Blog - Second Chapter Brewing

2026 Spring Comedy Series

1/5/2026

It's been a while since we hosted comedy at Second Chapter Brewing – it can be hard to find comedians who meet our standards. But the long wait is over, and we cannot wait for this exceptional series with three nationally touring headliners!

Bring your friends for a night that’s actually worth getting a babysitter. Get your tickets, and come enjoy a laugh!

Tom Thakkar
- Saturday, February 14, 8 p.m.
- Comedy + Craft Beer + Good Eats = Valentine's Day Date Night Jackpot!
- General admission tickets are $20 in advance; $25 week of show. (plus fees)
- Food: Bubba's Smoked & Loaded | 4-8 p.m.
Ray Harrington
- Sunday, March 22, 7 p.m.
- A master of improvisational crowd work
- General admission tickets start at $20 in advance; $25 week of show; $30 day of show. Reserved seating and VIP tickets are also available for this show. NO FEE TICKETS!
- Food: Piglee Wiglee BBQ
Andrew Sleighter
- Saturday, April 11, 8 p.m.
- Laid back and clever
- General admission tickets are $20 in advance; $25 week of show. (plus fees)
- Food: Prokops' Smokin' BBQ | 11-8:30

Read on below for more information about each performer. Seating begins one hour before showtime listed.

Special thanks to Best Western Plus Ogallala Inn for their partnership on this event series!

Spring 2026 Comedy series

2026 SCB Memberships

11/12/2025

2026 Membership Renewals have begun! If you are a current SCB Library Card holder, please make your way to the taproom to renew your membership for 2026. We have an exciting year ahead!

If you are interested in a membership but are not a current member, please get on our waitlist! We will open up new membership sales to those on the waitlist starting December 1.

Due to the unprecedented demand, we may not be able to accommodate everyone on the list this year, let alone open it up to others. Thank you all so much for your continued support!

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What does a membership entail?

Discounts on everything! We are expanding our discount this year to include not just our draft beer and SCB merch, but everything on our menu at 10% off all the time! From root beer floats to spent grain snacks and everything in between. This includes our to-go wine, bourbon, cider, and beer sales!
Your very own library card
A free birthday pour
Early access to new releases and event tickets
Member-only events
Quarterly Brewer Assistant Experience opportunity
Hop Passport add-on opportunity

Ready to renew? Book it to our taproom or give us a call!

Brewing with Friends: Pumpkin Drublic

10/1/2025

Sure, Richard could brew a pumpkin ale all by himself, but where's the fun in that? Cooperation, collaboration, maybe a little duplication... this brew took a whole crew of friends! Their overalls and facial hair may be over the top, but the roasted BE.Farm pumpkins and pie spices are just right!

Pumpkin Drublic is back on tap now for 2025 SCB Members only! Coming 10/8 for all.

Made with Flyover Brewing Company, Scott Free Brewing Company, Brewery 719, and Second Chapter Brewing.

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A post shared by Flyover Brewing Company (@flyoverbrewingcompany)

3rd Annual Oktoberfest

9/25/2025

It's time to raise a stein and celebrate our Third Annual Oktoberfest!

Saturday, September 27 | 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Gates open at 10:30 and events kick off at 11:00 a.m. with remarks and a ceremonial tapping of the first keg. Stay for the day for food, fun, music, and beer!

FOOD
* Bavarian Pretzels with Beer Cheese Sauce (Bittersweet Bakery)
* Bratwursts with Sauerkraut & Potato Salad (Main Street Meats)

FUN
* Face Painting (OHS Art Club 1-5 p.m.)
* Best Dressed Competition (2 pm)
* Stein Hoist Competition (3 pm)
* Yard Games

MUSIC
* Neue Polka Colorado (1-4 pm)
* Last Chance Band (5:30-8:30 pm)

BEER
* Bavarian Brothers (German Pils)
* Mary's Märzen (Märzen Oktoberfest)
* Griffins' Nectar (Hefeweizen)
* Sprecher's Root Beer & RB Floats (non-alcoholic)

OTHER DETAILS & FESTIVAL RULES:
* Free admission
* All ages welcome
* Purchase tokens for food and drink ($7 each or 10 for $60)
* No outside food
* No outside beverages
* No pets
* Wristbands required for all
* Valid 21+ ID required to consume alcohol

.5 L Commemorative Steins and T-shirts are available for purchase.

You may bring your own stein.
Complementary 16 oz. stadium cups will be provided.
Fills will be charged at 1 token per .5 L stein or 16 oz. stadium cup.

Lederhosen or dirndls encouraged, but not required.

Additional limited menu items (other beers, seltzers, snacks, sodas, etc.) will be available in the taproom. Not all menu items will be available.

Barre at the Brewery

8/25/2025

Coming this fall: Barre at the Brewery!

Strengthen, lengthen, and sip at Second Chapter Brewing! Led by certified group fitness instructor and registered dietitian Meagan Hovendick, this 45-minute class blends Pilates, yoga, and ballet-barre-inspired exercises—modified to use our very own taproom bar (or even a bookshelf!) as your balance point. No dance experience needed. All levels welcome (ages 8+).

* Your $15 ticket includes:
- 45-minute full-body workout led by Meagan Hovendick
- A refreshing post-class pour (beer, seltzer, kombucha, or coldbrew) from Second Chapter Brewing
- A light, nourishing brunch from Wholesome and More

* Class Dates | 11:00 a.m.
- Saturday, September 13
- Saturday, October 18
- Saturday, November 22

* Reserve your spot:
https://commerce.arryved.com/location/BNhi2KuH/
(Select the "Pickup" option. Tickets will be held at will call.)

*** Reminder: No outside beverages in the taproom, please. Leave your water bottles behind! ***

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About Meagan
Meagan Hovendick is a certified group fitness instructor through the American Council of Exercise (ACE). A lifelong fitness enthusiast and registered dietitian, she is passionate about helping others feel energized, capable, and confident through movement. She also leads Raise the Bar classes at Ogallala Dance Academy.

About Wholesome and More
Wholesome and More is a Natural Health Store serving healthy smoothies, light brunch options, and natural wellness products. Find them at 730 East 1st Street.

About Second Chapter Brewing
Second Chapter Brewing is located in the old city library in downtown Ogallala. Come for great beer and great stories.

Books & Brews 2025-2026 Book Club

7/22/2025

At Second Chapter Brewing, we love great beer and great stories, including books of all kinds! Our book club will explore a range of genres to expand our reading experiences and discover shared interests.

Each month, we have chosen a specific genre and provided a recommended title. However, you are not obligated to read any from this list. Simply join us for a conversation at 6:00 p.m. on the Third Wednesday about any book that fits the genre for that month!

Check out our monthly genres and recommended books below!

Happy reading!

Follow the event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1AxHz4xJiG/

BONUS: SPICY Book Club August 27

September 17
- Historical Fiction
- Ghost Soldiers - Hampton Sides
October 15
- True Crime
- Evil Obsession: The Annie Cook Story - Nellie Snyder Yost
November 19
- Sci-Fi
- The Fourth Consort - Edward Ashton
December 17
- Nebraska Author
- My Antonia - Willa Cather
January 21
- Fantasy
- Powerless - Lauren Roberts
February 18
- Romance
- The Bodyguard - Katherine Center
March 18
- Mystery
- A Good Girl's Guide to Murder - Holly Jackson
April 15
- Dystopian
- Divergent - Veronica Roth
May 20
- Western
- Flint - Louis L'Amour

Pop Up Party!

7/18/2025

We’re thrilled to announce our 3rd Annual Labor Day Weekend Pop-Up Party!, happening Sunday, August 31! Between beer, BBQ, pop-up boutiques, and more, it's shaping up to be a great day!

Our featured vendors include:

Bekah's Bath Works (Handmade bath and body products)
Bloom With Grace (Permanent jewelry)
Carlene's Classy Nails (Color Street dry nail polish)
Noctis Artistry (Original art prints, stickers, and magnets)
Pastries with Love (Pastries)
Sandhills Silver Co (Handmade sterling silver and turquoise jewelry)
Serenita Stregheria (Crystals, journals, herbs, and more)
Smoken Hills (Smoked meats)
Wholesome Sandhills (Homemade gluten free goods)

*** VENDOR SPOTS ARE SOLD OUT. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PLEASE INQUIRE AT [email protected].

Introducing: Lavender L'Amour

7/1/2025

Out where the prairie meets the horizon and the wind carries secrets older than the hills, a body learns to appreciate the finer things. Cool shade. Quiet company. And a drink that cuts through the dust like a clean shot at dawn.

This here seltzer is a gentle paradox. Light as a prairie breeze, sharp as a six-shooter’s crack. It don’t come on loud, but it lingers, like the memory of a kind word spoken around a dying campfire.

Introducing:
Lavender L'Amour
(Lemon Lavender Seltzer)
6.4% ABV

Featuring ingredients from:
Our Lavender Co. (Big Springs, Nebr.)
Long's Honey Farm (Gothenburg, Nebr.)
All Gluten Free Ingredients

Hat tip to Chad Seger for the name.

Member preview: June 25-29
Public release: July 2

Heave, ho! New 10-barrel tank, here we go!

6/24/2025

So, my one job for this morning was to stay out of the way and get some pictures and video...

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!)

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!

Family Business

5/26/2025

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!

Do you get to teach your children values through your work? We'd love to hear your stories too!