Lincoln brewery releases special batch of beer to honor fallen LPD investigator

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Corn Coast Brewing Company has partnered with the Tunnel to Towers organization to put on an event in honor of fallen LPD Investigator Mario Herrera.

Herrera was shot almost two years ago while helping to serve a search warrant.

Following his death, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation helped Herrera’s family to pay off their mortgage.

Now, the Herrera family wants to pay that generosity forward by putting on a 5k to raise money for other families who lost someone in the line of duty.

Corn Coast Brewing will help raise money by releasing a new beer called Batch 1205.

For every pint of beer sold, a dollar of the proceeds will go to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

Daniel Walkemeyer, one of the founders of Corn Coast Brewing, says he and the other owners are veterans, so it just made sense to help out.

“It was just kind of a no-brainer for us,” he said. “I mean it’s hard to put words on it, you know, it’s just one of those things like ‘duh’ we have to do this, like good cause, great people.”

Walkemeyer helped to get the brewery up and running back in 2020, and they have been open for about a year now. The Brewery uses a small brewing system to make a variety of IPA’s and light beers.

Jason Hain, Herrera’s brother-in-law, says it means a lot that Corn Coast is putting out this special beer.

He says Herrera was the protector of the family and is sorely missed.

“The fact that these guys are willing to be so generous and release a beer in honor of Mario is phenomenal,” Hain said. “Our family is very excited about it. Immediately when I came in here and asked them for a sponsorship, they said ‘absolutely,’ and then without any hesitation they were like ‘hey how about we do a beer?'”

Hain says that Corn Coast has really gone the extra mile with this promotion, and they are even doing a silent auction to help raise money for Tunnel to Towers.

There will be an event Friday afternoon at the brewery to release Batch 1205.

The proceeds will be presented at the 5k on Aug. 27, held at Holmes Lake. That date is also the two-year anniversary of Herrera’s death.