Where is the beer? : Omaha Summer Arts Festival

[Mud]

For those who live in Western Iowa/Eastern Nebraska it as been a summer treat to go to the Omaha Summer Arts Festival over the years.  It was a opportunity to sample/quaff beers that you would never see in the area or even in most bars.  Some of the brewers have small distribution markets and some didn't distribute at all but it was nice to taste the genius and effort of these brewers in one location only for a couple of days.

This year an injustice was done to those brewers that struggle every day to do the thing they love so much and that is brewing beer.  This year the Summer Arts Festival (SAF) was hi-jacked.  I heard reports that it was Miller Brands that paid off the SAF others have said Empyrean Brewing out of Lincoln that maneuvered things to keep the other Nebraska brewers out.  I tend to believe the later until someone can prove it wrong. 

I was under the impression that the brewers of this great state were supportive of one another.  There is plenty of pie for everyone. If you are out there making beer to get filthy lucre then you are not making beer.    {Nothing wrong in making a living/money from what you do, ya, gotz to eat}  You get the point.

Someone prove that this is not so.  Other wise I will be forced to start a letter/e-mail campaign the the SAF and possibly Empyrean Brewing themselves.

[rstueven]

I didn't go to OSAF this year, but I do know that several brewers in the area were not at all happy about the situation. I've heard different accounts of the reasons, but I don't have any firsthand knowledge. In any case, the brewers of Nebraska have lost out on a great opportunity to promote their beers.

[Mud]

The verdict is not out yet.  There are conflicting stories here.  I spoke with Ben from Empyrean (in which he spent about an hour explaining the big picture; which I believe to be sincere) and he stated that they felt that other brewers/owners had the opportunity and should have taken the reigns on this one.  They didn't want to be that involved with it as they had in the past due to other events they got going on around the country.

In Short Ben points the finger towards the Neb Brewers for not being more active.  Empyrean did most the work in years past(supplying the trailer and cold plates, ect.) and didn't wish to do so this time around.  I feel at this time everyone lost here. 

Ben claims that they only sold 16 cases of beer for the event and this prove to him that it was a fruitless effort and felt justified in turning the logistics over to their distributor.  The beers that were sold there chosen by the distributor and not Empyrean.  Ben claims they had no so say in what was served.

If what Ben says was true then, it is really sad for Nebraska Craft Brewers.  United we stand, divided we fall!  Nebraskans and the world should have the opportunity to drink beer made in Nebraska and this event helps the exposure to great Nebraska Beers.  My plea is please somebody step up and make sure this doesn't happen again.

So what I posted earlier is not the full story and some of it was sour grapes.  I leaped before I looked on this one.  The verdict is not out yet.