Growing up living in Nebraska, I remember every football Saturday. The one thing that stands out most was the fight song, “There Is No Place Like Nebraska.” That song would put goose pimples on my arms. The excitement of seeing the Huskers play was something I will always cherish from my childhood.
As an adult, I have never lived anywhere except Nebraska. Travels have taken me around our country, and I have visited great cities. It is always fun to see other places, but I was always glad to go home. There are so many awesome people in Nebraska and the brewery scene is incredible! I like craft beer from everywhere I go, but as the saying goes, home is where the heart is and mine remains firmly in the heartland of America.
The logo with the windmill and palm tree is very creative!
The two founders of Corn Coast Brewing Company, Will Walter and Dan Walkemeyer also have a love for the heartland. These two gentlemen first met while going to the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. It was the Naval ROTC program that brought the two together.
In 2010, Dan and Will would graduate leaving Lincoln. At the time, both were interested in craft beer, and the idea of having a brewery was a dream. In the meantime, each would leave the state to serve in the military. Will would head to the West Coast as an enlisted Marine. Dan would head to the Gulf Coast for a couple of years then to the East Coast for the Navy. Thank you both for your service!
Will had enjoyed home brewing back even before the two had met. Starting with a Cream Ale kit, he was intrigued with the creative side of brewing. Over the years, while in the military, Will would continue to grow his home brewing to the point where the equipment and supplies would take over his garage and spare bedroom!
Will loved creating recipes to brew. One of the most influential books he talked about is called Designing Great Beers by Ray Daniels. It was all about learning the classic styles in great detail that fascinated him.
Will and Dan are right at home with their ABE brewing system
Dan told me about his homebrewing started and how Will got him to try an IPA for the first beer. Nothing like diving straight into the deep end! Though if you can make a solid IPA early on in your homebrewing adventures, I can see how you could get hooked on making beer.
Over the years while the two were in the military, they would meet back in Lincoln especially during the holidays. It was on one of those holidays that they joked about the fact it was nice to come back from both coasts to enjoy the corn coast. What a great story on how the brewery name came into existence!
Will finished his military career in 2017, and Dan was still enlisted. Every time the two got together, it was full-on brew time! They started to discuss launching a brewery in Lincoln. Their goal was to create lighter session Lagers, Ales, and IPAs that people would gravitate towards. The model would be a taproom one with distribution not being as high on their priority list.
The vision for the brewery was set! Now it was about finding a location and timing the launch of the brewery. Dan would be finishing his active duty in the fall of 2020, so it seemed 2021 was a reasonable goal.
Location is always such an important part when starting a brewery. The search can take a long time to find a good setup. In 2020, Will worked hard vetting many locations and working with Dan on finalizing the best one for them. The search turned up an excellent area around 14th and Yankee Hill, a growing area of the town.
The fermenters are active producing the next beers to be on tap
The 3,900 square foot space was perfect for a taproom and brewery. Finding the right brewing system would be no small task, but it is always great to have a local company like ABE Beverage Equipment to help design, install, and support your brewing system.
The 5-barrel system is nicely sized for rotating beers and seeing how the community likes the different styles you brew. Dan and Will did a great job with the brewery space! Lots of hard work, and after a couple of soft openings, the brewery officially opened on July 31st of this year, 2021!
The wonderful flight I got to partake in during my visit
The grand opening had 8 beers on tap. That is one hell of a way to get things started! On my visit, here are some of the beers that I tried.
Lincoln Yacht Club - This Lager is so smooth with those bready notes. There is a slight saltiness which I really like. Completely crushable at 4.7% ABV.
Shifting Sands - A Blonde Ale deep golden in color with subtle fruit notes and a spicy finish from the Cascade hops. Truly enjoyable and sessionable at 5.2% ABV.
Imaginationland - An NEIPA with a nice soft body. Stone fruit and citrus notes upfront. The finish is piney and dank. A very delightful IPA coming in at 6.7% ABV.
Coastal Fog - This hazy IPA is fruit-forward with citrus and peach notes. A very light hop bitterness finish. The hop profile of Citra, Simcoe, Sultana, and Trident hops is excellent in this 7.2% ABV IPA.
1st Stout & 10 - This dry Stout is roasty with nice chocolate notes. A lower ABV of 6% should allow you to have a sip for each Husker first down!
Great selection on this board!
So happy to see Corn Coast Brewing as part of the Nebraska craft beer community. Dan and Will are working hard brewing and serving you their awesome beer!
Take time to visit them soon! You will then understand why the best coast is Corn Coast!
Cheers!