2008 Woodie Awards
Brewing success in Nebraska
A look at Papillion's Nebraska Brewing Company
Taylor Muller
Issue date: 4/25/08 Section: Arts & Leisure
The club goes one step beyond typical beer clubs, with exclusive access to some of the pub's special brews.
"We wanted to find a way to set ourselves apart and make our mark in the craft beer community," Kim said. "We really wanted to give them a place in our beer community, within our restaurant and give them an opportunity to share their feedback."
Members receive beer discounts and can earn free gear in addition to exclusive beer access.
Only turning out brews for the last five months, the company currently distributes to almost 50 different businesses in the greater metropolitan area.
A lofty start for something that began for the brew masters at home, Paul said.
As for those looking to make their own beer, Paul suggests they start with a kit and not be intimidated by the different components or process.
"When you look into a bucket and there's a can of malt extract and yeast and when they look at it, and when there's a book in there on how to make beer, it looks really complex," he said. "I'm sure the average home brewers are going to look at that pile of stuff and think they're going to meet with failure and that's not true."
Recently, the price of hops, a key component in creating many beers, has increased dramatically. The increase, Paul said, has impacted both the brewery and the industry.
When purchasing the company's initial stock of hops September, Paul explained that while the order was bigger than they had initially wanted, looking back, he couldn't have ordered enough.
"We were getting the variety of hops we needed but frankly I wish we could have gotten 10 times more," he said. "The second time, there was an over 10-fold increase in one of the varieties. When you encounter a market that sways like that, you have to make difficult decisions, substituting things, abandoning some."
But despite fluctuating prices and the inherent difficulties in running a startup business, both Kim and Paul said everything has been worthwhile.
"We're so busy in making sure we're doing all the things right," Kim said. "It's really been a great experience."
Quality is what makes everything worthwhile for Paul.
"For me, as a brewer, it's looking at other people who've experienced your beer, your product and when they look back at you and there's a glean in their eye that says, 'This is good stuff,'" Paul said.
The "Brewing success" series continues in Gateway's April 29 issue with a profile on Omaha's Upstream Brewing Company and on May 2, profiling Lincoln's Emperyan Ales.
"We wanted to find a way to set ourselves apart and make our mark in the craft beer community," Kim said. "We really wanted to give them a place in our beer community, within our restaurant and give them an opportunity to share their feedback."
Members receive beer discounts and can earn free gear in addition to exclusive beer access.
Only turning out brews for the last five months, the company currently distributes to almost 50 different businesses in the greater metropolitan area.
A lofty start for something that began for the brew masters at home, Paul said.
As for those looking to make their own beer, Paul suggests they start with a kit and not be intimidated by the different components or process.
"When you look into a bucket and there's a can of malt extract and yeast and when they look at it, and when there's a book in there on how to make beer, it looks really complex," he said. "I'm sure the average home brewers are going to look at that pile of stuff and think they're going to meet with failure and that's not true."
Recently, the price of hops, a key component in creating many beers, has increased dramatically. The increase, Paul said, has impacted both the brewery and the industry.
When purchasing the company's initial stock of hops September, Paul explained that while the order was bigger than they had initially wanted, looking back, he couldn't have ordered enough.
"We were getting the variety of hops we needed but frankly I wish we could have gotten 10 times more," he said. "The second time, there was an over 10-fold increase in one of the varieties. When you encounter a market that sways like that, you have to make difficult decisions, substituting things, abandoning some."
But despite fluctuating prices and the inherent difficulties in running a startup business, both Kim and Paul said everything has been worthwhile.
"We're so busy in making sure we're doing all the things right," Kim said. "It's really been a great experience."
Quality is what makes everything worthwhile for Paul.
"For me, as a brewer, it's looking at other people who've experienced your beer, your product and when they look back at you and there's a glean in their eye that says, 'This is good stuff,'" Paul said.
The "Brewing success" series continues in Gateway's April 29 issue with a profile on Omaha's Upstream Brewing Company and on May 2, profiling Lincoln's Emperyan Ales.
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