Tap List | Callsign Update & Beerded Man Kitchen Debut

Callsign Brewing (1447 Gentry St., North Kansas City, Missouri) plans to arrive in January or February of 2018, according to co-founders Steve Sirois and Morris Loncon. Sirois and Loncon signed a lease for their building, a former tire patch manufacturer, in May of this year.

“We fell in love with the building as soon as we looked at it,” Sirois said. “It resembles an old aircraft hanger. Right now, we are in the process of remodeling.”

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Sirois and Loncon, who served together in the Air Force Reserves, have been homebrewing for six years. They expanded on their initial five-gallon system as they upgraded equipment and even built a small-scale, 1.5-barrel brewery in Sirois’ basement.

“We came up with the Callsign Brewing concept after a crash of a military aircraft that occurred in 2013,” Sirois said. “It was an aircraft that both Morris and I had flight time on. We were brewing an IPA and decided to name that beer we were brewing after the callsign of that aircraft.”

During brewing, the men discussed the many people in the service they knew that never made it home.

“Morris suggested that we name our beer after the callsigns of aircraft we have lost as a personal tribute to the men and women that died for our country,” Sirois said.

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Callsign Brewing plans to have eight beers on tap at first and expand to a dozen taps within a year. Sirois and Loncon have 26 different beers in their repertoire.

“We are in the works to have an annual beer fest event, where all profits will go to the Gary Sinise Foundation,” Sirois said. “His foundation helps disabled veterans. We will not only honor fallen military, but also fallen police officers and firefighters.”

Callsign Brewing also plans to give a portion of profits to help soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Prime Pairing: Beerded Man Kitchen Is Open Inside Colony KC

Colony KC (312 Armour Road, North Kansas City, Missouri), co-founded by Zach Henderson and Drew Cobb, is home to a coffeehouse, taproom and nanobrewery, Colony Artisan Ales. Now you can add restaurant to the list.

In September, Jason Fritz, a former Cerner employee, established Beerded Man’s Kitchen as a separate business within the space.

“Our friend wanted to open a food truck and couldn’t find the right food truck that he wanted,” Henderson said. “We needed a food option and said he should open up his kitchen in our space.”

The grill offers fried snacks, sandwiches with fries, a loaded burrito, salads and specials. The dishes provide a substantial meal to complement the selection of craft beer on tap made by Colony’s head brewer Rodney Beagle, as well as other featured regional breweries.

The popular half-pound pork belly burger combines delectable morsels of pork belly with ground beef. Fritz tops the burger with house bacon jam.

“My bacon jam is made with bacon, caramelized onions and garlic, maple syrup and apple cider vinegar,” Fritz said. “It’s sweet and savory.”

Try pairing the pork belly burger with Phantom Power, a harvest ale akin to an Oktoberfest-style beer. A classic yard beer is also a crisp, light alternative to wash down the rich burger. Another standout is the meatless Philly made with four types of bell peppers, onions, and American cheese, and served with a Sriracha-laced sauce and fries. Pair it with an IPA on tap.

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Tap Notes

Fringe Beerworks (224 SE Douglas St., Lee’s Summit, Missouri) released Gypsy Porridge (6-percent ABV, 48 IBUs), a dry-hopped unfiltered Oatmeal Pale Ale. On Halloween, the brewery releases Pumpkin Pie Wheat.

KC Craft Beer Week runs Nov. 4 to 12. Celebrate and support local craft beer.

Border Brewing (406 E. 18th St.) has Pecan Brown Ale, made with roasted pecans, on tap.

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— Pete Dulin writes about food trends for Flatland and is the author of The KC Ale Trail. Follow @FlatlandKC and #TapList on Twitter for more food news and trends.