Tap List

Kyle Gray anticipates opening Casual Animal Brewing (1725 McGee St.) in early February 2018 if construction and final approvals proceed without a hitch. Located next door to The Brick, the 2,500 square-foot brewery and taproom is housed in a former tobacco warehouse space. More recently, the building was used as a storage space for an automobile…

Matt Wiley quietly launched Whalez Candles in late 2017 as a side project. Unlike commercial candle lines with a uniform look and packaging, Wiley uses empty bottles and cans of hard-to-obtain brands of craft beer to make his candles from scratch. Whalez is an allusion to the craft beer term “whale,” lingo that refers to…

Kansas City’s newest brewery Strange Days Brewing Company (316 Oak St.) has fired up its brewhouse with a sense of purpose. Co-owners Nathan Howard, Chris Beier and Alec Vemmer have scheduled the brewery’s grand opening for Jan. 20. [FLEX-CONTENT] The forthcoming debut of Strange Days heralds the latest revival of brewing in the River Market….

Mac Lamken and Devin Glaser stood in the 3,000-square-foot cavern that will become New Axiom Brewing Company’s brewery and taproom (949 NE Columbus St., Lee’s Summit, Missouri) by summer 2018. The current space is little more than a dusty concrete floor, exposed vaulted ceiling and thick clusters of wiring that dangle from above. [FLEX-CONTENT] A…

Bier Station (120 E. Gregory Blvd.) gears up to celebrate its fifth anniversary on Jan. 13. As that anniversary approaches, founder John Couture reflects on the craft beer taproom and retail shop and its place in the community. Flatland: What would you change if you could start over again? “I wish 2017 John could go back a…

The bottle openers that Jared Schmid of JAS Metalworks forges from mild steel have an old-school, blue-collar feel to them. Whether opening a yard beer or a craft beer bomber, Schmid’s openers hark back to a time when working with tools was more commonplace. Schmid, who formerly worked at Boulevard Brewing for 10 years in…

Brewery Emperial (1829 Oak St.) now offers “hot worties,” fresh from the brewing kettle. A hot wort, similar to a hot toddy, is free while supplies last only on brewing days, starting at 4 p.m., with the purchase of a beer. Brewers Keith Thompson and Sterling Holman make wort for a new batch of beer…

Lawrence Beer Company (826 Pennsylvania St., Lawrence, Kansas) opened in the Warehouse Arts District in late August. A recent trip to the brewery and taproom revealed a dynamic space with a solid slate of beer and modern brewpub food to explore. Matt Williams, Adam Williams (no relation), Brendon Allen, and chef Ken Baker, former owner-operator…

East Forty Brewing (1201 W. Main St., Blue Springs, Missouri) plans to open in a former print shop as a 5,000 square-foot space which will house the brewery, taproom and kitchen. Founder and brewer David Mann and co-owner Matt Bryan anticipate a May 2018 opening for the new venture. The brewery name refers to the east side of…

Strange Days Brewing Company (316 Oak St.) continues on pace to open by the end of 2017 in the River Market. The brewery, housed in a 4,500-square-foot building that was once part of Muehlebach Brewery, recently passed its health inspection. Co-owners Nathan Howard, Chris Beier and Alec Vemmer will begin brewing beer this week in…