Third Stop - Free State Brewing

My last post said my next stop would be down I-35 at Coop Aleworks in Oklahoma City. Short answer, I lied.

Longer answer, I had it on very good authority from many people that I would be a fool to pass on a trip to Free State Brewing in Lawrence, KS. So instead of moving on I went to a KU football game (which they won handily) and had lunch at Free State Brewing.

Free State Brewing opened its doors in 1989 as the first legal brewery in Kansas in over 100 years. That’s understandable in a state that so many early advocates of prohibition called home. However, now Kansans seem more than ready to down a couple of pints of Free State beer. That was pretty well evidenced when my friend Emily and I tried to get a table around 1:30 in the afternoon and still had to wait a half hour; their line was out the door.

Free State is currently running a 14 barrel system in-house at their brewpub. They also just recently started bottling their beers for distribution in the immediate area.

With some time still left to kill after walking the neighborhood we took a seat at the bar to sample the beer. While sitting I tried out the Oktoberfest and the lemongrass rye. The Oktoberfest had a clear copper coloration and had an aroma that smelled a little like freshly baked bread. The first flavors resonate at the front of the mouth with fairly sweet malt. Then it slowly transitions into something with a more hoppy characteristic. It isn’t anything that completely blew me away, but it was extremely drinkable. Something I could easily see myself sitting down and having a couple of.

I was extremely full and had to be driving later so I only drank one more pint (something I deeply regret) before calling it quits. The second beer was one I chose because it is a completely different beer from the Oktoberfest, the lemongrass rye. The Rye was extremely refreshing with a LOT of lemon coming through in the aroma and flavor. In the aftertaste the lemon transitioned to a much more malty taste. It was a good beer, but I thought it could have used a little more bite.

I truly wish that I could have taken the time to sit down and really sample what Free State has to offer but alas, there are only 24 hours in a day and the need to drive can really ruin a good beer tasting. Oh, and if you were curious I had the turkey bacon facaccia sandwich with peppered bacon, lettuce, white cheddar, and chive mayonnaise. As good as it sounds, it tasted better. Next time I’m anywhere near Lawrence I’m going to be stopping in at Free State and really giving them the time they deserve. As far as samples go though, I was pretty impressed with my brief visit.

I stopped in at Coop Aleworks today and talked to J.D. Merryweather all about who they are and what they do. That post will be coming very soon!