played back-to-back and I loved the place “where everybody knows your name”. I think deep down I wanted to be Sam Malone with my own cast of characters to serve and share life with. Fast forward a decade or so: I am at a friend’s backyard birthday party and his wife presents him with a home brewery kit. “You can make beer at home?!?” I thought. I was under the impression that beer was made by NASA scientists with complex equipment, not that it was something that could be done at home! My mind was captivated and I soon made what would be my first business investment: a used homebrew kit for $75. I made my first batch of beer, shared it with friends…and was hooked. I subscribed to magazines and read books about beer, brewing, and business, and started going on every brewery tour around: asking questions of head brewers and soaking in everything I could about this newfound frontier of beer craftmanship. In 2012, an opportunity arose for my family to live the dream I’d had since childhood: moving to Brush Creek Ranch in Holt County, Nebraska. When we moved, I brought a love of making beer, the wealth of information gathered from craft brewery tours, a brewing set-up (which had expanded considerably from that original kit), and a dream that had been growing since about my third small batch of beer: to one day open a brewpub—my very own Cheers! Along the way, I discovered making beer—while fun—wasn’t actually what the dream was about…If I am going to pour someone a hand-crafted beverage, I thought, I should offer more...there is something about the lightly charred crust of an artisan style pizza being pulled from a brick oven that makes my mouth water. Being a relational creature, I enjoy meeting new friends, engaging in conversation, learning what makes others tick, and hearing what people are passionate about. The dream was about connection…
In John, chapter 4, Jesus sat down at a well. A woman arrived to draw water and Jesus asked her for a drink. United by a common human condition—the need to quench thirst—they engaged in life-changing dialogue. After encountering Jesus, the woman left the well filled with life: a fullness she had never experienced before. And now, here you are: at The Well, Home of Brush Creek Brewing Company. It is our desire that you leave not just full, but filled. Our goal is to offer an environment that fosters life-giving conversation.
