What's In a Name?

Most of us don’t give a lot of thought to the names of the products we use, the places we go or even the people we talk too, but names are pretty important.  Just ask a parent who has, often time for months, debated and discussed what their child’s name would be.  Not just because it sounds good or flows properly, but also what it means.  In many cultures, a child’s name speaks to his destiny - names are chosen carefully.

So it is with business’s.  Business owners consider the naming of their business with great care.  Sometimes, it is simply the owners name or a family name, for others it is something catchy based on the industry or business they are in, and yet for others it has a personal or professional meaning or purpose.

So what about Kinkaider Brewing Co., a craft brewery started in Broken Bow, Nebraska in 2014 by 4 locals boys?

Kinkaider took its name from a federal act dating back to the turn of the century which involved the area in which the brewery originated.  The Kinkaid Act of 1904 was sponsored by U.S. congressman Moses Kinkaid in an attempt to increase settlement in the northwestern portion of his state – Nebraska.  The Kinkaid Act stated that whereunder one section (640 acres) of federal land in Nebraska could be acquired free of charge, apart from a modest $14 filing fee.  With militia and federal agents on hand to moderate the transactions, thousands came out to Custer County in the Nebraska Sandhills to grab their piece of land.  Those who were able to purchase their parcel of land and become settlers of the Nebraska sandhills became known as “Kinkaiders”.

So every time you crack open a cold Kinkaider beer, remember that you are blazing your own trail and settling your own place in life – an explorer, an adventurer, a Kinkaider.

Kinkaider currently has 4 taproom locations in Nebraska and their beers are in grocery stores, bars, convenience stores and liquor stores across the state.

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