Yankee Tank Brewing Company

Being a tourist in your own town is something that I have started to embrace more over the last year. My wife and I have three young and wonderful children and we can easily get wrapped up in weekly routines that leave little time to explore new experiences. Even though I grew up in Olathe, I still have many places in and around KC that I have never experienced.

One of those places is Yankee Tank Brewery in Lawrence, Kansas. The perfect opportunity for this was Saturday at their open house. They were celebrating their 3 year anniversary and had free tours, merchandise available for purchase, free food, and of course those two beautiful words, free beer. The atmosphere was very casual and all the employees were approachable, shared great information, and even better stories about their lives and their experience with beer.

Yankee tank is a microbrewery that produces about a thousand barrels a year. They distribute in and around Lawrence (more info about where to find them here on their website) and just started to distribute to the Kansas City area. I was able to ask the head brewer Angelo Ruiz some questions about the brewery.

Yankee Tank started about 3 years ago as a way to supply local bar and grill Henry T’s with good beer. They have absolutely met that goal and have been able to get their beer on tap at many local establishments around the area. Angelo was hired on shortly after their start in a very unique way. Angelo was critiquing a Yankee Tank Saison on an online forum and was approached by Sean Gerrity who was managing Henry T’s at the time about his critique. They met and eventually hired Angelo to become a brewer for Yankee Tank.

Yankee Tank Brewery has four flagship beers, Cloud 9, Scissortail, RipTide Pale Ale, and Red Dirt Country Ale. Their best seller, Cloud 9 is an American IPA at 6.8% ABV and 62 IBU. Their next bestseller is the approachable Scissortail Cream Ale. The Scissortail comes in at 5.1% ABV and 17 IBU. The Rip Tide Pale Ale is my favorite of the four and comes in at 5.9% ABV and 40 IBU. The Red Dirt Country Ale is an American Amber that is at 6% ABV and 35 IBU.



In addition to the four flagship beers you can usually find Angelo exploring with many other types of beers. He is excited about brewing new styles and techniques that range from English Cask systems to pepper beer. He has also been using local ingredients such a honey, and hops from Juniper Farms. Ultimately his goal is to brew beer that is enjoyable. Two of these new brews that were indeed enjoyable include the North 40 Pilsner and a very drinkable Mexican Style Lager that was brewed as a tribute to his grandfather Pedro.

Yankee Tank Brewery has the feel of something that is about to really take off in a big way. The success and positive feedback from these new styles has lead Angelo, Jeff Hornberger, and his brew team to discuss the possibility of seasonal beers, future expansion ideas, and adding additional events and festivals.



Event listings, distribution area, tap locations, and beer descriptions can be found at their website and on their Facebook page. You can also follow them on twitter at @YTankBrewing,