The Brew Bank: High-tech meets Kansas beer

Three friends since elementary school hope to bring technology to Topeka’s beer business with an option for customers to serve themselves.

The Brew Bank is the brainchild of Dusty Snethen, Melissa Snethen and Ryan Cavanaugh, and they’re hopeful that the $100,000 Top Tank award will help them bring this high-tech concept to the capital city.

The three bring a varied background — from film to teaching to insurance — to the proposed brewery, but they’re melded together by one idea.

“We want to bring all the wonderful beer of Kansas into one place,” Dusty Snethen said.

The pub will feature technology new to the Topeka market and many markets nationwide. Digital tap systems allow a customer to use a plastic card, like a debit card, to buy beer from a self-serve tap, Dusty Snethen said.

They’ve had the idea for The Brew Bank on tap for a couple of years, spurred by so many breweries opening in the state, Cavanaugh said. They personally like to drink local beers, but it can be challenging to get to all the breweries unless you plan a day trip, he said.

The business faces a legislative hurdle. Current state liquor laws allow self-serve wine but not beer. Cavanaugh said he has reached out to local lawmakers to request the law be modified in the current legislative session.

The three are Topeka natives, so they’re excited about the idea of bringing The Brew Bank to downtown. They would like to have overhead garage-style doors so they can be opened to the street when the weather is nice, making them part of the downtown streetscape and atmosphere.

“We don’t want to just be a place to go and have beer but to be a part of something,” Dusty Snethen said.

Brewing up a new business

WHO: Dusty Snethen, Melissa Snethen, Ryan Cavanaugh

WHAT: The Brew Bank will specialize in Kansas beers and Sunflower State-inspired cocktails, all served in a cutting-edge environment complete with self-serve taps. Guests at a self-serve pub receive a card similar to a credit card that will allow them to choose a beer from those on tap. The technology is popping up throughout the country in wine and beer bars.