On our way back from Nebraska, we were in need of a bit of a detour on the road trip. Just west of Belleville, Kansas, is a tiny little town with a very neat brewery in it.
As we pulled up to Irrigation Ales in Courtland, Kansas, we were blown away by the activity on Main Street in this community of just 288 people.
There was a food truck in front of the brewery serving up barbeque, a full house inside the brewery, and a local artist getting ready to provide live music. Did we mention this was in a town of 288 people?
We headed straight for the bar and ordered a few beers before noticing one of the owners of the brewery, Luke Mahin, who was nice enough to take us to the back and show us his operation.
Going behind the scenes, Luke showed us his ingenuity in creating his mash tun and boil kettle out of old dairy equipment.
As I sipped on my Cherry Kolache Sour (yes, 288 people live in this town), he took us into his cold room, which is a converted storage container lined with horse mats from Orscheln Farm & Home. Luke, like a proud papa, showed us how he repurposed items and used things most commercial breweries wouldn’t think to so he could afford to bring this truly unique place to this hometown in north central Kansas.
Irrigation Ales is a testament to what can happen when someone decides to be the change they want to see in their small town. There are plenty of dying towns in Kansas right now with people complaining about what used to be. Courtland, Kansas, isn’t one of them.
Going back to the bar:
WAW: My Cherry Kolache Sour (6% ABV) was completely unexpected. I forgot to take any photos of the beer while we were there. Sorry, we are new at this. It was bright and flavorful, fruity and a tiny bit bready. I couldn’t get over how interesting this beer was when I fully expected to plop down for a standard pale ale followed by a nut brown for this trip.
Luke had some “townie” beers on the menu, too, and he said their “Red Trucks” was one of the most popular with the locals. He told me he tries to keep a mix of stuff he knows is interesting and fun that he will like while also keeping some standards around for the regulars.
We were traveling and couldn’t stay long, but we decided to take a few beers to-go from his cooler, including the Red Trucks, which was a nice, standard red ale that was brewed to perfection.
CP: If you’re wondering just how small Courtland is, William and I almost accidentally ended up in a parade of vehicles the local high school kids were driving out of town to prom. The parents waiting on the sidewalks downtown looked very confused why we were there.
But once we got inside the brewery, it was super welcoming, and I immediately settled on the Red Trucks ale, which was exactly what I wanted after being stuck in the car for a bit. It was malty and tasty, and I was infinitely thankful it was only 4.5% ABV, because it also went down incredibly easily. Paired with my barbecue and excellent cheesy potatoes from the food truck outside, I was ready to move my bags into the tap room and stay awhile.
Final Assessment
Normie Factor: Yes. We would wager there were a fair amount of them there with us that night.
Freak Flag: 3/10 (but he keeps a few in the wings for those of us interested)
Vibe Check: 8/10
Smashability: 7/10
Poor ’til Payday: $
Munchies: N/A (order from one of the local establishments and bring it in)
Other good info
Date Visited: April 15, 2023
Is there to-go beer? No growlers. To-go cans available.
Website: https://irrigationales.com/
Where is it? Centrally isolated between I-80 and I-70. Over the river and below the lake. Plug in Courtland, KS, and Irrigation Ales. You can’t miss it.
Parking and Public Transportation: Street parking
Below is the tap list they had on our visit.