USA, NE: Hastings to welcome its first brewery since prohibition

For the first time since the prohibition, the city of Hastings will have a brewery in town providing local beer to area bars and restaurants, nbcneb.com reported on October 28.

According to Brewmaster Nathan Hoeft there's an old saying that a local brewery means a booming economy.

He hopes to take his brewing talents from his home to a new 8,000 square foot facility in downtown Hastings.

Right now Hoeft brews five beers regularly and then has several seasonal brews. He will continue to grow his quantity in the new First Street Brewing Company which will also create 10-12 new jobs in the first two years alone.

Along with selling the beer locally, it will be made with local ingredients as Hoeft said he has several friends who grow hops and wheat here in Nebraska.

He said opening up the brewery in downtown Hastings is expected to help grow the area quite a bit.

"It just seemed like something our downtown needs, and it's something I can contribute to the downtown to hopefully make it an even more lively place to visit," said Hoeft. We really hope to become a huge part of the community, be involved in a lot of different events, host a couple different events here as well. It gives us something that it's a beer that is our beer, it's Hastings beer."

He said his hope is to see his beer in all the bars and restaurants in Hastings before moving throughout Central Nebraska.

"I've spoken with a lot of the different bars here in town," he said. "I'm hoping to partner with a lot of them, hopefully they see us as a support system, a place where they can get beer that is locally made and locally sold."

Hoeft will go before the City Council on November 9 to get approval for his permits.

Assuming everything is approved he will continue construction immediately and hopefully they'll be open for business by mid to late summer 2016.

As part of growing his business and local breweries in general the First Street Brewing Company is doing some crowdfunding with their First Founders Club.

30 October, 2015