Our mission
We like to go to breweries and support craft beer in general. When we travel, we often plan our trip around which breweries we want to hit at our destination and on the way there/back. Living in south central Kansas, we will hit a lot of Wichita Metro Area breweries and bars, but even when we leave our beloved State of Kansas, we plan on chronicling our journey.
We aren’t experts. We will never claim to be. We are just your average Joe craft beer enthusiasts who want to share some of our observations with those who are interested. Take our judgments with a grain of salt. The best way to judge a brewery is by going there yourself. As regular travelers, we are creating the type of blog we would love to stumble upon when deciding where to stop.
We prefer to remain anonymous right now, as this is just a hobby, and we don’t really expect anyone to care.
A brief history of Carrie Nation
Read the Kansas Historical Society’s history of hatchet-wielding, bar-smasher Carrie Nation here.
Drinker profiles
William A. White: Will drink just about anything if it sounds interesting. Not afraid of any beer style. The more important thing to William is execution and drinkability at the time. He drinks the season and atmosphere in a lot of ways. In the winter, he is known to crush a few stouts but likely wouldn’t touch one in the heat of the summer.
If he has one thing that tends to turn him off almost always, it’s something that tastes like liquid smoke, but outside of that, William is willing to sip on IPAs to stouts and everything in between. When going to a brewery he hasn’t been to, he is likely to go straight for the strangest beer he sees on the menu just for fun.
Clementine Paddleford: She’s a woman of simple tastes. Despite drinking craft beer for a long, long time, she still hasn’t developed into much of a hop-head. Instead, Clementine goes straight for the maltiest, darkest thing on the menu as a general rule. She will dip her toe into experimental brews, but if it claims to be “juicy” or “hazy,” she’s likely out.
On her “absolutely not” list is almost every IPA and most sours. If it has a lot of hop profile or a ton of pucker, Clementine will hand the glass over to William and try again. That being said, she has enjoyed some weird ones—from a glass of straight dill pickle flavor to a bready dupe for a pretzel in a glass.
What our ratings mean
Normie Factor: Can your normie friend find a plain, old beer (or something close enough) to drink here?
Freak Flag: How weird are the beers? A high rating indicates you’ll find lots of weird beers, out-of-the-ordinary flavor combinations and out-of-the-box styles. A low rating indicates that this place focuses on basic beers. You won’t find a firkin at a one rating for the Freak Flag. It doesn’t mean the beer isn’t good. It means you won’t find a lot of adventure on tap there.
Vibe Check: A high ranking includes a clean space that feels welcoming. It includes the ability to have a conversation without having to yell over the music. The waitstaff and/or bartender is knowledgeable, attentive and friendly. A one for this rating could be a gross dive or a place where you get the “You ain’t from ’round here.” vibes.
Smashability: This rating includes the flavor, carbonation level, how true to style the brew is, any weird after tastes and how we felt overall about the offering. (Be sure to check out our individual preferences to help inform you on how these ratings were reached.)
Poor ’til Payday: We’ll tell you how much scratch you should expect to have when you show up at this spot. A single $ means this place is super affordable. $$$$ means this is super pricey. Be ready to spend here.
Munchies: This rating is for the quality of the food, variety of offerings and value. We don’t always eat when we go out drinking, but when we do, we want it to be great.