5 hours Ago By Gracie Smith [email protected]
The Travelers Taproom, Grand Island’s only self-serving tap wall bar, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday. The bar’s self-serve tap wall is one of a handful in Nebraska, as well as the largest. Owned by Jeff and Tosha Edwards, the Travelers Taproom is a local bar off of Highway 281 at 2230 N.
Webb Road. The establishment serves a variety of drinks, such as beer, cider, whiskey, bourbon, wine, cocktails and non-alcoholic options, along with food. Attendees check out the Travelers Taproom during the ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, Dec.
20. One of the more unique aspects of the Travelers Taproom is its self-serve tap wall, where customers can come in, pay by the ounce, and fill their glasses whenever they want, with whatever is on tap. There are not many self-serve places in Nebraska.
According to Jeff, the taproom is one of four establishments with a self-serving tap in the state. “There’s Smokin’ Oak pizza in Omaha, there’s a City Tap in Nebraska City,” Jeff said. “And then Loup Brewing in McCook has not only their brewery, but a little place called the yard, where they put in a self-serve tap wall.
” Edwards said that Travelers Taproom is the largest self-serving tap wall with 60 taps. Edwards believed Smokin’ Oak was the second largest with around 36 taps, with Loup Brewing having 17-18 and City Tap having 14-16. Beer taps fill the wall at the Travelers Taproom on Friday, Dec.
20. It might seem odd to mostly self-serve tap alcohol, but it’s that idea that made the Edwardses want to open the taproom. According to Jeff, the couple had the idea a long time ago when they were sitting in a packed establishment in Denver.
“We waited to be served for quite a while and we just kind of threw out, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if you could go up and serve yourself?’” Jeff said. “Well, roll the clock ahead 10 years, and you know, we found out that technology is out there.” Once the Edwardses learned of the technology, they learned more through a webinar and visited a brewery in Minneapolis with a similar self-serve system.
Once the couple got back to Grand Island, they began looking for a good location for the Travelers Taproom. “Originally, we were just going to do the tap wall and some tables, and maybe a small appetizer-type kitchen,” Jeff said. “Then we found this spot available, which is a lot more square footage than what we were looking for, so we’ve been able to add the full kitchen.
” Tosha Edwards (second from left) and Jeff Edwards (second from right) cut the ribbon for Travelers Taproom during the ceremony on Friday, Dec. 20. In contrast to what the name might suggest, the Travelers Taproom primarily serves Nebraska-based products.
According to Jeff, the taproom has a few domestic beers but serves alcohol from 26 breweries, eight distilleries and four wineries across the state. “Anywhere from Arapahoe all the way to Brickway in Omaha and Cooper’s Chase in West Point,” Jeff said. “We try to get a wide variety.
” The reason the taproom mainly hosts Nebraska products is to promote a shop local mentality. “Not only do we encourage people to come here and try Nebraska products,” Jeff said. “But we actually want them to go out and visit Native 32 in West Point, or, you know, go out to Boss City in Sydney.
” Jeff Edwards speaks during the Travelers Taproom's ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, Dec. 20. But if it’s mostly Nebraska-based products, why is it called the Travelers Taproom? Well, that actually comes from the Edwards family’s love of traveling.
Tosha said that traveling has always been huge in the family and “we always go to local breweries, wineries and distilleries wherever we travel, whatever state we go to.” The Edwards’ love for traveling has also been incorporated into the restaurant itself. The taproom’s logo is based on places the family has visited or lived, a six-year collection of beer glasses hangs along the wall, and a montage of the family’s travels is imprinted on the wall.
“It (the photos) represents 15 different states and three countries that we have up there,” Tosha said. “It has all members of the family on my husband’s side of the family, and the majority, or a huge part, of the family on my side of the family.” A view of the Travelers Taproom's party room.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Friday, but the taproom has been open for several months. Specifically, Tosha said that the soft launch was on Aug. 24, which means the taproom will have been open for four months on Christmas Eve.
Jeff said that the taproom’s customer base has been growing and that it’s been exciting, as well as scary. “To see it come to fruition has been pretty, pretty scary yet exciting,” Jeff said. “Because, you know, it is a large investment, and sharing our vision with the public has been a lot of fun.
” Big Hair Brewhaus owner Brett Wiedenfeld and brewer Reed Trenhaile talk about the taproom that opened June 4 in a former dairy supply business building in downtown Hartington, Nebraska. The brewery currently has three of its own beers on tap, in addition to a selection of Nebraska-brewed guest beers. With our weekly newsletter packed with the latest in everything food.
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