Tap List | Food Trucks Finding Permanent Homes at Breweries Menus Matter

While some Kansas City area breweries have dedicated kitchens, many do not. For breweries that don’t, local food trucks can offer a rotation of fresh food options for customers. Increasingly, those partnerships are leading to something bigger for some of the food trucks: permanent homes.

A big recent announcement came when Limitless Brewing moved into a new facility in Lenexa. As part of the move, the brewery entered into a partnership with Point & Flat BBQ, a newcomer to the food truck scene. With menu items like brisket nachos, smoked street tacos and more, Point & Flat has quickly become a favorite among customers. You are guaranteed to find their food at Limitless every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Despite its residency at Limitless, Point & Flat still operates its food truck and does pop-ups at other local breweries outside of its days/hours at Limitless.

Transport Brewery quickly followed suit. With the announcement of its new Gardner location, the brewery entered into a partnership with the Smoke ‘N Seoul food truck, which offers a unique menu that marries Korean food with American BBQ. Smoke ‘N Seoul will take up permanent residence exclusively at Transport’s new Gardner brewery. Like Point & Flat, Smoke ‘N Seoul still intends to operate its food truck.

After Torn Label Brewing Co. lost its head chef, the brewery invited Tacos Valentina to take up residency in the kitchen. Tacos Valentina officially moved into Torn Label on March 22 and has revamped the menu. While a few popular menu items such as the Belgian frites will be retained, Tacos Valentina will be offering its take on smash burgers, vegan options and their delicious tacos. The Tacos Valentina menu will be available Wednesday through Sunday. 

It’s unlikely this trend will go away. Which food truck would you like to see take up permanent residence at your favorite brewery? Sound off in the comments.  

Beer Releases

BKS Artisan Ales — 633 E. 63rd St., Kansas City, Missouri — just released a reimagined version of Vacation Island, a tropical sour ale. The body of this 7% ABV sour is creamy yet textured from the golden malt, wheat and oats used. It’s got big citrus flavors from being conditioned on tangerines and Madagascar vanilla beans. In short, it’s the perfect beer to sip on in the warm weather.

Strange Days Brewing — 316 Oak St., Kansas City, Missouri — has dropped Post-Pandemic Lager. One of the unique features of this 5% ABV lager is that it combines three different brewing techniques. You can find elements of pre-Prohibition along with American and German lager techniques. This leads to a lager that’s crisp, flavorful, light and easy on both the liver and wallet. A six pack of these crushable lager tallboys runs just $14.

Pathlight Brewing — 11200 W. 75th St., Shawnee, Kansas — is welcoming a new lager to its draft lines. The brewery just released Fingerguns, a 5% ABV Mexican lager. Like many Mexican-style lagers, you’ll notice a slight hint of sweet corn on the nose. The characteristics from the lager yeast then kick in leading to a beer that’s smooth, clean and crisp. It’s the perfect beverage to pair with tacos.

Alma Mader Brewery — 2635 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri — released two new beers this week. If you’re looking for something a little lighter, try Crispy City. This 4.2% ABV pilsner is as clean and crisp as it gets. The hop heads can rejoice in Where The Kiwis Grow, a new West Coast IPA. As the name suggests, this 7% ABV IPA was hopped with New Zealand hops giving it flavors that range from lime zest to peach.

Servaes Brewing Co. — 10921 Johnson Drive, Shawnee, Kansas — has a new beer available. Otis’ Oat IPA was brewed by guest brewer Angelo Ruiz while Courtney Servaes was out on maternity leave. This IPA uses flaked and malted oats to give it a creamy body. The combination of Sabro, Simcoe, Citra and Mosaic hops adds just the right amount of bitterness before a smooth finish.

Tall Trellis Brew Co. — 25600 W. Valley Pkwy., Olathe, Kansas — has a new beer for you to enjoy while watching what’s left of the March Madness tournament. They came out with ‘Round Here Buzz, a spring ale coming in at 5.9% ABV. It utilizes Cascade hops from Kansas Hop Co. It’s clean, crisp and has floral notes of orange blossom and lavender much like a beautiful spring day.

Beer Events

Friday, March 31

Cinder Block Brewery — 110 E. 18th Ave., North Kansas City, Missouri — is throwing a party for the seasonal release of one of their most popular ciders. Cherry Limeade cider will officially debut at noon in the taproom. Cinder Block also will be tapping Watermelon Limeade, Lemon Limeade and Mango Limeade. Cinder Block will have a gourmet hot dog truck on site from 5-8 p.m. The brewery is accepting a limited number of Cherry Limeade pre-orders starting at noon on March 28 with the rest being allocated for the taproom.

Sunday, April 2

Crane Brewing Co. — 6515 Railroad St., Raytown, Missouri — has teamed up with Worlds of Fun for a block party. The event marks the special release of Zinger Ale, a shandy with orange peel, which is a collaboration between the two. The block party will run from 12-4 p.m. and is packed with fun. The event will feature Snoopy characters, food trucks, free Worlds of Fun ticket giveaways and music from the ever-popular DJ Diehard.

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.