Blind Tiger Brewery Celebrates 25 Years!
The Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant, located at 37th St and Kansas Ave in the Capital City, is celebrating 25 years in business.
The 25th Anniversary Celebration at the Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant is scheduled for the weekend of Friday July 10th through Sunday July 12th. We are celebrating our anniversary with a special beer brewed for the occasion as well as special retro food items from our first menu in 1995.
Building Improvements
Just in time for the 25th Anniversary Celebration the Blind Tiger building at 37th and Kansas has been updated with new carpeting throughout, redecorated restrooms, and new digital beer menu boards, among other improvements.
About the Blind Tiger
Jay Ives, President, said, "We are the oldest brewery in Topeka, and the first brewery to open in Topeka after prohibition. We are the most award-winning brewery of any size for hundreds of miles with 22 national and international medals and awards. We have been brewing and selling great local Craft Beer and serving great food from our scratch kitchen at 37th and Kansas since 1995, and we will keep right on doing so for at least another 25 years!"
Special Beer
The Blind Tiger Brewery is celebrating with a special beer called 25th Anniversary Ale, which is 13% ABV and has 70 IBUs. Be careful of this one. John Dean, Brewmaster, said, "We brewed this Triple IPA to commemorate our quarter century at 37th and Kansas! Brewed with Kansas grown hops and triple hopped with Lotus, Mosaic, and Citra hop varieties."
Meet Our Brewers
John Dean, the legendary Brewmaster at the Blind Tiger Brewery has been the Brewmaster at the Blind Tiger Brewery and the driving force behind the great Blind Tiger Beer for almost 21 of those 25 years. He is the source of a great deal of the lore about the beginnings of the place. John grew up in Topeka and lives here with his wife and son. Jay Ives, President, said, "There would be no Blind Tiger if it weren't for John Dean. He brews the best beer anywhere. This, by the way, is literally true. Take a look at the list of national and international awards won by this phenomenal brewer. Great beer."
Head Brewer Alvaro Canizales has been with the Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant since the first day it opened in 1995. He started as a dishwasher, progressed through all the cook stations in the kitchen, and joined the brewery as the number two man about the year 2002. Jay Ives said, "Al and John make a great team, working together like brothers, each knowing in advance what the other one will be doing while brewing a batch of beer. It is like a ballet to watch them work together making great beer."
Beer Flows at the Blind Tiger
In the first 25 years the Blind Tiger Brewery has brewed and sold over 6,500,000 pints of beer for a thirsty city! A new record was set for beer production and sales in 2019 with over 342,000 pints brewed and sold in that single year. Production has declined a bit in 2020 because of the ordered shut-down and restrictions. However, beer sales are ramping up again now as Topekans are coming out more and more. The famous Blind Tiger Beer is available on tap at the Brewery at 37th and Kansas, as well as at your favorite restaurants and bars all over northeast Kansas.
Brewing System Expanded
In 1995 the brewing system at the Blind Tiger started out with 18 steel tanks to brew, ferment, condition, and serve Craft Beer. Over the years tanks have been added bringing the total today to 45 steel tanks. This allows much greater brewing production and variety than in the early years. That is why we can have around 20 craft beers on tap at any given time.
Other additions to the brewing system include a keg washing machine, a new heat exchanger, a giant refrigerated room for conditioning tanks, a fork lift for moving malt shipments and kegs, a reverse osmosis filter for water quality, a big supply of modern steel kegs, and a big refrigeration system to keep the beer at the right temperature during fermentation and conditioning.
Community Partnerships
The Blind Tiger Brewery works closely with the Capper Foundation. We provide Blind Tiger Beer at the annual fundraiser Evening For A Child with every penny going to Capper. We host the Blarney Breakfast fundraiser on St. Patrick's weekend with every penny going to Capper. We make a cash contribution annually. The Capper Foundation is one of the hidden gems here in Topeka benefiting more than 2,000 people with disabilities each year through pediatric and adult services and therapies.
The Blind Tiger Brewery sponsors the Sumatran Tigers at the Topeka Zoo. Every pint, half pint, growler, and keg of Tiger Bite IPA that is sold provides funding for Topeka's Tigers. The Sumatran Tiger sub-species is very endangered with under one hundred of these tigers under human care in America, and only about 400 alive in the wild in Sumatra. With two litters totaling seven cubs born at the Topeka Zoo in the last six years the Topeka Zoo does an amazingly great job with the Tiger Program helping to preserve the species. We are proud to be a part of this great Topeka success story.
Blind Tiger Facts
§ The largest and oldest brewery in Topeka
§ The first brewery started in Topeka after prohibition
§ The most recognized and respected Craft Brewery in the area
§ The most award-winning brewery of any size for hundreds of miles
§ Voted Best Brewery in Best of Topeka three years running
§ The largest locally owned restaurant in Topeka
§ Providing over 85 jobs to hard working Topekans
Our Brewery
The Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant has been brewing and serving great, fresh, local, Craft Beer at 37th St. and Kansas Ave. in Topeka since 1995. Every day there are about 20 great tasting, local Craft Beers on tap. No matter what your taste in beer you can happily satisfy your thirst at the Blind Tiger Brewery. Our selection of fresh, local Craft Beer goes from light to dark, from mild to strong, and from malty to hoppy. That’s why we say “Beer Brewed for Every Mood.”
Our Restaurant
The Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant is a full-service family-dining restaurant with a delicious menu featuring Steak, Pasta, Seafood, and Barbeque. Open 11:00 am to 11:00 pm Sunday through Thursday, and 11:00 am to 12:00 midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. We are a small, locally owned and operated Topeka company, serving wonderful food from our scratch kitchen, staffed by Topekans, serving over 700 delicious meals each day to happy Topekans. Some come for the food and stay for the beer, some come for the beer and stay for the food.
Come to the Blind Tiger Brewery and taste our success!
