Breweries in Nebraska produce a wide range of beers in different styles that are marketed locally and regionally. Brewing companies vary widely in the volume and variety of beer produced, from small nanobreweries and microbreweries to massive multinational conglomerate macrobreweries.

In 2012 Nebraska's 38 brewing establishments (including breweries, brewpubs, importers, and company-owned packagers and wholesalers) employed 100 people directly, and more than 6,700 others in related jobs such as wholesaling and retailing.[1] Altogether 19 people in Nebraska had active brewer permits in 2012.[2]

Including people directly employed in brewing, as well as those who supply Nebraska's breweries with everything from ingredients to machinery, the total business and personal tax revenue generated by Nebraska's breweries and related industries was more than $132 million.[3] Consumer purchases of Nebraska's brewery products generated more than $70 million extra in tax revenue.[4] In 2012, according to the Brewers Association, Nebraska ranked 16th in the number of craft breweries per capita with 19.[5]

For context, at the end of 2013 there were 2,822 breweries in the United States, including 2,768 craft breweries subdivided into 1,237 brewpubs, 1,412 microbreweries and 119 regional craft breweries.[6] In that same year, according to the Beer Institute, the brewing industry employed around 43,000 Americans in brewing and distribution and had a combined economic impact of more than $246 billion.[7]

Breweries

The following is a list of Nebraska-based breweries, meaderies and cideries.

BreweryLocationYear EstablishedNotes
Backswing Brewing CompanyLincoln[8]2016Taproom in Omaha opened in 2021
Benson BreweryOmaha[9]2013
Big Hair BrewhausHartington[10]2021
Boiler Brewing CompanyLincoln[11]2016Second Taproom in Lincoln opened in 2019[12]
Bolo Beer Co.Valentine[13]2016
Bottle Rocket BrewingSeward[14]2015
Brewery 719Alliance[15]2019
Brickway Brewery & DistilleryOmaha[16]2014
Brush Creek Brewing CompanyAtkinson[17]2017
Catalyst Brewing CompanyLincoln[18][19]2015Originally named 5168 Brewing; Renamed in 2020
Canyon Lakes Brewing CompanyJohnson Lake[20]2019
Code Beer Co.Lincoln[21]2017
Corn Coast Brewing CompanyLincoln[22]2021
Cosmic Eye BrewingLincoln[23]2018[24]
DivotsNorfolk[25]2016
Empyrean Brewing Company[26]Lincoln1990Empyrean Brewing Co. becomes a separate financial entity from Lazlo's Brewery & Grill in 1997
Fairfield Opera House Brewery & GrillFairfield[27]2016
First Street Brewing Co.Hastings[28]2016
Five-O-Five Brewing CompanyFremont[29]2022
Flyover Brewing CompanyScottsbluff[30]2018
Gottberg BreweryColumbus[31]2003
Heavy BrewingGretna[32]2022
HWY 14 Brewing Co.Albion[33]2019
Infusion Brewing CompanyOmaha[34]2013
Jaipur Restaurant and Brew HouseOmaha[35][36]2003
Johnnie Byrd Brewing Co.Wayne[37]2017
Jukes Ale WorksElkhorn[38]2019
Kinkaider Brewing CompanyBroken Bow[39]2014
Kros Strain Brewing CompanyLa Vista[40]2017
Loop Brewing CompanyMcCook[41]2011
Lost Way BreweryHoldrege[42]2017
Lucky Bucket Brewing CompanyLa Vista[43]2009
Lumen Beer Co.Omaha[44]2022
Monolithic Brewing CompanyOmaha[45]2021
Nebraska Brewing CompanyPapillion[46]2007
Pals Brewing CompanyNorth Platte[47]2017
Peg Leg Brewing CompanyNorth Platte[48]2020
Pint Nine Brewing CompanyLa Vista[49]2017
Platte Valley BreweryKearney[50]2000
Prairie Pride Brewing Co.Grand Island[51]2016
Roc Hopper Brewing Co.Syracuse[52]2019No Brick-and-Mortar Taphouse
Salt Mine City Brewing Co.David City[53]2022Associated with Ropers Bar & Grill
SchillingBridge Winery & MicrobreweryPawnee City[54]2005
Scratchtown Brewing CompanyOrd[55]2013
Scriptown Brewing CompanyOmaha[56]2015
Site-1 BrewingOmaha2020
Steeple Brewing Co.Hastings[57]2017
Stone Hollow Brewing Co.Beatrice[58]2019
Thunderhead BreweryKearney[59]2003
Upstream Brewing CompanyOmaha[60]1996
Vis Major BrewingOmaha[61]2017
White Elm Brewing CompanyLincoln[62]2016Second Taproom in Lincoln opened in 2019[63]
Zipline Brewing CompanyLincoln[64]2013

Closed Breweries

BreweryLocationYear EstablishedYear ClosedNotes
Blue Blood Brewing Co.Lincoln20112019[65]Moved to Robbers Cave location in 2016[66]
Farnam House BrewingOmaha[67]20142022Formerly Goldenrod Brewing[68]
Green Flash Brewing Co.Lincoln[69]20172020[70]Opened as third Brew location of San Diego-based Brewery
Modern Monks BreweryLincoln19922018[71]Associated with Misty's Steakhouse. Inherited the beer operation from Crane River in 2003. Crane River opened as the city's second brew pub in 1992.
Moonstruck MeaderyBellevue2011[72]2017[73]The first meadery to open in the state of Nebraska
Ploughshare Brewing Co.Lincoln20142017[74]
Spilker AlesCortland19962017[75]Sold signature beer brand, Hopaluia, to Thunderhead Brewing
Storz Brewing CompanyOmaha[76]18541977[77]Formerly Saratoga Brewery, Columbia Brewery

See also

References