Tap List | Big Rip and Vine Street Team Up  We Belong Brewed with a Message

Vine Street Brewing Co. has hooked up on its latest collaboration, releasing We Belong in tandem with North Kansas City’s Big Rip Brewing Co.

To celebrate, the two breweries are throwing a release party at Big Rip’s taproom this Friday, Nov. 18, beginning at noon.

The name of the beer was suggested by Vine Street’s Woodie Bonds when the recipe was finalized, said Bri Burrows, head brewer at Big Rip, “essentially wanting to show our community that LGBTQ+ and Black folks belong in an industry that is largely dominated by cis, straight, white, men.”

The 4.2% hazy session IPA was brewed with three different hops and then dry-hopped with two different types of New Zealand hops. It also utilizes a Thiol-boosting yeast strain from Omega. The resulting beer is juicy and has big tropical flavors with some light floral and dank notes.

The beer will be available on draft at Big Rip and available to go in 12-ounce cans. 

Beer Releases

Red Sash Brewing Co. — 406 E. 18th St., Kansas City, Missouri — teamed up with fellow Veteran-owned Callsign Brewing to release a new beer inspired by Veterans Day. Black Ops is a 6.4% ABV coffee stout brewed with beans from Blackout Coffee Co. As you can imagine it’s got plenty of coffee flavor with underlying notes of milk and dark chocolate. The breweries will donate $1 from every pint sold to the Green Beret Association.

Torn Label Brewing Co. — 1708 Campbell St., Kansas City, Missouri — just released a collaboration beer with Gomer’s Wine & Spirits. The beer, Halcyon Harvest, is a 6.3% ABV Belgian-style saison brewed with spices. It’s got flavors of orange, ginger and black pepper and is an easy sipper for those cool autumn afternoons.

Grains & Taps — 10 S.W. 3rd St., Lee’s Summit, Missouri — has a new hazy IPA on tap for you. Named Loopy Toucan, this 9% ABV IPA was hopped with Mosaic, El Dorado and Lupo Sabro hops. This combination brings out a ton of tropical flavors and aromas.

River Bluff Brewing — 201 Main St., Kansas City, Missouri — wants you to get out of the cold and warm up with The Quad-Father. The beer is a big and boozy barrel-aged Belgian strong ale that was inspired by Trappist monks. It comes in at a hefty 14.4% ABV and has flavors of caramel and stone fruit.

East Forty Brewing — 1201 W. Main St., Blue Springs, Missouri — is getting into the stout season with its latest release. Tropic Thunder is a 7% ABV tropical stout. While it may seem like an oxymoron, this dark beer is loaded with tropical flavors. You’ll get notes of guava, mango, passion fruit and papaya on top of the roasty backbone. It’s the perfect beer to transport you to the tropics during these cold days.

Free State Brewing Co. — 636 Massachusetts St., Lawrence, Kansas — just released Northern Lights, a 7.2% ABV cold IPA. The beer is light on the palate while offering flavors of honeysuckle, white tea, honeydew and grapefruit. The late hop additions of Strata, Talus, Cashmere and Citra help the beer have a soft bitterness while providing balance.

Pathlight Brewing — 11200 W. 75th St., Shawnee, Kansas — has a nice little pick-me-up for you with their latest release. Cold Hearted Blond is a 5% ABV coffee blond ale. Pathlight used a special batch of locally roasted Colombian coffee beans from Cacophony Coffee Roasters. The beer has a delicate malt backbone, which helps let the coffee flavors be the star of the show without being overbearing.

Red Crow Brewing — 1062 W. Santa Fe St., Olathe, Kansas — is getting into the holiday spirit with the release of their winter seasonal Margaret, a 7.75% ABV old ale. The beer has big flavors of toasted nuts and figs with more subtle flavors of anise and molasses. If you want a beer to help make you feel cozy, this is the one for you!

Beer Events

Friday, Nov. 18

Border Brewing Co. — 512 E. 18th St., Kansas City, Missouri — will be hosting a Sweater Weather release party at their taproom. Sweater Weather is their seasonal brown ale made with cinnamon, vanilla and roasted dates. To help celebrate, Border will also be having a best sweater competition. All you need to do is wear your favorite sweater to the release party, snap a photo in the taproom during your visit and tag Border on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for a chance to win a $50 gift card to Border as well as other prizes.

Saturday, Nov. 19

Transport Brewery — 11113 Johnson Drive, Shawnee, Kansas — is throwing a cask ale party. They’ll be pouring at least six different beers on cask with the potential for a seventh. The beers will be available as a flight or poured individually. To make the occasion even more authentic they’ll be hosting the Eat Schmidt food truck. They’ll be serving up popular English dishes such as bangers and mash, fish and chips and more.

Servaes Brewing Co. — 10921 Johnson Drive, Shawnee, Kansas — is taking full advantage of the fall season and will be hosting a Sweet Potato Day. The party will see the release of two sweet potato-themed beers. Relativity Cooking will be on-site starting at noon and will be serving up French toast, breakfast quesadillas and papas fritas.

Sunday, Nov. 20

East Forty Brewing — 1201 W. Main St., Blue Springs, Missouri — is back with another Sunday of Yoga & Brew. The $25 monthly class includes both the yoga session and a free beer after it ends. The class is great for newbies and experienced yoga practitioners. You’ll be taken through guided flows that’ll help you feel more relaxed and flexible all while building strength.

ExBEERiment — 925 E. Lincoln Lane, Gardner, Kansas — will be hosting a Friendsgiving Potluck. The brewery will provide necessities such as plates, silverware and napkins. All you have to do is bring your favorite dish to share with everyone. If you plan to attend be sure to visit the event page and leave a comment on what dish you’ll be bringing to help avoid overlap.

Rockcreek Brewing Co. — 5880 Beverly Ave., Mission, Kansas — has an event planned for a good cause. The brewery will be opening a little earlier to host a chili cook-off for Rushton Elementary School. The fundraising event will be $15 for chili entries and $10 to attend. Attendees will be able to sample the chili as well as purchase chili dogs or baked potatoes topped with your favorite chili for $5. 

Border Brewing Co. — 512 E. 18th St., Kansas City, Missouri — is inviting you to their Friendsgiving event. While bringing a dish to share is encouraged, it’s not necessary to attend. Border will be doing special beer releases and complimentary food pairings throughout the day to sweeten the deal.

Alex Andujar is a former beer sales rep turned personal trainer. When he’s not training clients you can find him trying new beers at many of Kansas City’s great local breweries.