Sign that shines from the west sun hitting it
As you enter Bearded Brewer Artisan Ales in Omaha, Nebraska, on most days you will find a tall, bearded gentleman smiling and greeting customers. His name is Kirk Hearon. Kirk and his wife Alyssa along with Brandon and Camrin Knudsen own Bearded Brewers. The Knudsens are great friends from way back in high school.
They have created this new social community in the west side of Omaha where people are gathering to enjoy craft beer and seltzers brewed by Kirk. It is fun to see the couple as they talk with the people in the taproom about all their different offerings.
Is it An Ipa - great name and beer
I was curious to learn about Kirk’s journey to owning his own brewery. We sat down and began to chat about how it all started.
Kirk told me he had been doing some homebrewing for a little over 20 years, and it all started with a Mr. Beer kit. It was in Washington state, where an Amber Ale would be the first thing he would brew. Completely fascinated in the early days about learning more about the process, Kirk would continue his adventure as he moved towards all-grain brewing.
In the early days, his career kept him moving across the western United States. In 1999, Kirk landed a job in Phoenix. One of the first things being there was to find a homebrewers store. With all the ingredients he needed, it was time to get a little more daring and aggressive with the recipes!
One of the key factors during this period was the introduction of forced carbonation. Kirk said this was a game-changer and made him even more ambitious in his brewing!
Where the magic happen is in this brew kettle
Kirk continued to brew on and off until over the years. In 2013, he moved to Colorado and met a gentleman by the name of Ron Gripon. Ron had this great 3-vessel stainless steel system setup in his garage. Every weekend the two would get together and brew.
There was nothing like seeing the results of what you were making. Having others enjoy your creations was a rush! Each batch fueled the fire for the next one.
Then in 2016, Kirk would create the recipe for BF IPA that would be brewed at 105 West Brewing Company in Castle Rock, Colorado. A phenomenal West Coast IPA that was a great introduction to commercial brewing and the possibilities!
This was the point where Kirk thought this is something I really want to do. I can’t imagine the excitement that you get when people enjoy a beer you create!
Check out these sweet crowler cans
Lucky for us, Kirk made his way to Nebraska and made Omaha his home. After years of creating IPAs and watching everyone enjoy them, it was onto stouts! I asked him if there was a stout that was an inspiration. Kirk replied, “It has to be Surly Darkness.”
In 2017, the Jukes from Jukes Ale Works and Dan Falcone got together with Kirk and they made a barrel-aged stout. For the next few years, Kirk began building his stout’s portfolio ranging from Pastry Stouts to Russian Imperial Stouts. Recently he released a Cookies & Cream Stout that is part of his Dream Bar Series.
A view from a large window that opens up to enjoy the patio. This golden beauty is a lovely Kolsch.
I remember in June of 2017, I was at Boiler Brewing Company in Lincoln. I ended up sitting next to Kirk and at that time didn’t know him other than from social media. He told me that in a few years he would have a brewery in west Omaha. I will never forget that day as I drove back to Omaha thinking about where the brewery might be built!
It was around February 2020 when the planning really kicked in. Then in July it was go time! There were many things to think about when finding the right location. Having the brewery in a retail location with a good volume of traffic was at the top of the list.
Things moved quickly and by September the building permit was secured. Time to design out the taproom and brewing space!
The patio is a very nice extension to the taproom
So many cool things about the space! I really love the design of the large window and garage door that opens to the patio. This makes the patio feel like a natural extension to the taproom.
The Grand Opening took place on May 1st of 2021. A menu that was full of craft beer, hard seltzers, and smoothie seltzers. The smoothie ones were new to me. I had never seen them before. So much fruit that when poured reminded me of a blended cocktail like a daiquiri!
As you can see there was something for everyone and people came out that opening weekend to celebrate that!
Brew tanks are named after family pets
Kirk said he was thankful to so many people that helped him along the way and have made his launch successful. Some of the folks include:
Bobby Kros and Scott Strain - Kros Strain Brewing
Shane Costello - Monolithic Brewing
Kyle Jukes - Jukes Ale Works
Tim Thomssen - Boiler Brewing Company
Nate Wheat - friend
Steve Kanne - friend
Ron Gripon - friend
For Kirk, it is seeing the outcome of the brewing process which is having happy people gathering with friends in the taproom. It is gratifying when someone tells you just how much they enjoyed what you have created.
The goal is to keep making styles of craft beer that familiar yet unique. For example, take The Satchel which is a peanut butter and marshmallow Cream Ale. This beer has a great Cream Ale base that comes through with some added flavors that make it incredibly special.
I know brewers go through a tremendous amount of hard work to get their beers ready. So many details that need close attention to yield the results you want. Early mornings and late nights making sure the beer is ready for patrons.
With all that hard work, you will never see a happier person than Kirk Hearon! Since the grand opening, I have been in several times including release days. Kirk spends time talking about the new beers. You can tell the taproom is his happy place!
Get out and visit Bearded Brewer Artisan Ales to enjoy this wonderful craft experience. You will find the brewery at 18039 R Plaza #108, Omaha, NE 68135.
Cheers!