Nortons Brewing Company | Wichita, KS
Beer Trip: Nortons Brewing Company in Wichita, Kansas
If you’ve never checked out the brewery scene in Wichita, then you are missing out. This city has a surprising number of craft breweries, each with its own flare for both beer and atmosphere. Nortons Brewing Company near downtown opened in 2018 and has developed into a hangout for both locals and visitors alike. With their vibrant space and award-winning beer, you’ll want to make sure to stop in while in “ICT.”
The Brewery
Nortons is one of the bigger breweries in the area and offers tons of seating both indoors and out. The inside space has tables and chairs, a multitude of picnic tables, and a 12-ish person bar towards the back of the room. The place has a vibe that is faintly quirky, rock-n-roll, and slightly dark with their posters, aliens, Bigfoot, and skeletons scattered about the room. They should probably create one of those object hunt games with all of their unique figures for people to find!
The outdoor area is separated from the street by shipping containers, making it rather secluded. The gravel lot features an abundance of seating options like couches, picnic tables, and even a large turf mound right in the middle acting like an amphitheater hill - when they host live music, people throw cushions on it and take a seat. We were informed that they have an upcoming event for their anniversary, with the plan being to bring in baby goats to roam the space - we’re sure that will draw quite the crowd!
The Beer
Nortons always tries to keep 12 different brews on tap. Of those, 6 are flagships and the other 6 rotate as they run out. Upon reviewing their menu, we realized their beer styles vary as much as any brewery we have encountered. During this visit, it consisted of IPAs, a pilsner, Belgian golden ale, sour, Hefeweizen, and American brown - just to name a few.
We were fortunate enough to meet Dan Norton, who along with his wife Becky, owns the place. He was kind enough to spend some time with us talking about their beer! The coolest thing that we took away from the conversation was that their core beers were named by his kids and wife. With names like Polkadot Princess and Milo’s Sparkly Eyes (named after their dog), you certainly won’t find titles like this anywhere else.
You can always tell that a brewery truly takes its beer seriously when they have glassware that corresponds with the specific brew. Nortons does just that, and it shows with the quality products they produce. One of our favorites is their core beer, Don’t Poke the Bear. This Imperial milk stout works with a local roaster to provide an awesome, smooth coffee flavor without the boozy taste normally associated with Imperial batches. Another beer worth noting, even though it’s a limited release, is their sour How the World Ends. This has a noticeable pineapple taste with just a subtle tartness. They even pull your eyes towards this pour by using grape Koolaid to give it a slightly purple color!
Food, Merch, & More
While the beer brought us to Nortons, they are also a popular food destination with offerings of appetizers, salads, burgers, or even chicken fried steak for a heavier choice. Additionally, they offer a full bar experience of your typical cocktail selections, and even a make-your-own Old Fashioned menu, allowing you to choose your whiskey and bitters to experiment.
The merchandise selection was somewhat limited but included t-shirts, glassware, coffee mugs, and, luckily for us, they had one standard sticker left - which we snagged.
Our experience at Nortons was top-notch, and we can’t wait to return. Make sure to pay them a visit on your next trip to Wichita!
Cheers!
