RD Johnson

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What’s your current position at your brewery, and how did you get started in the craft brewing industry?

I am the owner and head brewer [of High Noon Saloon & Brewery in Leavenworth, Kansas]. I spent most of my military career as an army officer in Germany and fell in love with German beers. In the late 1980s I was reassigned to the States and couldn’t find great beer, so I started homebrewing. I liked making beer so much that when I retired from the military, I opened the brewery. That was back in 1995.

What’s new at High Noon? 

We were the first brewery in Kansas to can and distribute our canned beer. We currently distribute Annie’s Amber Ale and Oregon Trail Raspberry Wheat in 12-ounce cans to Kansas, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico. We distribute our draft beer to Kansas City.

What’s the best part of being a part of the craft brewing community?

It’s fun to be around people who drink beer and enjoy the simple things in life. I have also found that no two days are ever the same in the brewery and that makes things very interesting!

What do you like to do in your time away from the brewery?

I like to go for long walks with my wife, Anna. I also like to chop wood and travel.

What’s your favorite food and beer pairing?

I love to drink Annie’s Amber Ale with a big Kansas steak!

What’s your biggest accomplishment unrelated to your job?

Being a good husband and a good father for my son and daughter.

What’s your favorite beer that your brewery does not produce?

Boulevard Pale Ale and Free State Ad Astra Ale.

What’s the most memorable travel destination at which you’ve had a chance to sample the local brew? 

The tap room at St. John Brewers in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drinking beer from their nanobrewery in paradise is pretty hard to beat!


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