The following is the first installment in a series detailing local microbreweries. If you’re going to talk about microbrewing in this area, it’s best to start with the flagship and granddaddy of them all, Lawrence’s very own Free State Brewing Company.
I chatted with owner and founder Chuck Magerl on the phone, because unfortunately I couldn’t leverage my position as a beer blogger into a free tasting. However, I figure if you live in the area, particularly in Lawrence, then you don’t really need me to tell you what Free State beer tastes like. You’re better off going down and finding out for yourself.
In November 1880, Kansas voted and adopted an amendment to the Constitution prohibiting the sale of intoxicating liquors, becoming the first “dry” state. Nearly an eternity later in 1986, Kansans voted by a 59.9% to 40.1% margin to enact liquor-by-the-drink legislation. Bars and restaurants in the 36 counties approving the bill could legally sell the sweet nectar to the public. In 1987, state legislation adopted the microbrewery license type, and Free State Brewing Company opened in December 1988.
“In 1977 I was doing an article about the history of brewing in Kansas, in particular in Lawrence,” Magerl said. “It prompted me to learn what had changed. At that point there weren’t any small breweries opening in the U.S.”
There certainly was very little competition in the area at the time.
“When we first started,” Magerl said. “If you wanted to visit a brewpub operation, there was one in Chicago, one in Denver, some in Wisconsin, but otherwise there was nothing in between Canada and the Rio Grande.”
“Boulevard came in a little while later, and others have come along. Now there are hundreds and hundreds of breweries out there.”
Free State successfully brewed the first legal beer in Kansas since 1880, named Ad Astra Ale – taking its name from the Kansas State Motto “Ad Astra per Aspera,” Latin for “To the Stars through Difficulties.” As the first legal brewery in Kansas since before Carry Nation began hatcheting her way through brewpubs of yore, Free State has had wide reign to experiment and grow over the last 20 years.
“Ultimately the inspiration is nothing but selfishness, in that we brew the kind of beers we do because it’s the type of beers we like to drink,” Magerl said.
Maybe it’s the admiration for beer that drives so many diverse options onto Free State’s menu.
“We usually have eight to ten beers on tap, and seasonal options certainly vary over time.
In some of the colder months we’ll bring in the barrel aged, barley wines and imperial stouts. One of the joys of having a small brewing operation is the ability to make some changes, and have some different flavors seasonally,” Magerl said.
Did I mention that the folks at Free State like beer?
“We’ve made somewhere in the range of 75-80 different types of beer over twenty years,” Magerl said.
Currently Free State’s beer is only available on location at 636 Massachusetts Street. Kegs can be purchased in 15.5 gallon, 7.75 gallon and 5 gallon sizes. Another option is the growler, a 64 oz. refillable jug. Most often the brews are poured into glasses and served with dinner (it is a restaurant, too, as you probably know).
However, Free State has been working on becoming a bottling operation for about a year. This is good news for Free State fans that have wanted to savor a brew in classic 12 oz. bottles for years.
“We had built a production facility here in Lawrence,” Magerl said. “Last fall we were three days away from the first brew there, and had a still-undetermined fire in the middle of the night that destroyed the operation. So we’ve spent the last nine months rebuilding everything and getting back to where we were.”
As disheartening as that had to be, Free State has been determined to bring its beer to the masses.
“In July we brewed the first beers there at the new facility,” Magerl said. “Things are working out great. The facility has a lot of room for expansion, and room for potential.”
“We hope to have a bottled product on the shelves sometime by the end of the year.”
Free State has come a long way in the last 20 years, just as beer itself has had a long, strange trip in Kansas. I think a big part of the new microbrewing trend is to make beer a drink that is accepted by a lot of demographics, to give beer a new identity. Microbrewers are pushing creative, sophisticated and balanced beers into our palates. It’s showing us that beer can be classy, and should be enjoyed in a variety of ways. Beer can be imbibed responsibly, and often, and it should be.
“Part of the beer culture is being an every day enjoyment, not a special occasion,” Magerl said.
Cheers.
Beer is not recession proof. Just ask the imported and domestic beer distributors. In the first half of 2009 imported beer sales were down 9.5%. The beer industry as a whole saw sales go down by 1.3%.
Growing regional microbrewers such as Sierra Nevada and Boulevard Brewing reach out with new products to an increasingly curious beer drinking public. As first time customers are won over by hand crafted products they become more likely to experiment with other microbrews, expanding the consumer base. This article about Sam Adams illustrates a coming reality for a few of our greatest microbreweries.
