Opened on December 13th of 2013 (if you look closely, you’ll notice the ‘B’ in the Brickway logo is actually a 13), Brickway Brewery & Distillery is located in the Old Market and is the largest distillery in the state. In addition to four beers offered year-round, the brewery also has a variety of special edition and season brews. On the distillery side, they make vodka, gin, rum, and several different types of whisky. We also offer small bites like a garlic and herb cheese plate and brew snack mix, but we try to push people to go out and eat at all the fantastic restaurants in the Old Market.
Below is an interview with Brickway owner Zac Triemert.
1. Why did you decide to open a brewery in Omaha?
It’s kind of a long story! I was actually in pre-med and during one of my microbiology classes, we had a speaker who brewed beer. I instantly knew that I would rather do that with my life than become a doctor. After getting an advanced degree, I studied distilling in Scotland, then came home to take care of my father who had pancreatic cancer. During this time, I shared many drinks with my family and, after my father passed, I knew I wanted to honor him by starting a brewery and distillery. We have ‘Celebrate, Commiserate, Commemorate’ on every bottle of beer and spirits and on the logo to remind myself (and everyone who drinks them) that a beer or cocktail has the ability to lift any occasion.
2. What makes your brewery different from others in the Omaha area?
We make our main focus for all our beers and spirits to be balanced. We believe that balance is the key to ensure people always enjoy what they’re drinking. That’s not to say that other local beers are not balanced, just that it is our top priority at Brickway.
3. Do you have any special events (either occurring on a regular basis or one-time, seasonally, etc.)?
We enjoy doing unveiling events for our new products. We’re also turning the brewery into a Christmas tiki bar starting Wednesday the 27th of November and continuing all throughout the month of December. We’ll have three new rums that we introduce during that time.
4. What is your personal favorite beer that you brew and why?
Jerry’s Pale Ale is near and dear to my heart because it was the beer I first brewed to honor my dad and I gifted every member of my family a bottle of the first run of it. After 24 years, we just brewed the first commercial batch of Jerry’s Pale Ale.
5. What are your future goals/plans for your brewery?
Our event space in the brewery, The Borgata Lounge, is one of my newest focuses. It’s a large, open, private party space that seats up to 68 (100 cocktail-style) with a custom menu and cocktails and includes a private distillery tour and brand ambassador lead tasting.
Our other—and main—goal is to continue to make things people like drinking. It’s all about Celebrate, Commiserate, Commemorate.
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