The sign that greets you on N Broadway Ave in Hartington, Nebraska
I might be giving my age away a little bit, but when I think of big hair it was the bands of the 1980s. Poison, Whitesnake, and Bon Jovi to name just a few. Today in 2021, the next Big Hair revolution is not in music but in craft beer! Big Hair Brewhaus kicked off the revolution with its grand opening on June 4th in Hartington which is in northeast Nebraska.
A delightful Pilsner by the name of Punk in the Street was my first taster
Arriving in Hartington on the opening day, I saw another amazing Nebraska small town with cool old buildings in the downtown area. Come to find out that this downtown district is listed as a National Historic District.
The owners of Big Hair Brewhaus, Brett and Leah Wiedenfeld, loved their hometown and wanted to create something Cedar County didn’t have yet. The idea was to find a place for a brewery and bar that could also support live music and other events.
A local couple that are veterinarians in town by the name of Dr. Ben and Dr. Erin Schroder had restored three buildings in town including the hotel, the old Globe clothing building, and the Surge Building. The Surge building over the years had been a Rambler dealership and also a dairy supply.
An original sign when the building was Surge Sales & Service
Brett has great ties to the community being the CFO of the Bank of Hartington and a part-time farmer. Knowing many people in the area and the history, it was time to find a building!
Brett said when looking for buildings, the Surge building had the space needed for creating a taproom, event space, and outdoor patio. In October of 2020, the Wiedenfeld’s would become owners of the building! Many things to plan including the buildout and finding someone to brew the beer!
Brett and Reed - enjoying the launch of the brewery
Brett had a truly short list of people who could envision doing the brewing. His cousin, Reed Trenhaile who grew up in Wayne, Nebraska was at the top of the list! Reed at the time was in Brookings, South Dakota.
Reed learned the ropes of commercial brewing at Wooden Legs Brewing Company in Brookings. He started out as many brewers do being an apprentice. After a short period of time, he would get his chance to be a brewer!
A very efficient brewing system used at the brewery
Reed would accept the position at Big Hair Brewhaus and he and his finance Katie would move to Hartington. Reed would quickly become involved in finding the brewing system and helping with construction. As of June 4th, Reed was glad to report that he had retired from his short construction career. The team did about 95% of the construction themselves. That is a lot of work!
The search for a brewing system ended when Reed found Brewha Equipment out of Victoria, BC, Canada. The system was incredibly unique in that each vessel could be used for the entire brewing process including mashing, boiling, and fermenting. This helps tremendously when having a smaller space to brew in.
The taproom brings back a very cool vibe from the past
I have to say I was somewhat awestruck at the taproom! Leah did such an incredible job with the design. There was such a cool vibe with paintings, wall colors, and furniture. As you moved past the taproom, there was a big open space for 100 or so people. The setup is perfect for live music. There are televisions present for sporting events. I can see all kinds of parties taking place here!
The space was ready. Now it would be time to get started brewing for the big opening day!
The three beers for opening day!
You will find music themes in some of the beer names. On the opening weekend the three on tap were:
Punk In the Street - Pilsner
Amber Glow - Ale
Fields of Gold - Cream Ale
All three were easy drinking and very flavorful. There was something about Punk In the Street that caught my taste buds. I really enjoyed this Pilsner!
What an amazing visit! Brett and Reed said they were very thankful for the support of some key people including:
Jeremy Kirby - head brewer at Divots Brewery in Norfolk, Nebraska
Greg Ptacek - owner and head brewer at Johnnie Byrd Brewing Company in Wayne, Nebraska
Scott Taylor - owner of Knuckleheadz Bar in Laurel, Nebraska
I am looking forward to future trips to Big Hair Brewhaus! One word of caution, make sure you don’t stare too long at Brett’s beard. He will remind you where his eyes are at!
Cheers!