Food recs: Kansas City's best breweries

Kansas City’s craft beer scene has exploded over the last decade, and locally owned breweries now operate in every corner of the metro.

The scene has become a lot more diverse in recent years, too, says craft beer social media personality Givon Blakney.

“Definitely with Vine Street opening up there are more minority-owned breweries. With Servaes, you have LGBTQ community, same with Big Rip,” Blakney told KCUR’s Up To Date. “I love seeing that there’s so much ownership that is happening within Kansas City.”

Food and beverage writer Pete Dulin has authored several beer-centric books over the last decade, including “KC Ale Trail.” Sometimes, he says, less is more.

“I've tried a lot of different styles of beers over writing about it, and the sensory appeal is always there,” Dulin says. “But a lot of times, I revert back to just wanting something simple, light, clean, that I can enjoy — especially when (the weather is) warm.”

For anyone looking to try a newer place on the scene, homebrewer and Missouri Mashers Brew Club member Cherish Pageau recommends The Goat Brewing Co. in Lee’s Summit.

“They're doing really well by pushing the boundaries of their beer line,” Pageau says.

Below, Dulin, Blakney and Pageau recommend their favorite breweries across the Kansas City metro.

Pete Dulin:

• Vine Street Brewing, the first Black-owned brewery in Missouri, has a dynamic taproom that’s a community gathering place for culture, music and food. This year they’ll host a craft beer and hip-hop festival. I recommend the Maris Pale Ale, East 71 Cream Ale and The Cookout Lime Blonde Ale.

• Alma Mader Brewing, run by Nick Mader and Tania Hewett-Mader, brews hop-forward ales and lagers with nuanced flavor and aroma that don’t depend on adjunct, or added, ingredients. One of my favorites, the Premiant, got a near-perfect score from Craft Beer and Brewing magazine.

• Stockyards Brewing Co. serves sessionable beers in the West Bottoms space that formerly housed the Golden Ox, and features live country western, bluegrass and folk music on Sundays. Try the Cerveza Royale Mexican-style lager, West Bottoms IPA and Mid-Century Farmhouse, a floral, spicy saison.

• Torn Label Brewing Co. is a go-to in the Crossroads. Their flagship Alpha Pale Ale is very drinkable, the High Contrast is a refreshing Belgian wheat with Cara Cara orange and coriander, and the Cobre Especial is an amber Mexican lager made with heirloom corn provided by Tacos Valentina, the in-house kitchen.

• Diametric Brewing Company offers an eclectic range of styles, including sours. They also offer mead and beer aged in wine and spirits barrels. Food is provided by Burn Theory Fire Kitchen, a scratch kitchen focused on barbecue and smoked, pub-style food.

• 3 Halves Brewing Co. in Liberty’s downtown square serves a delicious Desert Gold light wheat and the Wheelhouse West Coast IPA, but also look for brewmaster Bucky Buckingham’s rotating releases.

• Pathlight Brewing standouts include an easy-drinking pilsner and Mexican-style lager that quenches thirst on hot days. Subtle sensory-pleasers include the Plezant Belgian-style ale, a Freude Maibock with honey and spice notes, and the housemade seltzer. Taproom manager Jerimy Warford also organizes watch events for Current and Sporting soccer games and Formula One races.

• Friction Beer Company co-owner Brent Anderson, a former creative director at Boulevard Brewing, and head brewer Nathan Ryerson joined forces to open this hotspot in downtown Shawnee with a cassette tape-covered wall. Rotating beers include a hazy IPA, West Coast IPA, coffee stout and citra blonde ale.

Givon Blakney: 

• BKS Artisan Ales has been churning out highly sought-after IPAs for several years. Patrons can expect a new beer release every week at their taproom. Clouds, their 8.2% ABV Hazy Double IPA, which won a Great American Beer Festival medal, is currently on tap.

• Oak & Steel is a great spot for enthusiasts who want to taste beers from multiple Kansas City breweries — their curated beer menu is arguably the best in town. From popular IPAs to imperial stouts and everything in between, beer drinkers of all backgrounds will easily find a beer to fall in love with.

• Discourse Brewing, Overland Park’s newest brewery, became a quick hit with beer lovers thanks to a variety of beer styles, but their IPAs are my favorite. I suggest pairing the Dreamstate Journey Hazy IPA with one of the barbecue or burger trucks that frequent their brewery.

• KC Bier Co. is a hub for German-style beer lovers and German soccer fans. Their KC Oktoberfest is the area’s biggest traditional Oktoberfest celebration. Pair their Carolator Pale Doppelbock Lager with their Mac and Bier Cheese Bread Bowl.

• The Big Rip Brewing Company has a sci-fi/horror inspired menu featuring wheat beers, sour ales, brown ales, saisions, cream ales and meads. Mademoiselle, an 8% ABV French saison, has become one of my favorites.

• Transparent Brewing Company shares space with The Chive restaurant in Grandview and hosts food trucks. If you’re a fan of Boulevard’s Tank 7, I highly suggest a full pour of their Oui Bit Fancy, a French saison that clocks in at 6.8% ABV.

Cherish Pageau: 

• Willcott Brewing Company is worth the drive to Leavenworth, and they are expanding so they can brew at this location within the next year. Order a pint of the Raz Taz Wheat, with a Raspberry Tangerine flair, or the CP Rye, their extremely sessionable Irish rye ale with loads of Caramel malt flavor.

• 3 Trails Brewing Co. on Independence Square is huge! They offer an open mic night, regular events and a large billiards room downstairs, too. The 5th Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout is full of body, chocolate and coffee.

• Casual Animal Brewing Company is a priceless treasure in the Crossroads, and has possibly the most inviting taproom experience in town: an oasis-like green space to just chill out in. Get a pour of Professor Meow Meow, a coffee cream ale that lives up to the name.

• The Goat Brewing Co. is a cozy taproom and dog-friendly patio in Lee’s Summit serving a solid lineup of beers and a modest menu of food and snacks. You’ve got to have their Sugarhouse Pete, a peanut brittle imperial milk stout served in a salted rimmed glass.

• Border Brewing Co., the Crossroad’s first brewery, expanded into a new space last year. Their personable and knowledgeable beer tenders serve crafted ales and lagers, including the Lima Fresca, a salted-lime Kolsch that’s bright and refreshing — just in time for summer.

• Smoke Brewing Company offers a selection of beers that stay true to their styles. Enjoy their truly approachable, sessionable brews and classic pub food inside or out on their dog-friendly patio. Their Two X Amber lager is light, chocolatey and refreshing.