While this year’s Super Bowl will pit the NFC’s San Francisco 49ers against the AFC’s Kansas City Chiefs on the field, off the field (and at parties all over the country) the foods and drinks from these two very different cities will take center stage. While San Francisco is known for its “Mission style” burritos and sourdough bread, Kansas City is known for barbecue and loose meat sandwiches. Both cities are also well-known for their beer culture with San Francisco touting the likes of Anchor, Cellarmaker, and 21st Amendment and Kansas City countering with Boulevard, Cinder Block, and The Big Rip. But, since we’re not as concerned about who will win the Super Bowl (we honestly don’t care as long as it’s a good game), we’re all in on the winner of beer supremacy between the two different cities.
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San Fran Versus KC Beer Gifs
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Best Brewery
If you’re going to go head-to-head on iconic breweries, it’s hard to top Anchor (San Francisco) and Boulevard (Kansas City). Both are highly acclaimed and beloved by their respective fan bases. But, Anchor is one of the oldest breweries in the country and it’s still cranking out high-quality brews. In a close one, we’ll give this to Anchor.
San Francisco: 1
Kansas City: 0
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Best Beer
Anchor has been brewing beer since 1896. During that time, no beer has been more popular than Anchor Steam, the amber-colored, refreshing, dry, hopping brew made famous by the brewery. Boulevard’s most well-known beer is 80 Acre Hoppy Wheat Ale. It’s a very unique beer that combines the citrus hoppy flavor of an IPA and a wheat ale. Even with its history, we’re going to give the slight edge to Boulevard on this one.
San Francisco: 1
Kansas City: 1
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Best Secondary Breweries
There’s no disputing that there are more well-known breweries in San Francisco than Kansas City. It’s a much larger city and it’s known for its beer. 21st Amendment, Cellarmaker, and Black Hammer are leading the way in San Francisco. In Kansas City, there’s a bit of a drop off after Boulevard when it comes to national acclaim. Other popular breweries include Cinder Block, The Big Rip, and Double Shift. While Kansas City is a growing market, it’s hard to beat the likes of 21st Amendment and Cellarmaker.
San Francisco: 2
Kansas City: 1
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Best Beer Value
On top of being the most expensive city in America to live in, San Francisco is also very expensive to visit. Kansas City, on the other hand, is a much more reasonable vacation spot. Obviously, there are more sights to see in San Francisco, but if we are merely going on beer alone, Kansas City is a much better value.
San Francisco: 2
Kansas City: 2
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Number of Breweries
This one isn’t really fair. It’s like having the task of defending one of the best offenses in NFL history. That’s because the Bay Area is home to over 120 breweries. The state of Missouri, on the other hand, is home to less than 70 breweries. San Francisco is the clear-cut winner here.
San Francisco: 3
Kansas City: 2
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Brewing Culture
We’re all about history, but we also enjoy an underdog. That’s why we’re going to pass over San Francisco and all of its hype and head straight for KC and its passion and excitement for brewing. Boulevard is just the start of Kansas City becoming a well-respected beer city.
San Francisco: 3
Kansas City: 3
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Food to Pair With Beer
San Francisco is a hulking coastal city full of award-winning restaurants, a whole lot of sourdough bread, and burritos that people are willing to travel for. But, Kansas City has fall-off-the-bone, mouth-watering barbecue. Who could possibly vote against that, especially when it’s paired with a frosty brew?
San Francisco: 3
Kansas City: 4
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Overall Winner
Just like the Super Bowl itself, Kansas City comes from behind to take this competition between beer-loving cities. Sure, it was close, but we’ll take barbecue brisket and a hoppy beer any day. Kansas City wins it in an upset for the ages!
