On our way back to south central Kansas, we stopped just outside of Kansas City at Red Crow Brewing Company in Olathe.
It’s located in a strip mall not too far off the highway, which allows for a quick getaway with plenty of parking if you are looking for a reason to stop before the last leg home.
Red Crow gave me an Applebee’s vibe when we went in. The wait staff was nice, the place was clean, but it just felt kinda sterile like it lacked personality a little. Clem felt like they were going for some kind of industrial hipster roadside gas station vibe.
That being said, the chairs weren’t necessarily the most comfortable for a really long sit, but the place felt pretty darn family friendly, if that interests you.
They have a dedicated food truck, “Casual Foodie,” located in the back, and the wait staff will give you their menus if you are hungry. We were, so we started with some PB&J wings, as that sounded odd and felt like a bit of an adventure.
These were heavy on the peanut butter and light on the jelly but overall were quite tasty. We both ordered more food, but we should have shared something, as these were very filling paired along with our beers.
Speaking of beers…
WAW: I started with the Ada—a tropical pale ale coming in at 5.9 percent ABV. It was light and refreshing with a slight fruitiness and almost no hop character. This was extremely approachable and a very nice beginning to my evening on a very hot summer day.
I chose to order the Mama Sue—hazy pale (6 percent ABV)—next, and really it was just the tropical pale without the fruitiness. It had a much more traditional pale ale flavor but wasn’t representative of “hazy” how I expected it to be. Overall, it was also pretty refreshing but kinda boring.
By now my food had arrived, and it was pretty good. I had a grilled chicken caprinni, and it was damn delicious. The fries were hot, and the sandwich was very flavorful. Between the wings and this sandwich, I was regretting life choices on the drive home.
To finish off my beer journey, I had the Essie “sour” ale, clocking in at 5.4 percent ABV. This barely reads as sour. It was light and refreshing (See a theme?), but it wasn’t very flavorful or sour. It’s more of an old-school sour that boyhood me might have thought was crazy, but now I know better. This was the most underwhelming beer I had on the trip. If I had to do it over again, I would have just drank the “Ada” three times.
Overall, this wasn’t my favorite brewery trip, but I could see where folks in Olathe could be drawn to it. It’s clean, the wait staff is friendly, there are lots of TVs on the wall to watch sports or, for us, “Bob’s Burgers,” and the beers are all approachable. This felt like an old-person brewery. Not to throw shade, but I think you know what I mean. There was nothing crazy about the beers, but they were all relatively safe, decently crafted and refreshing. There is a place for breweries like this, but generally, they aren’t a place I seek out when traveling. If this was in my hometown, however, I could see myself being there somewhat regularly. We don’t have a brewery, so we will have to wait and see if anyone ever opens one here.
CP: I looked through the offerings on the menu for something with a little malt character and decided to land on the Brenda Sue. It’s an English mild (5.3 percent ABV). I thought it had a very subtle malt nose on it and was very true to style. It was well executed overall, and I’d say if you like English milds, you’d probably like this beer, too.
For my second beer, I decided to dip my toe just a few centimeters out of my normal and order the Marilyn, which is a tropical wheat (5.0 percent ABV). It was more wheat than fruit. I honestly couldn’t tell you what tropical note it was going for, but the beer was very refreshing and definitely a technically done wheat beer.
Just like William, though, I really enjoyed my meal. I opted for a southwest burger, which featured Doritos on it. My childhood self would have been very excited about that. (Let’s face it, my adult self wasn’t unhappy with it, either.) Our waitress was friendly and attentive, which made the trip extremely pleasant, even if the beer was a bit lackluster overall. None of it was bad. It just wasn’t necessarily something to write home about.
Final Assessment
Normie Factor: Yes. It was about as normie as you can get.
Freak Flag: 1/10 (they tried a sour at least…)
Vibe Check: 7/10
Smashability: 6/10
Poor ’til Payday: $$
Munchies: Casual Foodie appears to be a house food truck that is there regularly. The food was good.
Other good info
Date Visited: July 9, 2023
Is there to-go beer? Yes. You can get single, four-pack or six-pack cans.
Website: https://redcrowbrew.com/
Address: 1062 West Santa Fe Street, Olathe, KS, 66061
Parking and Public Transportation: Large parking lot