Blue Blood Brewing Company

Blue Blood Brewing Company opened just over a month ago after re-locating to a newly built space in Lincoln. That new space is directly on top of the old Robber's Cave. Robber's Cave has a long history in Lincoln, Nebraska, hosting Native Americans, settlers, an old brewery, barrels of aging beer, and possibly Jesse James. People have visited legally and illegally carving their mark into the walls of the cave. Blue Blood was started by three police officers, and thus it seems fitting that such a brewery would buy and build over Robber's Cave with its history of brewing and stories of illegal activities. 

Blue Blood Brewing Company with a secret cave hidden beneath

Blue Blood gives tours of their new facility as well as the cave. On Friday night, Blake, Barbie, Brandon's dad, Brandon, and I were able to do the tour. The tour of the facilities was pretty bare bones. Unfortunately, the normal tour guide was unable to make it, and someone less schooled in the art of brewing was filling in. He was friendly though and did a lot of fact checking with Brandon after discovering his knowledge of brewing. Most people on the tour were just there for the view of the cave anyway. 

Shiny brewing equipment

Bottling area and fermenters

Our tour group crammed between the fermenters 

Barrels for aging

After the brew facility tour, we headed down a staircase to the cave. Several cement walls had been built around the cave entrance to help form a foundation for the brewery. Eventually, the brewery will store barrels full of aging beer in this area. No beer is allowed in the caves, because the liquor license doesn't extend that deep into the ground yet. That may change as early as next week and allow the brewery to host beer dinners in Robber's Cave. 

Sign leading up to the brewery entrance

Entrance to Robber's Cave

We continued through the entrance and into the first room of the cave. The tear drop ceiling of the cave indicated that it had been hollowed out by flooding years and years ago. 

The first room of the cave with the tear drop ceiling

The rest of the rooms of the cave were man-made; the pick axe marks were still visible on the ceiling. It was especially interesting to see the drawings, names, and initials present on every soft, sandy wall. Amusingly, the oldest known marking says "Drunken Miller 1888". Sadly, we weren't allowed to leave our own mark among all the others. A few people on our tour admitted to trespassing and putting their mark on the cave years ago. 
  

The caves were very well lit for the tour unlike the tea lights and flashlights that trespassers used

Listening to the history/myths of the cave

Air hole to the cave

So many inscriptions

We visited at least three large rooms of the cave, and there's still more to be explored. The brewery is hoping to continue to excavate, and perhaps they will find Jesse James' treasure of lore. They have already found a federally protected bat species and had to build a special enclosed area in the cave for them. Who knows what will be next? 

There are many more passages like this to explore

Of course, we had to sample the beer after the tour, and we decided to have dinner there as well. Brandon and I especially enjoyed their Imperial Stout and their Irish Red. Brandon ordered some delicious ahi tuna tacos and I had some equally delicious falafal naan sliders. The food was quite exceptional, and everyone was pleased with their orders. The cave, brews, food, and conversation made for a fun adult night out. 

Part of the bar area overlooks the brewing facility below

Enjoying a flight of Blue Blood brews

Ahi tuna tacos with citrus mint cabbage slaw and wasabi-avocado aioli