Baldwin City Beer Company: Baldwin’s newest hotspot 

Story by Gabriel Lopez, Staff Writer|November 23, 2021

Kinsley Alley

Baldwin City is opening a new bar and barbecue restaurant, Baldwin City Beer Company on the corner of 6th and High St. There is a temporary tent to serve customers until the opening of the store in the spring of 2022, replacing Antiques on the Prairie.

Husband and wife Cory and Jenni Venable are owners of Baldwin City Beer Company, a new microbrewery and restaurant that is coming soon to Baldwin City. The Venables are currently in the process of renovating the former Antiques on the Prairie store located on the corner of Sixth and High Street. While Cory and Jenni do not have a clear timetable yet for the construction and renovations to be finished, they are optimistic to be up and running by the spring.  

“We want it open as soon as possible, but it’s going to be six months from when they start,” Jenni said.  

Since the Baldwin City Beer Company’s interior is not fully finished, they have been operating and serving customers in a large tent located just outside of the building. The tent is equipped with TVs, patio heaters, tables and plenty of drinks for Baldwin City residents and the Baker community to enjoy.  

Senior Dalton Wilson has already been impressed with the Baldwin City Beer Company. Wilson thinks it is a great idea for them to open up outside before the interior is finished because it starts getting their name out there and more familiar with the public.  

“The atmosphere, even being outside, is great. They’ve got TVs set up for games, they’ve got good music, everyone behind the bar is super lively and fun to talk with, they keep it upbeat and it makes the experience a lot more fun,” Wilson said. 

While the Baldwin City Beer Company is currently functioning out of a tent, the finished establishment will be an 8,000-square-feet microbrewery and restaurant, allowing for plenty of space for everyone. There will be two giant glass garage doors so people can see inside from the road. There will also be a patio that will be able to seat people.  

The 8,000-square-foot establishment features two giant glass garage doors allowing for a view in from the road. Courtesy: Cory Venable

“We have around 120 seats outside, and if the event space isn’t being used, it’s just overflow seating. We can roll out tables and chairs and have extra seating in there, it gets us up to around 172 and the patio seats an extra 60 so we just have a massive amount of seating,” Cory said.  

The Venables say TVs will be everywhere, but they also highlight the event space which will be the size of a pickleball court and a focal point of the place. 

A focal point of the microbrewery is the event space which is the size of a pickleball court. Courtesy: Cory Venable

“With that kind of a space, the options are endless and very versatile. It could even be one giant dance floor if you wanted it to be,” Cory said.  

The Venables say they have envisioned hosting several different kinds of events, like stand-up comedy, karaoke nights, trivia nights and more. They also want to use the space to house live music events.

They have already been contacted by several people about using the event space to host an indoor cornhole league for the winter.  

Even though there are numerous possibilities to use the event space for, Cory wants to create a place the community wants.  

“We could force whatever down everyone’s throats if we wanted to, but ultimately we want to appeal to what everyone in Baldwin wants to do, whatever people around the community want to do, and what people around the Kansas City metro want to do,” Cory said.  

In regard to what drinks the microbrewery plans to offer, they will start off brewing five beers: IPA, wheat, pale ale, cream ale and lager. Once the company becomes established, they plan to expand up to ten beers, with a seasonal beer in rotation.   

The restaurant will consist of a barbecue and pub menu. Pulled pork, brisket, burnt ends, ribs, chicken, burgers, pork tenderloins and wings are a few foods that will be offered.  

The Venables are confident in their business as Baldwin City has been growing as a tourist hotspot in recent years.  

“People want to visit Baldwin anyway because it is a tourist destination, there’s so much history here, there’s a lot to see and it’s so beautiful especially in the fall,” Cory said. “A brewery just compliments [Baldwin City] so well and is an extra reason to come down and check it out.”

A covered outdoor dinning space is available for parties and events. Courtesy: Cory Venable

Similar to the Venables, Wilson is eager for the Baldwin City Beer Company to be fully up and running. 

“Being a senior here at Baker there hasn’t been much to do around town in my four years, so I think [Baldwin City Beer Company] is huge for the town and for the college students. I’m super excited to see how it turns out,” Wilson said.