Nebraska Craft Brewers to Brew Nebraska Strong Red Ale for Flood Relief

April 5, 2019

26 breweries across the state of Nebraska will brew a special beer, called Nebraska Strong Red Ale, with a mission to raise funds for those impacted by the recent flooding in Nebraska. 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of this unique beer will go to disaster relief efforts across the state. Each participating brewery is choosing their own nonprofit organization to whom they will donate.

The idea for this initiative came from Brian Hoesing, head brewer at 5168 Brewing Company. Hoesing also came up with the base recipe for the beer but each brewery (or collaborating breweries) is free to tweak it and use their own local ingredients as they wish.

Hoesing said, “I think at some level, the floods have affected us all in some way and in Nebraska, we come together when our neighbors are in need. Nothing shows this mindset better than craft beer and specifically Nebraska craft beer. While it won’t happen overnight, every little bit can help Nebraska rebuild. We wanted to emulate something much like Sierra Nevada’s Resilience IPA after the forest fires, but focus on a local collective of brewers brewing a great beer for a vital cause.”

There is a suggested statewide brew date happening on Monday April 1st, and many breweries will be brewing on that day. Due to differing brew schedules, some will be brewing on a different date next week. There are also quite a few breweries who will be doing collaboration beers and brewing together with a collective of breweries that will distribute the batch amongst their taprooms and pubs. Many local and national ingredient producers and suppliers are also donating ingredients for this statewide initiative, making the potential for fundraising even greater.

Jeff Hanson, head brewer for Green Flash Brewhouse and Eatery who is hosting a collaboration brew day on April 1 with nine other breweries, said, “As a Nebraska native, it’s extremely difficult tosee how the recent flooding has impacted our state. So many are hurting. Green Flash is passionate about this Nebraska Strong initiative as it’s our small way of helping our Nebraska neighbors near and far. Local craft beer has a unique way of mobilizing communities around important issues, which is exactly what we’re hoping to do.”

The suggested release date for the beer is April 28, but some breweries may release the beer after this date depending on factors in their brewery and taproom.

List of Participating Breweries