Happy Basset Brewing Company

Better get under cover, Sylvester. There's a storm blowin'! - a whopper to speak in the vernacular of the pleasantry!

Still on driveabout for a few days yet before the unusual suspects arrive a few states ahead. Today play got late all of a sudden as it do, so I got out, got going city hopping, looking for a brewery in a strip mall I was not easily able to find. I mean, I was able to find the strip mall once I looked for it, just not the brewery itself. But then I did. Find everything. In Topeka…

Yep, it’s a single room space in a strip mall. They’re near empty on this Sunday at 8pm, save sampler woman at one end and guy with 2 dogs midway along the bar; slab cut tree topped ‘L’ shaped, with a horizontal plank base, & a copper foot rail. Seating for 10 on leather backed steel framed chairs. I will park on the corner and survey all that is mine, which will be a beers forthwith. Barback fronts the cold box with 16 logo handles in a row on a stainless wall and booze shelved to both sides. An Untapped draft board sits above (beer, style, ABV, IBU, pricing for taster, pint, howl, crowl, & growl) and flats to both sides. Glassware and growls and howls (which is a 1/2 growl, by the way) shelved below.

Concrete floors, and rafter ceilings with ductwork & alt height drop filament bulb lighting. White painted walls and flats on all of them. Mural ‘Brewing Beer for Dogs’ Best Friend’ piece up front, some good local art for sale; mostly dogs, but there are a few others (lion, bear, stupidface cat), and a dog pic collage running a corner that’s in the shape of a dog, over board games for the play shelved below. There’s a large piece on the end wall with merch & tap selection boards, some of which are no longer up (I’m talking to you, Pumpkin Ale). There is a brewery penned over there (me, pointing), and 10 tables throughout the space, mix & match; high, low, small, & shared.

15 beers up (Kayna’s Kolsch, 5.5%; Bassett Light, Pilsner, 4%; Yellow Brick Blonde Ale 5.4%; Gracie Strawberry Blonde Ale, 5.4%; Hoppy Wheat, Dry Hopped Wheat Ale, 6%; Smokie Boi Rauchbier, 5%; Purebred Porter, 5.8%; Roll Over Red Ale, 5.8%; Irish Setter Red Ale, 5.8%; Munsterlander Maibock, 7.8%; Dog House Doppelbock, 8.6%; Belly Rub Brown, 5.8%; Hoppy Basset IPA, 6.8%; Gatsby IPA, 7.5%; JK IPA, 6.9%). It’s a good range of styles. I’m not so surprised by there being 3 IPAs as I am there being 2 Red Ales.

Did a sampler of 4; Munsterlander Maibock, malt & booziness; Dog House Dopplebock, deep & rich, tasty; Belly Rub Brown Ale, eh, okay; & Purebred Porter, all the licorice goods, and then added on. Smokie Boi Rauchbier; smoke and not band-aidiness, hooray; Gracie Strawberry Blonde Ale, light fruitiness, does not suck; Simon’s Stout, Milk Stout, 5%, licorice, in a good way, not on the list but kindly dealt to me, and thank you; and then amongst the 3 IPAs, I’m thinking Happy Basset IPA is the best of them, Gatsby IPA is more bitter, and JK IPA is hardly discernable behind the other two. All in all, I’m thinking Dog House Doppelbock, Purebred Porter, & Happy Basset IPA for the Wins.

Opaltending this evening; pleasant & attentive. Good tunes. Can’t really talk to the scene as I caught the place late on a Sunday, but things were chill when I was here. Trivia nights and live music. No food but you can bring in and they do food trucks in rotation here. And they made some pretty damn good beers.

 

Topeka is a small city of about 120,000. When Happy Bassett came to town, they made it simple. They serve their beer and cocktails and if you want food bring your own or come when their is a food truck. By not dealing with the food, they focus on what they do best, brewing beer. It is definitely worth a trip to if you are visiting. They serve their beers in several of the local restaurants and bars which is good when you are want a bite to eat.

TL:DR: Solid beer, amazing community

This is **by far** the coolest place I've been to in Topeka. Not a blazing endorsement, I know. However, this place is the ultimate expression of craft beer community.

I went on a Wednesday for a special release night. About every two weeks they pull off 20 gallons of wort and brew a specialty beer, then have a special night for it. This time it was a Thin Mint Porter and they connected with a local Girl Scout troop to sell cookies outside. I'm traveling and have to fly home but still bought a box.

But I digress. The community...all walks of life. I sat next to a woman in a big hairy vest who obviously fancied herself upper middle class. The lady to my right was ~65, drinking a thin mint with what I assume was her son ~35. They were replaced with a young(ish) couple who later met a woman in her late 50s buying two growlers.

I saw old friends meeting, lonely dudes reading, young crowd-ers in their suits fresh from work, parties of mixed ages from mid-20s to mid-50s having a grand time, cool kids hanging with brewers, people playing the phone-on-the-forehead game, new parents, sullen 20-somethings, and a guy in a pink and light blue tie (my kind of tie).

The beer is good. Bro-di-bros looking for their bro-di-bro whalez-bro beers should stay away. Their NEIPA is an early '10s IPA from a respectable brewery, their flagship IPA pairs absolutely perfectly with the bahn mi from the regular truck outside. The lemon-rosemary wheat was good with it too. The thin mint porter smelled exactly like Thin Mints, tasted like it but with a little solvent in there - not enough to put you off.

I was wayyy impressed, I live in Austin and go to breweries regularly. Jester King's vibe may beat this, but just about nothing else does in my town.

 

The basset is THE BREWERY in Topeka. Under 1 year old, but brewing like an old soul. They had 14 beer on tap. Including 2 IPAs, 2 sours, porter, blonds, wheat, and a burbon barrel aged stout. The flavor and body of the beer was extremely balanced and truly featured the beer not the accent flavors. The staff was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. I love the taproom vibe and the plethora of food trucks throughout the week. If you are a true fan of beer then The Happy Basset Brewery is a must stop. Oh to top it all off they have fantastic mixed drinks featuring beer based mixed drinks. There is something for everyone here. Props guys!

 

This is the best brewery in Topeka. The selection is good with some unique options - everything from wheat beers with fruit, to wild ales to a rye barleywine. Nice open tap room with a good deal of seating. The only drawback I can think of is a minimal outdoor seating.

 

Excellent beer selection - cream ales, stouts and a signature IPA Hoppy Basset - more beers coming soon. They also have a mixologist and many signature mixed drinks.
Only snack mix as food they hope to have some menu items soon.
They are already thinking of expanding which seriously needs to be done.
Beer service and drink service is good.
Friendly vibe and environment.
The real stand out for me being an IPA lover is their excellent IPA with a butterscotch finish. I am very much looking forward to going back.
Growlers available,