor that overpowered here, but there was also no flavor that really stood out at all. I have only tried it the once though and if they keep making it I will likely give it another shot. One less than stellar release every so often, though, is hardly going to take away from what is one of the best breweries I have found in Kansas City.
I do, however, also have to point out one thing I believe the place is missing. I love a good barrel aged beer and as far as I have seen, 3Halves have not done any of these. Now, I do not know what goes into a barrel aging program. It is possible they do not have the space for it. It could also be a philosophical choice not to do it. 3Halves Brewing’s biggest strength is its restraint and restraint is not exactly synonymous with barrel aging. I would love, however, to see what a few months in a tequila barrel would do for the Mayan Mocha Stout.
Regardless of whether or not they ever do any barrel again, though, I will keep going back to 3Halves Brewing Co. It is only ten minutes away from my house, but I would travel much further than that for a tall glass of their Stick’em Up Stout. And while I can always count on some good barbeque when I visit, thanks to their partnership with Jousting Pigs, I would keep going even if the BBQ ran dry, because their beer truly stands on its own. Let’s hope I am never tested on that claim, though.
I want to take a moment here to share some sad news. Recently, 3Halves Brewing’s head brewer, Rodney Beagle, passed away. He was survived by two young sons and there is a GoFundMe campaign to help them. You can donate by going here.
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