Locate Your Next Local Beer at kansascity.beer

Most of the breweries in Kansas City are pretty young. Only a handful distribute their beer away from their own taproom. So getting a Kansas City-made beer most often requires visiting the source. Many taprooms aren’t open on Mondays, and a few aren’t open Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Some are more kid- or dog-friendly than others. And food may or may not be available.

Almost a year ago, Beer Scout Brie put together an Excel table listing all the brewery taprooms in Kansas City with the days they are open. It was nice to see all options at one time. This was mostly for internal use – it’s good to know where after work meetings can occur. I added a note for which ones are open for lunch and allow outside food. I’m partial to a beer with Friday lunch. And if I can brown-bag it with a local beer, even better.

While the taproom spreadsheet was good, I thought a map would be useful. And more ways to sort them. Like if they’re kid-friendly. Or have outdoor seating. Or if there’s table service. What about beer-to-go when said kids start misbehaving? An idea was hatched.

Now, finally, that idea has matured into something useful.

Introducing kansascity.beer

Visit kansascity.beer.

Yep, you can register websites ending in .beer. Crazy, huh? Anyway, we wanted to have one spot for locals and visitors to Kansas City to be able to find locally made craft beer from the source. And have some expectation of their visit. We try to answer the questions that we often do when deciding where to have a beer. Such as:

  • Can we bring our kids?
  • Do they have any food?
  • Can we sit outside so our kids’ voices don’t echo?
  • Can we grab beer to go?
  • If we had a dog, could we bring her, too?

OK, we don’t actually think about that last one, but many of you might. And less for locals, but more for out-of-towners, we group the breweries by geographic area. I know from traveling to other cities that planning brewery visits may be limited to how close they are to where we’re staying. Narrowing it down to neighborhood or general area really makes it easier to decide.

Getting Around Kansas City Beer

Map It

kansascity.beer map
The map from kansascity.beer.
Info window from map.
Info window

The experience of kansascity.beer depends on the device you are using. We’ve taken our time to make the mobile experience useful and mostly frustration-free. On a computer, tablet or phone, you’re greeted by the map with pins for each taproom location. They are color-coded by area. Click or tap on the pin to get a snapshot of that brewery taproom’s offering. The info window lists the address with a link for directions, daily hours, an estimate of the number of beers on tap, and a selection of other info.

Filter Them Down

Filters on kansascity.beer
Filters on kansascity.beer

With 30 breweries in operation around the Kansas City metro currently, it might be overwhelming to decide where to go. If you want to pare down your selection, you should use the filters. On larger screens, these are just to the left of the map. On phones, there’s a Filters button on the top. Click or tap the criteria you’re looking for. Pins will disappear showing only the taprooms that fit the bill.

See the List

The brewery taproom list from kansascity.beer.
The brewery taproom list from kansascity.beer.

There’s more details for each taproom listed below the map on tablets and computers. On your phone, you’ll need to tap on the List button at the very top. Each taproom has their open hours, info on the beer and food they offer, and links to social media and websites for more information. We don’t curate the actual beers on tap, but we do provide links to the up-to-date listing provided by the brewery.

Mistakes and Omissions

We’ve done our best to get the most accurate info directly from the breweries. In some cases, we just haven’t received a response. And things like open hours will change from what was provided initially. Which is totally understandable; there are a lot of new breweries in Kansas City adapting to clientele.

If you see a mistake, please let us know so we can correct it. And if you are a part of one of the unclaimed breweries, do reach out to us so we can get your full and correct info to more thirsty patrons and visitors.

Besides our mistakes, we would love to hear your feedback on kansascity.beer. Is it useful? Do you wish you could filter for another option? Does it look funny on your phone? Or maybe it rocks and you’re going to tell all your family when they are in town for Thanksgiving. We strive to please.

Follow Us – There’s More to Come

When new breweries open we will post them on kansascity.beer. And there will be new breweries opening. We talley at least 11 (eleven!!) set to open in the next 12 months. To keep up, follow us on Twitter at @kcbeerscouts or @kansascity_beer. We’re on Instagram at @kcbeerscouts. And occasionally we’re on Facebook.

By jimmywags

I began the path through good beer in college. Exploring different sixers and bombers based on packaging and label design (art student, mind you), I weaved my way around the continental lagers and Colorado craft ales. My knowledge and interest exploded upon receiving a homebrewing equipment kit as a graduation gift from my parents. Twelve years later, I've brewed most styles, experimented between them, and hunted for the perfect pint.

2 comments

  1. You said “We talley at least 11 (eleven!!) set to open in the next 12 months” – would you be willing to publish that list. I’d love to see it!

    1. Here’s our current running list:

      3 Trails Brewing
      Alma Mader Brewing
      Black Stag Brewing
      Cervaes Brewing
      City Barrel Brewing
      Friction Brewing
      Limitless Brewing *OPENING WEDNESDAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING
      Red Crow Brewing *REOPENING
      Rockcreek Brewing
      Sandhills Brewing
      Strawberry Hill Brewing
      Transport Brewing

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