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OUR STORY

It's been a long road filled with good friends, good times, creative visions, successes, failures, and tragedy.  It started with an expired brew kit purchased at a local garage sale.  Chad, brewmaster extraordinaire, found the expired brew kit and made his first batch.  It did not turn out well but he was determined to do better.  Soon Chad was brewing beer for friends and family and learning the science behind a successful batch.

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Soon Chad began entering his beer concoctions into local contests and winning awards.  As he continued to experiment his fiancée Kathy kicked him out of the basement to the carriage house where he refined his skills and added recipe's.  Chad quickly outgrew the carriage house and looked for a location to open a taproom.  Not having much money an abandoned bar in Gibbon had an owner willing to meet Chad's price and in 2018 Whit Wort Brewing was founded.

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Chad and Kathy quickly got to work remodeling the 90-year-old bar into a place where everyone would feel comfortable. With help from the local fire department and others in Gibbon the bar began to take shape.  Tragically, in October 2019 Kathy was involved in a motorcycle accident that cut her life short.  One of Kathy's motorcycles is on display in the brewery so she can continue to be a part of the brewery.

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Building and running a business is no small endeavor.  In 2020, long-time friends Chuck and Becky joined Chad on his crazy quest to build a taproom in the small town of 800.  Little did any of them know this was the beginning of a nearly 3-year adventure.  While working full-time jobs brewery construction occurred on the weekends.  Chad and Chuck slept in the brewery every weekend while working to build a taproom where everyone would feel at home.  The brewery needed EVERYTHING, new electrical, new plumbing, new walls, new ceiling, bathrooms had to be relocated, and the list continues.  It was more than anyone could anticipate and only working 1-2 days a week made the progress even slower.  Thankfully the town and everyone waiting for us to open were very patient and extremely supportive.

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Finally, in the spring of 2022 we had our final inspections.  When the inspector told us congratulations and that we could officially open our doors for business we didn't believe him.  We looked at each other to confirm we all heard the same thing.  Four long years of weekends came to fruition.  It took several days to work through all the emotions.

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We are truly grateful for everyone who helped and supported through these last few years.  It's been absolutely amazing and humbling.  We feel very fortunate and it truly gives us pride when people visit and say they feel at home in the brewery.

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