NORTH KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Early next year there will be a new brewery with a unique purpose in North Kansas City.
Each one of Callsign Brewing's beer is named after military aircraft, and each time that specific beer is brewed, there will be a special tribute.
"Unfortunately, we see it too many times where something happened to a military helicopter or an airplane and nobody can remember their names," Callsign Brewing Owner Steve Sirois said. "This will be a location where we can celebrate their lives and celebrate our freedom."
Images courtesy of Callsign Brewing
Sirois first began brewing beer seven years ago in a garage with some of his closest friends.
"We came up with the concept of Callsign Brewing shortly after an Air Force KC 135 crash in the desert back in 2013," Sirois said. "One of my good buddies and I used to fly tankers out of Wichita, Kansas, which is where that tanker came from. We actually spent time on that tail."
After getting $25,000 from a Kickstarter campaign, the dream is becoming a reality.
"When you're brewing beer and that's where your passion is, and your other passion is military folks, combine those two and then you've got a reason to open up a brewery," Sirois said.
Originally, Callsign Brewing was set to open on Veterans Day earlier this year, but those plans were sidelined.
"Since I'm still in the military, during the process of trying to get all the permits in order, we had three hurricanes that hit the East Coast, and I was tasked to do a lot of hurricane relief stuff for a couple of months," Sirois said.
But now plans are back on track with the new opening date set for some time in February 2018.
Images courtesy of Callsign Brewing
Sirois said he wants his brewery to be a place where anyone, especially military veterans, can go have a good time and feel safe, too.
"When we open we are going to help people with PTSD – not only soldiers but fireman, police officers. That's going to be our whole meaning of life,” Sirois said.
Callsign Brewing already has a partnership in the works with a motorcycle dealership to host an annual event to raise funds for the Gary Sinise Foundation.
Sirois also wants to be able to provide help for anyone suffering from PTSD.
"We also want to have counselors on-hand so when somebody comes in, has a few beers and then he just breaks down, we're going to get him some help. That's the true meaning of Callsign Brewing, not just for the beer, but also to help those that need the help," Sirois said.
---
