Kros Strain Brewing’s story begins with an engineer and a congressional aide who had day jobs but enjoyed their homebrewing more. They unlocked a passion that shines through each and every brew they serve. While Scott Strain and Bobby Kros began their brewing careers in separate states, their fates aligned when they were both hired at a local commercial brewery. With experience comes exploration and so these two set off to plan their own production facility that would feature innovative new styles and classic beers for palates of all kinds.
Opened in 2017, Kros Strain Brewing has since become one of the preeminent breweries in Nebraska and the surrounding area. The Omaha brewery has two locations: the brewery located at 104th and Portal Rd and a taproom at 1209 Millwork Commons, just two blocks north of Charles Schwab field. While they do not have food at either location, they welcome customers to bring in their own and they also feature food trucks at their brewery location and a QR code at their downtown location to order Dolomiti pizza. Their brewery location also has two event spaces that people can rent for any occasion.
Why did you decide to open a brewery in Omaha?
We are both from Omaha originally so it made sense to open our business where we are from. It’s been great having family and friends close to help out initially as the brewery got off the ground.
What makes your brewery different from others in the Omaha area?
We offer a wide selection of beer styles. We have 30 taps at both locations which enable us to offer that amazing selection. We also strive to push ourselves in new directions either with new styles or our spin on classic ones.
Do you have any special events (either occurring on a regular basis or one-time, seasonally, etc.)?
We are always trying to have occurring and one-time events as we think that is one of the things that makes us special. In February we do Omaha Beer Week, in March we have Tiki Week, for April we are in the early stages of doing a 5k, for June we have Dingerville downtown, in July we have our Anniversary Party, in September we have Fall Fest/Octoberfest, October is Buzz for Bees downtown, November is Barleywine Day in Nebraska, and December we do Santa Day and 12 Jams of Christmas. It’s a wide variety from family-friendly to unique beer-only events. Plus with all of the one-time events, we try to always have something going on.
What is your personal favorite beer that you brew and why?
Our souped version of our best-selling beer Fairy Nectar called Fairy Nectar DDH (DDH means Double Dry Hopped). It allows us to stretch the boundaries of that beer and see what a hazy IPA can really be.
What are your future goals/plans for your brewery?
Currently we distribute to almost the whole states of Nebraska and Iowa and the whole states of South Dakota and Kansas. We might see distribution into new states in 2025. We also keep an eye out for taproom expansion in Nebraska. We always want to look at every opportunity that can come our way.