A huge thanks to everyone who came out for our Spring Comedy Series. We laughed, and then laughed some more, with the supremely talented headliners Tom Thakkar, Ray Harrington, and Andrew Sleighter!

Comedy nights at the brewery take collaboration and hard work, but they're worth the effort when we get to see so many people enjoying a good laugh and a great beer.

Special shoutout to our taproom staff, who kept the drinks pouring even when the room was packed to capacity or they had to overcome technical difficulties. We are also grateful to our local partners, including the Best Western Plus Ogallala Inn for housing the comedians; Bubba's Smoked & Loaded, Piglee Wiglee BBQ, and Prokops' Smokin' BBQ for feeding our customers; and the Keith County Chamber of Commerce, and Visit Ogallala & Keith County, for helping us get the word out to make this event series a success.

More photos after the break (click Read More). 

Until next time!

PS - SAVE THE DATE for Karen Morgan, at Second Chapter Brewing on Friday, October 23, 2026!

So, my one job for this morning was to stay out of the way and get some pictures and video...
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With Zeke and his telehandler in the lead, the guys got the tank up and over the front steps, across the taproom, and into the brewery. Then, we all puzzled over the equipment, the angles, the scaffolding, and the obstacles. The tank was too tall. The scaffolding was too wide. We were ready to call it off, change the setup, and try again a different day.

Then, someone suggested that they see if they could simply pick it up themselves without the hoist. Did we have enough brawn? Sure enough! They jacked one end up, got in position, grunted, pushed, lifted, and soon had it standing up.

It was amazing to watch! Unfortunately, you'll have to take my word for it, because when I looked down, I realized I had never hit record on my phone... (Is there someone out there who wants to take over photo and video duties next time? Seriously, I failed!)
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A HUGE thank you to Steve, Jeremy, Zeke, Ryan, Chris, Gerry, Chip, Chad, and Richard for NOT DROPPING this new fermentation tank! Thank you, RBP Construction and Seifer Construction. A HUGE thank you to all of our customers for supporting us and making this expansion possible!

Between playdates, chores, and summer camps, our two kids spend a LOT of time with us at the brewery. Last week, they helped snap together and date-code our latest batch of Lake Mac Lager cans. (They also entertained some gracious taproom customers in long conversations! Ha!)

More than a century ago, my (Lisa's) Grandpa John Kraus grew up much like our children. His father, my great-grandfather Louis Kraus, was brewmaster of the new Hastings Brewing Company, which opened in February 1908. John was born shortly after.

As John grew and the brewery expanded to be the second largest in the state before Prohibition, my young grandpa's job was to "candle" the beers. He would pass the bottles in front of a candle and make sure the only thing you could see in the bottle was clear, crisp, old-style German lager. He would also doodle in his dad's brewer manuals and notebooks (see "Johnny Kraus" in the pics?).

Now, we are writing the Second Chapter of this story and we're so glad our kids are part of it!
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Do you get to teach your children values through your work? We'd love to hear your stories too!

We're hiring!
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​We have a fantastic team here in Ogallala, Nebraska but we are always seeking awesome people and we are starting to ramp up for spring and summer seasons!

Current openings:
* Taproom Server / Shift Lead
* Event Coordinator / Office Assistant

See full descriptions and more details here: https://secondchapterbrewing.com/opportunities.html
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For any employment inquiries, please contact us at [email protected] or (308) 284-7391.
Join us.

She's goofy. She's sweet. She's always smiling and laughing. She usually knows what customers want as soon as they walk in the door. She thrives in a bit of chaos. She's confident that she can handle whatever comes her way with an, "I got this." She does NOT like mornings.

Come see Leah Guerrero today and wish her a very happy birthday. You can buy her a drink token to celebrate later if you'd like.

Last week, she marked her first anniversary here at Second Chapter Brewing. We're so lucky that she is on our team and in our family.

We wanted to take a moment to thank Kassie Austin for her time here at the brewery.

We are going to miss seeing her smile behind the bar, where she deftly coaxed untold numbers of our customers into trying a "Berry Trashy" mix.

I would have thought that some of her hours here chatting with all of you would have counted toward her counseling degree, but I don't make the rules! She has proven herself to be dedicated to her family, to her full-time work as a middle school special education teacher, and to her pursuit of higher education. Otherwise, we would not have accepted her resignation 'cause we have loved having her here!

​Cheers to you Kassie!

Happy Holidays from all of us at Second Chapter Brewing! We wish you a Merry Christmas!

​May you enjoy this snowy weather, cozied up with those you love, and maybe sipping a nice Peppermint Imperial Stout.

We will be open normal hours this week (W/Th 4-9, F/Sa 12-10) with Trivia on Thursday and our New Year's Eve Gala on Sunday! Get your tickets today.

PS - Isn't our brewery staff awesome?

Thanks for coming out to another sold-out comedy show at Second Chapter Brewing! We loved having Cam Bertrand @camthecomic -- of America's Got Talent and Dry Bar Comedy -- here in Ogallala. Thanks for the laughs!

Hope to see you all next time!

More photos after the jump...

Thank you to everyone who came out on Saturday for our first Oktoberfest! We had a blast!

​It would not have been possible without a little help either. Big thanks to our vendors, musicians, and partners, including:

Main Street Meats
Bittersweet Bakery
Something Borrowed Wedding and Event Rentals
Dan Dobson & Vicki Lynn Peters
Keith Perkins Band
Open Range Grill
Keith County Chamber
City of Ogallala
5 Star Custom Designs
Nebraska PrintWorks
Impact Images
Visit Keith County

Our hardworking volunteers:

Chris Laflan
Paul Van Biljon
Austin Mullen
Dan & Kerry Lowther
Kelly Coggins & Zeb Peterson
Kate & Chris Wright
Jared Austin
Trenton Zink

And, of course, our amazing staff!

Leah Guerrero
Danielle McGuire
Nicole Hull
Chad Self
Haley Van Biljon
Rori Seitler
Jessica Witting
Kassie Austin
Megan Orth

Cheers! Rick & Lisa

Don't worry, we're already thinking about next year! Prost!

(More pics below the break!)

From sanding the bar to color-coordinating our paperback collection to pushing the limits of surface tension on beer pours, Austin did it all for us. We appreciate his work and we wish him all the best in his next chapter.

Cheers, Austin!

If you're looking for your own new chapter, we're hiring: https://secondchapterbrewing.com/opportunities.html