Published August 8, 2026 | Updated August 28, 2026

This week I dropped by Scriptown, a brewery whose name is a reference to scrip, a currency that was used to bribe legislators to vote for Omaha City as the territorial capitol more than 150 years ago. Located in Blackstone, the brewery sits along a streetcar route on the north side of Farnam between 39th and 40th.

Scriptown is a place I’ve been to many times throughout the years and remains one of my favorites. Back to scrip, those that received the kickbacks were successful in keeping Omaha as the capitol, a designation it held for the next 12 years. Ultimately, they used the scrip to purchase land in the area that became known as Scriptown. Sitting north of Omaha, it became the city’s first annexation.

Fast-forward 159 years to 2014 and the brewery opened in the burgeoning Blackstone District. The brewery was co-founded by John Fahrer, a longtime home brewer who garnered lots of accolades over the years including winning the National Homebrew Competition and was named Homebrewer of the Year not to mention local competitions including the Nebraska State Fair.

Scriptown shares space with Lazy Buffalo BBQ and sits next door to a slew of businesses including Mula Mexican street food, Archetype coffee, Bar 39, Blackstone Social, Corkscrew wine and cheese, Nite Owl, and Little Ricky’s rooftop bar. You’ll know that you’ve found it when you see the large neon sign hanging vertically near the entrance.

The most notable feature upon entering is the massive wrap around bar built from reclaimed wood. Complementing the original wood floors, the space features exposed brick walls and original wood beams. It also offers plentiful seating along the bar, ledge seating, as well as high and low top tables. There’s a large hand-written chalkboard along the west wall that reflects the beer menu. The garage doors along the south wall allow for lots of daylight as well as views of the nightlife along Farnam as well as the long lines that gather in front of Coneflower Creamery. In the evenings they dim the lights making the space more intimate than you might expect from a brewery. Scriptown has weekly specials and hosts events including a quiz each Monday and Thursday as well as a weekly running club on Thursday.

If you haven’t been to Scriptown, its focus is mainly on traditional, session beer styles so you won’t find an extensive list of IPAs and sours. But you will find great, traditional beers including the Nutjob Brown Ale, Saddle Creek Wheat, Ups & Downs Coffee Stout, Muddy Mo Amber Ale, Cecilia Kolsch, Goatsmack Helles Bock, and Yotus IPA among others. If beer isn’t your thing, other cocktails including a variety of mules are available. As for me, I ordered Hazy Daisy Hazy IPA while my friend had the Petal Pusher Hibiscus Ale. Having had both of them before, we got the cold beers we desired to quench our thirst.

During my visit, the street in front of Scriptown wasn’t nearly the mess that Farnam was a block or two to the east. Even so, you’ll have the usual assortment of barricades and blocked streets to contend with. Don’t let that discourage you. You likely won’t find parking along Farnam but there are a number of options in the area including the new parking garage at 38th (first two hours free if you reserve in the app), the lot directly behind Scriptown, or along neighborhood streets. I ended up in my usual spot in the garage. From there it was a walk of about two blocks before I made it to my destination.

Scriptown is located at 3922 Farnam Street (the nearest streetcar stop will be at 39th and Farnam). The building dates back to 1922 when it opened as a Piggly Wiggly grocery store. In the 1970s it was home to Evans Cleaners. Meanwhile, the Kaufmann Room next door at 3920 Farnam opened later as the brewery’s event space. Prior to that, it had been the home to Cozette’s Pastry Shop and Kaufmann’s Bakery. The neglected building and storefronts were redeveloped in 2013.

Scriptown Brewing Company is open from 4-9 pm on Mon; 3-10 on Wed/Thurs; 11 am to 11 pm on Fri/Sat; and 12 to 6 pm on Sun and closed on Tues. Be sure to check out its website for more or possible changes to hours:

https://www.scriptownbrewing.com/

There’s no doubt the streetcar will bring big changes to Blackstone and beyond when it arrives in 2028. Hopefully Scriptown is still around to see it.

Along the Streetcar Line spotlights businesses navigating construction along the streetcar route. I’m dropping by to show some support, and hope you’ll do the same.

Omaha Exploration, 2026. All rights reserved. Excerpts and links are welcome with full credit given to Omaha Exploration and a link back to the original content.