In recent years, there’s been an explosion of craft breweries in not only Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska’s largest cities, but across Nebraska in places like Ord, Broken Bow, Seward and elsewhere. Many of these breweries have been successful in adding jobs, attracting tourists and stimulating the local economy in areas that were long forgotten by the rest of the state.
After a visit to Prairie Pride Brewing Company in Grand Island this last weekend, I decided to start a series exploring these breweries. This will include both historic and current breweries such as Prairie Pride. The newer one’s won’t be near as long as the old one’s like Metz, Storz and the like.
Grand Island Brewing Company operated before the turn of the century before closing in 1917 due to prohibition.
Like many towns before prohibition, Grand Island had its own brewery. Grand Island Brewing Company seems to have been operating before the turn of the century before closing in 1917 due Nebraska’s enactment of prohibition that year. Fast forward almost 100 years and the town once again witnessed the opening of its very own brewery.
Prairie Pride opened in 2016, its name inspired by a beer that Louis Kraus brewed after he established Hastings Brewing in 1908. Its symbol is the Hopffalo which represents its owners pride of place and love of craft beer.
Prairie Pride was started by Jay Mack and Alex Brinner, home brewers from Aurora, Nebraska. Located in the heart of the city’s Railside District at 1515 E. South Front Street, they selected the location in order to help make the area the “Old Market of Grand Island” – a reference to Omaha’s Old Market.
The building it calls home was constructed in the 1880s and originally housed a plumbing supply business. The building owned by Chicken Coop restaurateur Dean Pegg had been vacant since the 1990s. The owners added a new entrance to the building that faces the parking lot out front. Inside it has exposed brick walls, slab ceilings, and concrete pillars. They also converted a storage area into a gameroom with pool table and darts. In addition to its dozen or so beers on tap, they also serve pizza.
Both Prairie Pride and Kinkaider Brewing Company based out of Broken Bow, Nebraska have played a role in the recent rivitlization of downtown Grand Island.
Please feel free to comment to share your thoughts and memories.
Until next time, keep exploring!
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