Category Archives: Beer

River City Brewing Co. gets a menu remodel

Aug. 2, 201210:17 a.m.

River City Brewing Co., Wichita’s original brewery at 150 N. Mosley in Old Town, recently has revamped its menu a bit, adding a long list of dishes that focus on using beer as an ingredient in the cooking. The new menu rolled out on Monday.

Owner Chris Arnold sent me the descriptions of some of the new dishes, which made me pretty hungry. Among them:

–Shrimp salad made with shrimp that’s been marinated and  cooked in wheat beer and chipotles with fresh greens, avocado, tomato, cucumber, peppers and queso fresco.

– Bone-in pork chop grilled and topped with Brown Ale mustard cream sauce alongside roasted baby potatoes and fresh veggies.

– Fish tacos filled with tilapia marinated in herbs and Amber Ale with fresh lettuce, avocado relish, queso fresco and a sauce of chipotles and beer on corn or flour tortillas.

– Herb marinated chicken breast marinated in wheat beer and spices then grilled and served with roasted baby potatoes and veggies.

–  Beer brat pizza featuring a beer crust topped with ale mustard sauce, thinly sliced beer brats, beer braised onions, red peppers and mozzarella cheese.

 – Beer cheese steak sandwich made with sliced beef topped with onions, peppers and mushrooms then slathered in homemade beer cheese sauce.

 – Stout Brownie dessert composed of a chocolate brownie made with Emerald City Stout and topped with chocolate ganache, salty pretzels and a big scoop of homemade vanilla stout ice-cream and caramel sauce.

Arnold also told me about a stout float, which he makes by pouring vanilla stout beer over a serving of the stout ice cream. As someone who’s been experimenting with wine floats for years, I approve of that idea heartily.

River City Brewing Co. is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to midnight Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays and noon to 10 p.m. Sundays. For more information, call 316-263-2739.

By Denise Neil | Tags: Filed under Beer, Menu changes | Comments

Question of the week: What beer do you order?

Aug. 1, 20123:20 p.m.

Some of the beer pulls at Wichita Brewing Co. & Pizzeria.

My story for this week’s Go! section is about craft beers and the people in Wichita who make and serve them, including River City Brewing Co. in Old Town and Wichita Brewing Co. & Pizzeria on the west side.

This assignment has made me very thirsty for beer, which I plan to consume this weekend, likely at some of the places I’ve written about in my story. I’m also dreaming about a road trip around Kansas to try out the various brew pubs hidden in unexpected places.

My question of the week is inspired by this thirst: When you feel like going out for a beer in Wichita, where do you go, and what specific beer do you most frequently order?

I really liked the seasonal beer on tap at BJ’s Brewhouse – a Belgian beer called Nit-Wit, and I’ll never turn down a Blue Moon on tap.

Let me know your favorite in the comments section below.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , Filed under Beer, Question of the week | Comments

Your chance to medal in Olympic drinking

July 31, 201211:10 a.m.

As we enjoy watching our U.S. athletes complete in London, we shouldn’t forget about other sports that requires strength and endurance — namely beer and wine drinking.

A couple of local alcohol purveyors are getting into the Olympic spirit by putting on drinking Olympics.

One is Granite City Food & Brewery, which has restaurants at 2244 N. Webb Road and 2661 N. Maize Road in Wichita. From 9 to 11 p.m. tonight through Thursday and Monday through Aug. 9, the restaurant/bar is staging games that could win patrons prizes.  

In “Sharp Shooter,” for example, game players use their hands to shoot a rubber band at a target. “Growler Curls” are pretty self explanatory.

Daily winners, which are named at 11 p.m. nightly, win $25 gift cards. All the daily winners are entered into a drawing for a $300 gift card grand prize at the end of the promotion.

You can find complete rules on Granite City’s website. 

Beyond Napa at 338 N. Mead is putting on the 1st Annual Wine Olympics. Each day through Saturday, the wine store will select two wines from different countries and offer samples in the store. Patrons will taste, compare and then vote for their favorite. The winner is announced the next day on the Beyond Napa Facebook page. 

Store hours are noon to 8 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.

For more information, call 316-260-9920

By Denise Neil | Tags: , Filed under Beer, Uncategorized, Wine | Comments

News from Pour Haus: A fire and a mural

July 30, 201210:16 a.m.

Muralist Adam Engel at work at Pour Haus.

Pour Haus Restaurant & Tavern, the bar and restaurant that opened in March at 1021 W. Maple, was closed down on Friday because of a not-serious fire that made things seriously smoky. The fire started in a trash can under a bar, said manager Jarrett Barnes, and although nothing was damaged, owners had to have the restaurant cleaned to rid it of the smoky smell. Pour Haus reopened on Saturday.

Those who’ve driven past Pour House may have noticed a large and colorful new mural that recently was added to its east-facing wall. Painted by local artists Adam Engel and Rick Dunwoody, the mural depicts scenes of downtown Wichita floating away in a river of beer and a house surrounded by a moat of beer and giant burgers and fries. The mural was completed about a month ago, and at the same time, Pour Haus opened an outdoor patio.

The finished product

Pour Haus also recently added karaoke to its menu. The tunes start at 8 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays. On Wednesdays, trivia starts at 8 p.m. and karaoke follows.

The restaurant/bar, which has 30 beers on tap and far more in bottles, always has one of its beers on special for $1.50. This week, it’s been Magic Hat IPA. When that keg runs out, Negra Modelo will take its place.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. The kitchen closes at 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and at 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. For more information, call 316-263-7687.

By Denise Neil | Tags: Filed under Beer | Comments

BJ’s Brewhouse opens in a little more than a week

July 6, 20124:30 p.m.

The finishing touches are being applied to the massive new BJ’s Brewhouse at 7960 E. Kellogg, the employees are in training RIGHT NOW, and the restaurant is scheduled to open at lunchtime on Monday, July 16.

BJ’s offers a giant menu that includes steaks, pastas, salads, burgers, sandwiches, deep-dish pizzas, giant stuffed baked potatoes and more. It has gluten-free offerings plus chicken and fish dishes and an extensive kids menu. The restaurant also is known for its craft beers, including its award-winning Belgian-style wheat beer and seasonal flavors, such as pumpkin beer in the fall.

Hours are 11 a.m. to midnight Sundays through Thursdays and from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The phone number is 316-687-0250.

By Denise Neil | Filed under About-to-open, Beer | Comments

Two beer events this week

June 12, 201210:45 a.m.

Beer fans can choose from two events that will expand their hoppy horizons.

The first is a beer dinner scheduled for Wednesday (as in tomorrow) night at Chapada Chophouse & Churrascaria, the delicious Brazilian steakhouse I reviewed on Friday. The dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. and is put on by New Belgium.  It’s $45 a person, and would-be attendees should make reservations by 4 p.m. Wednesday by calling 316-201-4694. Keep reading to see the full menu.

Then, on Friday, the Sedgwick County Zoo is putting on a clever tasting event. It will feature 10 to 12 beers that include animals in their names — such as Carlsberg Elephant Beer. Tasters will visit various stations in the zoo, where they’ll sample the beers and enjoy light hors d’ oeuvres.


The event is from 6 to 8 p.m., and admission is $25 for members, $30 for non members. Reservations are due by Thursday by calling 316-266-8213.

Here’s the menu for the Chapada dinner:

Reception- Fat Tire

Fish and chips paired with  Somersault Ale

Aian pork duet paired with Prickly Pear

Jerk grilled swordfish paired with Biere de Mars

Chili rellenos paired with Cocoa Mole ale

S’mores

By Denise Neil | Tags: Filed under Beer | Comments

Local breweries celebrating American Craft Beer Week

May 15, 201211:21 a.m.

It’s American Craft Beer Week, an annual nationwide celebration of locally brewed beers. And Wichita’s two local brewers – River City Brewing Co. at 150 N. Mosley and Wichita Brewing Co. & Pizzeria at 8814 W. 13th St. are celebrating with specials all week.

They’ve even paired up to create a local mega brew, which both will serve on Friday.

River City’s observance of the week includes daily beer and food specials. Each day, the restaurant will feature a different beer from its collection and sell glasses — normally $4 — for $1.50. The food special will incorporate the beer of the day into the recipe. For example, today’s beer is the Old Town Brown, which was used to make the rich cheese sauce on today’s Philly cheese steak sandwich.

Wichita Brewing Co. & Pizzeria also is offering beer specials all week. Today, it has $2 Porter pints (normally $4), and on Wednesday, IPA pints will be $2.

On Friday, both breweries will offer a beer called ICT Conspiracy, which they teamed up up to create. It’s a mixture of River City’s Belgian Triple and Wichita Brewing Co.’s IPA that’s described as light in color but very hoppy.

OH, and if you want a free koozie (and who doesn’t?) all you have to do is stop into River City today and sign the Declaration of Beer Independence, which demands life, liberty and the pursuit of hops.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , Filed under Beer | Comments

Pour Haus, Joe’s Old Town Bar & Grill open next week

March 6, 20121:54 p.m.

Two new watering holes are set to open in Wichita next week, and both will have versions of the Jucy Lucy on the menu.

The first is Pour Haus Restaurant & Tavern at 1021 W. Maple. It’ll open on Monday, featuring 31 beers on tap and 50 more by the bottle, plus wine and cocktails made with beer. The menu looks pretty interesting, and almost all of the dishes somehow include beer, wine or other alcohol as an ingredient. I’m enticed by the beer-battered fish and chips, the beer and cheese soup, the beer flavored cupcakes, and of course the “Lucy’s Other Brother,” a burger stuffed with cheese, bacon and  jalapenos. Hours are 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.

I stopped in Pour Haus last week, where I found manager Patrick Shibley (one of the original Gaslamp Grille & Lounge partners) busily working on the menu. I was impressed with the interior, which has been extensively remodeled since the last time a business operated there and is very clean and inviting. I’m sort of excited that I live nearby.

Joe’s Old Town Bar & Grill also is set to open next week at 222 N. Washington, though managers aren’t sure exactly what day. They’re waiting for inspections to be completed and could get the doors open as early as Monday or as late as March 17. 

Joe’s is owned by Charlie Badeen and David Allan, the men behind Dudley’s at 8550 W. 21st. St. Joe’s general manager and executive chef is Brad Beyer, who was in charge of Mike’s Wine Dive when it first opened.

The menu will feature several bar favorites, but Beyer said he’s going to add several unexpected dishes to the menu, including shrimp ceviche, a Philly cheese steak egg roll, a fried egg sandwich, and a Juicy Lucy. It’ll offer prime rib nightly after 4 p.m. and daily blue plate lunch specials for $6.99. Joe’s also will have a big patio facing Washington. Reach Joe’s at 316-303-9885.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , , , , Filed under About-to-open, Bar food, Beer, Burgers | Comments

Valentine’s Day at The Anchor to include popular chocolate ale

Feb. 7, 20121:42 p.m.

Apparently, Boulevard Chocolate Ale is a big deal.

The beer is so popular, it’s selling out in minutes wherever liquor stores stock it. Makes sense to me. Chocolate and beer are two great tastes that HAVE to taste great together. Amiright?

On Valentine’s Day, The Anchor at 1109 E. Douglas is going to tap a keg of this liquid gold. They’ll also be serving two other chocolate-y beers: Ommegang Seduction, which is a chocolate cherry porter, and Breckenridge 72 Imperial Chocolate Cream Stout. The bar also will offer half-price bottles of wine to Valentine’s Day customers.

For more information, call 316-260-8989.

By Denise Neil | Tags: Filed under Beer | Comments

BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse coming to Towne East

Jan. 24, 20122:33 p.m.

The first clue was when they started advertising on the internet for a manager for a Wichita store.

Now there’s confirmation that BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, a California-based chain, is planning to open in Wichita.

The restaurant should be open by this summer. It features a menu that has handcrafted beers plus steaks, burgers, sandwiches, pizzas and other entrees. The menu reminds me a lot of Granite City’s.

It’s going into a new building on the northwest corner of Kellogg and Rock, just south of Logan’s Roadhouse.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , Filed under About-to-open, Beer, Burgers | Comments