By Kady Weddle
Have you ever wished you could taste your beer or BBQ sauce before you bought it? Co-Founders Rick Duree, known as the ‘Sauce Guy’, and Andrew Tessmer, known as the ‘Beer Guy’, are ready to let customers sample products before they buy them at BeerSauce Shop’s new location on 1219 W 103rd Street. The Shop opens Thursday, May 13th, with a Grand Opening planned for May 28th.
Almost five years in the making, BeerSauce is about to make Kansas City its fourth Missouri location mid-May, having set up previous stores in the St. Louis area. The shop’s product lines will include over 500 craft beers and over 50 whiskies as well as over 250 artisan sauces and rubs.
“The differentiation about our shop was that it was going to be retail focused with a flavor aspect,” explained Duree. “You could buy the pre-packed items, but you could also enjoy a pour at the bar. Soon after we also added our full BBQ menu with pulled pork, brisket, burnt ends, bbq nachos, and more.”
Originally from St. Charles County, Duree and Tessmer work with local independent craft breweries to collaborate on new recipes. Approximately 75% of beers available at BeerSauce Shop are either new or seasonal beers that people haven’t seen in over a year.
“We currently produce 18 to 24 collaboration beers annually,” says Tessmer. “We are excited to work with some new KC breweries, and we’re still solidifying those but we think folks will be really happy with the ones we’ve selected.”
“We love Kansas City and its beer scene that has been there which is developing into something huge,” concludes Tessmer. “We also know Kansas City is a huge BBQ town and we thought the community would ‘eat it up’.”