Sandhills Brewing Co./Bootleg Brewers coming to Craft Brew & Sausage Fest

The world of craft beers and breweries is one predicated upon creation. A brewer is always creating beers, tweaking ingredients, planning new things. But it is especially exciting when a brewer opens a new brewery offering something unique.
Sandhills Brewing Co., in Taylor Nebraska is currently constructing a brand-new 20-barrel brewery complex that will not only be pumping out gallons of tasting beverages, but also offering visitors a Sandhills destination, replete with cabins. And it will all be just a couple hours away from Grand Island, where they will appear at the Sept. 12 Craft Brew & Sausage Fest.
While they are aiming for a fall open for Bootleg Brewers, 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.
Soon, 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.
Before then, though, you can catch them and their crew at the Craft Brew & Sausage Fest on Sept. 12. They were very enthusiastic about being there, and we are thrilled to have them.

The brewery takes shape!

Ron & Dodie Worm