Belt’s Beer Garden: That’s Rad!

I recently took a massive road trip that spanned 19 states. One of my first stops was Kansas City, Missouri and, while there, I found City Barrel Brewing Company right in the middle of KC’s brewing district.

After having dinner and some drinks at the brewery (both of which I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend), I grabbed a few beers to bring back home.

One of those brews is their Rad AF, a year-round DDH hazy IPA that is brewed with Citra and Mosaic hops. The beer has a nice 6.4% ABV and a six-pack of 12-ounce cans will run you $15.

Pouring a bright golden straw color, Rad AF had more than a finger of fluffy white head on top of the beer. The foam dispersed quickly, leaving very little lacing, and all that remained after a minute or so was a thin ring around the edge of the glass.

The nose was nice and juicy with notes of ripe pineapple, mango, papaya, and other tropical/citrus fruits mixing together. Along with the tropical fruit there was also a candied/sugary characteristic that gave off notes of Lemonheads candy and just a dash of brut white wine grapes as well. The appearance and aroma gave off hints that this would be a creamier/thicker IPA that might sit a bit heavier and finish rather dry.

My first sip began with a small rush of carbonation that flashed across my tongue, allowing the flavors to quickly attack my taste buds.

A slightly pithy citrus peel hit first, with big notes of lemon zest and grapefruit popping up. But it wasn’t long until the tropical fruits began to appear. First the mango and papaya peeked through before a slightly acidic pineapple taste pushed them aside and competed for dominance with the citrus rind.

On the back end, the white wine and brut components arrived. And with those came a moderate dryness that coated my tongue with a slightly resinous feeling and just a touch of hoppy bitterness. However, there was one final push of juicy mango that exploded, slicing out the bitter twinge and most of the dryness before the beer finally ended.

The aftertaste was a bit dry but, for the most part, it ended up being a rather clean finish outside of that.

I was also wrong about how it would sit...it wasn’t heavy at all. Instead, it turned out to be super crushable. I could easily pound these all day.

Rad AF is a totally sessionable IPA with great flavors. It’s a great all-day sipper that doesn’t feel like it would have the nice 6.4% ABV that it does. I really enjoyed my time in KC and City Barrel was the highlight.

Check these guys out. They’re well worth it. And if you stop at the brewery, be sure to get some food there too. It’s as good as their beer!!