St. Louis-based cider company opening Kansas City tasting room, production facility

St. Louis-based Brick River Cider Co. is opening in a Crossroads colony of craft breweries.

While it also will offer artisan drinks, it is dedicated to crafting gluten-free hard cider from fresh-pressed Midwestern fruits.

“Some things are apple and some things are apple and. Like our Homestead Peach with fresh peach in addition,” said founder Russ John.

He plans to open a production facility and tasting room at 11 a.m. Dec. 17 at 1701 McGee St. in Kansas City. But could have a soft opening before that.

Brick River Cider’s flagship ciders are Homestead (unfiltered, cloudy, semi-sweet), Homestead Peach (with fresh peaches and a bit sweeter than the regular Homestead), Cornerstone (off-dry) and Sweet Lou’s (blueberry and apple sweetness) which is named after his late Aunt Lou, a “grumpy old nun,” he said with a laugh.

Seasonal beers include its Winter Hop with blackberry notes and Summer Tart (fresh rhubarb and apple hard cider with a bite of ginger).

It doesn’t use concentrates or artificial sweeteners.

Brick River Cider’s food menu will include such entrees as mushroom risotto, pulled pork macaroni and cheese, and fish and chips, along with appetizers, sandwiches, burgers, salads, chicken wings (St. Louis and Kansas City-style), flatbreads, sides and desserts.

It will have a gluten-free Sunday brunch including gluten-free chicken and waffles.

The tasting room also will have a dozen craft beers on tap featuring Kansas City area brewers, as well as cider cocktails, and package beers. It can hold 155 people.

Russ John opened Brick River Cider in an old St. Louis firehouse in 2018. The name comes from the city’s early days of brick making, a product that was carried to communities throughout the region.

John’s great-grandfather enlisted in the Union cavalry in St. Louis in 1862 and later had a homestead and orchards in Elmwood, Nebraska. The family has been growing and harvesting apples there since then.

Brick River Cider produces 4,000 barrels in St. Louis and plans to eventually produce 1,500 barrels at the Kansas City facility and tasting room.

The Kansas City location also will have a small distillery for fruit brandy, apple primarily.

Hours will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays.

It has about 15 employees and Russ hopes to hire another half dozen workers.