Brewing a celebration – AOL

GEDDES, S.D. (KELO) — The U.S. is getting ready to celebrate a big birthday.

July 4th will mark the country’s 250th anniversary.

South Dakota has been marking the milestone in different ways, including designating an official beer for the celebration.

Drive down Main Street in Geddes and you’ll come across Platte Creek Brewing Company.

“I’m like everybody. You start with five-gallon batches in your garage and you want to keep progressing from there I guess,” Doug Dykstra said.

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Today, customers have lots of options to choose from inside the former museum.

Doug and Jo Ellen Dykstra are the owners of the small town brewery that will mark five years in business in May.

But that’s not the only reason to raise a glass.

One of the beers brewed at this business is the official beer for South Dakota’s celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday.

While it’s a familiar recipe to Platte Creek Brewing customers, it goes by a different name: Dakota Liberty.

It’s a pilsner, or light beer, with a nod to the ag industry.

“We very much liked that the corn base was with it. It had more of a farming feel with it that way. And the best part was it’s very easy drinking,” Doug Dykstra said.

“It’s corn based, so it just screams South Dakota. The name itself, that’s a beautiful name, Dakota Liberty. It gives you a little pride in your state and we’re all talking about liberty with the nation’s 250th,” Jo Ellen Dykstra said.

State Historian Ben Jones is the chair of South Dakota’s commission for America 250.

It was his idea to have an official beer for the celebration.

“It just seemed like a way to do a couple things. One, spread the word about 250 and the other ways is to get people, ‘Oh, we can enjoy this and this is something we can participate in,’” Jones said.

Jones reached out to brewers in the state about the idea, and Platte Creek got involved.

“We sent them some samples, and they decided to go with us,” Doug Dykstra said.

“We talked about it and I said, ‘Just picture a person who’s enjoying their July 4th and make a beer kind of pitched to that event,’ and I think they hit a home run,” Jones said.

Dakota Liberty was unveiled at the South Dakota State Fair last year.

Since then, it’s become available in more locations.

“We gain a little more all the time. It very much has hit east river and we’re working to grab more of the west river market,” Doug Dykstra said.

Dakota Liberty may be shining a brighter light on the Geddes business.

“We get a lot of people that come in here and they say, ‘We saw your beer in Sioux Falls,’ and they wanted to stop by,” Doug Dykstra said.

“We hope it just amps up business on the weekend, but we hope it helps business. It’s just great exposure, it’s positive exposure,” JoEllen Dystra said.

Doug says they hope to work with other communities and have Dakota Liberty on hand during their celebrations.

“It’s been fun. We’re figuring out different things all the time,” Doug Dykstra said.

Perhaps more people will have a Dakota Liberty in their hands as they says cheers to 250.

Platte Creek is working with Ben’s Brewing in Yankton to increase distribution of Dakota Liberty.

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