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Tap List | June is a Big Month for Brewery Anniversaries Good Times

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Above image credit: East Forty Brewing is celebrating its fifth anniversary this weekend. (Jonathan Bender | Flatland)
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4 minute read

June must be a popular month for opening breweries. Saturday marks the anniversaries of both East Forty Brewing in Blue Springs and Grains & Taps in Lee’s Summit.

The fun kicks off with East Forty, which is kicking off a three-day celebration of five years in business on Thursday with a themed trivia event and the release of a barrel-aged porter called Country Breakfast.

On Friday, East Forty is hosting an extended happy hour from noon until 5 p.m. The brewery also is hosting a cornhole tournament starting at 6 p.m. Live music provided by Austin Reed starts at 7 p.m. East Forty will release two new beers for the party. You can try Track Five, which is an IPA that utilizes five different hops, and Fistful of Key Lime Pie, a kettle sour that uses key limes.

The “official” anniversary party at East Forty is on Saturday. Joker B’s BBQ will be serving up smoked meats for lunch and dinner. The head roaster from Marcell Coffee will be sampling different coffees and talking shop about the collaboration beer they did with East Forty. Live music will be provided by The Burney Sisters at 7 p.m. Kids can enjoy face painting from 2-5 p.m. as well as enter a coloring contest.

East Forty’s Saturday beer releases include a collaboration with Marcell Coffee, which is called Farmer’s Milkshake: Latte, and Birthday Cake Ale, which is brewed with actual cake from Simply Frosted. You’ll also be able to enjoy beer slushies and snag some new East Forty merch.

Meanwhile, Grains & Taps of Lee’s Summit also is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The brewery recently released a whiskey barrel-aged version of their Cookies & Cream stout and Cashmere Boutique. While Grains & Taps continue to leak out details of their two-month anniversary extravaganza, we know they’ll be releasing their official anniversary beer on June 10th. Customers can enjoy a coffee stout aged in whiskey barrels and atop coffee beans. Be sure to follow them on social media for updates. 

Congratulations to both breweries on these great milestones! 

Beer Releases

River Bluff Brewing — 201 Main St., Kansas City, Missouri — has brewed a new low-alcohol stout. Placation is a 4.7% ABV oatmeal stout that just joined the tap list. It’s got notes of roasted malt and chocolate with a smooth body. Unlike many stouts that can be found during the winter months, this one is a bit lighter in the body to help you feel refreshed during the heat.

Alma Mader Brewery — 2635 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri — has a new West Coast IPA available called Been There Before. This 7% ABV IPA is everything you’d expect out of a West Coast IPA — it’s clean, crisp and aggressively bitter without it being overbearing. It uses Citra, Mosaic, Cryo and Amarillo hops to help impart bright notes of orange, mango and melon.

BKS Artisan Ales' new Citra & IPA.
BKS Artisan Ales has released a new version of the “Citra &” IPA series, which features Citra and Simcoe hops. (Courtesy | BKS Artisan Ales)

BKS Artisan Ales — 633 E. 63rd St., Kansas City, Missouri — keeps rolling along with their “Citra &” series. The new brew available this week pairs Citra and Simcoe hops. The 7% ABV IPA boasts big notes of Valencia orange before leading to more subtle notes of grapefruit and stone fruit.

Grains & Taps — 10 S.W. 3rd St., Lee’s Summit, Missouri — did a surprise release to help celebrate its upcoming 10th anniversary. The beer is Cashmere Boutique, a 7.5% ABV hazy IPA. It uses Cashmere hops leading to notes of melon and lime on the nose. The body has flavors of ripe peach with a soft bitterness that leads to a refreshingly dry finish.

Servaes Brewing Co. — 10921 Johnson Drive, Shawnee, Kansas — has just released two beers to celebrate Pride Month. The first is the brewery’s annual Love is Love release. This 6% ABV fruited sour ale has notes of cherry, orange, lemon, lime, blueberry, plum and grape. A portion of the sales from this beer will be donated to the Kansas City Pride Community Alliance. Ever After-Rainbow is another heavily fruited sour ale that’s available. This one clocks in at 4.5% ABV and was brewed with lactose, strawberry and orange puree, and rainbow candy.

Pathlight Brewing — 11200 W. 75th St., Shawnee, Kansas — has released a new fruited wild ale available in the taproom. Hummingbird Nectar is a 6% ABV sour that uses nectarines picked from South Baldwin Farms in the late summer of 2022. The aroma of this beer will make you feel like you’re standing in a nectarine orchard. What follows is a bit of nectarine sweetness that helps balance out the tartness from the wild yeast that perks up your tastebuds, but doesn’t leave your mouth puckering.

Beer Events

Saturday, June 10

Red Crow Brewing — 1062 W. Santa Fe St., Olathe, Kansas — is calling all plant parents. The brewery will be hosting an event called Let’s Trade Plants. The event is a fun and easy way to mingle with other plant lovers while also finding your new favorite plant. Be sure to visit the event link above as there are some guidelines you’ll need to follow if you plan on bringing a plant to trade.

3 Trails Brewing Co. — 111 N. Main St., Independence, Missouri — is hosting another Beer & Yoga class in the taproom. The class, which starts at 10:30 a.m., will run for an hour. It’s open to all class levels and costs $25. The ticket includes one free beer when the class is finished.

Martin City Brewing Co. — 500 E. 135th St., Kansas City, Missouri — will also be hosting a yoga class in the taproom. It will be taught by Jamie Millam of Graceful Wellness and Med Spa. The class runs 45 minutes and costs $10. The ticket includes one free beverage. Please note this event will be taking place at Martin City’s Lenexa location at 8802 Renner Blvd. 

Sunday, June 11

Strange Days Brewing — 316 Oak St., Kansas City, Missouri — is pairing up Imagine Furever Ranch, a pet adoption agency, for an adoption and fundraising event. Imagine Furever will be bringing some of their adoptable pups looking for their forever homes. The organization will also have toys and treats for sale. If you can’t adopt you are more than welcome to give them a donation.

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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