Brews for All

Their vision was years in the making, a slow brew of minds and similar interests—with a bit of wild yeast mixed in.

David and Beth Harris and Tanner Vaughn took what started as a friendship and a mutual interest in brewing and created a bright space in Shawnee for beer-lovers to sip IPAs and lagers, as well as experimental wild ales.

Although David and Tanner met in the beer community—both are homebrewers— they had different styles. David was homebrewing IPAs, while Tanner was brewing wilds in his basement, plus some lagers and Belgium beers. They melded their expertise and set out to open a brewery.

It took about a year to find the ideal space for Pathlight Brewing. They liked the location and the potential at the Shawnee location— what Beth refers to as a “blank canvas”—and settled in to create the brewery when they started renovations in 2019.

They especially liked that Shawnee is, according to Beth, “going places.”

“So we wanted to be here from the beginning of that,” Beth says.

Upgrades to the building, originally the site of Johnny C’s Pizza, included all new windows, garage doors that open to the sidewalk and patio, a new bar and cold storage room, and the brewhouse. The new patio provides outdoor space and includes heaters for the winter months.

There’s something for every beer lover at Pathlight Brewing. That’s intentional, Beth says, as many brewers focus on one particular style. The trio wanted to offer IPAs for those who like the hoppier flavor, as well as lagers and a mix of different styles. Currently, they offer eight different beer styles with about 10 beers on tap.

While Tanner, the distiller, won’t say an IPA is his favorite, it is for Beth. “My personal favorite is going to be a hazy IPA that is hops-forward. They have hints of citrus and fruit flavors, and then they have like a little bit of a hops bite. But working here, my palate has evolved into liking more,” she says.

The beer names are creative and many pay homage to the community. Pogo’s, a tribute to the dance club, is a 6.8% ABV hazy American IPA made with all American hops. Metrology is their experimental series that they’ll change the hops profile or beer style for each time. There are also brews titled Johnny C’s and Trailridge.

For fruity beer lovers, there’s a tasty leaf Saison—“leaf” meaning friendship or kindness—that rotates with different fruit flavors. The current offering is Red Hare, a raspberry Saison with citrus flavors on the front, and a coriander, peppery note to the back. With the raspberry puree, it has the fruit component and still tastes like a Saison.

There’s also a fully automated canning system in-house so you can take your favorite brew home in a can (or growler). Each style is available for a limited time. When they release a new beer, a set number of cans are filled. Once those are gone, that particular brew won’t be available again until it’s re-released.

In addition to the craft brews, the bar sells primarily high-end whiskey and bourbon for anyone wanting a nightcap, plus canned wine, non-alcoholic beer, and soft drinks.

Traditional ales use Saccharomyces cerevisiae (brewer’s yeast) to brew beer, whereas wild ales utilize ambient yeast captured from the environment. These wild microbes are used in place of traditional yeast. The Length of time needed to brew leads to a distinctive depth of flavors.

An experimental offering at Pathlight Brewing is their wild ale program where their yeast strains are cultivated to brew beer. The beer is transferred to large puncheons before the wild yeast is added. After the cultivated yeast strain is added, it sits for 9 to 18 months. The beer started brewing before they opened the bar, and they hope to release it this summer. Two of the variations include grapes that Tanner says will be popular with wine drinkers.

Tanner says of the strains he cultivated: “I’ve developed a strain to kind of throw more of a lemon-citrusy kind of component. And then I have a strain that has a tendency (to throw) more like stone fruit and peaches’ kinds of characteristics. I’ve learned how to direct beer to go in directions I want with those yeast strains. That’s what I have to introduce to people—a very balanced, a very approachable beer, but more dynamic.”

Opening during a pandemic has held its challenges, but Beth says they’re pleased with the community support. Plus, the space is so large that it allows them to “separate people in a safe way, and we take pride in being able to do that.”

With the current offerings that change with each brew cycle, there are plenty of trendy as well as comfortable favorites to enjoy at Pathlight Brewing. The promise of wild ales, food trucks, and new craft offerings in the future means everyone has a reason to keep coming back.

11200 W. 75th St.

PathlightBrewing.com

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Hours: 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays & Thursdays Noon to 10 p.m. Fridays & Saturdays Noon to 6 p.m. Sundays Closed Mondays & Tuesdays