Sell-out crowd samples craft beers in downtown Topeka

Tap That Topeka, a beer-tasting event on downtown streets, was a sellout Saturday night.

When the last ticket sold, a line 150 yards long of would-be beer-drinkers was still waiting outside the block-long venue.

The folks without tickets took the turnaway in stride, said Michaela Saunders, director of brand strategy for Visit Topeka.

The strong turnout highlights that you can’t take it for granted that you can walk in at the last moment to get into a Topeka event, she said.

“Because it sold out, I’m super proud of Topeka,” Saunders said. “The turnout challenges the idea that you can just show up and get in. It does require a little planning.”

A total of 1,850 tickets were sold.

Tap That Topeka featured 229 different beers from about 70 brewers. Besides Kansas, brewers traveled to Topeka from Colorado, Vermont, California, St. Louis, Chicago and other locations.

The event took place in the 800 block of S.W. Jackson adjacent to the Statehouse and between S.W. Eighth and Ninth streets. Beer drinkers had light wind and mellow temperatures, live music to listen to and a variety of food trucks to choose from.

Drinkers lined up at brewers’ tables to get samples of beers.

Saturday was Ralph Krumins’ third year at the beer event.

“It’s fun trying all these different beers,” Krumins said. His favorite was Goose Island Bourbon County Stout, a Chicago beer.

Matt Messina’s favorite was Maibock, a golden, full-bodied beer from the Blind Tiger Brewery in Topeka.

For brothers Jason and Jefferson Underwood, Tap That Topeka was a family gathering.

“When we get together and we get to drinking, there’s no limits,” Jefferson Underwood said. “You can talk to anyone when you’re drinking. I’ve seen so many people I know here.”

Jefferson Underwood’s favorite beer was Radius, an Emporia beer.

“It’s good to see a lot of local breweries as well as from other places,” older brother Jason Underwood said. His favorite beers were from Tallgrass Brewing in Manhattan and North Coast Brewing Co. from Fort Bragg, Calif.

Waiting a few yards away was Daisy Thompson, Jason’s girlfriend. She wore the red wrist bracelet of a designated driver.

“We have to be safe,” Thompson said.

“I’m so lucky to have my girlfriend to be the designated driver,” Jason Underwood said.

Business was steady at the beer tables.

“We’ve had a ton of customers, an endless stream” said Keke Gibb, a microbiologist at the Yankee Tank Brewing Co. in Lawrence. Gibb talked during a short break in customers.

A favorite at Yankee Tank on Saturday was Red Dirt Country Ale, which has local honey in it that gives a sweet and dry flavor, she said. It will be canned starting in July.

“Kansas and the Midwest are great sites for craft breweries,” Gibb said. “In Kansas, we have a lot of good local beers.”

Saunders credited Strathman Sales, Standard Beverage and Crown Distributors with doing a “tremendous” job in organizing educational programs at Tap That Topeka about crafting beers.

Saturday was the fifth Tap That Topeka event.

There “absolutely” will be a sixth, Saunders said.

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Contact reporter Steve Fry at (785) 295-1206 or @TCJCourtsNCrime on Twitter.