10 Essential Breweries to Visit in Kansas

Kansas is a state known for a great deal of amazing history. The very first cattle load to be shipped by rail departed from Kansas. In 1859, the state’s legislature was one of the few to show support for women’s suffrage.

In the late 1800s, Kansas pioneered the prohibition of alcohol.

The connection to prohibition is ironic considering there are 34 breweries in Kansas today. And yes, these places open their doors to the public for tours and taste testing.

Beer enthusiasts travel to Kansas due to the booming brewery and distillery industry. Sure, it can be fun to partake in the festivities at these establishments. Do not, however, forget about the laws associated with public intoxication and driving under the influence.

If you’re concerned about the consequences of drinking and driving and want to ensure you’re covered, enter your ZIP code above and compare at least three to four policies today!

Don’t Drink and Drive in Kansas

Drinking and driving anywhere would be a bad idea due to both the illegality and safety threat. In Kansas, the laws come down very hard on people who take to the roads while impaired.

Anyone who visits a brewery, bar, party or another place in which alcohol is served should line up a designated driver to handle the road; designated drivers can save lives.

A person pulled over for a DUI in Kansas faces serious consequences. Drunk driving could be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony in Kansas. A first-time offense comes with the following penalties:

• 48 hours in jail
• $750 to $1,000 fine
• 30-day license suspension

All three of these penalties increase with subsequent offenses. Second, third, and fourth offenses come with a maximum of one year in jail and an automatic one-year license suspension. Fines could reach as high as $2,500. Convictions also lead to a criminal record that won’t be wiped away.

Top 10 Breweries in Kansas

Kansas’ great breweries and distilleries do make for an intriguing top ten list. The ranking should help those who want to see the top breweries in a state with many establishments.

What are the best ones? Here are 10 best worth checking out:

#10 – Free State Brewing Company

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGStEWef-ME

Established: 1989
Recommended Beer: Ad Astra

Located in the city of Lawrence, the Free State Brewing Company not only offers fantastic beer but also incredibly fine food. The design of the interior brings forth a feeling of elegance.

Open Monday through Saturday from 11 am to midnight and Sunday noon through 11 pm, visitors can take advantage of an incredible selection of beers including Oatmeal Stout, Copperhead Pale Ale, and more.

#9 – Beer Kitchen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHx653GYaZ0

Established: Unknown
Recommended Beer: 4 Hands Peacemaker

With roughly 90 or so beers to choose from, no one will run short on choices at the Beer Kitchen. A few of those beer choices are even brewed locally in the Kansas and Missouri region.

The venue serves lunch, dinner, and brunch and has become one of the most well-known bars and restaurants in all of Kansas.

Open seven days a week, patrons can check the place out as early as 11 am on weekdays and 9 am on Saturday and Sunday. On Mon./Tues., the doors close at 12 am. Closing time is 1 am on Wed./Thurs. and 3 am on Sat./Sun.

#8 – Martin City Brewing Company Pub

Established: 2010
Recommended Beer: Highwayman Imperial Porter

The Martin City Brewing Company Pub not only operates side-by-side with The Martin City Brewing Company’s Pizza & Taproom and The Original Pub, but the brewer also provides beer to scores of establishments in the local area.

And there is a lot of beer to serve as the Brewing Company offers unique canned, draft, bottled, seasonal, and specialty beers, such as the Monk in Scotland and Big Boy Imperial Stout.

By the way, the menus for The Pizza & Taproom and The Original Pub are filled with an incredible array of food. No cover charges and plenty of live music and dancing make both eateries special.

#7 – Radius Brewing Company

Established: Unknown
Recommended Beer: Asymmetry

Proudly boasting about being “Emporia’s only microbrewery and restaurant” and being the location for the Oktoberfest Beer Dinner, The Radius Brewing Co. deserves all the attention it gets. The restaurant’s menu is massive and the brewery, itself, is equally impressive.

Some genuinely unique beer recipes surely catch eyes. Australian Galaxy hops and Ryle malts make Radius beer stand out. Chocolate, coffee, and caramel do wonders for the taste of Porter.

Open seven days a week from 11 am to 11 pm.

#6 – Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co.

Established: 2005
Recommended Beer: Oatmeal Stout

Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co. positively captures the eye thanks to the unique decor concept of mixing 1920s and 1930s style with modern chic. The beer and food selections are quite tasty as well. Doors are open 11 am seven days a week.

Visitors should check this award-winning – Great American Beer Festival (GABF) and Gold World Beer Cup honors – brewery. Top brews also include award winners American Wheat Ale and American Hefeweizen along with Pale Ale, Lemon Ale, and more.

#5 – Central Standard Brewing

Established: 2015
Recommended Beer: Laser Fog Light Show

Taking a Silver Medal at the Great American Beer Festival adds yet another accolade to the short history of Central Standard Brewing. Open Wednesday through Sunday, the Witchita establishment’s great beer can be found on numerous popular food trucks.

The beer selection reveals some incredibly unique options. Keef Richards should appeal to not only music fans but also coconut lovers as this porter contains a lot of flaked coconuts. Check out Tawny Dancer, an amber saison made with Belgian candy sugar.

#4 – Boulevard Brewing Company

Established: 1989
Recommended Beer: Frequent Flier Session India Pale Ale

The Boulevard Brewing Company makes sustaining the environment a primary company goal – along with brewing some of Kansas’ most incredible beer.

A complete brewery tour is available daily from 10 am to 4 pm. The beer hall stays open from 11 am to 8 pm Monday through Saturday and 11 am to 6 pm on Sunday.

The massive variety of beer has something for everyone. Changeling Dark Sour Ale, Cranberry Orange Radler, and classic Pale Ale are among the 29 hyped on its website.

#3 – Defiance Brewing Company

Established: 2013
Recommended Beer: Fuzzy Knuckles

Defiance Beer definitely doesn’t defy beer lovers. It has almost everything they could want.

The great beer selections are “proudly brewed and canned in Hays” and include the brilliant Fuzzy Knuckles beer, a selection with coconut flakes and coffee. That’s original! Thrasher, Willy Nilly, and Gutch are a few of the other options for beer fans.

Well over 50 tap beers, including Chocolate Sunday, Pineapple Express, and Another Tomorrow reflect a beer fan’s dreamland.

#2 – Kansas Territory Brewing Co.

Established: 2014
Recommended Beer: Aeroplane

Eight special varieties on tap contribute to the popularity of the Kansas Territory Brewing Co. Aeroplane truly stands out thanks to its high satisfaction rating.

The company refers to its beers as being “handcrafted,” which hints at just how much careful work goes into the brewing.

#1 – Lifted Spirits

Established: 2016
Recommended Spirit: Bright Gin

Lifted Spirits goes out of its way to scientifically brew perfect brews while adhering to tradition. Amazingly, the establishment was once a stable in the 1800s.

Tours are run at 5 pm from Thursday through Sunday. The tasting room is open Wednesday through Friday 4 pm to 11 pm, Saturday 2 pm to 11 pm, and Sunday 2 pm to 8 pm.

Lifted Spirits is not a beer brewery, though. The company runs a distillery creating spirits in the form of Vodka and Gin.

Safety Tips Before Hitting the Road

Visitors to Kansas may have a lot of enthusiasm about visiting all those cool breweries. Being really fired up to check them all out makes a trip memorable, but a lack of familiarity with the roads can lead to trouble.

Taking some time out to follow these tips could change things for the better:

– Map Your Trip Ahead of Time

To avoid accidents and other mishaps, plan out your route. Planning your route could cut down on making errant turns or missing exits.

The Brewery Map and Brew Trail can help with crafting the voyage. Map things out and add safety to the trip.

– Make Sure You Have the Right Car Insurance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Zr63hTicTU

Accidents, collisions, and other causes of damage are not always avoidable. You may be able to protect yourself against losses with the right auto insurance coverage including:

• Liability
• Uninsured motorist
• Collision
• Comprehensive

Take time out to comparison shop for the best coverage.

Look at three or four quotes and do so even if you already have a policy. Check out what other companies have available. Don’t focus solely on cost, though. Examine the benefits.

– Give Your Car a Tune-Up

Breaking down or suffering another mishap on the road while traveling can be both costly and inconvenient. Take the vehicle to a garage for a tune-up before hitting the road.

Make sure the mechanic knows you have a road trip planned.

Changing fluids and spark plugs and making sure the brakes and lights are in great condition might eliminate dangerous hassles.

– Travel with an emergency kit

Emergencies on the road can be chaotic. The chaos becomes worse when a problem arises on an unfamiliar road late at night or in terrible weather conditions.

Being stuck without any helpful supplies makes the situation worse, which is why keeping a safety kit in the car makes sense.

A safety kit contains lights, reflectors, canned food, water, blankets, rain jackets, and more. A fully-charged mobile phone and even a backup phone should be in the vehicle as well. The ability to call responders to the scene of an emergency is a must.

– Don’t Drink and Drive

Positively don’t make this mistake since doing so could have disastrous consequences. Make plans to keep yourself away from sitting behind the wheel when intoxicated.

If you cannot find a designated driver, call on Uber or another ridesharing service. Planning ahead could save you from a terrible accident on the road.

Maybe the time has come to purchase the very best auto insurance policy available. Doing so could be a lot easier than finding the best beer.

Shopping around online could lead you right to the best policy for a Kansas resident. Pulling quotes is hassle-free when using the internet. Procure those quotes, review them, and choose the best policy. Make these steps a major priority.

Looking for the affordable and better auto insurance? Enter your ZIP code below and start comparison shopping today!