"Events like this are great for us as brewers because we not only get to enjoy the inspiration of the brewing community, but we also have a chance to share directly with beer enthusiasts the stories and the details of our beers and our work," Magerl said in a release about the event.
Microbreweries have exploded around the Heartland in the past decade — 21 breweries (25 in total) within a five-hour driving distance of Lawrence are participating in the event. There will be gluten-free beer from New Planet in Colorado (fellow in-state brewers Odell and Great Divide are coming as well) and Green Flash Brewing Co., a California brewer new to the Kansas City market last year, will be the lone emissary from the West Coast in an event that Magerl has deliberately worked to keep local.
That's why you can try beers from Kansas breweries like LB Brewing out of Hays, Kansas, and the High Noon Saloon, out of Leavenworth, Kansas (you may have seen their brews, Annie's Amber Ale in a can, at local restaurants like BRGR), and get a taste of the burgeoning craft beer scene in the areas around St. Louis (Schlafly, Perennial Artisan Ales, and Kirkwood Station Brewing Co.) and Columbus, Nebraska (Gottberg Brewing and Lucky Bucket). In addition to sampling, there will be specialty glassware, homebrewing guides and brewery T-shirts available for purchase. The exposition will have food, and Hy-Vee is presenting a guide to cheese and beer pairing.
The event is a fundraiser for downtown Lawrence, organized by the nonprofit Kansas Craft Brewers Guild and Downtown Lawrence Inc. The cost of $30 includes a commemorative glass, and tickets are available online. There will also be a free tour of the adjacent Bowersock hydropower plant at 11:30 a.m. The tour is limited to 25 people; e-mail mf@freestatebrewing.com to reserve a place.
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