New brewhouse hits Main Street

Cassidy Knoll

Sugar Beet staff reporter

As a small town, there are quite a few things that Garden City has been missing, and a brewery is one of them. People in Garden City have been asking for something like this for a long time, and it’s finally been brought to life with the Flat Mountain Brewery, co-owned by Jorge Guzman, Carlos Mantilla, and John Chappel.

“I figured it would be a good and unique idea,” Jorge Guzman, brewery owner, said. “I talked to the previous owner when the opportunity popped up and ended up buying it. I knew that there was a need for a brewery in town and that a lot of people in Finney County have been wanting something like this, but it was not easy getting it open.”

After a year of construction, the Flat Mountain Brewery is finally open to the public as the first brewery Garden City has ever seen. They currently open at 11 a.m. with no specific closing time.

“I like all the people and all the servers that are here,” Roberto Rodriguez, employee, said. “They each have their own personality and characters. I feel like everyone helps each other out. The beers themselves are unique, because you can’t buy them anywhere else. We also have really good food, and we come up with unique foods that aren’t typically sold around here.”

Not only do they have adult beverages, but the brewery also has burgers and sandwiches. Having not opened fully yet, head chef Preston LaMastres is currently working on creating a full menu.

“Eating should be the most amazing thing you do in your life,” LaMastres said. “If you learn to cook, then every time you cook a meal you should be aiming to make that the best meal you’ve ever had in your life. The creativity is what I like the most, there are no rules when it comes to cooking. The basic science of actually applying heat to meat is as old as time. There’s a uniqueness in the brewmaster and what he brings to the table, and another uniqueness of what the kitchen is going to bring to the table. When you start comparing the two together and start balancing the different flavors of the brewhouse and the flavors of the kitchen, and when we do our job correctly, it will create a unique experience like no ones been able to find in western Kansas without a doubt.”

Cassidy Knoll is  a Arts and Communication junior. you can contact her at knollc@student.gckschools.com.