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JUNE 2015
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
Tallgrass Brewing Company
Enjoying growth and expansion while keeping quality top of mind
The idea for Tallgrass Brewing Company began in 2006 when avid homebrewer Jeff Gill and
his wife, Tricia, decided to start a microbrewery. They relocated to Kansas, and by 2007 the
brewery had a home—Manhattan, Kan.—and a name inspired by the Tallgrass Prairie that
surrounded it. The first beer, Pub Ale, was brewed in August 2007.
Rolling with the Changes
Since then, the brewery has experienced various forms of change
and transition. Recently, it outgrew its old location and moved
into a new, larger facility. Controller Kristi Harmer says, “Our
previous brewhouse was 15,000 square feet with a 15-barrel
brew house. The new location is four times that size with a 50-
barrel brew house. We have tripled our capacity, so this move
will help us expand and grow.”
The new location is currently equipped with a production area,
canning and packaging machinery, and a production area where
the fermentation process takes place. It also features a lab, which
Harmer describes as, “the center of the brewery where it all
happens.” She adds, “It’s the core of what we do.” The facility
will eventually offer tours and a tasting room, where visitors
can sample the products.
In addition, the brewery will soon be partnering with another
local business to open Tallgrass Tap House in the historic down-
town district of Manhattan, Kan. Harmer explains, “It will be a
restaurant/brewpub where we can test new brews to get them
into the marketplace.”
Other, smaller changes preceded these shifts. About six years
ago, the company switched from bottles to cans, which are easier
and more cost effective to ship. This switch was so important
that it led owner Jeff Gill to post a “canifesto” on the company’s
website (see tallgrassbeer.com/tallgrass-brewery/canifesto),
describing why cans are better than bottles. For starters, they
keep beer tasting fresher, longer. They’re also portable, better
for the environment, and more fun.
Another shift involved Tallgrass limiting its distribution to
13 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota,
Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma,
South Dakota, and Wisconsin.