Bottle Rocket Brewing cans hit shelves across Nebraska for the first time in the brewery’s five-year existence last week, checking off a goal the owners had circled since its first day.
“When we came up with a business plan, we had phases. We knew we wanted the taproom, we knew we wanted to build on the space and have events with a location with beer and drinks provided,” vice president and co-owner Jason Berry said. “We had about a dozen or more phases we wanted to try to get through. As a goal from day one, we wanted to do a large scale distribution.”
To celebrate the occasion, Bottle Rocket hosted a launch party at the brewery Feb. 27. Guests were invited to see the cans, tour the brewery, talk with those involved in the brewing and canning process and sample snacks provided by local retailers.
The process to achieve that goal was not an easy one and took several large steps and detours, said president and co-owner Gerald Homp. The first, and biggest piece, he said, was finding a facility that would accommodate a expanded brewing and canning. They found that need in the former Seward Youth Center building on Fourth Street.
With a facility secured, Bottle Rocket began discussions with Johnson Brothers of Nebraska to distribute the beer throughout the state. Before distribution could move forward, another set of hiccups hit, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent product and material shortage.
“With the current aluminum can demand in the beer industry, it took six months for us to receive our first shipment,” Homp said, adding that the determination to distribute by March 2021 didn’t stop them from hitting their goal. “We knew we wanted to launch in March and made it happen.”
Cans arrived on the shelves at local stores, and social media posts and text messages showed the product at stores in Lincoln, Omaha and other locations. For now, three beers - Bottle Rocket Blonde, M-80 Pale Ale and Wicked Spark IPA - are available for purchase outside of the brewery. Seeing those pictures, Berry said, brought smiles to all involved with Bottle Rocket.
“All these firsts are exciting,” he said. “That first can coming off the line, the first beer that comes out of the fermenters…all these firsts are exciting. Down the road, it becomes another can of beer, but the first one is always exciting.
“There’s a sense of affirmation from a sense that you’re taking a risk on putting your beer, your product out there for the masses to consume. You’re going to get all the feedback but it’s a little bit of a leap to take this kind of step.”
Knowing the cans would be alongside some of the biggest brands in the nation and the state, Berry wanted to take the opportunity to bring awareness to Seward and its history. The names of the beer pay homage to the city’s standing as America’s Fourth of July City. The art features local models and nods to Seward. Each can comes with a description of both the beer and the significance of the name.
“We wanted to tell a story. A lot of thought went into our can design,” he said. “I wanted the cans to not only reflect us and the town, but the era of the building. We are not just representing ourselves. We are promoting the town of Seward and the entire county of Seward. We want to promote the town that has embraced us and be able to give back.”
