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Tap List | Here’s Your Black Friday Beer Release Guide Big Day for Breweries Set to Release Barrel-Aged Beers

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Above image credit: Cinder Block Brewery's Black Squirrel returns this Friday. (Courtesy | Cinder Block Brewery)
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4 minute read

Black Friday is a day known for lots of shopping. Stores offer steep discounts, people stand in lines for hours to get the first crack at deals, and plenty of money gets spent.

There are a lot of breweries who take Black Friday quite literally. It happens to be one of the biggest days for big barrel-aged stout releases. This year is no different. We took all the guesswork out of it for you and put together a list of some of the biggest releases.

First up is Cinder Block Brewery. They’ll be releasing their annual Black Squirrel. This is one of Cinder Block’s most popular beers and has typically sold out within hours. The beer is a 12% Russian imperial stout aged in whiskey barrels with notes of vanilla, toasted coconut and dark chocolate. While you will be able to get it on tap at the brewery, to-go purchases will be limited to just two 22-ounce bottles per customer.

In Lee’s Summit you’ll be able to hit two different release parties.

The first is over at Fringe Beerworks. They will be opening early for the release of a few variants of A Bourbon County. You’ll be able to get the regular 2020 and 2021 versions and see what they taste like side by side. They’ll also be offering up three different variants – Cherry Wood, 14, and Cola. The regular bottles do not have any limit on them, but the variants are limited to one bottle per person. The fun starts at 10 a.m. and Fringe will be offering up some donuts to kick off your morning.

Just down the road, Diametric Brewing Co. will be releasing their annual Tezcatlipoca. This big beer was meant to mimic the flavors found in Mexican hot chocolate. This means plenty of cinnamon, chile and chocolate flavors in this thick stout. The brewery is currently accepting pre-orders for the beer on their website. They’ll open at 9 a.m. and remain open until 3 p.m. For those planning to get there early, Diametric will be doing an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast for an extra $10.

Need more Black Friday beer releases in your life? If so, we’ve got a few more listed in the events section below.

Beer Releases

Red Crow Brewing Co. — 1062 W. Santa Fe St., Olathe, Kansas — just released their newest winter seasonal, Margaret. This old ale is plenty malty with the hops adding an anise-like flavor. It comes in at 7% ABV and 30 IBUs. Swing on in to get in the holiday spirit.

City Barrel — 1740 Holmes St., Kansas City, Missouri — and Screenland Armour have a brand new collaboration beer. HiPA is a beer version of Ecto Cooler, the Hi-C juice popularized when the “Ghostbusters” movies came out. The beer is a hefty 8.1% ABV sour IPA. This green tinted beer has lots of lime, orange and citrus flavors.

Torn Label Brewing Co. — 1708 Campbell St., Kansas City, Missouri — is bringing you their latest New England IPA. Fog Machine is 6.3% ABV and tends to be more of a floral and fruity IPA. You won’t get a ton of bitterness from this beer, making it an incredibly accessible IPA.

Alma Mader Brewing — 2635 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri — has a new IPA available for your drinking pleasure. Future Fables is a 7% New England IPA with tropical aromas of passion fruit and mango. It’s got a soft mouthfeel leading to an easy drinking beer.

Alma Mader Brewing Co.
Alma Mader Brewing. (Contributed | Alma Mader)

Lost Evenings Brewing Co. — 8625 Hauser Court, Lenexa, Kansas — released a new American pale ale, Rye It Maker (4.6% ABV). The beer uses Mosaic and Cascade hops as well as an experimental hop blend to give this beer a unique twist. The rye malt adds a bit of spiciness to round out the flavor profile.

Pathlight Brewing — 11200 W. 75th St., Shawnee, Kansas — is rolling with the dark beers as winter approaches. Their latest release is Eagle 5, a 4.5% ABV Schwarz bier. This dark lager was brewed with lots of roasted malts leading to dark chocolate and coffee flavors. This easy drinking beer is available in both cans and on tap.

Free State Brewing Co. — 636 Massachusetts St., Lawrence, Kansas — has a new beer straight out of the 1980s. Well, sort of. Conan The Barbeerian is an imperial IPA named after the iconic movie. This beer clocks in at 8.5% ABV and 76 IBUs and has a flavor profile of pineapple, melon, orange, peach and apricot.

Beer Events

Wednesday, Nov. 24

East Forty Brewing — 1201 W. Main St., Blue Springs, Missouri — is hosting their annual release party of two big beers. You’ll be able to try Fools Rush In, an 11.8% ABV imperial stout, and it’s 12.8% ABV barrel-aged cousin Where Angels Fear to Tread. They’ll also have some rare vintage versions available to try side by side with this year’s version.

Limitless Brewing — 9765 Widmer Road, Lenexa, Kansas — has a Thanksgiving Eve Bash on tap for you. Known as one of the biggest party days of the year, Limitless will host a food truck, live music from The Old No. 5’s and plenty of beer for your consumption.

Outfield Beer Co. — 10953 Kaw Drive, Edwardsville, Kansas — also is hosting a Pre-Thanksgiving Party. They’ll be open from 5-10 p.m. for all of your Thanksgiving beer needs. Whether it’s a night out with your friends or needing to pick up some beer to eat with your meal the next day, Outfield has you covered.

Friday, Nov. 26

City Barrel’s secret Black Friday release.
City Barrel’s secret Black Friday release. (Courtesy | City Barrel Brewery)

Border Brewing Co. — 512 E. 18th St., Kansas City, Missouri — wants you to escape to paradise with their You’re The DJ event series. This week’s theme is yacht rock. The rules are simple. Show up, order your favorite Border beer, request your favorite yacht rock song on the Rockbot app, and enjoy the music.

City Barrel Brewery — 1740 Holmes St., Kansas City, Missouri — is hosting their annual Black Friday beer releases. In years past, this meant fan favorite beer The Cosmos Imperial Stout and its variants. While they have yet to announce what they’ll be releasing this year, whatever it is has been aging in Willet bourbon barrels and is sure to be delicious!

Big Rip Brewing Co. — 216 E. 9th Ave., North Kansas City, Missouri — is releasing their latest Black Friday Barrel Aged beer. They haven’t given away too many details, but divulged that the beer is definitely a thick stout high in ABV and was aged for eight months in Union Horse Distillery bourbon barrels.

Saturday, Nov. 27

Red Crow Brewing Co. — 1062 W. Santa Fe St., Olathe, Kansas — is bringing back their Brewhouse Yoga. Led by instructor Kristy West, this class is perfect for beginner yogis. Each ticket comes with your beer choice of Bev (light lager), Isabelle (Belgian blonde), or a beermosa or mimosa.

Sunday, Nov. 28

Crane Brewing Co. — 6515 Railroad St., Raytown, Missouri — is kicking off Hanukkah with a special Hanukkah Family Brunch. You’ll be able to learn Hanukkah traditions and spin the dreidel. Traditional Hanukkah foods like latkes will be served. The event is open to everyone, Jewish or not!

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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