Omaha celebrates craft beer as Legislature mulls tax increases
Increases could impact future Omaha Beer Weeks
Increases could impact future Omaha Beer Weeks
Increases could impact future Omaha Beer Weeks
It's Omaha Beer Week.
Dozens of bars and breweries open their doors for beer fanatics.
This year, there's concern about two bills in the state legislature that could make that next drink a little more expensive.
One of the many events this week was the Beat the Brewers Beer Pong tournament.
"The two go hand-in-hand, so it's a perfect combination," Ralph Allen from Blue Blood Brewing.
Beer makers and beer lovers were duking it out at the beer pong table
"It's just a cool overall experience and it's also a game we've all played, whether we want our parents to know or not," said beer fanatic Wyatt Bell.
The game gave brewers a chance to meet their customers and connect over beer.
"It's about being part of the community and coming back and meeting the people who drink your beer and hanging out with other brewers," Don Klepser with Pint 9 said. "You can see it here, everybody's having a great time. It's just a lot of fun."
The annual event celebrates craft beer in the state. Over the past eight years, it's grown to included dozens of bars and breweries hosting hundreds of events across the metro.
"A few years ago, Omaha Beer Week was a lot of beer from other states, and now, I mean, you see this. It's a lot of beer from Omaha, it's a lot of beer from Nebraska," Klepser said.
Brewers hope to see the event grow, but two bills in the legislature cause some concern.
"It very well could affect future beer weeks," Allen said.
One of the bills would raise the excise tax on producers, which, for small breweries, typically means charging more per brew.
"As those prices go up, if it starts to price us out of a point where it becomes economically feasible for them, it becomes a bigger challenge to have an entire week dedicated to Nebraska breweries," Allen said.
The bills were debated for nearly 10 hours in a hearing this week, but brewers aren't letting them get in the way of celebrating the best Nebraska beer has to offer.
"Fun week, great beer events, it's bringing the craft beer community together with craft brewers so it's the perfect week for us," Allen said.