Lawrence Brewers Guild

Hays KS A little hard to find, you have to drive south off of the interstate a couple miles and then to the west in the old downtown area of Hays.
We have been here before and it was very good, the beers were unimaginative but clean and to style.

This time we were not as impressed. Food was poor, Service was poor, beers fair. The stout is exceptional, but all others were not good (or at least not up to my personal high standards, lol)

I'll give it a 2.5 on a scale that has the FSB at 9 (I still haven't found a 10)

Joe Yoder

Kerry and I stopped at Liquid Bread on the way back from GABF at 2:00 PM on Sunday. Just what we need after GABF - more beer! We sat at the bar which had a nice view brewhouse which is behind the bar. Service was good, but there weren't very many people in there at the time. Kerry had the pot roast which was very good and the pale ale which was good, but nothing exceptional. I had the chicken pot pie which was good, an amber ale which was good and the stout which was very, very good.

We'll stop there again someday.

I guess Eric, Craig and I should have stopped as well. We were a little ahead of you but would have probably been drinking a pint when you arrived. We were pretty much beered out

I passed throughj Hays the other day. Stopped in to LB. They were out of most of their selections temporarily. Those Ft Hays kids are drinking it up in outside sales(Kegs and Growlers). I tried their rootbeer and it was really good with my lunch. I left with empty growlers. Gerald said he was working on replenishing the stocks.
Chuck

Paid a visit to Hays last week and had a couple beers and appetizer-ish stuff at LB. The french fried green beans were very tasty, guacamole and chips were so-so.

Beerwise, it was a bit of a letdown. They were releasing a new beer that day, "Honey Brown". That was about the best of the lot, and it had a good honey flavor without being cloying. The flavors in their IPA seemed to be all there, just a bit muted. The oatmeal stout was probably the most disappointing. It took gold at the GABF last year, but my pint of it neither looked nor tasted at all like a stout; it was more like a very murky brown. Maybe I got dregs or the bartender screwed up. Service was adequate.

So, if you wind up in Hays and don't want to go in for a full dinner at Gella's, grab a pint or maybe a growler of the honey brown and then get a spicy sauerkraut bierock from Schilleci’s instead.

We stopped in to LB on the way out to Denver, and on the way back. The first time, we had to wait as they unlocked the doors to open.
I had a flight of tasters, only the kilt lifter and the stout were worth mentioning. We split a chicken quesadilla, which was quite yummy, with big chunks of chicken. The return trip I had a pint of the brown and the stout. I can see why they took gold with the stout, quite quaffable.
We also had the amber queso, which arrived in a cast iron skillet with a basket of corn chips. There were huge chunks of hamburger in the cheese, and it filled the both of us up.

I was finally able to pull off a visit to Lb a few weeks ago (4/21/12) while I was out in Hays for a wedding. Even had the presence of mind to take a few notes.

I had samplers of everything they had on tap that day. Here were my notes:

• Pale Ale: bitterness seemed low for a pale, but the flavor was very good.
  IPA: Good bitterness, sweeter than expected, could use more aroma hops
  Lb Light: not my cup of tea. Too light, no hops or flavor
  American Wheat: OK initial flavor, but has an odd straw-like aftertaste that makes this pretty hard to drink.
  American Hefeweizen: same off-flavor as the filtered american wheat
  Lemon Ale - Like a carbonated lemonade, almost no hops, very light & finished dry. Would be a great summer brew. Menu said it was based on the wheat beer, but I didn't pick up any of the same off-flavor.
  Amber: Clean, low hops, good balance, not too sweet.
  American Brown: Also very clean, similar to the Amber but a bit carmel & nutty
  Oatmeal Stout: Rich roasty/toasty flavor, creamy, solid stout
  Liberty Stout: Sweeter & more boozy than the oatmeal stout. Also had a touch of chocolate flavor in finish.

After trying them all, I went with a full pint of the IPA as my victory lap. But really I liked everything except their wheats, which had that off-flavor. Somebody is going to have to educate me on what that is, and what causes it, so I can make sure it doesn't ever end up in my own beer.

I was very impressed with the food.
I had a Schitzelwich, which was a fried pork tenderloin set off with a horseradish mayo, and it was mighty tasty. The others with me had the Beerwurst (with saurkraut, carmelized onions, and spicy mustard), chicken fried chicken, and flank steak. I was able to snag a bite of everything, and have nothing but good things to say about the food. I especially liked the spicy mustard on the beerwurst. Also, we must have gotten a fresh batch of kettle chips, as they were excellent.

Service was good, and I thought the location was very cool. I guess I was expecting a bit more of a hole in the wall, but was pleasantly surprised. They've taken over 3 storefronts in the old town area, and have renovated it into a very open, clean, inviting atmosphere. Nice view of the brew-house behind the bar.

Aside from my dislike of the wheat beer, this was an excellent drinking & dining experience that I would highly recommend.

So sorry Joe and a few others didn't have a good experience at Liquid Bread, every time Chuck & I have been there on our way to and from GABF we've had an awesome time. Our food was great, service was great and the Oatmeal and Liberty Stout were top notch, although that's what they're known for. Chuck agrees the IPA's aren't IPA's, but there are others to try. Give them another try, sometimes a place can be off once in a while.
Presently drinking a Breckenridge Imperial Chocolate Cream Stout and it's wonderful, you can get it at Jensen's Liquor!
Wendy

Know of any camping areas within 30 minutes of Hays?

Might be a bit more than 30 minutes, but Wilson State Park is one of KS nicest parks. It is just east of Russell. And while you are there, don't miss the Garden of Eden and other outsider art in Lucas, KS.
Joe