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Tap List | 3 Trails Brewing Destined for Independence

Excess Hydrogen, a Mosaic Dry-Hopped Berliner Weisse, at Double Shift Brewing. Fill your tank with Excess Hydrogen, a Mosaic Dry-Hopped Berliner Weisse, at Double Shift Brewing. (Pete Dulin | Flatland)
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4 minute read

By the end of 2018, 3 Trails Brewing (111 N. Main St., Independence, Missouri) aims to be a taproom destination for thirsty travelers. Brewery president and founder Kyle Weinand, and co-owners Matt Medley and Brian Clark, have initiated plans for a brewery in a 4,500 square-foot building located by the Independence Square shops and restaurants and the nearby Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum.

The brewery’s name and identity refers to the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California trails. During the early 1800s, Independence, Missouri, served as a departure point and outfitting post for pioneers and migrants headed west. 3 Trails’ theme will also pay homage to Truman, the namesake for their White IPA.

3 Trails Brewing originated as a homebrewing group in 2015. After finding success locally with Truman’s Slow Stroll White IPA, 3 Trails made a splash on the national scene with Westward Wit, a double witbier with fresh oranges. In 2016, they placed third out of 600 entries in a national homebrew competition sponsored by Ballast Point Brewing.

As part of the competition, 3 Trails’ homebrewers scaled up the Westward Wit recipe on Ballast Point’s five-barrel brewhouse system in San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood. The beer was served at the Ballast Point’s twentieth anniversary party.

Three Trails Brewing

Three Trails Brewing is coming to Independence, Missouri (Courtesy of 3 Trails)

Weinand, Medley and Clark are now ready to progress into professional brewing. Medley owns the building that houses the Blue and Grey Book Shoppe, Art Squared, Haupart Frame Gallery and artist Jim Shaw. Those businesses will remain as neighbors to 3 Trails.

“You will be able to go walk out of the brewery to shop within the building,” Weinand said. “This will be a unique feature that no other brewery has in the area.”

Grains and malts will be milled in the building’s 9,800 square-foot basement and transferred by auger upstairs to the brewhouse. The brewhouse will contain four 10-barrel fermenters and a 10-barrel brite tank. In preparation for its opening, 3 Trails has purchased a pilot brewing system to brew its first batches.

3 Trails will also hire a head brewer to manage the brewhouse and taproom.

“We have plans to do a collaboration brew with BrewLab, make Westward Wit on their system and have a taproom party,” Weinand said.

Once open, 3 Trails will have house, local and national craft beers on 20 taps and offer craft spirits and wine. Flagship beers include Fat Man Sweet Stout, Westward Wit, Truman’s Slow Stroll White IPA and Raspberry Lemon Saison.

“I am in the process of developing beer concepts to bring to events this year,” Weinand said. “I have a new American light lager, grapefruit white IPA twist on Truman’s Slow Stroll, a strong ale and doppelbock.”

While undergoing renovation of the brewery space, 3 Trails will serve its beer at the 15th Annual Parkville Microbrew Fest, KC Nanobrew Festival, Independence Wine and Brew Walk, Hip Hops Hooray beer festival and fourth annual Festival of the Lost Township.

Craft Republic founder Brian Dix

Craft Republic founder Brian Dix suggests it’s a wonderful time in Kansas City for craft beer. (Pete Dulin | Flatland)

Craft Republic Begins Distribution in Kansas City

Brian Dix sipped on a glass of Double Shift Brewing’s Tessellation Mosaic IPA during the brewery’s distribution launch party at Bier Station. His company Craft Republic, a craft beverage distributor based in St. Louis, began distributing four of the brewery’s beers in Kansas City last week.

While Craft Republic was established last summer, Dix has worked in the beer industry for 25 years. He launched many beer brands at Major Brands, a heavyweight distributor carrying more than 12,000 products throughout Missouri. With Craft Republic, Dix sought a more tailored approach to craft beer distribution.

“We’ve seen a rapid expansion of breweries in the U.S., but distribution hasn’t caught up yet,” Dix said.

Craft Republic focuses on providing “quick, nimble customer service” to a portfolio of small to mid-size brewery accounts that might get lost in the shuffle elsewhere. The company has a refrigerated warehouse and refrigerated trucks located in Kansas City. The ability to keep freshly-kegged beer cold from brewery to warehouse to retail accounts factored into Double Shift Brewing founder Aaron Ogilvie’s decision to sign with Craft Republic.

Craft Republic also distributes sought-after brands from Perennial Artisan Ales, Evil Twin Brewing, and Stillwater Artisanal. Kansas City continues to be an important craft beer market for local and out-of-state breweries to reach.

“Kansas City is open to great beer no matter where it is brewed,” Dix said. “Kansas City has an appetite for brands that have quality and are hip.”

As more breweries in Kansas City take steps to distribute, Dix addresses a question often asked in Kansas City. Are there too many craft breweries here?

“I don’t think there are,” Dix said. “Not all breweries are designed to be major production breweries. Some are neighborhood-based or focused on small production, artisanal beer like BKS Artisan Ales or Side Project in St. Louis. Each craft beer market in the country has its own renaissance and timeline. It’s a wonderful time in Kansas City for craft beer.”

Trampled Rose Tart Cherry Sour by Double Shift Brewing

Trampled Rose Tart Cherry Sour by Double Shift Brewing is inspired by cherry pie and a craft beer antidote for a broken heart or craving for a fruity sour beer. (Pete Dulin | Flatland)

Tap Notes

Highlights on the current tap list at Double Shift Brewing (412 E. 18th St.) include Excess Hydrogen, a Mosaic Dry-Hopped Berliner Weiss brewed as a scale-up beer with Andrew Friling of the Johnson County Brewing Society, Blind Love Porter with cacao nibs, Trampled Rose Cherry Sour and Smoke Ritual Quad.

Beers on tap at Casual Animal Brewing (1725 McGee St.) include Thunder Maker Dark Saison, Cat Shark Amber, Test ESB, Azacca Attacks IPA, Triple Double Triple IPA and Hop the Fence India Pale Lager.

The taplist at Martin City Brewing (500 E. 135th St.) includes Imperial Alchemy Coffee Stout with Vanilla Bean, newly-released Forgotten Farmhouse, Saison Renee (lavender saison) and Hophouse Saison.

Kansas City Bier Company (310 W. 79th St.) has released its Maibock (6.2-percent ABV, 18 IBUs), an amber bock lager. Other beers on tap include Pils, KC Weisse, Gose brewed with coriander, Dunkel-Klein and Blessed Doppelbock.

Stockyards Brewing Company (1600 Genessee St. Ste. #100) has Belgian Winter Rye on tap, a Belgian Dubbel with notes of caramel apple, black cherry, and cinnamon as a winter warmer to close out the season.

Boulevard's Grand Cru

Boulevard’s Grand Cru is part of the barrel-aged happy hour this week at the Tours and Recreation Center. (Courtesy of Boulevard)

This Week

Tuesday, March 20

Barley’s Kitchen and Tap (16649 Midland Drive, Shawnee, Kansas) taps kegs of exclusive beers from New Holland Brewing, including Dragon’s Milk Reserve: Mocha Mint, Dragon’s Milk Reserve: Salted Caramel, No Confusion Coffee Stout (one of two kegs in Kansas), and Dutch Bingo Almond Pastry Stout (only keg in Kansas).

Brew Lab (7925 Marty St., Overland Park, Kansas) taps Mount Anderson Vanilla Milkshake Porter, a homebrewed scale-up beer that won the 2015 Brewhoff competition and has finished in the top five all four years of the event. $4 pours all night long.

Wednesday, March 21

Border Brewing (406 E. 18th St.) releases another beer in its We Brew For You series. Let’s Get Weird is a hazy IPA with soursop and tangerine.

“We used a base beer similar to our Experimental IPA #3 from last summer, and added the soursop tangerine to give it a citrusy, tangy flavor that we think pairs nicely with the velvety mouthfeel of a hazy IPA,” Brewer Eric Martens said.

Boulevard Brewing Tours and Rec Center (2534 Madison) hosts a barrel-aged beer happy hour. Enjoy snacks and a guided flight featuring the following: Tequila Barrel Lime Gose, Grand Cru, Manhattan Cask Imperial Stout and Rye on Rye on Rye on Rye. Limited seating.

Cinder Block Brewery (110 E. 18th St., North Kansas City, Missouri) releases its spring seasonal, a Belgian Ale dubbed Golden Candy and described as “complex with fruity esters, notes of pear and apple, and characteristic spiciness followed by a crisp, dry finish.”

In Intro to Brewing Microbiology ($25), Grain to Glass (1611 Swift St., North Kansas City, Missouri) instructor Jennifer Helber teaches the basics of microbiology to help brewers reduce off-flavors and improve yeast performance. With more than 30 years of laboratory experience, Helber will explain techniques for identifying beer-spoiling bacteria and yeast viability. Participants will take home two types of agar for checking beers for contamination at home.

Thursday, March 22

Jax Fish House (4814 Roanoke Parkway) hosts a beer dinner featuring Dogfish Head Brewery’s Lupu Luau IPA, SeaQuench Ale, Romantic Chemistry IPA, and Flesh & Blood IPA paired with four dishes. RSVP at 816-437-7940.

Raymond Clayton, a candidate for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Man of the Year, celebrates his eighth year in remission from non-Hodgkins Lymphoma with a fundraiser for the nonprofit. Clayton teams with Bier Station (120 E. Gregory Blvd.) and Torn Label Brewing Company for beer specials, a raffle, and March Madness viewing.

The Public House Brewing beer dinner at Ruins Pub (1715 Main St.) has an Eastern European spin with pommes frites paired with Rod’s Dream Ale, currywurst and spatula with Soest Road Belgian Dubbel, and braised wild boar pierogis, sauerkraut, apple butter, and crème fraiche paired with Sticke Up Your Alt Bier.

Saturday, March 24

Limitless Brewing (8113 Overland Park Drive, Overland Park, Kansas), a brewery in planning, offers a free tasting from 4 to 8 p.m. The tasting includes a cookie pairing with Yummylicious Cookies and a glass sale, where 100 percent of proceeds will be given to the Music Scholarship Fund at the InterUrban Art House.

Microbrasserie Dieu du Ciel Peche Day arrives for the first time in Missouri at Bier Station. At this annual international celebration, Quebec’s Brasserie Dieu du Ciel serves different variations of its famed Peche Mortel Imperial Stout. See the full beer list here.

The Taproom at Crane Brewing (6515 Railroad St., Raytown, Missouri) releases a collaboration made with Torn Label Brewing Company. Pie Times is a slightly sour ale made with paw paws, peaches, persimmons, molasses and cinnamon graham crackers.

Sunday, March 25

Barley Bus takes guests on a tour of three breweries. Tour includes samples at each stop, at least one “behind-the scenes” tour, water, transportation, tour guide and coolers on the bus for purchases.

Monday, March 26

Lawrence Beer Company (826 Pennsylvania St., Lawrence, Kansas) hosts graduate student scientists as they show their research in ecology and evolutionary biology. Listen, learn, and then take a behind-the-scenes tours of the brewery to learn even more about the science behind brewing beer.

– Pete Dulin writes about food trends for Flatland and is the author of The KC Ale Trail. Follow @FlatlandKC and #TapList on Twitter for more food news and trends.


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