Needed! Beer from Kansas….

…and it could be the easily shipped cans from Tallgrass Brewing!
tallgrass-ipa

Here is the chain of events that led the brewery to can…
“The call was from a Tallgrass drinker in western Kansas. He had about 20 empty cases of IPA bottles and boxes stacked in his garage. I guess he really likes it. He wanted to return the boxes for us to reuse, but since he was so far away, picking them up was not an option. I asked him to recycle the glass and cardboard, but he did not have a local recycler. It would all have to go to the local landfill.”

That phone call inspired Gill to look into the viability of cans. Several months later, Gill is returning from a field trip across the country to Ball Corporation where his cans are being manufactured.

Tallgrass will soon can Tallgrass Ale, Oasis, Buffalo Sweat, Kold and IPA.

I do need to add more canned beers to my 50 from 50 challenge.

Free State Brewing

In conjunction with my 50 Beers from 50 States challenge, I will highlight little known breweries from across the country. Here is some information from….KANSAS!
fsb
“The Free State Brewing Co. opened in 1989 as the first legal brewery in Kansas in over 100 years. Located in a renovated inter-urban trolly station in historic downtown Lawrence, the Brewery was an early participant in the rejuvenation of the north end of the downtown business district. Led by the renovation and refurbishment of neighboring Liberty Hall and the Eldridge Hotel, the result has been a rebirth of the 600 block of Massachusetts Street”
And this is the brew that most caught might eye…OLD STORMY!
“A distinctive quality of Old Ales is that they undergo an aging process (often for years) on their yeast, contributing to a rich and often sweet oxidation character. Back in August of 2009 we aged a batch of Stormwatch Ale without it’s usual dry-hop addition and without carbonation. We then transferred the beer to various oak barrels, some originally used for wine, some for bourbon. Rather than blend the barrel-aged beer back together, we’ve chosen to keep each keg of old ale separate and allow the full expression of each individual barrel to shine through. The resulting beer is unique and complex, with notes of caramel, cherries, plums, coffee, vanilla, bourbon, and wine. Medium bodied and deep mahogany in color, Old Stormy has matured into a beer that only hints at its previous incarnation, Stormwatch; with decidedly less hop character and a greater emphasis on sweet, malty flavors. Old Stormy is a great ale to weather the winter storm season. Served at cellar temperature on the back bar. Bottom Line: A slightly sweet, malty, medium bodied, deep mahogany ale aged for no less than three months on a variety of barrels.”