After becoming a home brewer at age 21, Ryan Emley followed his dream of brewing beer at on a professional level. His journey took him to Colorado Springs, but his vision truly came to life when he and his wife Amber opened Aggieville Brewing Company in 2024.
Ryan and Amber were high school sweethearts at Manhattan High School, beginning their relationship in 2007. “We started dating sophomore year,” Ryan says. “Both of us went to K-State. I joined Phi Delta Theta, and she ended up right next door at Sigma Kappa, so it worked out perfectly for us.” Though both attended K-State, Amber completed her four-year degree, whereas Ryan left after two years in financial planning.
After college, Ryan's passion for home brewing became all-consuming. “After I got into home brewing, it really became my passion. I knew I wanted to get into the industry,” he explains. This passion led him to work at Tallgrass Tap House and then move to Colorado Springs, where he was involved in three brewery overhauls and one brewery construction within just four years.
When Ryan and Amber decided to pursue the brewery, they knew where they wanted it: Manhattan, Kansas, “This is where I grew up, and the same with my wife’s family. We wanted to raise our family here,” Ryan says. “Manhattan is such a transient community between the college kids, their parents, the locals, and even the military. To me, Manhattan is the perfect demographic.”
The brewery location holds a special significance to Ryan & Amber – it belonged to Amber's parents, Russ and Ilene Briggs. From 1983 - 2003, it was the first home of Briggs Auto. Starting out there as a small, used-car lot, Briggs Auto has now expanded to 12 stores throughout Kansas. “Where our brewing room is now was actually the mechanics bay,” Ryan says. “Russ and Ilene’s offices were where our kitchen is, and it’s just cool for us to have that history.”
Aggieville Brewing Company opened in January 2024, offering an exceptional selection of food and 18 beers on tap, though the inclusion of the food almost didn’t come to fruition. “A restaurant was kind of a must for us, which is probably why it took us so long to pull the trigger on this,” Ryan explains. “We ended up going to the Famous Dave’s estate sale, looking to potentially buy a smoker, and we got it for well below what they normally go for. We thought to ourselves, why not?”
The food they serve reflects the Emley's commitment to avoiding industrial seed oils. The restaurant primarily uses butter and olive oil, as everything is made from scratch, and beef tallow is used for frying. “We didn’t want anything pre-made or frozen,” he says. “We didn’t want just regular ‘bar food’ – we felt Manhattan deserved better.”
For Ryan, the most important aspect of Aggieville Brewing Company is ensuring that customers are happy and comfortable with what they’re getting. “We like to have a range of everything,” he says. “But we also understand that we need to be approachable to our demographic here. There are a lot of blue-collar workers and college kids who don’t like craft beer or have never had a craft beer, so we want to have a lot of approachable beers.”
With summer in full swing and the beer garden open, Ryan plans to start hosting events and concerts. The seating capacity inside is 72, and the outside can accommodate 188. Ryan’s goal is to host an “Oktoberfest-like event” and a Fourth of July party, inviting other brewers to join and offering people the chance to try new things.
For more information, see aggievillebeer.com.
"This place really is a dream come true." - Ryan Emley