Crane Brewing | Raytown, MO
Beer Trip: Crane Brewing in Raytown, Missouri
Crane Brewing has been on our list of breweries to hit up in Kansas City for far too long! When some fellow brewery-loving friends mentioned meeting there, we jumped at the opportunity to check out this unique, local hot spot.
The Brewery
Crane sits out on its own compared to other breweries in the city. It actually sits so far off of a main street that you have to take a dirt road to get to it! This provides tons of parking and makes it very convenient to access from the bike trail that runs just outside the place. Walking up, one would notice the nice-sized outdoor patio just before the front door. Once inside, the vibe has a nice, rustic feel with live-edge wooden tables, a natural stone tile back wall, and bits and pieces of barrel wall art.
While we didn’t have issues finding a seat, the place did get packed on a Saturday afternoon, and all ten of the tables were occupied at one point or another, with people even standing along the walls - so make sure to plan accordingly! It did seem as if many patrons were making a quick stop in and out as a break from their biking adventures.
The Beer
Crane offers plenty of beers to choose from with fifteen different taps, along with one rotating local guest tap. Sours are clearly the brewer’s favorite style here, as they had six different ones available - including their KC favorite, Tea Weiss. During our visit, they offered multiple lagers, three IPAs, and one porter, saison, and wheat. While they might have multiple brews of certain styles, they do a nice job of making each one unique by using varying hops, adding fruits, or barrel-aging.
Coming in, we were already familiar with a few of their flagships - so we knew that Crane can brew solid beer like the Farmhouse IPA or the previously mentioned Tea Weiss Sour. With that said, we decided to focus our visit on their smaller-batch products. By far, our favorite of the trip was their Raytona Beach - a Berliner Weiss that provided a nice tartness combined with a creamy, vanilla taste. Their Cloud Ceilings was another top choice - this American IPA had an excellent combination of flavors that were both tropical and smoky.
Food, Merch, & More
Crane provides several other drink options besides beer, boasting a full bar with only locally produced spirits - which we found pretty cool! In addition to that, they also have a couple of spiked slushies which were rather popular on this warm summer day.
While they don’t have their own food menu, they have a nice selection of popcorn, peanuts, chips and salsa, and a dedicated food truck spot right outside the front door. During our trip, this was actually occupied by a gelato truck that appeared to be a big hit with the kids. Their merchandise section included shirts, glassware, koozies, and a good selection of to-go beer.
We regret that we didn’t realize they offer tours of the facility prior to our arrival! Either the tour or one of their other unique events are definitely something we’d want to check out in the future.
