Casual Animal Brewing Co. | Kansas City, MO

Beer Trip: Casual Animal Brewing Co. in Kansas City, Missouri

*View walking up, including the original and expanded sides, patio, and turf patio!*

The Crossroads district near downtown Kansas City is the heart of the city’s brewery scene, in our opinion (they don’t call it “Brewer’s Alley” for nothing)! With seven breweries all within walking distance of one another, we always have to flip a coin on where to stop when in the vicinity. While you can’t go wrong with any of your selections, Casual Animal is one of the most popular - and it’s easy to see why. We’ve visited on a few occasions but recently stopped by for an early anniversary celebration.

*Small patio area available - it was too hot the day we visited!*

The Brewery

The big draw for us with Casual Animal is their atmosphere. A few years ago they expanded, now occupying two buildings, and their space is unlike any other brewery we’ve experienced. The center of the room features a massive skylight that lets in tons of natural light. They take full advantage of the light by spreading live plants galore. The plants, combined with decorative rugs, a hodgepodge of mixed and matched seating styles, and the wooden ceiling, make you feel like you are entering a safari when you enter the building.

Despite their expansion, the original brewery has also been preserved! Because of this, you can experience an enormous and unique space while also being able to appreciate their humble beginning.

There are so many things inside to keep you and your eyes entertained that one could spend hours here without even realizing it. Nearly every wall is different than the next, with one being the beautiful, original building blocks; the next a custom wood end-piece display; or another featuring an amazing wall of mural paintings. If the scenery of the brewery can’t keep you occupied, they also have darts, a shuffleboard table, and a variety of games.

The Beer

Casual Animal keeps ten different brews on tap at any given time. On our most recent visit (we’ve been quite a few times!), the selection included multiple IPAs, traditional lagers, a sour, wheat, Kolsch, and a stout. Unlike most breweries, their taps aren’t the focal point of the bar and are instead somewhat discretely placed along a side wall. Instead, the back wall features custom artwork identifying each beer's name, style, description, and ABV.

Many of their beer tends to be on the subtle side as far as flavors go, but everything is drinkable and tailored toward the masses. One such example is their Peanut Butter Stout. While the peanut butter profile was relatively discrete, it made up for it by being extremely smooth and easy-drinking - perfect for a hot summer day.

*How Casual Animal displays their options on draft*

Food, Merch, & More

If beer isn’t your thing, Casual Animal has you covered by offering kombucha, a very popular cider (bright blue in color!), a few N/A beers, cocoa, hot cider, Capri Sun, and Gatorade. While they don’t serve food in-house, they do have a few bagged chip choices, nuts, beef jerky, hummus, and chips with guac. You’re also welcome to bring in outside food from other vendors!

As far as merchandise goes, you can pick up t-shirts, hats, sunglasses, or one of the cooler brewery stickers in the area. In addition, they also offer most of their beers to-go in ready-to-go crowlers.

Make sure Casual Animal is on your list of stops for your next KC brewery adventure - it’s a place that definitely won’t disappoint! Whether you’re visiting for a casual afternoon with friends, a bachelorette party, or an anniversary date, they really are a spot for every occasion.

Cheers!

Chris & Morgan

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