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Serving Up a Pint of Omaha Beer History

Daniela Garcia

OMAHA (KPTM)- It's a history lesson that you may want to take notes on, the history of beer in Omaha.

That's what was the topic for this month's Douglas County Historical Societies talk.

"We saw it come and go," said Lou Riedman. "I drank fallstaff beer, I drank storz premium.  I drank Krug beer, I drank Metz beer. One thing I didn't drink was Willow Springs Beer."

There's a lot of Omaha history behind the beer bottles dating all the way back to 1859.  For a lot of the people at the talk, beer bottles like Krug, Metz and Storz are filled with memories.

"We'd have a pitcher of beer at the table and we'd pass it," remembered Al Riedman. "Grandpa or Dad would say- don't spit it in because you're all drinking out of the same."

For the past 35 years, beer collectors say Omaha has lost touch with its beer brewing tradition.

"There was a point in our history where there were very, very few locally produced beers and now that's changing," said Bill Baburek. "It's a really neat time to be alive to see the rebirth of local brewing industry."

With more and more local breweries popping up, some people hoping that means more pints to be filled and more memories to be made.