Thursday, September 16, 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 3
Entertainment
Free State Brewery brings city's past to present
By Sarah Warren
Special to the Kansan
Tiffany Learned has found her own little place where everyone knows her name.
Well, maybe not everyone, but she definitely knows quite a few people there. For Learned, Newton sophomore, Free State Brewery is a place where she feels at home.
"Whenever I go there, I always see someone I know," said Learned, who frequents Free State twice a week. "People I know work there, people I know eat there, people I know drink there — the whole nine yards."
Ted Danson would be proud.
Since its opening in 1989, Free State has become a Lawrence staple, connecting the history of Lawrence to the modern day town. Free State's proprietor, Chuck Magerl, said the brewery owed its birth to Kansas history.
The inspiration for this business really started back in 1977 when I was researching the history of brewing in Kansas, and particularly, a small
prewery that had been located in Lawrence during the 1870s and 1880s." Magerl said.
That brewery, Lawrence Brewery and Beer Gardens, simply called Walruff's Brewery, after its proprietor John Walruff, held a virtual monopoly in Lawrence at the time. But in 1880, Walruff's prosperity was challenged.
"Kansas was the first state in the nation to enact a constitutional prohibition, and that was in 1880," Magerl said. "So Kansas started it early and held onto it longer. Until about 1938, Kansas was still under a form of prohibition."
The federal prohibition act was passed in 1919.
Walruff and his brewery resolved to subversive methods to keep prospering.
("Walruff's) made a big show of closing down for a little while and then reopened selling a 'Celebrated Stomach Invigorator' that was sold for medicinal purposes," Mager said. The Celebrated Stomach
The Celebrated Stomach Invigorator was called "medicinal"
beer, but remained the same product Walruff had been brewing for years. The bottle's label was dressed with the instructions, "Keep it very cool. Take a wine glass full at meal time and before retiring at night."
"This, of course, allowed them to stay open a few years after state prohibition." Magerl said.
After Walruff's shut its doors for good in 1886, only a few breweries in Leavenworth, Atchison and Kansas City were able to operate into the next century.
He said he got some legislation passed by the Kansas House of Representatives to have small breweries added to Kansas' landscape again.
Almost a century later, after researching Walruffs, Magerl knew it was time to resurrect the small Kansas brewery.
"At the time (the late 1970s and early 1980s), there was no one else doing this kind of work between Chicago and Denver," Magerl said.
With the green light for his brewery, Magerl decided to incorporate
the history of Kansas into the company. He printed the story of Walruff's on the backs of his menus, he made sure it would be located in Lawrence's old downtown, and he picked the name Free State, after the anti-slavery movement in the 1850s and 1860s.
"When we were getting ready to open we made a very deliberate choice to be in downtown Lawrence," Magerl said. "Our older building really helps bring people into the past."
Learned agreed.
"The building structure lends itself pretty easily to history, and they have so many things there that tell you about the history of Free State and the history of Kansas." Learned said.
And, at least in Learned's mind, Free State Brewery will carve its own place in Lawrence's history.
"I think they (Free State) are already a mainstay," Learned said. "Other places can come and go, but they'll always be there."
—Edited by Kelly Clasen
History of Free State
Zac Robertson, Kansas
Zoe Robertson, Kansas City senior, scans an ID at Jack Flannigan's. Several area bars are using new technology to cut down on underage drinking.
Photo by Joseph Griffin/KANSAN
Jason Pearce / KANSAN
Underage drinking getting tougher
By Amanda Beglin Special to the Kansan
Getting past the door at area bars with a fake ID can be tougher than many students realize.
Several bars are adopting new technology, including ID scanners and extra video cameras, to cut down on underage drinking.
Other bars, including the Hawk,
use video cameras and scanning
equipment to compare the picture on
an ID and the person owning the ID.
In addition to high-tech equipment, many door staffs rely on a reference book of state IDs so they can check unusual or suspicious-looking cards.
However, Matt Taylor, St. Louis freshman, said the technology didn't always make a difference.
"Depending on where you go and the quality of the fake, I've heard it's easy to get into different places around town." he said.
At most bars, the door staff is the first to check IDs and determine their validity. Al Jacobson, manager of The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St., said staff members were trained to notice small discrepancies in IDs, such as irregularities in the size of an ID, fonts, personal information, holograms and fading.
"I believe we have the best door staff in town." Jacobson said. He
said his staff confiscated fake IDs and normally called the police.
The Bottleneck, Jacobson said, had not been found in violation of underage drinking laws in months.
In spite of the equipment and effort used to spot fake IDs, bar employees said they often didn't confiscate the card because they don't have the space to store them or the manpower to work through them. Instead, offenders are asked to leave.
However, students who have their fake IDs confiscated could face a $200 fine, court costs, an $80 alcohol information class and community service.
- Edited By Allan Davis
More Than Just A Bookstore
check us out! 201 West 23rd
Groceries the way it used to be,
Groceries the way it should be
843-2313 $ \cdot $ 9th & Iowa
Lawrence's Premier Billiard Parlor & Bar
749-5039 925 Iowa (Hillcrest Shopping Center)
- 22 Tables - 3 Full Size, including 9-Ball & Snooker
- 8-Ball & 9-Ball Tournaments & Leagues
- T.V.'s, Video Games, Darts & More!
- -Wet T-Shirt Contests
- Occasional Live Music
Daily Beer & Drink Specials
Private Party Room
FREE
Perfect for:
Rush Parties
Dance Parties
Birthdays
Whatever!
Our facilities include: full dance floor, full bar & 7 pool tables.
Fresh MOJOS food available for all functions.
Ask about special room rental packages including: Bar use, Music & Mojo's.
New Location
- Mojo's - The undisputed king of Wings
- Delicious sandwiches & Philly Cheesesteaks
- Great Fries & Cheese Fries
- Homemade Salads & Sides
Mojo's II Specials at the Pool Room
MON $ . 25 Wings Football & Basketball Specials
TUE Mojo Philly & Fries $4.00
WED Whiskey Burger $3.25
THUR Mojo Burger & Fries $4.00
FRI 30 Wings $11.50
SAT Almost Chicago Dogs $2.50
SUN $1.00 off Basket O'Fries