Brew Lab

Brew Lab is a taproom and kitchen in downtown Overland Park that operated as the city’s longest-running brewery from 2013 until March 2026, when owners Clay Johnston and Kevin Combs made the difficult decision to stop brewing their own beer and pivot to a community taproom model serving guest KC craft beers.¹

Description

Brew Lab opened in 2013 at 7925 Marty St in downtown Overland Park as a “brew on premise” facility — a hybrid model where staff guided customers through the beer-making process on-site, offering classes and selling brewing supplies alongside a taproom.² Over time the concept evolved into a full-scale production brewery: by 2017 Brew Lab had expanded into a larger space combining a three-barrel brewery, an 18-tap taproom, a full kitchen, and a retail homebrew store.² It held the distinction of being Overland Park’s longest continuously operating brewery.

On January 22, 2026, Brew Lab announced it had brewed its final batch and was selling its brewing equipment.¹ The decision came after a sustained period of hardship: construction of the Overland Park Farmers Market pavilion had walled off Marty Street, collapsing foot traffic in front of the venue. “When your foot traffic — and general traffic — decreases by about 100%, people have to really want to find you,” owner Clay Johnston told the Johnson County Post.¹ The craft beer industry’s broader decline following the post-COVID hangover compounded the pressure.

The taproom did not close. Brew Lab continues to operate on Marty Street, now serving guest taps from established KC craft brewers including Free State Brewing Co., Strange Days Brewing Co., and KC Bier Co.¹ The owners have announced a “glow up” of the taproom space, a refreshed food menu, and a push toward family-friendly community programming timed to align with the Overland Park Farmers Market’s summer 2026 season reopening — the same construction project that curtailed foot traffic is now expected to become a driver of it.¹

Ownership and history

Ownership

Period	Owner / Operator	Notes
2013 → present	Clay Johnston and Kevin Combs	Co-founders; Johnston is primary public spokesperson1

Founding and evolution

Brew Lab was founded in 2013 by Clay Johnston, Kevin Combs, Justin Waters, and Matthew Hornung as a brew-on-premise homebrew supply shop and experiential brewing facility.² The original model — letting customers brew their own beer with in-house equipment and guidance — made it a gathering space for engagements, weddings, baby showers, and the KC homebrewing community. “A lot of the breweries around town had some of their early days with us,” Johnston noted.¹

After COVID changed consumer habits and home brewing interest faded, Brew Lab adapted: it moved away from the brew-on-premise model and leaned into its production brewery and taproom. In 2017 the business relocated into a larger Marty Street space with a full three-barrel system, a 100-seat taproom with 18 taps, and a kitchen.²

The brewing shutdown in early 2026 marked the close of a thirteen-year brewing chapter. Johnston acknowledged the significance: “Brewing beer was at the heart of everything we’d done from the beginning.”¹ The taproom-only pivot preserves the community space while shedding the operational burden of production brewing in a difficult market.

The brewing shutdown (March 2026)

Brew Lab announced on January 22, 2026, that it had stopped brewing its own beer and was selling its production equipment.¹ Primary causes:

1. Marty Street construction — the Overland Park Farmers Market pavilion project effectively closed the street in front of Brew Lab for an extended period, eliminating walk-in foot traffic.
2. Craft beer market decline — Johnston cited a sector-wide contraction in craft beer consumption post-COVID, with changing drinking preferences across the region.
3. COVID aftermath — the business “made it through COVID by the skin of our teeth” before construction compounded the pressure.¹

The taproom remains open. Brew Lab now serves guest taps from Kansas City-area craft breweries and is pursuing a community-focused rebrand aligned with the Farmers Market reopening.¹

Links

• Official website: brewlabkc.com
• Facebook: Brew Lab Brewery + Kitchen

Sources

Disputes

None at this time. The transition from brewery to taproom-only is well-documented.

Footnotes

1. https://johnsoncountypost.com/2026/03/11/brew-lab-stopped-brewing-281526/ — Johnson County Post, March 11, 2026. Asserts: Brewing stopped Jan 22, 2026; owners Clay Johnston and Kevin Combs; reasons (Marty St construction, craft decline, COVID); taproom remains open; guest taps from Free State, Strange Days, KC Bier Co.; taproom rebrand/glow-up planned for summer 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹

2. https://www.feastmagazine.com/travel/kansas-city/brew-labs-new-overland-park-space-combines-a-full-brewery-kitchen-and-taproom/article_480e409c-709b-11e7-999a-d736c9c8d005.html — Feast Magazine, 2017. Asserts: Founded 2013; co-founders Clay Johnston, Kevin Combs, Justin Waters, Matthew Hornung; brew-on-premise original model; 2017 expansion to full brewery + 100-seat taproom + kitchen. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴