Remote tap room becoming a popular destination

PARKS, Neb. (KOLN) - Located north of the village of Parks in far southwest Nebraska, you’ll find a tap room that serves Nebraska products, and offers secluded lodging.

We caught up with the owner of this business called “Uppa Crik Hop Yard & Tap Room at Sage Hill Loft” recently. It turns out the business is becoming a busy spot in the summer for food trucks and entertainment. “We raise hops here, that we hope to sell to local breweries around the state,” owner Sye Tecker said. “Here in the tap room, we serve all of those Nebraska-made craft beers. We only serve Nebraska-made products here. We also have whiskies, distilled spirits, but mostly beers.”

Where the business is located, is in the middle of ranch pasture. “This is our family ranch,” Tecker said. “We have a couple hundred head of cattle, we have a small herd of hogs, 200 head of sheep, and we also raise alpacas for the fiber arts world.” Tecker’s business is definitely located in a remote area of the state, which adds to its charm and beauty.

“Originally, around the year 2000, this 14-acre plot was bought from us by Hal and Carol Walker, who created Sage Hill Winery and Vineyard,” Tecker said. “We thought they were crazy to put a vineyard in our pasture, but they managed it, and they built this building pretty much by hand. They put the vineyard in, and made a good run of it for about 20 years. They decided to close, and move closer to their kids. They put this place up for sale, and then we were concerned who would buy it, since it was located right in the middle of our property. I had attended a conference where the president of the Nebraska Hop Growers Association was talking about raising hops. I thought I would like to do something like that. So, we bought this acreage, tore out the vineyard, put in hops, and it’s been a whirlwind from there!”

The interior of the tap room is decorated well, and Tecker says he’s primarily open on the weekends. In the winter, he says it can be slow. But, in the summer, he says food trucks and bands bring many people out. “We usually get 150 to 200 people out here for the events,” Tecker said. “It’s sort of a ‘field of dreams’ thing, where you build it, and they come. It’s been a fun experience.”

There is an Air BnB on the property upstairs from the tap room. “It’s a one-bedroom apartment upstairs called the “Sage Hill Loft”, and we kept that name in honor of the previous owners,” Tecker said. “It’s already booked out every weekend through the summer.” People who come to stay at Sage Hill Loft, enjoy the tap room, they sometimes golf, and often go fishing. “Rock Creek Lake is just up the road,” Tecker said. “Some people just like the peace and quiet, and we have a lot of people interested in star-gazing coming out here.”

If you would like to know more, check out “Uppa Crik Hop Yard & Tap Room at Sage Hill Loft on Facebook.

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