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Three Rings Brewery Carries On Family's 500-Year Brewing Tradition

A discussion with brewmaster Ian Smith

Greg Loving

30 May 2025 • 4 min read

Three Rings Brewery - 534 Old U.S. 81, McPherson, KS, 67460

The cloudy Kansas sky threatened imminent rain as Three Rings brewmaster Ian Smith navigated the compact brewing facility in his rain boots, occasionally glancing at his three young children playing nearby. It's a typical weekday afternoon at this McPherson microbrewery, where centuries-old family tradition meets modern craft brewing on the outskirts of town.

"We'll be nine years old in two weeks," Smith said. The brewery, which opened in 2016, represents more than just another craft beer venture—it's the continuation of a brewing lineage that stretches back over 500 years.

Smith's mother's genealogy research uncovered a remarkable family connection: their 13th great-grandfather, Berend Brauer, served as brewmaster in Einbeck, Germany during the early 1500s. According to historical documents, Martin Luther's favorite beer came from Einbeck, and the reformer even had a cask of it at his wedding. Luther himself was known to boast about his three-ringed stein, which he claimed represented the Ten Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, and the Lord's Prayer—all of which he could "encompass with ease" while drinking.

"Nobody can prove that it's right," Smith said with a grin about the family's connection to Luther's favorite brew. "So we're going to tell you that it is."

The decision to establish Three Rings Brewery in McPherson wasn't purely sentimental. Smith, who brought five years of professional brewing experience from stints at Boulevard Brewing Company and Tallgrass Brewing, chose the location for practical reasons. The building offered a perfect blank canvas, utilities were among the most inexpensive in the nation—crucial for a brewery—and the location along a busy highway promised steady traffic from plentiful nearby plant workers.

Today, Three Rings operates a sophisticated brewing and canning operation from their compact facility, which Smith designed himself. "When you're working all day and you're lugging hoses around, you want everything as close to everything as possible," he said, surrounded by gleaming stainless-steel tanks.

The brewery's 12-tap system typically features at least 10 house-made beers, with their World War II-themed "Yankee Rose" drawing crowds to the taproom while their "Vertigo" IPA dominates liquor store sales across central Kansas. The operation has grown to include statewide distribution, with six-pack cans rolling off their in-house canning line for pickup by distributors.

But Three Rings is more than a production facility—it's become a community gathering place. Wednesday trivia nights pack the taproom with locals, including an increasing number of young families whose children play while parents compete. The brewery regularly hosts fundraisers for organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters and United Way, and maintains a special relationship with McPherson College, brewing "Mac Drive," a German fest beer celebrating the college's automotive restoration program.

Smith's experimental side emerges in the brewery's 30-gallon pilot system, where he recently recreated a cilantro Mexican lager that proved popular two years ago. "It's nice to only do 30 gallons of it instead of 215 gallons," he noted, highlighting the balance between creativity and business pragmatism that defines modern craft brewing.

The family atmosphere permeates every aspect of Three Rings. Smith's father still helps when he can, though he maintains what Smith jokingly calls "a real job". His mother's genealogical curiosity sparked the historical connection that gave the brewery its name and narrative. Even Smith's children are fixtures at the brewery, their presence a reminder that this is truly a family operation.

As it began to drizzle and another weekday afternoon gave way to evening, Smith reflected on nearly a decade of brewing in McPherson. Three Rings has established itself as both a successful business and a community institution.

From a 16th-century brewmaster in Einbeck to a modern craft brewery in Kansas, the thread of brewing tradition continues through the Smith family. Whether their ancestor truly brewed Martin Luther's wedding beer remains historically uncertain, but one thing is clear: at Three Rings Brewery, the passion for creating "unique, flavorful and of the highest quality" beer flows as steadily as their taps.