Kansas City Brewery Guide

Being named after one of our favorite neighborhoods in KC (Brookside), it’s only fitting that they brew some of our favorite beers in the city. The always-rotating menu of hop-forward ales brings in beer aficionados from all over the country.

Launched in 1989, Boulevard has grown to become the largest craft brewery in the Midwest, producing local and national favorites. Their Rec Center offers one of the best places to hang out in the city with great food and drink, tours, shuffleboard, and excellent views of the KC skyline.

City Barrel experiments with a variety of styles to bring you unique beers you won’t find anywhere else in KC. Paired with a chef-driven food menu, make this stop in the Crossroads a priority when thirst and hunger strike together. For what it’s worth, the Rad AF is one of our favorite brews in the city.

Casual Animal Brewing Co., nestled in the Crossroads, features a lush, plant‑filled taproom that’s one of our favorite hangout spots in the city. They serve rotating small‑batch beers, hard seltzers, and ciders.

KC Bier Co. brings German-style beer to the KC scene using hops exclusively from the Hallertau Valley in Kulmbach, Germany. Stop by their garden in Waldo (conveniently right alongside the Trolley Track trail) and grab yourself a Dunkel when it’s cool outside, and a Hefeweizen when it’s warm.

No neighborhood in KC has more claim to historical fame than the stockyards in the West Bottoms, and the team at Stockyards Brewing Co. embraces that wholeheartedly. Opening in 2016, Stockyards strives to brew great beer that honors its neighborhood’s industrial past.

Missouri’s first Black-owned brewery is making waves in the beer community and was named a “Best Brewery to Watch in 2024” by Hop Culture. Grab yourself a Hood Saison (Farmhouse Ale), which has quickly become one of our favorite beers in the city.

Alma Mader Brewing specializes in hop‑forward ales and lagers. Owned by experienced brewers, its fresh, approachable beers have earned a loyal following in a lively industrial taproom. Their Pacific Portal beer won a silver medal at the 2024 Great American Beer Fest.

Cinder Block Brewery is one of the best breweries in the Northland. It offers year-round favorites like the Block IPA, as well as limited releases in small quantities. New to Cinder Block is The Commons, a mountain-themed hangout space filled with yard games, arcades, and sandwiches from Bay Boy.

Torn Label Brewing Co. in the East Crossroads blends creative scratch‑kitchen fare with a diverse, expertly crafted beer lineup, Think hop‑forward pales, Mexican‑style lagers, barrel‑aged barley wines, and rotating sours. A bright, social dining space called Public House complements the cozy original taproom.

Sandhills Brewing is found along the ever-evolving Johnson Drive in Mission with a second taproom in Hutchinson, Kansas. This suburban staple focuses on oak-fermented specialty ales and mixed-fermentation sours.

Nestled in the heart of the River Market, Strange Days Brewing Co. serves a rotating tap of globally-focused beers. Not into experimental brews? Grab a Sclamms, a no-fuss post-pandemic lager.

Red Crow is a hobby-turned-business that’s called Olathe home for 12 years. Offering up to 15 beers on tap at any given time, pair a beer with anything from their full food menu for the full experience.

Found in downtown Shawnee, Friction Beer Co. is a relatively new face in the KC craft beer scene, opening in 2023. Great beer, family-friendly, and live music is often on tap.

Rochester is the only spot that can be found on our brewery guide AND our coffee shop guide! Fresh roasted coffee in the morning, handcrafted brews in the afternoon/night. This Crossroads staple (& also Parkville) is a perfect all-day hang.