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Tap List | Big Year Ahead For New KC Breweries Lots Coming Soon

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Above image credit: 2000 Vine Street in July 2022. (Tommy Felts | Startland News)
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5 minute read

Before January ends, we figured now is a good time to provide an update on all of the exciting brewery developments coming up in 2023. There are several breweries we’ve written about in recent months that have made quite a bit of progress.

The brewery most people are probably wondering about is the new Vine Street Brewing Co. in the 18th and Vine area. Kansas City’s first Black-owned brewery has been quite busy collaborating with other local breweries while building out its own taproom. 

A Vine Street Brewing beer set in a construction setting.
Vine Street Brewing and others continue getting closer to grand openings and noteworthy expansions. (Courtesy | Vine Street Brewing)

Two weeks ago, Vine Street posted a picture to their Facebook showing new kegs being delivered. Last week, the brewery announced it’s hiring for full-time positions. While no opening date has been announced, there’s a high probability Vine Street will be opening its doors within the next few months.

The new Friction Beer Co. going into the old Hartman Hardware location on Johnson Drive in Shawnee also is making progress. The brewery had several setbacks last year and remained quiet on social media until a couple of weeks ago. The owners, Brent Anderson and Nathan Ryerson, announced they’ve been diligently charging ahead with construction.

While waiting for utilities such as gas and electricity to be turned on, they’ve been putting all sorts of fun touches in their taproom, which will open with 16 draft lines. They’re currently finalizing finishing touches such as artwork, painting and a few other details. In a Jan. 9 Facebook post, the brewery said that while there’s no set opening date, an opening was just weeks away. Barring setbacks, look for a grand opening sometime between mid-February and early March.

Another new brewery slated to open soon is located on West 39th Street. and is aptly named 39th Street Brewery. In October, the brewery announced it was fairly close to being finished. The bar was nearly complete, the electricity and plumbing were installed, and the brewhouse/cellar was just about fully operational. Look for their grand opening within the next few weeks.

Since we’re talking about new openings, we’d be remiss if we didn’t give you some quick updates on existing breweries with expansion plans. Transport Brewery and Servaes Brewing Co., both based in Shawnee, have expansion plans for 2023. Transport is building a second brewhouse in Gardner and Servaes is expanding at its current location.

Transport is expected to have some exciting announcements regarding the new Gardner location during its fourth-anniversary celebration this weekend.

Their neighbors at Servaes, meanwhile, bought the building next door to their existing taproom, which will effectively double its space to expand both seating and the brewhouse. Servaes hasn’t announced a completion date.

Beer Releases

River Bluff Brewing — 201 Main St., Kansas City, Missouri — has a double beer release this week. The first is for hop lovers. The new White IPA comes in at 6.4% ABV and is loaded with aromas and flavors of grass, flowers and candied lemon peel. If you’re wondering what our forefathers drank, try the new Bye George. Dubbed a “historical ale,” the beer was made with 15% blackstrap molasses as well as coriander, juniper berries and ginger. The 5.7% ABV ale is sure to make you feel like you’re enjoying a drink in a colonial tavern.

Strange Days Brewing Co. — 316 Oak St., Kansas City, Missouri — is channeling its inner metalhead with its latest release Desolation. The beer is a 5.4% ABV German-style black lager. The beer is jam-packed with chocolate and roasted malt flavors. Throw on your heaviest metal album and knock back a few of these delicious brews.

Rochester Brewing and Roasting Co. — 2129 Washington St., Kansas City, Missouri — released a 6.9% ABV fruit forward IPA called Minerva. Hopped with Chinook and Altus, you’ll get notes of tangerine, grapefruit and pine. The hop bitterness is balanced out nicely by the citrus flavors and soft, pillowy mouthfeel.

Apex Aleworks — 4356 S. Noland Road, Independence, Missouri — just put out a new beer that’s sure to trick your tastebuds. Serial Bandit is a 6.4% ABV blonde stout. While it may look light in color, the body and mouthfeel are akin to a traditional stout. Brewed with lactose, flaked oats, and roasted oats, you’ll get a creamy yet crisp beer.

Fields & Ivy Brewery — 706 E. 23rd St., Lawrence, Kansas — has a truly Kansan beer available at their taproom. They released Kansas Keller, a 5.5% ABV Vienna-style kellerbier. It utilizes all local ingredients. Grain was sourced from Wellsville, Kansas, while the hops were grown at Kansas Hop Co. The beer has some sweetness from the grain to pair alongside the biscuit and toast flavors before being rounded out with a clean hoppiness.

Crane Brewing Co. — 6515 Railroad St., Raytown, Missouri — released a new beer called Theories of Hibernation. The new brew is a black lager that comes in at 5.8% ABV. The roasted malts give this beer flavors of cocoa powder and coffee. You’ll get some additional fruity flavors due to the addition of Callista hops and Earl Grey tea.

Crane’s new black lager, Theories of Hibernation.
Crane’s Brewing Co.’s new black lager, Theories of Hibernation, utilizes the unique ingredient of Earl Grey tea to help flavor the brew. (Courtesy | Crane Brewing Co.)

Pathlight Brewing — 11200 W. 75th St., Shawnee, Kansas — rang in the week with a double beer release. The first is Lamplight Symphony, a 5.7% ABV pale ale brewed in collaboration with Tall Trellis and Kansas Malt Co. In addition to the local malts, hops were provided by Kansas Hop Co. It’s got floral and citrus on the nose with a clean, crisp finish. You can also snag the 6.5% ABV Fireside Chats, which was released last week exclusively on draft, in cans.

Tall Trellis Brew Co. — 25600 W. Valley Pkwy., Olathe, Kansas — has a rocking new beer called Power Chords. This hazy IPA features Cascade and Kanook hops from Kansas Hop Co. along with Bru-1, Vic Secret, Sabro and Talus. The combination of these six hops leads to huge tropical flavors of pineapple and coconut. It clocks in at a respectable 7% ABV.

Beer Events

Thursday, Feb. 2

Transport Brewery — 11113 Johnson Drive, Shawnee, Kansas — is celebrating its fourth anniversary and kicking it off on Thursday. The event spans four days and concludes on Sunday. You’ll be able to celebrate the brewery with some new beer offerings, glassware, merch, and fun events. Each day will feature a different food truck to help with all your hunger needs.

Lawrence Beer Co. — 826 Pennsylvania St., Lawrence, Kansas — is hosting a scholarship fundraising event for the Lawrence Education Association. The LEA scholarships are given to high school seniors who plan on majoring in education. From 4-9 p.m., all sales will be donated to the scholarship fund. This includes food, drink, merch, gift cards and more.

Saturday, Feb. 4

Fringe Beerworks — 224 S.E. Douglas St., Lee’s Summit, Missouri — wants you to put your best chili recipe to the test. The brewery will be hosting a chili cook-off contest. There is no entry fee for chili entries. Prizes will be awarded for the best chili as voted on by the people. Tickets to attend will cost $20 and is all you can eat. You’ll get a bowl, spoon, chili fixings and even a beer included in the ticket price.

Sunday, Feb. 5

Limitless Brewing — 9500 Dice Lane, Lenexa, Kansas — is hosting a double pop-up. If you’re looking to do a little bit of shopping, swing by the brewery between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. The Babe Standard will be selling hats and jewelry. If you happen to work up an appetite, you can grab crepes from the Krazy Krepe food truck.

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.


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