Bat Caves & Brews!

     A love for craft beer and the stories behind the creation of savory brews has always intrigued me. Today I visited Blue Blood Brewing Co. of Lincoln, Nebraska. Co-founded by members of law enforcement, the brewery and state of the art taproom, sits above Robber’s Cave, a 5,600 sq.ft. maze of sandstone cave tunnels. The brewpub hosts a full menu, a carefully crafted beer series, and a main line up featuring “The Usual Suspects,” a line of craft beers available year round and aptly named after a police term for common suspects associated to crimes.

     Just below the brewery, I was fortunate to be given a private tour of Robber’s Cave by tour guide, Joel Green who is currently writing a book about the landmark’s geology and history.  We began our journey by squeezing through the tunnels of “Fat Man’s Misery”. This is a tour that you will want to experience in person, so without giving too much away, I provided a sneak peak of some of the tour.

     Joel’s passion and wide breadth of knowledge about the history of this landmark, sparks all of your senses into high gear, as you travel back in time through this tour. Blue Bloods Brewery sits right above old lagering taverns pickaxed for Lincoln’s first brewery, the Pioneer Brewing Co. of 1869. Joel explained that the taverns were started by “…two guys, one was from Wachesaw, Wisconsin, the other was from Redwing, Minnesota, and they came and bought the cave because they wanted to store their lager in the constant 55 degree tunnels like they did in the old world fashion”.  

     As we headed deeper into the caves Joel informed me that we weren’t alone! The caves are also home to Brown bats, Tri-Colored bats and NorthernLong Eared bats. Unaware at the time of construction, Blue Blood’s founders were informed that the Northern Long Eared bats were on the government’s threatened species list. According to Joel, “… in order to protect the bats and allow them to come and go freely…” they built a “…nocturnal bat habitat to keep the feds happy!”

     Tours of Robber’s Caves and the brewery are currently available on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. If you are seeking some adventure rich in history, enjoy great food, and have a love for craft beers, venture your way to Blue Blood’s Brewery in Lincoln, Nebraska!

Music: “Sunny” www.bensound.com