Bierhaus Maisschäler: The Soon To Be Go To Summer Bar

Bierhaus Maisschäler opened its doors seven months ago and has only been gaining popularity since. Bierhaus is the third Kinkaider location in Downtown Lincoln. Each Kinkaider spot specializes in a different concept: this time, an authentic German beer hall. 

Maisschäler translates to ‘corn peeler,’ making Bierhaus Maisschäler the closest translation to The Cornhusker Bar after the Nebraska Huskers football team. 

Owner Cody Schmick purchased the spot of the former Scooter’s Coffee on 151 N 8th St. They are currently working on an expansion next door. The concept is inspired by Schmick’s family heritage and visiting Germany. 

“Cody [Schmick], like a lot of other Nebraskans, has some Volga German [DNA],” Danny Dibbern, General Manager of Bierhaus said. 

Volga Germans, also known as German-Russians are Germans that settled by the Volga River in Russia. 

“[Growing up with] that type of background and growing up eating homemade Runzas and his dad was a butcher,” Dibbern said. Schmick’s dad owns Schmick’s Market on 2727 N 11th. 

Bierhaus serves a small-limited menu including soft pretzels from a Bavarian Bakehouse in Texas and some German sausage that Bierhaus cases themselves off-site. 

After taking over KD Design location for their expansion, the plan is to build a more commercial kitchen to do their casing in-house. Bierhaus currently cases their sausage at Sideshow Spirits, their distillery about six blocks away. Sideshow Spirits are located at 1640 P St. 

You won’t find your typical domestic beers here, since they only serve authentic German beer. 

“[Our best seller] The Stag, which is our German Pilsner and it’s super light,” Dibbern said. “Sometimes when we have out-of-town fans, from like Oklahoma, they come in and will ask for a Michelob Ultra, a Busch Light, Bud Light or Coors, and we always tell them we have our Stag, German Pilsner and it does the job.” 

In addition to the Stag, Kinkaider has developed several taps with signature wooden handles just for Bierhaus Maisschäler. They also serve seven true German imports, german inspired cocktails using Sideshow Spirits liquor, and on the counter are shelves with Underberg, a German digestif for after food. 

Walking into Bierhaus Maisschäler transports you to a pub in Germany. Dibbern describes the atmosphere as an old-world pub mixed with a modern American feel. 

“When we opened we were in full get up,” Dibbern said. “We were in lederhosen and dirndl and then we started thinking, this may not be the most comfortable for day-to-day.” 

In case you have lederhosen or dirndl lying in the back of your closet, time to dust it off because as stated at the bottom of the menu, any first-time customer that arrives in traditional German wear gets their first beer for free. 

“We want to encourage people to have fun, and connect with their roots, or just enjoy a pint of authentic German beer,” Dibbern said. "We fill a niche I think the Haymarket needed."

For those looking for a little exclusively, once you walk into Bierhaus you are met with rows of lockers for their club members. 

Bierhaus offers the Bierklub which is an annual fee but includes your own locker with your name engraved, a bottle of whiskey, a member-exclusive tumbler, and several other monthly perks.

"We want it to be like the Stein Club Members, you have to die to get a locker," Dibbern said. 

Monthly perks include special sausage cured from Bierhaus, a mini beer boot, a gift card, or a 50% off coupon for a bottle of Slideshow Spirits product. 

You can find out more about the Bierklub here. 

Bierhaus is open Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m., and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

---

Mentioned in this Post