Defiance is nothing new to Kansans. Some prognosticators suggest that the craft beer industry is drying up. However, the westward expansion of local craft breweries across the metro and into Kansas strikes a defiant stance: Hold our beer. Kansas City Bier Company, Transport Brewery, Stockyards Brewing and others have crossed the state line and opened operations in the Sunflower State.
Kansas has weathered dry spells before (ahem, Prohibition) and survived. Let’s not be that dramatic. Nationwide, the craft brewing industry boomed for more than a decade. The boom didn’t bust. Craft breweries matured, consolidated, became acquisitions or otherwise adapted to a shifting market.
Then and now, breweries are businesses. They’re also cultural havens and community gathering places. Bringing craft beer to Kansas suburbs and cities makes sense as people migrate and communities grow. With more beer made and served in Kansas, life is looking up for beer lovers…