It&rsquo\;s about what&rsquo\;s in the glass. It&rsquo\;s about craftsmanship\, about authenticity\, about excellence. And for our beers\, it&rsquo\;s about sustainable\, delicious\, local wheats and barleys grown on our own farm\, where excellence matters most.
\n\n\n
At Fields &\; Ivy Brewery in Lawrence\, Kansas\, we are committed to sharing the story of how our beers are intertwined with Kansas agriculture.
\n\n
\;
\n\n
As you probably know\, beer choices in our American Midwest have changed enormously during the past 30 years. \; I turned 21 almost 30 years ago. At that time\, beer choices were somewhat limited\; and\, today&rsquo\;s 21 year-olds would be sadly shocked at how bad it was. \; I turned to wine in my 20s because I was interested in growing things and the thought of growing grapes then\, turning mother earth&rsquo\;s bounty into a compelling liquid\, seemed like a perfect combination of art and science. \; This was my dream while I began my career in agriculture\, and eventually\, in finance.
\n\n
\;
\n\n
In the 1990s I tried my first big craft beer while visiting a friend in California\, everything changed at that moment. \; Discovering that beer could have big taste&mdash\;extravagant taste\, even&mdash\;was the first holy sh*t beer-moment for me. \; The second holy sh*t beer moment was learning that\, unlike wine\, world class beer can be manufactured by almost anyone because\, world class beer ingredients are shelf stable and available just about everywhere. \; In fact\, we grow world class wheat right here in my home state of Kansas and many world class beers are brewed with -wheat!! \;
\n\n
\;
\n\n
Despite all that\, I settled for learning how to home-brew in our basement in Atlanta and dreamed of one day opening a brewery while we worked our &ldquo\;real&rdquo\; jobs.
\n