BREWS, BITES & PICKLEBALL | 785 Beer Company
By MIRANDA ERICSSON | Photos by MIRANDA CHAVEZ-HAZIM
785 Beer Company is all about beer, food, and friends — plus pickleball. Topeka’s newest brewery is located on the site of the former Starlite Skate Center on SE 45th Street. The building holds good feelings and memories for many people. Owners Ashley and Luke Loewen are continuing that tradition of fun with an active restaurant that welcomes you to visit with all your family and friends for a beer and a good time.
“We had this dream of a place to hang out and be comfortable, move around, and eat and drink,” Luke said. “We started thinking about what we would build if we could design the perfect place to bring our kids, enjoy some really good beer and food, and have some fun.”
The Loewens aimed to create a welcoming local hangout that would also wow visitors from out of town with the brews and the vibe, so quality food and drink was an absolute must. They also needed a big footprint for their brewery and restaurant.
“It was hard to find the right space,” Luke said. “We found this place by pure chance, and it’s perfect. We have way more space than we had hoped for, and a really convenient location.”
Renovations on the building took several years. During that time many curious people stopped by to see what was happening to the former skating rink.
“People shared that they had met their spouse at the skating rink, or pointed out a bench where they had their first kiss,” Ashley said. “This place is special to our community.”
The building needed a lot of repair, and Luke and Ashley did almost all of the demolition work themselves, with the help of family and friends.
“We took down the entire ceiling,” Luke said. “I sanded every one of these beams and painted them by hand. Each one took about eight hours. We built both bars ourselves, and Ashley did almost all the painting, for weeks and weeks and weeks.”
“It turned out better than we ever could have imagined,” Ashley said.
A PASSION FOR BEER
Luke home-brewed beer for ten years before deciding to open a brewery. His passion for beer began with a home brew kit that Ashley gave him for Christmas.
“Something about brewing really clicked for me,” Luke said. “I enjoyed trying new brews and improving my recipes over time. I had plenty of help from friends and neighbors as I figured out how to make really good beer. At one point we had nine taps in our house.”
Luke found it surprisingly easy to translate his recipes to the much larger equipment required to keep the taps flowing for a brewery.
“Every piece of equipment has its little quirks and learning all of that was a process that took some time,” Luke said. “For our first batches we were triple checking everything to make sure it was coming out as we expected.”
785 Beer Company offers a wide variety of flavors and a range of alcohol content levels. Their menu features a rotating selection of cream ales, sours, lagers, IPA’s, brown ales, and more.
“People love to try new beers and learn about different styles,” Luke said. “It’s always a good feeling when someone tries something new and just loves it.
”Luke’s favorite brew is Hummdinger, a summer style cucumber cream ale. Ashley loves The Wizard, a west coast IPA. And yes, they come up with the unique names themselves.
“It’s like naming a child!” Ashley said. “It’s not easy.”
785 Beer Company serves house-made seltzer in fruity flavors. The series is called Crayon Box, and flavors have included orange cream, blueberry, and cranberry. Growlers are available so that you can take some with you for later.
WHAT’S PICKLEBALL?
Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. It’s a paddle sport that is easy to learn and accessible for people of all ages and skill levels.
“I think it’s so popular because truly our 5-year-old can play, and our 90-year-old grandma can play,” Ashley said.
The former Starlite Skate building is so big that Luke and Ashley found themselves with more space than they needed for a brewery and restaurant. They wanted to add something fun and social, and when a friend taped out a pickleball court in their cul-de-sac and invited them to play, they knew they’d found what they were looking for.
“A lot of people come in here and play a sport that they’ve never played before, and pickleball fans can come in and meet friends,” Luke said. “It’s done what we wanted it to do, made a fun vibe where you can be on your feet if you want.”
A full-size court is available to reserve for $20 per hour for as many people as you want to play, and players can bring their own equipment or rent from the house. A game area with cornhole, darts, and more also gives people a place to get up and have fun with friends or let kids get their energy out.
PIZZA, PRETZELS & MORE
The food at 785 Beer Company is simple and satisfying: pizza, pretzels, wings and salad. Pizza dough is made fresh daily in-house with fresh toppings and cooked in a Wood Stone pizza oven. You’ll find a rotating menu of special flavors, such as crab rangoon and German reuben pizza. Like the beer line-up, the Loewen’s want to make sure that regulars will be able to enjoy favorite selections while also having new tastes to choose from.
A COMMUNITY PUB
The Loewens are glad to be fully open at last and welcoming guests to 785 Beer Company, but they haven’t slowed down a bit. They continue to build and upgrade and experiment with the menu.
“The food and beer adventure won’t stop,” Luke said. “We’ll continuously try new options to have fun and help people discover new flavors.”
Ashley and Luke also want to pay their good fortune forward to help others. They hosted special events prior to their official opening to raise money for organizations such as the Topeka Rescue Mission and the Topeka Zoo.
“We want to create fun opportunities for people to come in, help others and share experiences,” Luke said. “This is a place to be comfortable and enjoy life, but also to be a part of something bigger in our community.
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