April 1, 2023 | Food Innovation center | Nebraska innovation campusCraft Brewing Workshop
Registration is now closed

Join us on April 1, 2023
for a Craft Brewing Workshop at the Food Innovation Center
on Nebraska Innovation Campus
Attendance for this event is limited to UNL students and selected employees
Craft brewing is a rapidly expanding industry in Nebraska. From 2010 to 2017, the number of gallons of in-state brewed beer produced annually tripled, according to the Nebraska Craft Brewers Guild, from less than 500,000 gallons to more that 1.4 million gallons. Nebraska has also gone from a only a handful of licensed craft breweries ten years ago to the current number of 67 breweries spread throughout the state, which is good for an economic impact of $351 per capita for adults over 21. Consequently, there have been increasing number of employment opportunities in many industries related to craft brewing and a need for young graduates to fill some of these positions.
The University of Nebraska university system is uniquely positioned to educate talented individuals to staff the burgeoning craft brewing industry in Nebraska and keep those individuals in state. To date, however, brewing-specific education has yet to be addressed by the state’s largest university. It is our intention to begin to fill this gap in craft brewing-related education. This project would be the first steps in a multiple year process to bring brewing-related careers to the fore at UNL.
First 100 registered UNL students attending are eligible for $100 stipend!
Learn more about UNL Food Science & Technology's Fermentation Minor
TIME | TOPIC | SPEAKER | GOAL |
---|---|---|---|
8:30 | coffee and pastries | ||
9:00 | Welcome | Terry Howell Jr, Executive Director of the UNL Food Processing Center (FPC) and Andy Rasmussen, Microbiologist and Fermentation Scientist | Workshop overview, introduction to the FPC and the new fermentation science minor |
9:30 | State of NE Items | Casey Foster, Ag Program Manager, Nebraska Department of Agriculture | Nebraska Department of Agriculture welcome to the workshop |
9:45 | Industry Overview | Brianne Schuler, Executive Director, Nebraska Craft Brewers Guild | Overview and importance and growth potential of Nebraska Craft Beer Industry, intro to the Nebraska Brewers Guild |
10:15 | Break | ||
10:30 | Brewing Overview/ Career overview | Mitchell Elmblad, Head Brewer, Brickway Brewery and Distillery | Introduction to the brewing process, Mitchell's journey in the industry |
11:00 | Ingredient quality/selection | Josh Christensen, Owner of Christensen Hop Farms | Nebraska ingredient production for craft brewing |
11:30 | Craft Breweries as economic drivers | Caleb Pollard, Co-founder, operator and owner of Scratchtown Brewing | Economic impact of craft brewing in rural NE |
12:00 | Lunch/Meet and Greet | ||
12:45 | Tour of the pilot plants | Terry Howell, Jr. | |
1:15 | Fermentation outside of beer | Nathan Hoeft, Owner and Brewmaster of First Street/Ensign Beverage | Production of fermented beverages other of beer in Nebraska |
1:45 | Tourism opportunities | Shirley Wichman, Industry Relations and Education Coordinator for Nebraska Tourism Commission | Brewing/beverages as a driver of Nebraska tourism and hospitality |
2:15 | Wrap-up | Terry Howell, Jr. and Andy Rasmussen |
Event Sponsors:
In-Kind Sponsors and Presenters




Jessi Hoeft is the co-founder of Ensign Beverage and First Street Brewing Company out of Hastings, Nebraska. Her brewing background goes back to 1995 when she brewed her first batch of kombucha.
Jessi currently serves as the Board-Chair at UNL Food Processing Center; Director at Little Blue NRD, and Director Co-VP at The Hastings Community Foundation.




Nathan Hoeft launched No Coast Brewing in 2012 in Hastings, Nebraska. He started producing beer under the DBA First Street Brewing Company in 2015. Diversification of the company came in 2017 when he helped launched the brand Ensign Beverage, which has a focus on producing low sugar, non-alcoholic, fermented beverages. Nathan has taken his self taught homebrewing skills and developed brands that are distributed statewide.
Nathan has been active with the Nebraska Craft Brewers Guild and is currently serving as president.



