10 Best Breweries in Kansas with 30 Beers Worth Trying
Kansas breweries offer a useful route through grain, hopping and fermentation: Lawrence’s amber and agricultural ales, Wichita’s lagers and IPAs, El Dorado’s flagships, Manhattan’s sorghum beer, and distinct stops in Washington, Lenexa, Hutchinson, Mission and Hays. These ten editorial picks each come with three beers that reveal something useful about the brewery’s range.
The order is an editorial starting point, not an objective statewide tasting score. The thirty numbered beer cards make the selections easy to follow. We use current producer listings and identify seasonal or vintage-specific beers; check the current taproom menu and batch label before traveling for a particular release.
Kansas brewery picks at a glance
| Brewery | Base | Three beers to explore |
|---|---|---|
| Free State Brewing Co. | Lawrence, Kansas | Ad Astra Amber Ale · Copperhead Pale Ale · Yakimaniac IPA |
| Walnut River Brewing Company | El Dorado, Kansas | Warbeard · High Beam · Teter Rock |
| Wichita Brewing Company | Wichita, Kansas | V-6 IPA · 5:02 Amber · WuShock Wheat |
| Central Standard Brewing | Wichita, Kansas | Wizard of Hops · CSB De Luxe · Red Cicada |
| Fields & Ivy Brewery | Lawrence, Kansas | Breezedale · Open Pastures · Worboys |
| Manhattan Brewing Company | Manhattan, Kansas | Wabash · Tasty IPA · High Plains Pour |
| Kansas Territory Brewing Co. | Washington, Kansas | Life Coach Lager · Pineapple Life Coach · Bradford Light |
| Limitless Brewing | Lenexa, Kansas | JoCo Juice · Cadillac Cowboy · Winter Winds |
| Sandhills Brewing | Hutchinson and Mission, Kansas | Bald Eagle · Chickadee · Wood Duck |
| Lb. Brewing Co. at Gella’s Diner | Hays, Kansas | No. 02 American Wheat · No. 06 Oatmeal Stout · No. 55 Ft. Fletcher American IPA |
1. Free State Brewing Co.
Lawrence’s Free State selection puts an amber ale, pale ale and IPA beside one another, making malt-to-hop balance a useful way into its range. The current producer-hosted draft menu gives the exact specifications used here.
Begin with Ad Astra for toasted grain, use Copperhead for a balanced pale-ale reference, then move to Yakimaniac’s stronger hop-led direction. Check the pub’s current menu before traveling for an individual beer.
Ad Astra Amber Ale
Brewed by Free State Brewing Co.
Ad Astra is Free State’s amber ale, with the October 6 producer-hosted draft menu specifying 5.6% and 30 IBU.
BAR NOTES
Ad Astra is Free State’s amber ale, with the October 6 producer-hosted draft menu specifying 5.6% and 30 IBU. Pale, caramel and Munich malts support its grain character, while Nugget and Fuggles provide balance. The name comes from the Kansas motto’s Latin phrase mea