Hank Is Wiser Brewery

It was a change of pace for my wife and I to get out of Wichita for a meal and I had hoped for a better experience at Hank is Wiser.  

GOOD:  The service was attentive and the food came relatively quickly.

NOT SO GOOD:  The menu is VERY limited in fact since they were out of ribs there was only one choice for anything besides appetizers - a pulled pork sandwich.  We were told the kitchen is expanding so they will eventually serve more BBQ choices.  

I order a "pale" beer and it was nearly w/o taste.  Maybe pale meant like most generic domestic beers.

You have to be serious about beer to make the 30-minute pilgrimage out to the Nowheresville that is Cheney, solely to visit a bar. Not only serious about beer, but serious about craft and microbrew beer before beginning to appreciate not only the imbibables produced by Hank himself, but also the substantial collection of carefully curated beers, some cellared for more than a decade and not available anywhere else in the city, and probably the state. The crown jewels of which is the Sam Adams Utopia - a 26% monster of a beer that costs hundreds of dollars a bottle if you can find it - which is offered for purchase by the shot. And Hank has every vintage that has ever been produced.

You also have to be serious about your craft to continue to remain in business in this aforementioned Nowheresville for eight years, confident that the quality of your beer will bring in customers. Judging by them being open for a mere twenty-four hours a week and the size of the crowds during my visits didn't point to Hank's having to deal with a packed house every night, but it was still much busier than you would expect.

Especially when you consider that there's only one food item on the menu. The barbecued sandwiches, a mixture of beef and pork cooked in their stout, isn't going to steal any blue ribbons from Pig In Pig Out, but they pair with the beers very well and have an annoying habit of disappearing a little too quickly.  

Hank the host also pairs with the beers very well, making sure to stop at every table and strike up a conversation. It seems like everyone knows the guy, and if you don't, you will by the end of the night. Despite the secluded location and the niche product, one man's passion for beer seems enough to draw an enthusiastic crowd to sip, savor and enjoy.

Great selection of microbrews and its own brews are great, I highly recommend it if you're nearby, aka in Sedgwick or Kingman counties. I just wish it took credit cards (it did not last time I was there).