This Midwest City Known For Being The Barbecue Capital Is Now A Beer Destination With Bold Pairings

Kansas City is famous for its barbecue. In fact, it was ranked among the five best cities in the country for American barbecue, and for good reason — Kansas City-style barbecue is different from other styles of grilling in that Kansas City-style usually uses a wider variety of meats, along with the timeless classics, whereas other barbecue styles may only focus on a few specific cuts of meat. Kansas City barbecue also involves dry-rubbing the meat before the iconic tomato-based sauce is even applied. Plus, Kansas City — or K.C. as it's more lovingly called — is a city where you can find traditional barbecue flavors with more of a modern twist, like at this iconic restaurant with a 24-hour BBQ vending machine. However, what you may not have realized is that K.C. is now also a beer destination, making it a great place to visit if you are a foodie who loves pairing local flavors with highly-rated brews.

The beer scene in K.C. has grown so much in recent years that the city was even ranked as the top place for beer travel in 2024 by Hop Culture, edging out usual heavy-hitters like Chicago and Portland. Some of the top-rated breweries in K.C. include spots like Boulevard Brewing Company which is known for the traditional and modern techniques it employs in producing classic ales and the more seasonal sips, and Casual Animal Brewing Company which focuses on producing small-batch, freshly-brewed pours that are best enjoyed with snacks like jerky and trail mix. And if you are visiting in the summer, you can always plan your trip around the K.C. Summer Beer Fest. Although the exact date and venue changes depending on the year, the festival usually charges patrons $50 to get a taste of 50 different breweries, more than 100 beers, and some of the city's best food trucks.

With so many options for great barbecue and beer in Kansas City, it can be a bit overwhelming to know where to start. Luckily, because barbecue has such a rich history in K.C., some breweries have taken to creating beers that are specially meant to be paired with a plate of barbecue. Take the work being done by the good folks at Vine Street Brewing Company for example: their Jazzman Dark Lager works as the perfect alcoholic ally to pulled pork or brisket while their Maris American Pale Ale is a signature request when tasked with finishing a plate of chicken or fish. If you want to add a bit more smoke to your meal, you can opt for Boulevard Brewing Company's Mo BBQ beer, which was made specifically with smoked malt and other barbecue based ingredients like brown sugar, molasses, and celery seeds, among others, as a nod to Kansas City's well-documented relationship with the art of barbecuing.

If you want to make the most of your brewery experience in Kansas City, you can look into participating in the city's official Tap Tour. This program allows you to buy a digital pass and then collect savings for each brewery you visit while also providing a guide for the top beers and breweries you can't miss. At the time of writing, a three-day pass costs $5 and a season pass is $10. Plus if you earn enough points, you can even use them to redeem prizes. Once you are done exploring the breweries in Kansas City, Kansas, you can hop on over to the Missouri part of the city to experience the vibrant nightlife that led to this side being called the "Paris of the Plains."