Great music-focused nanobrewery in the reborn downtown Shawnee corridor! The craft beer, industry has mushrooms across many areas of the country, and western Johnson County is no different. The space is friendly with its seating and there are plenty of games to keep you engaged while you enjoy your brew. The music theme lines the decor, with cassettes (remember those?) from all genres featured. Friction always has some of their own makings on tap as well as guest taps that can range from regional to national. The board will list the ABV for each beer, as well as the pour prices, and you can choose from anything between lighter ales to heavier stouts. I prefer the darker stuff and really love their 'Train in Vain', a brown ale with fabulous body. Don't miss their fresh-hopped varietals, such as the recent 'Earth & Sky', which gives you that right-off-the-trellis hoppiness. If you're not sure what you want, then the makers will always give you friendly suggestions. They're proud of their offerings and that pride comes through in the beer. Making unique craft beer is always a labor of love and Friction really shows you how they get it done. read more

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Lovely place. And it's family friendly. There are so many babies here. If I lived here when my child was small she would have been a regular baby too. The workers are so helpful when dealing with my crazy "food" allergies and sensitivities. I do recommend visiting this place. Let's give them our business. read more

Another good brewery in downtown Shawnee. It's across from Servaes and caddy corner to Transport. The inside is moderate in size, it's not small but it can get crowded. It has a musical theme that's modern. And if the weather is nice, there's a few seats outside. They have a variety of beer. I like their stouts and IPA's. They also have a few guest taps and several varieties of whiskey. They don't offer food but will host different food trucks-check their socials for those details. You can also bring food in from any of the surrounding restaurants. read more

Friction Beer - Brewpubs Near Me - Shawnee, Kansas

This is a bit of a difficult review for me. I tried a few of their beers but they have more to offer and I just haven't found the one I really like in this location yet. That said I am willing to have many more and am fairly certain that there will be a beer that is good that I want to drink more frequently. The location is quite nice (Parking not so much) and the inside is well-appointed and kind of cozy yet upbeat at the same time. The bartender was pretty busy but took the time to explain some of their beers to us when taking our order. That means a lot in and of itself. The one thing to pick on (jokingly) is that they have an LP/45 record theme... and yes they have records behind the bar... yet no record player?!?! Anyway, the place is neat and if looking for a beer in the area... stop by here and see if one of their taps holds the right one for you! read more

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This was my first time visiting Friction Beer and I had a great experience! I loved the beer selection and also appreciated that they serve liquor and soft drinks too. There was a food truck outside which was a nice option for a snack. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. The only reason I'm not rating 5 stars is because it was so cold inside (it was also a chilly night outside) and the people we sat next to were cussing and complaining about everything (I'm not a prude, I mean they were being assholes). This has nothing to do with the business but it just took away from my personal experience because they were frankly just miserable to sit next to. read more

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Cool location near restaurants, movie theater, moonlight market and more. The musical decor is also cool and inviting. Service is prompt. Can bring in outside food which is a plus plus. They offer a variety of beers ipa, sour, stouts, easy drinking etc. the beers have cool names. They also offer spirits and cocktails for non beer drinkers. Cool spot to hang with friends and catch up. read more

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Love this local brewery and its friendly staff. Great beer selection and always good music.

A music-inspired brewery? Now we're talkin'. A variety of beers are on tap, so there should be something for everybody. I really liked what I sampled, however for some reason, I got the feeling it would taste better if I rolled the windows down. Anyway... This an inviting space with lots of natural light. You'll feel mighty comfortable discussing your favorite new records or recent concerts over a pint or two. You might even make some new friends. read more

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Popped in last night for trivia with some friends and we had such a great time. The beers are always delicious here and the service is great too! I love that the owner is so into music and it shows with how the brewery is decorated. It's a very chill place to go have a beer and I'll definitely be back for trivia as well! read more

Friction Beer - Brewpubs Near Me - Shawnee, Kansas

If you are wanting to escape the overly crowded bar this is a good place to check out. There were plenty of chairs still open and not many people there. The beer was good. They don't offer food but have worked with several of the places in the area that you can order from. read more

Friction Beer - Brewpubs Near Me - Shawnee, Kansas

Glad to find this brewery. I have been touring breweries in the area and this one is the best so far. The bartender we had was very knowledgeable of their beers and it was nice to hear some of their history. They also offer premium bourbons if you have one of those friends that doesn't want to drink beer. read more

Friction beer is a very cool ambiance and I love all the music theme. Its cool that the owners took their life experiences and passions and themed the brewery after it. I like how clean the brewery is and how they craft each one. I haven't had a bad beer from them yet. They do also have whiskey which is cool and the owner told me they go out and handpick their own barrels which shows me they care about their patrons to make sure they have a high quality experience. Its also in a great location for you to walk to different venues in the area. read more

Friction brewing is one of my favorite breweries to go to in Kansas. A lot of breweries have a dark industrial vibe, but not Friction. Sunshine beams through the big windows and illuminates the music themed decor. From the wall of old school cassette tapes, to a recording plaque, music plays a big role of the aesthetics. My latest visit was on a Saturday. They are one of the few bars/breweries that is open at 9am on the weekends to show English Premier League games. My friend and I were able to to watch multiple games at once and eat some delicious doughnuts from a local food vendor. The beers here are legit! I had two IPAs. The first was a juicy hazy IPA, and the other was a West Coast IPA that had a perfect balance between pine and malt. I also had their Oktoberfest beer as well as a dark flavorful coffee stout that paired great with my doughnut. The owners and bartenders are awesome and can easily help you figure out what beer might fit your taste buds. read more

Friction Beer - Juicy Hazy IPA, and a coffee stout paired with a s'more's doughnut - Brewpubs Near Me - Shawnee, Kansas

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The best stouts I've maybe ever had. The coffee stout and milkstout are sublime. The space is comfortable and staff are super friendly. Also despite this being a bar I'd say it's very family friendly, I see many new parents with thier young children here especially on weekend afternoons. Also on the weekends I see food trucks parked out front with some incredible bbq. Easy access to some grub if you're not full on stouts. read more

What an awesome brewery! Location is great and easy to find parking. They had great beer selection to pick from. If you are not a beer person,they also have wine and cocktails. They don't serve food but they allow you to bring food from other places. You can have food delivered from one of the local places nearby. I love the ambiance. The staff were very nice and helped me pick the right beer for me. Check this gem out! read more

Friction Beer - Brewpubs Near Me - Shawnee, Kansas

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I had to check out one of the new breweries in town. I thought the vibe and decoration was cool. Cool stuff like - a Nirvana concert ticket stub along with backstage passes, the casette wall, the wall acoustic paneling (probably just as functional as fashionable) and more really help paint the picture where these guys come from. The rock music theme also goes into the names for the beers. I had One Step Ahead which was a Pilsner with New Zealand Hops. Then I had Ripping the Divide, an American Pale Ale. Both were really good beers. They also had a stout called Jungle Love. The patio out front looks like a cool place to sit and have a beer on a nice day. It was busy when we were there, but there was plenty of space and standing room if needed. read more

Friction Beer - American Pale Ale - Brewpubs Near Me - Shawnee, Kansas

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Grabbed a beer at this great brewery. The location is cute in the adorable downtown Shawnee area. The bar was vibey with grunge music that I jammed out to the entire time. The bartender was very nice and offered several suggestions. He even let us try a couple samples before making our decision. All of the things I tried were tasty. I ended up settling on the Aliens Exist. It was a bright hoppy flavor that went perfectly on the warm day. There were many different options for seating and we were able to snag a couch and play cards at the table. Overall I had a great experience! read more

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I've been to Friction Beer two times now (both before true open hours) to watch my favorite Premier League Soccer teams play early matches. It's not a large place but there are multiple places to sit--chairs, stools, booths, or couches. The seating areas and restrooms were clean and well maintained. As a 90s teen and music lover, I think the music inspired decor is fantastic! There are a variety of beers on tap, and if you're hungry, food from a few local places can be ordered using a QR code at your seat. Everyone who was working was knowledgeable and friendly. It is so nice to have a place like Friction to go and hang out with other soccer fans and have a pint or two with breakfast from the bakery down the street! read more

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What a cool place?! They have several of their house brewed beers and then a rotating group of guest beers/ciders. I tried the Zoo Station, but it was a bit hoppy for my tastes. That being said, U happily enjoyed one of their guest taps and next time I'd like to give the coffee milk stout a go! I came out because one of my favorite food trucks was there: Gochew Korean Burgers and sandwiches. And when I got there I found out a record shop was also hosting a pop-up! Super cool that they had such a good relationship with these other businesses and invite them to share their space. I also loved the internal space. Loads of seating and different groupings of seating for all sorts of groups that might come in. You want to lounge, they have couches. You want to sit at a table for a more intimate conversation, they've got tables of various sizes. You want to chat with the VERY knowledgeable and friendly staff, the bar is open! Whatever you're looking for, I'm sure they've got... but be warned their beers tend to run hoppy. It's not my thing, but I know KC loves it. read more

Friction Beer - Brewpubs Near Me - Shawnee, Kansas

Located in downtown Shawnee. Nice new brewery in town. Open space for gathering to watch sports and hang out with friends. Park in City Hall parking lot or parking on the side. Four beers on tab. Nice quiet atmosphere to visit with friends. Service was good. read more

Friction Beer - Inside - Brewpubs Near Me - Shawnee, Kansas

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I love Friction! Their atmosphere is fantastic and as a music lover myself, I feel right at home. Just a year old, it's great to see them thriving and fitting in so well to compliment the great beverage scene in downtown Shawnee, each with their unique style. I've gone some times when they were heavier on pale ales/IPAs, which aren't my favorites, but I'm finding as I visit more often they have a diverse selection on rotation. This was my first time trying their Basic Facts lager and I couldn't have loved it more (reminds me a bit of Servaes's Amelia which is my other local favorite). I wish I had gotten his name but the gentleman serving behind the bar had fantastic answers to my questions and super friendly. You've got to check them out! read more

I came to friction for a beer and for the point and flat pop up right outside. The staff were kind and had some great suggestions. The west coast ipa was full of flavor and went great with the bbq burnt ends and elotes from point and flat. The inside is clean and has some outdoor seating if you prefer to enjoy the weather! read more

A MUST VISIT IN SHAWNEE! Brent, the owner, is such a cool guy and every time I've been, I love getting to know him, his back story and more about Friction. My fiance loves the beer! The bar has an overall music theme without being in your face which I think is great. They don't serve food BUT there are QR codes for neighboring restaurants and Im pretty sure you get a discount at those places when using the QR code. There are a few TV's if you want to watch a game while sipping your beer. There is table seats, booths and couches. We've already been a few times and every time its great. Totally worth the visit! read more

This is a great place to hang out, the layout of this place is great. They have outdoor seating which is also a plus for when there's good weather. The service is great, had some good conversation and laughs at the bar, everyone was having a great time. The place doesn't serve food, but, they do have some QR codes/signs which you can order from. I tried a few beers, they had a bunch to choose from. I was only able to try 2 of their beers and they were good, I'll have to go back and taste some of their others. Overall: nice place with good vibes, will be back read more

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The ambiance is so cool we took this great pic. I am not much of a beer drinker but they have a lot more than beer here read more

Friction Beer - Me and my cousin at Friction - Brewpubs Near Me - Shawnee, Kansas

An incredible selection of beer and bourbon. The staff is awesome, trivia is perfect, and the creature comforts are exactly what you want out of a small brewery. I would recommend this place to anyone. read more

The much anticipated Friction Brewery is now open! Another amazing local beer spot to add to the Johnson Drive beer crawl. They have four beers on tap now with more coming. We tried 3 of the 4: strawberry golden ale, IPA, coffee milk stout. We were very impressed with all the brews. They also have canned wine, cocktails, soda, and an impressive bourbon list. Small snacks to purchase but we brought in some Mexican food from a neighboring spot. This place was hopping on its second day of opening. Can't wait to see and taste the other brews they will make in the future. read more

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Tons of seating, big windows and full bar. Come here to meet up with friends or get some work done! One of my favorite brewery's in downtown Shawnee! read more

Friction Beer - Austin Cider - Brewpubs Near Me - Shawnee, Kansas

We were unimpressed with our experience at Friction Beer. When we visited, there was a food truck outside, but only one person working, leading to long lines for beer as they only offered counter service. If a food truck is booked, it's important to have adequate staffing for the event. The space was very loud, making it difficult to have a conversation. There were no soft surfaces, only a concrete floor, hard tables and chairs, and an unfinished ceiling. The space could definitely be cleaner, as no one was bussing tables and the windows and other areas needed attention. Though we were pleased to see five IPAs on tap, all of them had off-flavors that we generally associate with poor sanitation. Overall, as much as we'd like to have a good place to visit in Shawnee, we cannot recommend Friction Beer. read more

I ordered one drink while I was there. When I checked my bank all was good. When I checked it later , there was a second charge to my bank from friction beer. They added a bogus charge to my credit card!!! Bad for business!! read more

Cool vibe, really good beer, nice people. Just wish it wasn't so far from my house. B, open a second location in PV, please. Thx.

Great vibes here. Awesome music, good beer. Nate and Brent are doing a pretty damn good job of creating a must stop in Shawnee!

Beer was fine. The lady that helped us was amazing but when her shift ended and another gentleman took over he was very snooty and looked down on us and didn't want to help us even though we tipped at least 20% read more

Not friendly and beer was just ok. Cool place in mission but better places to spend your time and money in the immediate area.

Was so excited to find out Friction opened. Cool vibes. Good beer. Good People. Even bought a sticker! :)