Green Flash Brewery Partners with Rebelbean
Rebelbean, a local wholesale coffee roasting duo, has set up shop for the first time inside Green Flash Brewhouse & Taproom. Green Flash, which opened last year at 1630 P St., announced in August that they will no longer be serving food. Instead, the location will serve as a multi-purpose brewery and coffeehouse hybrid.
“Now that we no longer operate the restaurant, it’s given us the opportunity to do some other things, some other collaborations,” head brewer, Jeff Hanson, said. “It’ll give our customers a little more freedom with how they use the space.”
Rebelbean came into the picture as a way to utilize the space during the day and roll over into the brewery at night. Although the coffee company began two years ago in Lincoln, they’ve been laying low. Hart and his business partner Luke Gingery met six years ago and struck up a friendship when their businesses crossed paths at the Public Market in the Railyard. Gingery is the former owner of the Doughnut Hole, and Hart currently owns the Public Market shaved ice and daiquiri stand, Breezy Island Ice.
Although Gingery wasn’t roasting his own coffee at Doughnut Hole, he brought in specialty coffee and started rotating roasters to show Lincoln what a good cup of Joe tastes like. Word started getting around. Gingery traveled north to learn how to roast coffee beans and bring his knowledge back to Lincoln. After selling the Doughnut Hole, he continued to hang out at Breezy Island Ice and talk to Hart about opening up a coffee business.
The two bought equipment and opted to find a warehouse space for a production facility instead of operating a retail location right away. They’ve been roasting ever since for friends, family, and a handful of private accounts. You can also find Rebelbean’s two signature roasts, “Bold NEw Brew” and “Midnight Ride Espresso,” at your local Hy-Vee, and the Juice Stop in Grand Island carries their coffee and cold brew.Gingery describes Rebelbean’s approach to coffee as “simplistic.”
“It’s not ‘twenty different flavors’ or anything like that,” Hart said. “We like to keep it kind of clean and let the coffee show for itself.”
Visit their website and a pop-up asks you a question: “Do you demand that your coffee be roasted fresh, using only the very best organic, fair-trade specialty beans?” Answer yes to continue on to the website, click “no, I drink whatever,” and the link will send you on to starbucks.com.
The two are cheeky, but they’re serious about using only 100% fair-trade, organic beans.
“We can source anything, so that’s nice,” Gingery said. “Whatever is in season. It’ll be kind of a rotation of different origins.”
Hart and Gingery said they are excited to utilize the large space and be a part of the growing P street district.
“One thing that I think is important to all four of us and this location and this partnership is when we unlock the door in the morning to when we lock it at night, for everybody that walks through the door, the full range of products are available,” Hanson said. “Whether it’s somebody that wants a coffee at 8 p.m., or somebody that wants an IPA at 10 a.m.”
Hanson said he hopes live music will become a regular staple at their location, and he already has shows planned in the coming months. Ultimately, their vision is that the space belongs to the community and whatever they want to do with it.
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