785 Beer Company | Topeka, KS

Beer Trip: 785 Beer Company in Topeka, Kansas

*Front of the facility featuring the fenced in patio*

Wichita and Lawrence tend to be viewed as the gold standard when it comes to brewery destinations in Kansas; however, Topeka isn’t far behind with several nice spots that have popped up in recent years. This week’s Beer Trip brought us to 785 Beer Company, which has a facility we won’t soon forget.

The Brewery

How many breweries can boast that they have a pickleball court!? 785 is one of the few, featuring three indoor courts that can be reserved in advance. They even offer weekly classes if you’d like to learn how to play! As one might imagine, the place is fairly large in order to accommodate this, and the seating area is equally as big. They have tons of dining seating, a separate area with couches, and another reservable room to host parties for groups. Right inside the door is a 15-person bar that runs the length of the room. To top it off, they also have a small, fenced-in patio on the front of the facility.

We were glad the place had ample space, as it provided plenty of room for our kids to run around. This stop was with our local Topeka friends Brett and Randi, who informed us that 785 decorates for every season in over-the-top fashion. This visit, taking place in early March, featured shamrocks and an inflatable leprechaun, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. It was an impressive display that surely took a ton of work!

The Beer

You won’t find many places out there that offer as many beer choices as 785 does, with nearly 20 options to choose from! Of those, they typically keep 4 or 5 brews as flagships and then rotate out the remainder. Unfortunately for us, during our visit, they were out of a large number of beers listed that we tried to order. One could assume that perhaps they brew in very small batches, or their menu system isn’t well-maintained. Even so, their selections featured a wide range of styles, including several IPAs and browns, as well as a Hefeweizen, Kolsch, stout, and sour.

With so many options available, they can try some abstract things with their recipes, which usually end up being some of our favorite beers. One of those was the Lost Crop sour, which is brewed with apricot. While we often come across fruited sours, we don’t find apricot used often! This provided a rich fruit taste that balanced the sourness out perfectly. Another selection worth noting is a flagship brown ale known as Bonfire. A sweeter brew with notes of graham cracker, what really makes this one memorable is the marshmallow cream-coated rim that it’s served with - this was a first (and hopefully not the last) for us!

Food, Merch, & More

In addition to having a stacked beer lineup, 785 offers full bar service and even hosts monthly cocktail-making classes. The place is just as much a restaurant as it is a brewery, featuring an extensive food menu. They serve up your typical items like wings, sandwiches, and mac and cheese, but their real specialty is their pizzas. Their open-flame oven near the back of the room is massive, creating a welcome lingering smell throughout! We sampled several appetizers during our visit, including mini corn dogs and cheese curds, but the all-time favorite was the fried banana peppers - not sure how we’ve lived without these for so long!

There is a nice merchandise display near the front door that includes tons of t-shirts, sweatshirts, glassware, and hats. They also happen to be one of the few places that still offer growlers, so that was pretty neat. The one negative in this department was that they didn’t have any brewery stickers - it’s always a bummer when we can’t add to our collection.

You will find everything you could want and more at 785 Beer Company. We certainly enjoyed our experience and recommend you pay them a visit soon!

Cheers!

Chris, Morgan, Warren & Gretchen (Featuring Brett, Randi, Maddie, Roger & Jade)

785 Beer Company | Topeka, KS

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