5 years of brewing beer and bold beginnings

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — By definition, the term 'severance' means ending a connection. To Scott Heckel, it also means a new beginning. And Scott's new beginning started when he received a Mr. Beer kit from his wife for their first Christmas together.

"The beer we made on that was not very good but opened my eyes to the possibility of being able to actually brew at home. And from there, it kind of just spurred into a little bit of an obsession," Severance Brewing co-owner Scott Heckel said.

It was an obsession that went from five-gallon batches on their stove at home to Scott quitting his corporate banking job to open his own brewery.

"In 2017, my wife had suggested, 'hey, why don't we pursue starting a brewery,' something that we had talked about quite a bit in the past. A few years later it kind of became a reality," Scott said.

Two years later, Severance Brewing opened its doors with over ten kinds of beer ready on their first day.

"The name Severance is a nod to Scott leaving corporate and essentially creating his own severance pa...