Support Local is more than just words for most craft beer breweries. I had a wonderful time again last weekend getting reminded of this. Infusion Brewing established itself as one of the significant staples in revitalizing Benson. The brewery is located in a great historical old building that began as Olson's Meat Market. I remember getting to take my first tour of the brewery and how Infusion Brewing kept so much of the history of the butcher shop in it. Infusion also has a second tap room that is new but still harnesses the atmosphere of the one in Benson.
During that tour, the owner Bill Baburek described the brewing process and the grains that are used to make the beer. Bill went on to say that the spent grain makes excellent feed for livestock. Infusion Brewing partnered with a local pork producer in Ft. Calhoun Nebraska that uses the spent grain as feed. As a token of appreciation, Deer, Goose & Kid's Farms donates a hog (or two) each year to Infusion for their hog roast event. What a great way for two local businesses to support each other! While standing in line that night for some of the wonderful smoked pork, I got to meet Nick and his family. He said they receive a significant amount of spent grain each week. This spent grain gets put back into the food chain instead of becoming landfill material which is a good thing. You could tell how appreciative Nick is of the spent grain he gets from Infusion Brewing. The grain provides a healthy, natural means for his livestock to grow. Nick is a great guy trying to keep his farm like those of 100 years ago. He doesn't use chemicals or medicines. The closest thing they have to medicine is apple cider vinegar. Keeping the farm as a nice open space is high priority on this farm. The chickens and goats are allowed to roam freely just like they would of a century ago on most farms.
Chocolate Pistachio Milk Porter
It was a great time chatting with Nick. He is very nice person who is very passionate about his farm and providing quality meats to Eastern Nebraska. I really loved the story about how the farm was named. The name is based on his last name and his wife's maiden name. Nick's wife's maiden name is Hersh which in German means deer. You might see a deer near the farm but their are none for sale. Goose came from Nick's last name of Gosling. Last but not least Kid came from Nick's daughter. A great local farm in hills outside of Omaha. Give Deer, Goose, & Kid's Farms a call at 402-699-6425 if you are ever in need of some good beef or pork!
The picture is hiding a great quote - "Brewed Here ... Loved Here" which is very true and why I support local breweries. There is a lot of pride and hard work that goes into a good craft beer and Infusion Brewing has both going for them. I love to meet new people and when talking to a couple of regular customers, Jim and Kerri they felt the same way. In order to come to this event, you had to be a "Secret Society of Malt & Hops" member. The membership has many great perks and is required to get into the hog roast event. Jim was a member and Kerri decided it was well worth the membership fee to be able to attend the event. I am glad both were there because we had an awesome time talking about craft beer local and around the country!
Craft beer enthusiasts really make up a great community of people who love to drink local beers. Now after some brewery tours and events, I really understand how the breweries are making a significant impact to the communities they are in.
Cheers to #SupportLocal / #DrinkLocal!