Free State Brewing Company

The Brewery offers seasonal and standby beers with something for everyone’s taste; from Pilseners to IPAs. The restaurant has a great full bar serving drinks, with a sampler of the beers at $ 1.75÷5 ounce glass.
This place gets pretty crowded on the weekends for their brunch and due to its generous portions and decent prices, is understandably usually pretty full even with seating on the second floor (which by the way has a nice view to Mass St).
I had a cup of their Cheddar Ale Soup (made with cheese from Alma, KS) and a side salad. The soup was delicious and filling and the salad was full of veggies, sunflower seeds and their house vinaigrette salad dressing. I will advise you readers that the soup is very rich, but it is simply delicious.
Previously I’ve had the Chicken Flautas, not that authentic in its taste but overall good plate. I will say the portions are hit or missed. Some of their plates have good portions and other seem small (especially in comparison to the plate).
The service was quick and attentive and I will definitely be returning.

Don’t skip the brewery when you’re in LFK. Hand crafted beers, locally sourced food, and a lively ambiance make it the perfect place for whatever — date night, large parties, reuniting with friends. Mondays and weekends are busy so get there early or call ahead to get on the wait list.

My favorite place to eat in my hometown. I don’t live in Lawrence anymore, but I’ll hit it up two or three times if I’m in town! Can’t go wrong here.

This place is decent, it’s a classic brewery. If you’ve been to one college town brewery you’ve been to them all. They have a decent menu, and good beer. At a glance, it seems like they menu is short. Lena had the French dip, which we actually very good. I had he artichoke tortellini. It’s probably some of the better food in Lawrence.

Beer is always amazing. Love me some Copperhead. The location on Mass street couldn’t be better. My only complaint is the menu needs some updating. Some items haven’t changed since the early 90’s. Recommend stealing some ideas from places like The Beer Kitchen in Westport. I was a bit disappointed in the fruit and cheese plate. My wife’s salad was more drenched pasta than salad. She wasn’t happy.

Pluses for great customer service and good beer. I only tried two tasters, but they were well recommended and enjoyed.

very awesome place! Food is very nice, beer is also nice! Even though that is not a place we can afford going on a daily basis, it is definitely somewhere we want to go for a special occasion.

WOW. I never expected a brewery to have such fantastic food. I expected to see a long list of burgers and an appetizer list full of fried foods. Boy was I wrong. We went on a Friday and were given a wait time of 90 minutes. We didn’t mind as we just went across the street for a drink. Our wait time was shorter than predicted and we were seated within an hour. Our waitress was great, very attentive but not annoying. We tried a few beer tasters, which were great and not too expensive (1.75 for a 5 oz glass). We started with their onion rings. They were huge and pretty tasty. I loved the mustard that came with it. For dinner I ordered their teriyaki salmon. It was phenomenal. The presentation of the food was so amazing and for only 16 bucks. The others at the table ordered the pork medallions and shrimp fettuccine. All of our plates were left spotless. Again we could not believe we were sitting at a brewery. The food was comparable if not better than some of the fancy places on the plaza in Kansas City but for a way cheaper price. I will definitely be coming back here next time I’m in Lawerence. I highly recommend it

I graduated from KU in 2000 and enjoyed coming back to an all time favorite while in town. The service from Leah was phenomenal, the beer sampler was delicious as always. Black bean quesadillas were always a favorite and did not disappoint. Chorizo nachos were a perfect starter. Toppings on every chip. (Freestate used to hold the first place ribbon in my opinion for the world’s best veggie burger, but over the years they changed it to a black bean burger and is not good. I’ll have to keep the former veggie burger in my memories.)Anyway, we came into town at the beginning of the Super Bowl and was pleased to find we were promptly seated. Bought a new shirt there and all. I will always rerun here when in town.

What?! What’s that you say?! You want me to review free state?! What? I can’t hear you! What? Okay. I guess I’ll have an overpriced mediocre cold turkey sandwich. Sand-​wich! Huh? No, wait. I’ll just get the soup! That’s better! Beer? Uh, what’s like Boulevard Wheat? No, I don’t mean that as an insult! Do you have the barley wine? Out of stock again? Okay fine! I’ll have some ice tea. Ice tea! No lemon! I said «no lemon» not– Where’s the bathroom? Excuse me, coming through. Excuse me! I said «excuse me» not– oh for God’s sake is this the line for the bathroom? I said is this the line for the bathroom?!

Free State is great. I used to work here when I was in college, and know from a behind the scenes perspective there’s a reason they are constantly busy. They take a lot of pride in serving great food and excellent beer. Still some of my favorite beers ever… my favorite isn’t on the menu; but if you order it, they’ll know what you’re talking about. It’s called a «Black Snake» — half oatmeal stout and copperhead pale ale. I always order whatever is on special, but make sure to get there early as it will most likely be sold out if you eat after 8pm. Most recently, I had the German sausage and schnitzel during Oktoberfest and it was amazing. I also always recommend their fresh chips and salsa, turkey bacon focaccia, and the fish and chips. Always look forward to seeing familiar faces and having a great beer (or 5) at Free State in the best college town in America.

Basically, you can’t go wrong with this place. It’s been over 15 years since I lived in Lawrence, and I still find myself craving Free State grub on the regular!
I’m not even a beer drinker, but I love all of the variety on their menu. The most recent visit I had a cup of their cheddar ale soup (made with cheese from Alma, KS) and a side salad. The soup was delicious and filling and the salad was full of veggies, sunflower seeds and their delicious house vinaigrette salad dressing. My mom had the chicken flautas and was equally as pleased with her food. She said they were full of huge pieces of chicken.
The service was quick and attentive and we will definitely be back the next time we’re in the area.

Great beer! Great food! Great service! Great atmosphere! Everyone has to come here if you want a true «Lawrence/​KU» experience.
Don’t rush. Try a sampler of the beers ($ 1.75÷5 ounce glass). Don’t rush. Stretch out your stay.
Then you’ll surprise yourself with the excellent food— both quality and variety!

Prior to entrance into the Union the territory of Kansas was known as «bleeding Kansas» because of the fratricide amongst its residents leading up to the civil war; hence the proud name of this fixture in the heart of a liberal college town — reflecting the Free State tradition (that hopefully will return someday when the current teabagging governor and his ilk are removed from office).
The Brewery offers both seasonal and standby beers with something for everyone’s taste; pilsners (probably the most common beer in the Midwest due to its German heritage that influenced the area since the early 1800s) to the more modern and (for me) heavy IPAs. While the restaurant has a great full bar serving potent drinks it’s a shame to not at least try out a flight of the tasty brews, and being you’re in Kansas, the price is right.
Back home visiting I wanted that down home feel so I opted for a melt in your mouth meatloaf that tasted as good as mom’s! Fluffy mash potatoes and crisp haricorts were perfect sides and my mother and I shared an equally crisp and not too buttery Chardonnay. The parents weren’t as hungry for something substantial so they shared an overflowing plate of nachos while my dad also tucked into some beer-​cheese soup with a side of crispy buttered toast points. My pal had a big beautiful cheesy burger as only a collegiate restaurant back home can deliver. This place gets pretty crowded on the weekends for their brunch and due to its generous portions and decent prices, is understandably usually pretty full. After being accustomed to the Miami lifestyle of almost dining and dashing (in the sense that your table is being overturned to new customers so quickly) it was pleasant indeed to see many patrons linger and slowly order coffees and desserts as the rattling noise of various newspapers being skimmed and read punctured the intense conversations at each table — it’s being back home!

Free State is an institution in Lawrence and for some damn good reasons.
Their beer: fantastic offerings, always changing, and well priced. My fav? A Black Snake, which is half Oatmeal Stout and half Copperhead Pale Ale. Also, a growler of Ad Astra to go is a must.
Their patio: Filled with townies and the like, the patio is a fun way to watch the people of Mass St. go by while enjoying good conversations.
Their menu: The specials steal the show on this broad menu nearly 100% of the time. However, the fish and chips, burger and other staples are delicious.
Their vibe: It feels fun in here, and if you have to wait for a table, what better place to wait than at a microbrewery?
Their space: While it gets packed, there’s an upstairs and a gigantic back room — you will get in sooner than you think most times.
Their versatility: Come here with friends, come here on a date, come here with family, it works any way you want it to.
All in all, a classic spot that I’ll never get tired of visiting when back up in Lawrence.

Terrific staff, even better Fish and chips. This is my favorite restaurant in Law. It really is a great spot for a date. Really tremendous!
I really cannot say just how much I enjoy this establishment. The servers are incredible and the beers are fabulous!

It was a Saturday afternoon and we were hanging out with some friends and discussing beers and Free State Brewing Company comes up in the discussion. Another person mentions not having been there in a while and my wife and I mentioned we had never been. At that moment our dinner plans were solidified and an impromptu trip to Lawrence was in the works!
Walking in the front entrance you immediately think this is a small place with only a few tables. As our server escorted us to our table, this was not the case. Go through one door another room, then up the stairs to whole other area of tables. So plenty of space for a large group if you need it. The menu has great range, from a standard burger and fries to champagne salmon, something for everyone. I selected the french dip and was not disappointed. The beef was tender and the horseradish sauce was amazing. I had the cheddar ale soup per my friend’s recommendation and it was very good, I would recommend it as well.
Last but not least, the beers. All of their brews are high quality and very tasty. Highlights for me were the Yakimaniac IPA, the C4 Black IPA and Left-​Side Porter. As for anything I would not order again? I can honestly say that there wasn’t a beer I completely hated and depending on my what I am looking for I would drink any of them again.
In my experiences it is rare for a brewery to have great food as well as great beer, but Free State proves my theory wrong!
TIP: Use the virtual waiting list on their website to «check-​in» and shorten your wait time.

On our return trip from Colorado Springs, I targeted Free State Brewing for our lunch stop. We had picked up a bottle of their IPA at Lukas Liquor in Ellisville and I found it on line. The timing was perfect for us coming out of Hays, the night before. We wanted to try a beer and perhaps a burger. It all worked out well.
Ms T liked her Northern Lights IPA well enough to rate it 3.75 on Untapped. I was probably in the same place with my Copperhead Pale Ale. We added a nice glass to our collection. We both had decent burgers. While they were large and juicy we wished again for some grill crust or char, but they still were quite good. I would classify them as pub style, as appropriate to the setting.
Free State is worth getting off the Tollway for and is easy to find in Lawrence. I think four stars is a little generous, but am giving them the benefit of the doubt here. It is certainly better than the average three star place. I think we felt Lb and Gellas in Hays was a little better, but it is close.

Free State is a Lawrence institution — from beer to food to more. A default place to eat at times, or a good spot to grab a beer.
It’s hard for me to write a single review for Free State, because Free State has been an integral part of my life in Lawrence. When my wife and I decided to get married, we had just come from having a casual lunch at Free State. When we did get married in a small ceremony a couple of weeks later, we had the reception in the private room upstairs at Free State. When old classmates come into town to visit, one of the inevitable stops has to be Free State to get a beer or to have dinner.
Let’s see if I can cover this in a short manner:
The Food — Before I could legally drink, I would come to Free State for the food only. The Free State menu has changed and evolved over the past couple of decades, some items come and some go (I miss you so much Maytag blue cheese gnocchi!) but the menu features a mix of stalwart entrees alongside sandwiches and pastas. For a long time I was a fan of the French dip sandwich, though tastes change over time and I now find myself mixing it up between the chicken flautas and the fish & chips. Regardless, I’ve generally enjoyed the food at Free State. It’s also a nice touch that the menu always features some specials of soups and entrees that are either experiments that may someday make it to the menu, or are a bonus item of what ingredients could be sourced and made into dishes.
The Beer — Free State highlights that it is the first post-​prohibition brewery in Kansas. Before the current explosion in microbrew and small craft brewers, Free State produced barrels and barrels of small-​batch beers. Free State and Boulevard Brewing started in the same year, and while Boulevard has grown exponentially and is now an ersatz national brand with their acquisition by Duvel, Free State still continues to innovate and put out some amazing brews. When you’re in the taproom, there is a board that shows what they are currently serving. They outgrew that board several years ago, so now the ten-​or-​so primary spots are supplemented by another five-​or-​six tags hanging out the side. Of all of the beer I have had at Free State, the overwhelming bulk of them has been very good. From the menu classics like the Copperhead Pale Ale and the Wheat State Golden, to the more esoteric Owd Macs Imperial Stout or Bohemian Rhapsody, they’re good beers made by people who like beer and like to make beer for people who like to drink beer (that’s a bit tautological, but it’s accurate).
And, long before the craft-​beer explosion, Free State was also a place where you could stop in and get a growler of beer to go. Free State does require that you use one of their branded growlers (a little annoying if you have a preferred vessel) but they’re only ~$ 4 on top of the cost of beer if you need to get a new one. And Free State is also the place to have beers with friends — either next to the bar or in the front patio space. Monday is cheap pint night, so get there early to get a space, and enjoy the couple of beers they have on special.
The Atmosphere — Free State has a very cozy feel to it. Maybe it’s the exposed beams in the ceiling, maybe it’s the paint scheme, maybe it’s the pleasant appearance of the wood tables, and maybe it’s just a delightful haze that comes with drinking a couple of beers. I’ve eaten at Free State, I’ve drank at Free State, I’ve even been educated at Free State through the Science on Tap presentations that they do in conjunction with the University and other groups. Free State is a bit of Lawrence — even when you leave you take a bit of it with you.

Free State Brewing Company is a great place to dine in Lawrence. They have tasty beer there and several kinds that I can’t buy bottled version around Overland Park. I had a tasty smoked turkey sandwich and a glass of their winter IPA. Everything was good and the service was decent.
My only complaints would be that they don’t open until 12pm on Sundays and, by that time, an unorganized mass crowd is ready to push their way in when the doors open. Also, everyone with sandwiches got a good sized side of mayo (not the complaint), but one member of our party had a side of mustard. The mustard came in a very, very large container with a spoon. So. unless they are wasting a half jar of mustard every time someone gets a side of it, I’m guessing these are topped off and sent to the next table. This made me a little queasy. Just a bottle of squeezable mustard on the table would be better.