Craft Brew & Sausage Festival at the Liederkranz in Grand Island, NE
  Craft Brew & Sausage Festival at the Liederkranz in Grand Island, NE
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Taylor's Bootleg Brewery to return to Liederkranz Craft Brew & Sausage Fest

8/19/2016

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Just a few months after it opened its brewery resort complex outside Taylor, Neb., Sandhills Brewing Co. will return to the Grand Island Liederkranz for its Aug. 20 Craft Brew & Sausage Fest, to help raise funds for the historic facility. 
Sandhills Brewing Co., A.K.A Bootleg Brewers, 
opened the doors on its a brand-new 20-barrel brewery complex on in May, offering not only great craft beer, but also offering modern cabins for recreational tourists visiting nearby Calamus Reservoir or hunting in the Sandhills. All this offers a great retreat that is just a couple hours away from Grand Island.
While they just opened their doors, brewing isn't anything new to Sandhills Brewing Co., the beginnings of which were sprouted in 1978 when Ron Worm's father-in-law included him in a home-brew session. They affectionately called their beer Musketeer Beer, because it was so musky it brought tears to their eyes. 
Worm wore many different hats over the years, from ranching and working as a foreman on the railroad, to cutting the first live tree out of the Halsey forest, and then on to owning his own sawmill, kiln, and more, but he never lost his passion for brewing. As brewing ingredients became more readily available, his hobby grew, and in 2001 Worm decided to brew a batch of all-grain beer with a friend in his wife Dodie’s kitchen, using his five-gallon buckets in which he had drilled holes  They were pleasantly surprised with the resulting brew.
Shortly thereafter, with the brewing help of a few friends, Worm created an all-grain home brew system in the basement of their home, using common household items. From that hard work, the brew "Cling On" was born, which got its name because of the large amount of grains required to make this tasty brew that also increases the ABV to about seven percent. 
"Easy drinking and high in alcohol can sneak up on you and before you know it you are looking for something or someone to 'Cling On' to," explains the brewer's website. "Sorry Star Trek fans, no relation here."
As Worm's concoction attracted more visitors, in 2001 he decided to start his own brew club called Bootleg Brewers. The fall of 2015 will mark an achievement of having his very own brewery, one with cabins allowing visitors to stay a couple days and enjoy the Sandhills. 
"Bootleg Brewers got started with just my dad brewing beer in a basement, and it just kind of escalated from there. He was actually just doing too much beer at one point, so we thought we better get a license, better open up a small little pub out on our ranch," said Stephanie Clang with Bootleg Brewers to KBEAR 92.3. "And then it just kind of expanded from there to five cabins, a steakhouse and a twenty barrel brewing system, so it got a little crazy.... But, this is his dream and something he's always wanted to do, so we're all supporting him and we're having fun doing it."


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Sandhills Brewing Co., Bootleg Brewery, with the cabins in the foreground and the brewery and restaurant in the background.
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McCook's Loop Brewing Co. to return to 2nd Craft Brew & Sausage Fest

8/18/2016

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One of the great things about organizing an event like the Aug. 20 Craft Brew & Sausage is seeing the return of people and brewers that helped kick things off at last year's inaugural brew fest. One such returning brewery is Loop Brewing Co., which hails from McCook.
We're thrilled to have Loop returning again this year, and bringing some of their delicious beers for everyone to sample as we all try to raise funds to preserve, restore and enhance the Grand Island Liederkranz. Especially because Loop Brewing Co. can sympathize with the Liederkranz' historical building restoration ambitions. 
The brewery's owners took on the monumental task of housing their operation in McCook's historic railroad icehouse, which once brought the finest ice to that town and her residents as early as the 1900s. 
The same ice was also used to keep perishables and great tasting beer cold to and from Chicago. There is some nice symmetry to its history and that it again houses home-crafted beers. This rustic and unique structure sits only a couple of feet away from an active railway.
"We don't have an exact date that it was built," said the Loops, a husband and wife pair who are two of the three owners of the brewery,  in an interview with the McCook Gazette.  "But it's approximately 100 years old... It's been a warehouse since the mid-1980s." 
And just like beer and sausage go well together, so too does beer and pizza, the latter pairing was the simple idea that brought Adam Siegfried's pizza and Tyler Sue and her husband Tyler Ray Loop's craft beers to join forces in 2011 to open Loop Brewing Co.
The Craft Brew & Sausage Fest couldn't be happier to have a participant like the Loop Brewing Company return, with its own stewardship of an vital historic building. Check them both out on Aug. 20 in Grand Island's Railside (formerly Downtown).
Loop Brewing Co. makes a range of great beers, including a Pale Ale, an IPA, an Irish Red Ale, a Brown Ale, a Cask Ale, a Porter, a Stout and seasonal brews, a couple of which will be available for sampling at the Grand Island Liederkranz on Sept. 12. 
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Photo by McCook Gazette -- Loop Brewing Co. owners Adam Siegfried (left) and Tyler Sue Loop (center) and Tyler Ray Loop (right), all of McCook.
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Ord's Scratchtown Brewing Co. to serve at Liederkranz Craft Brew & Sausage Fest

8/18/2016

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One advantage to holding the second annual Liederkranz Craft Brew & Sausage Fest on Aug. 20 - nearly a month earlier than the inaugural event - is that it doesn't compete with Husker football games. But one additional perk is that it allows Ord's Scratchtown Brewing Company to participate this year, and bring samples of its renowned beers to share with Grand Island and its guests attending the fundraiser to preserve, restore and enhance the historic Grand Island Liederkranz.
When organizers of the Brew Fest first approached Scratchtown in early 2015, they were disappointed to learn that Scratchtown's own Scratchtoberfest was also planned for Sept. 12, 2015, meaning the two events were scheduled to coincide. This was disappointing because not only did it keep Scratchtown from participating in the Craft Brew & Sausage Fest, it also may force enthusiasts to choose between the two events. But with this yeas Brew Fest held nearly a month earlier, there's no conflict. 
If you haven't been to Ord and stopped by Scratchtown, you have been missing out. Ord benefits from being centrally located near four of Nebraska's most visited lakes, bringing recreationalists in from all over. As a result, Ord and towns like nearby Burwell benefit from tourists, and as a result Ord supports some great restaurants and other attractions that you wouldn't typically find in a town of its population. Ord's downtown is particularly charming, wrapping around the center historic county building, like a square of historic buildings all facing a grassy green space, that creates a great atmosphere. 
One of those building facing the county building is Scratchtown's. outside of which you can enjoy one of their beers on their patio and watch a farmers market and listing to live music on Fridays in the summer. 
Scratchtown opened in 2013 by founders Jade Stunkel, Mike Klimek and Caleb Pollard, who were an electrician, a banker and a economic developer respectively. They chose the name after discovering a book on the history of Ord that noted that General Edward O.C. Ord, (after whom the town was named) once suggested the town should be call Scratchtown after the number and size of biting flies, reported the Grand Island Independent. As such, their logo features a biting fly. 
Scratchtown has quickly become one of Nebraska's most prominent breweries, especially west of Lincoln and Omaha. It's beers adorn shelves of many of Grand Island's points of sale locations. If you haven't tried their beer yet, come to the Liederkranz Craft Brew & Sausage Fest on Aug. 20 and take a sip. 
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Photo from OMAHA WORLD HERALD - Scratchtown founders Caleb Pollard and Mike Klimek. Not pictured: Jade Stunkel, also a founder.
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(L-R): Mike & Julie Klimek, Christina & Caleb Pollard, Michelle & Jade Stunkel
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Kinkaider Brewing Co. to return to Craft Brew & Sausage Fest

8/17/2016

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Of the many breweries that contributed to the success of the inaugural Liederkranz Craft Brew & Sausage Fest in 2015, Kinkaider Brewing Co. out of Broken Bow deserves a special mention because founder Dan Hodge's wore his lederhosen, to say nothing of the other three founder's enthusiastic participation. That's why we're thrilled that they are returning for the 2016 Craft Brew & Sausage Fest (in addition to their delicious beers). 
Kindkaider opened on two days after Christmas i 2014. In addition to Thedford's Hodges, the other three founders are Cody Schmick, Nate Bell and Barry Fox, all three of Broken Bow. Schmick and Fox run the front of Kinkaider's operation, while Bell and Hodges use more than 30 combined years of experience in craft beer to concoct their signature brews. In the short time since it's opening, Kinkaider has quickly established itself as one of Nebraska's premier breweries, with its brews adorning the shelves of many of Grand Island's points of purchase, with distribution stretching to Omaha and Ogallala.  
Both the Craft Brew & Sausage Fest and Kinkaider Brewing Co. share a passion for history. Where the brew fest is an effort to preserve one of Grand Island’s oldest and most important institutions — the Liederkranz - Kindkaider looked to Broken Bow’s history for its own identity. 
The team behind the brewery settled on the name in honor of the 1904 Kinkaid Act, which significantly shaped development in the area. The Kinkaid Act was a U.S. statute that amended the 1862Homestead Act so that one section of public domain land could be acquired free of charge, apart from a modest filing fee, according to Wikipedia. It applied specifically to 37 counties in northwest Nebraska. 
When talking with organizers of the Craft Brew & Sausage Fest, Schmick said one of the things that got him excited about participating in the event is its mission of historic preservation. 
Kinkaider uses fresh Sandhills water in their brews, which can’t be recreated, Schmick told The Independent. They have populated their beers with Kindkaider twists on classic styles, such as a porter with notes of chocolate, coffee and toffee, an American wheat with hints of citrus and a pale ale with flavors including grapefruit and florals, the Independent reported. The tap has included one of those surprises in the jalapeno ale, an award-winning beer Hodges has worked for 10 years to perfect. The taps at the brewery also feature brews from other Nebraska establishments, and wine and whiskey are available for those who want to experience Kinkaider but don’t like beer.
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Kinkaider's Dan Hodges pours a beer tasting at the 2015 Craft Brew & Sausage Fest.
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Photo from The Grand Island Independent: Zach Mayhew Kinkaider Brewing Company owners Barry Fox, Dan Hodges, Cody Schmick, and Nate Bell recently opened their doors to the public. The company will feature high quality craft beers with sandhills water as the main ingredient.


More information
Kinkaider Brewing Co.
43860 Paulsen Road, Broken Bow
Hours: 4 to 11 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday
308-872-8348; 
kinkaiderbrewing.com

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Omaha's Infusion Brewing to serve at Craft Brew & Sausage Fest

8/16/2016

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It is not uncommon for breweries to set up shop in historic buildings and districts, contributing to the redevelopment of a neighborhood, something aligned with the goals of the Liederkranz Craft Brew & Sausage Fest where Infusion Brewing Company will serve samples of its beers on Aug. 20. 
Infusion Brewing is located in the former home of Olson’s Meat Market in the heart of Downtown Benson, Nebraska – a historic neighborhood nine miles northwest of Omaha’s Central Business District. When the building became available, Bill Baburek, owner of Omaha’s Crescent Moon, decided to turn his dream of opening a craft brewery into reality that opened in 2013. The building is situated on the south side of Maple Street (historically known as Mayne or Main Street) at the Military Avenue intersection.
The north half of the Olson’s Market building was built in 1917, and in 1934 an addition was constructed to the south that doubled the size of the building.
"We have embraced the history of our building and our community," reads Infusion's website said of the building that was the meat market for more than 60 years. 
While the interior has been redeveloped, all historic finishes in the building have been restored, including the mosaic floor tile, wood floors, decorative wall tiles, plaster walls, ornamental tin ceiling, concrete floors and exposed masonry. And the building functions much as it did when Charlie Olson operated his butcher shop. The first floor of the building has been renovated into the tap room, where patrons will enjoy handcrafted Infusion beer in the same room Charlie Olson greeted his customers.
The brewing equipment is located in the rear of the building, and the basement is used for grain storage, keg washing and filling. Using a classic 7-barrel pub brewing system, Infusion serves up their craft beers year-round while changing up the seasonal brews almost weekly. 



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Omaha's Brickway Brewery, Distillery Coming to Craft Brew & Sausage Fest

8/15/2016

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PictureBrickway founder and brewer Zac Triemert
Many of the brewers who will appear at the Aug. 20 Craft Brew & Sausage Fest can be thanked for playing a vital role in the emergence of Nebraska's homegrown brewing market, but Omaha's Brickway Brewery & Distillery holds a special distinction for also plowing the way for bringing distilling back to the state after nearly a century of absence dating back to Prohibition. 
Brewer Zac Triemert wrote a bill to reintroduce distilling to Nebraska himself. 
“Every [state lawmaker] I spoke to said it was a great idea,” Triemert told The Washington Times recently, adding that many legislators even asked him, “Why has no one done this before?” before the bill garnered an easy adoption by Nebraska's unicameral legislature. 
Located at 1116 Jackson St., Brickway was  the fourth brewery in the state and the first in Omaha. Triemert  told the Omaha World Herald that his brewery/distillery's name is derived from the brick that surrounds their location in Omaha's thriving historic Old Market. All of the product goes out the brewery’s brick-surrounded back door of the location to the back alley.
Brickway, formerly Borgata Brewery, has many homages to history. It's interior features no shortage of references to Omaha's pre- and post-Prohibition brewing history. In fact, Triemert attempted to re-create the brew crafted by Omaha’s historic Jetter Brewing Company, which opened in 1887. Though Triemert told The Wold Herald that the Jetter family no longer has the original recipe for their beer, he said he had an idea of what the older beers would have tasted like, so he crafted something that he thought was a pretty close likeness.
Triemert owns the brewery/distillery, but was also a founder at Lucky Bucket (the beers of which will also be featured at the Craft Brew & Sausage Fest) where he was head brewer.
The Craft Brew & Sausage Fest shares many of the same ideals and aspirations as Brickway when it comes to the importance of historic preservation and the of a thriving downtown. The whole purpose of the brew fest is to raise funds for the Liederkranz, one of Grand Island's most important historic landmarks that literally formed the cornerstone of the city's founding and development of its downtown center. 

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Valentine's Bolo Beer Co. coming to Craft Brew & Sausage Fest

8/14/2016

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We're One of the best things about the Aug. 20 Liederkranz Craft Brew & Sausage Fest is the opportunity it presents to try up-and-coming brewery's crafts that you won't find in any stores, bars or restaurants yet. 
That's the case with Valentine's Bolo Beer Co., which poured its first beer just this spring. 
"We're thrilled to be a part of Liederkranz," said Bolo's Kyle in an email. "This is a super unique and local festival that's a perfect fit for our beer and our purpose."
Bolo Beer Co. was started by a few Sandhills-loving locals and an adventurous brewer who believed rural Nebraska around Valentine deserved good beer and a brewery.
Brewmaster Chris Hernstrom has more than ten years experience making wine and brewing beer in Washington and Oregon.  He focuses on brewing clean, drinkable ales as well as interesting varieties using local fruits.  
The brewery is becoming known for our Wild West Wheat, its Americus IPA, a Scottish Ale and its native fruit beers are garnering attention too.  
We can't wait to try their brews on Aug. 20, we're thrilled they're coming. 
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Blue Blood to return to Liederkranz Craft Brew & Sausage Fest

8/10/2016

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One of Lincoln's great brewers, Blue Blood Brewery, will return to the Liederkranz this Aug. 20 (2016) for the second Craft Brew & Sausage Fest to again help the historic landmark raise funds for its preservation, restoration and enhancement.
Blue Blood was founded in Lincoln in 2011, with the founders and initial investor all having ties to law enforcement as either active or retired police officers. As a business passionate about community service, we enthusiastically and excitedly welcome Blue Blood back to the Liederkranz to help preserve an building and institution that was instrumental to Grand Island's foundation. 

Speaking of buildings, Blue Blood recently moved its entire beer-making operations from West South Street to Robber’s Cave near 10th and Van Dorn streets and incorporated a full-service restaurant into the mix. The new location opened in May and it incorporates a famed Lincoln cabe once reputed as a one-time Jesse James hideout, reported the Lincoln Journal Star. The brewery offers tours Monday and Wednesday evenings and Saturdays until football season starts when the Saturday tours move to Sundays.
The new facility there includes a 12,000-square-foot building featuring a dining/bar room, an outdoor patio and a bar with 20 taps -- 15 dedicated to its own beers and five others featuring other Nebraska brewers, the Journal Star reported. The food menu is pub fare, ranging from unique appetizers -- tuna tacos, brussel sprouts -- to gourmet sandwiches.
Already, Blue Blood announced plans to expand the new location, by adding parking spaces and converting green space into an outdoor beer garden with a stage for live music.
Blue Blood also has ties to Grand Island, as it brews one of McKinney's Irish Pub's house beers. McKinney's first location is prominent in the Lincoln Haymarket (another revitalized area), but it's co-owner Nathan Stewart is a Grand Island native and he and his partner opened a second location in the last year in Downtown Grand Island in the old Ben’s Rexall Building on southeast corner of Third and Locust streets. Stewart sees the redevelopment of the downtown as worth putting money into, and we're excited to have McKnney's downtown, as it offers good food and great beers, making it a valuable addition to Grand Island's newly rebranded Railside (downtown). 

Phone: (402) 477-2337
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Photo by Eric Gregory/Lincoln Journal Star
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Photo by Matt Ryerson/Lincoln Journal Star Brian Podwinski (left), president and founder of Blue Blood Brewery, gives a tour of the Robbers Cave onsite of the brewery's new location, which features a full service restaurant, at 925 Robbers Cave Road, Lincoln NE.
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Rascal Martinez return for 2nd Craft Brew & Sausage Fest

8/4/2016

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PicturePHOTO BY JO WARD - Rascal & The Pack performing at the inaugural Liederkranz Craft Brew & Sausage Fest in 2015.
Nebraska's best craft beverages and sausages won't be the only things returning to the second Liederkranz Craft Brew & Sausage Fest on Aug. 20, 2016 in Grand Island's downtown Railside district. Rascal Martinez will return to serenade attendees with eclectic medleys as well. 
As a singer and guitarist Rascal Martinez, was joined last year by his band and they dazzled attendees of first Craft Brew & Sausage Fest, providing the third crucial component (music) to the inaugural event. 
"We're very excited to be back again," Martinez said. 
Organizers of the Brew Fest are thrilled to have the group returning for the second year.  The group’s 2015 appearance at the Liederkranz’ picturesque courtyard marked their first performance at a brew festival, and was followed by more performances in the ensuing year at many of Grand Island-area events, including the Liederkranz Lumpin Ball, which is essentially the German equivalency of Mardi Gras.
With their return, Martinez's melodies will again form the backdrop for patrons to sample Nebraska’s best breweries’ beverages and sausages. With great food, beer and music, the Craft Brew & Sausage Fest offers an unparalleled opportunity to contribute toward a great cause: the preservation, restoration and enhancement of one of Grand Island's most important historical landmarks. 
Rascal Martinez has performed all over Nebraska. His band consists four-piece band, with Sutherland-native Rascal Martinez on guitar and vocals. Forrest King of North Platte on bass, Marcello Sanchez of Lincoln on drums and fellow Sutherland-native Shelbi Burke has performed on backup vocals.
Rascal Martinez performs a mix of alternative folk and soft rock, performing a wide range of tunes hailing from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s in genres that include Country, Oldies, Classic Rock and Alternative. 
​Martinez has recorded two albums in Nashville, with a third in the works. “The Long Road” was released in 2012, which features the entire band and Martinez released a solo acoustic studio album this year entitled “The Original.” Both of these albums are available on iTunes. 
Check out more of Rascal Martinez at rascalmartinez.com​​

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