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. Altogether 19 people in Nebraska had active brewer permits in 2012.
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. Consumer purchases of Nebraska's brewery products generated more than $70 million extra in tax revenue. In 2012, according to the Brewers Association, Nebraska ranked 16th in the number of craft breweries per capita with 19.
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. 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.
Breweries
The following is a list of Nebraska-based breweries, meaderies and cideries.
Brewery LocationYear EstablishedNotes Backswing Brewing Company Lincoln2016Taproom in Omaha opened in 2021 Benson Brewery Omaha2013Big Hair BrewhausHartington2021 Boiler Brewing Company Lincoln2016Second Taproom in Lincoln opened in 2019 Bolo Beer Co. Valentine2016 Bottle Rocket Brewing Seward2015 Brewery 719 Alliance2019 Brickway Brewery & Distillery Omaha2013 Catalyst Brewing Company Lincoln2015Originally named 5168 Brewing; Renamed in 2020 Canyon Lakes Brewing Company Johnson Lake2019 Code Beer Co. Lincoln2017Corn Coast Brewing CompanyLincoln2021 Divots Norfolk2016 Empyrean Brewing Company Lincoln1990Empyrean Brewing Co. becomes a separate financial entity from Lazlo's Brewery & Grill in 1997 Fairfield Opera House Brewery & Grill Fairfield2016 First Street Brewing Co. Hastings2016Five-O-Five Brewing CompanyFremont2022 Flyover Brewing Company Scottsbluff2018The Frontier FrauCozad2024German Style Beer and Food Gottberg Brewery Columbus2003Heavy BrewingGretna2022 HWY 14 Brewing Co. Albion2019 Infusion Brewing Company Omaha2013 Jaipur Restaurant and Brew House Omaha2003 Johnnie Byrd Brewing Co. Wayne2017Jukes Ale WorksElkhorn2019 Kinkaider Brewing Company Broken Bow2014 Kros Strain Brewing Company La Vista2017 Loop Brewing Company McCook2011 Lost Way Brewery Holdrege2017 Lucky Bucket Brewing Company La Vista2009Lumen Beer Co.Omaha2022Monolithic Brewing CompanyOmaha2021 Pals Brewing Company North Platte2017Peg Leg Brewing CompanyNorth Platte2020 Pint Nine Brewing Company La Vista2017 Platte Valley Brewery Kearney2000 Roc Hopper Brewing Co. Syracuse2019No Brick-and-Mortar TaphouseSalt Mine City Brewing Co.David City2022Associated with Ropers Bar & Grill SchillingBridge Winery & Microbrewery Pawnee City2005 Scratchtown Brewing Company Ord2013 Scriptown Brewing Company Omaha2015 Scott Free Brewing Co. Gering 2024 Site-1 Brewing Omaha2020 Steeple Brewing Co. Hastings2017 Stone Hollow Brewing Co. Beatrice2019 Thunderhead Brewery Kearney1999 Upstream Brewing Company Omaha1996 Vis Major Brewing Omaha2017 White Elm Brewing Company Lincoln2016Second Taproom in Lincoln opened in 2019
Closed Breweries +BreweryLocationYear EstablishedYear ClosedNotesBlue Blood Brewing Co.Lincoln20112019Moved to Robbers Cave location in 2016 Brush Creek Brewing Company Atkinson20172023 Cosmic Eye Brewing Lincoln20182024Farnam House BrewingOmaha20142022Formerly Goldenrod BrewingGreen Flash Brewing Co.Lincoln20172020Opened as third Brew location of San Diego–based BreweryModern Monks BreweryLincoln19922018Associated 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 MeaderyBellevue20112017The first meadery to open in the state of Nebraska Nebraska Brewing Company Papillion20072025Ploughshare Brewing Co.Lincoln20142017 Prairie Pride Brewing Co. Grand Island20162025Spilker AlesCortland19962017Sold signature beer brand, Hopaluia, to Thunderhead BrewingStorz Brewing CompanyOmaha18541977Formerly Saratoga Brewery, Columbia BreweryZipline Brewing CompanyLincoln20122026
See also List of breweries in the United States List of microbreweries
References
External links "Nebraska Brewery Listings", Brewery Collectibles Club of America, retrieved 11 April 2017. "Breweries in Nebraska, United States", Beer Me!, retrieved 18 February 2014.