Tap List | Toasting the Summer Solstice in Style

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic effect on local breweries, the Kansas City beer scene has been bursting with activity the past few weeks.

Breweries across the area (and beyond) are featuring new beer releases, and hosting events. Although things aren’t completely back to normal, taprooms and beer patios are slowly gaining a socially distant glow just in time for Saturday’s summer solstice.

Several breweries across the metro have participated in All Together, a worldwide collaboration to support the hospitality industry. Breweries were given a base recipe, and encouraged to put their own unique twist on it to sell in their taprooms and beer halls. A portion of the proceeds are then given to the local service industry.

Rockcreek Brewing Co. — 5880 Beverly Ave. Mission, Kansas — joined the fun with its version of the All Together beer called the All Together IPA. It’s now available in cans to-go and a portion of the proceeds will go to the KC Hospitality Support Initiative. 

Tap List beer enthusiast Cassie Niemeyer offered her take on some of the other beers in the program a few weeks ago.

Beer Releases

3Halves Brewing Co. — 110 E. Kansas St., Liberty, Missouri — has released Cannonball (5.5% ABV), a year-round pale ale made with Centennial, Citra and Cascade hops.

Apex Aleworks — 4356 S. Noland Road, Independence, Missouri — has released Watermelon American Wheat, which clocks in at 5% ABV.

3 Trails Brewing Co. — 111 N. Main St., Independence, Missouri — released Passion Fruit-Hibiscus Seltzer, a low calorie alternative that is a fine remedy for the summer heat. They also released their Patchwork Quilt DIPA (7% ABV), a beer with explosive tropical fruit flavors.

Casual Animal Brewing Co. — 1725 McGee St., Kansas City, Missouri —released Karate Fox Lager (5.2% ABV), an unfiltered lager with sweet malty notes. 

Strange Days Brewing — 316 Oak St., Kansas City, Missouri — is releasing a version of their incredibly delicious Tatooine Sunset. New Zealand Sunset, made with New Zealand hops, boasts of citrus and fruit. 

Alma Mader Brewing — 2635 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri —released a variant of their sour DIPA. Genre Shift (8% ABV) comes loaded with notes of tropical fruit and kiwi.

Cinder Block Brewery — 110 E. 18th Ave., North Kansas City, Missouri —released their new citrus radler. KC Squeeze (5% ABV) boasts of mango, citrus and tropical notes.

Crane Brewing Co. — 6515 Railroad St., Raytown, Missouri — released a Belgian-style Tripel. 106C Tripel, which clocks in at 8% ABV, has strong notes of spice and citrus. They also released 1,000,000 Watts: Pomegranate Mango, a sour IPA with pomegranate and mango.  

Beer Events

Saturday, June 20

Apex Aleworks — 4356 S. Noland Road, Independence, Missouri — is hosting Jim Martin, who will be playing your favorite hits from the `70s and up from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. 

If you’re closer to Kansas side of the area, Limitless Brewing — 9765 Widmer Road, Lenexa, Kansas — is also hosting live music from 7 to 9 p.m. this Saturday. Bring your lawn chair, as the local band Thunder Jacket melts your face off with ’90s rock goodness. 

Crane Brewing Co. — 6515 Railroad St., Raytown, Missouri — will be participating in the Alzheimer’s Association’s The Longest Day. A percentage of all sales in its taproom, which reopened last weekend at limited capacity, on Saturday will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association.