Local brewpub wins statewide recognition

Dena R. Beck, left, of the Rural Enterprise Assistance Project present the 2014 Entrepreneur Award to Tyler Loop, center, and Adam Siegfried of the Loop Brewing Co. LLC., during a reception Friday night at the Keystone Business Center. (Bruce Crosby/McCook Gazette)

McCOOK, Neb. -- Owners of a popular brewpub were presented the 2014 Entrepreneur Award by the Center for Rural Affairs Friday at a reception at the Keystone Business Center.

The presentation came at a meet-and-greet that was part of an outstate meeting of the board of the Center for Rural Affairs, parent of the Rural Enterprise Assistance Project which was instrumental in establishment of the business.

Owned and operated by Tyler Ray Loop, Tyler sue Loop and Adam Siegfried, the Loop Brewing Co. LLC operates from a former icehouse adjacent to the BNSF Railroad yard in McCook.

Tyler Ray won the 2010 Hormel Business Plan competition, providing $25,000 in seed money to start the business, studying under master brewer Tom Hennessey of Colorado Boy Brewery to learn the craft.

Loop Brewing Co.'s vintage atmosphere reminds folks of McCook's beginnings as a railroad boom town in the 1880s, and Loop Brewing Co. pays homage to its roots through an age-old tradition of quality, handcrafted brewing.

Gap financing came through the help of Dena Beck of the Rural Enterprise assistance Project, who helped fine-tune the business plan.

In turn, Tyler Ray has been asked to mentor others starting breweries and restaurants in other states while constantly working on improving the quality of their products.

"Tyler was good to work with, thorough, passionate and was able to roll with the punches that often come with this type of endeavor," Beck said.