‘A beer for everybody’: Beer brewed in La Vista named official craft beer of the Huskers

By Maddie Augustine

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    Nebrasla (KETV) — The countdown to the first home game for Husker football is on and it marks the start of alcohol sales inside Memorial Stadium.

On Wednesday, the university announced the official craft beer of the Huskers. It’s named the Cornhusker Crusher and it’s brewed locally in La Vista at Kros Strain Brewing.

“Since the university made the announcement, the phone’s really been ringing off the hook,” Jeff Hardy, head beer pusher for Kros Strain Brewing, said. “We’ve been getting asked if we can ship it, if we’re going to be open, when it’s going to be available retailers. So we’ve had a really, really positive response to this. We’ve had people come in by literally beer buy the caseloads. since we’ve opened the doors today at three.”

The Cornhusker Crusher is quickly becoming a best seller. Hardy said all afternoon cases were being purchased and glasses were being poured from the tap.

“It’s light. It’s got citrus flavor. It’s good for hot days. It’s good for cold-weather days. It really is just a beer for everybody,” Hardy said.

Charlie Burt was one of the first UNL students to try the new beer.

“I saw the Instagram post earlier today and looked intriguing that I was just listening to a local radio station here, 1620, and I heard him come up and say that they were opening him up just at the two Kros Strain locations,” Burt said. “I was sitting at work, going, I could wait a couple of weeks, but I’m a die-hard fan from Omaha, I bleed red. And so I immediately had to come up and try it out.”

Hardy said it’s a beer for all Nebraskans.

“We want people from Scottsbluff, to Ainsworth to, to Omaha to, to try this beer and love it and raise it, raise a glass,” Hardy said.

Hardy said he knew people would be excited, so they moved production to their largest tank.

“You can brew as much as 20 barrels and in a single go,” Hardy said. “So you basically have to brew five times to fill this tank.”

The Cornhusker Crusher is the official beer of the Huskers and one of two local beers set to be sold at Memorial Stadium this fall.

“No matter what you see in our food or in our beverage, we wanted to make sure there was a local touch,” Tim Witkowski, district manager of Aramark Sports Entertainment, said.

To help make purchasing those local beers quicker, there are now 19 self-checkout stations throughout the stadium.

Vendor, Aramark Sports Entertainment, said their top priority is safe and responsible serving.

“We’ll be checking your ID at the beginning and at the end at the transaction, you grab your beer and go,” Witkowski said. “If you’re 21 or 81, you’re going to have to show your ID. There is a two-drink limit, so you can only possess two alcoholic drinks at one time. Then we cut off alcohol at the end of the third quarter. for football games.”

Concession shelves at Memorial Stadium are beginning to be stocked in preparation to welcome the Sea of Red.

“When you come here on September 6th, we’re going to have 121,000 beers cold and ready to go,” Witkowski said.

Kros Strain Brewing said the Cornhusker Crusher will be part of their core lineup and will be available year-round. Hardy said 16-ounce cans will be available through the main part of the stadium and 12-ounce cans will be available on the club level.

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