Lucky Bucket IPA

Thanks to my beer-writing hobby and Mad Men, I'm trying to learn to love IPAs and whiskey.  I am  happy to report that I am making some progress with IPAs but whiskey needs some work.

Lucky Bucket was able to brew up an IPA that I can and will drink without making my standard IPA face. If handed this beer in a glass without any labels, I would be able to tell you it was an IPA at first smell/taste, but somehow the overall drinkability of this beer is high.  I really enjoyed this one.

IPA (6.3% ABV)
Lucky Bucket Brewing Company
La Vista, Nebraska

Every time I visit my parents, a part of me remembers that I love Middle America.  I really really do. I love the sunsets in my parents backyard.  I love the friendly people.  I love the ability to have a giant yard without being a millionaire.  And I truly love the lack of fenced yards.

To me, this picture sums it up.

Cheers!

New Brewery -- Somewhere in Middle America

New is kind of a relative term in my eyes.  So when I say I found a new brewery -- please don't ridicule me if you knew about it a month ago.  Also, for the next few days ... please remember that I do not live in Nebraska.  Just visiting and doing my best to stay hydrated.


According to their blog, Zipline Brewing Company first started pouring beer in their current location in Lincoln, Nebraska in November 2012.  As of today, they have a nice size taproom full of cozy seating options with limited hours (Thursday/Friday 3-8pm and Saturday 1-8pm) and their beers are on tap at a handful of bars and restaurants in and around Lincoln.  The crew just recently started bottling their brews for distribution and again, according to their blog, the first few bottles should be hitting the shelves sometime this summer.

Anyway, my mom told me about this brewery a few months ago because she works with someone involved with the brewery.  But it seems like every time I come to visit, we're always rushing around trying to see everyone and there's never any time to go out exploring.  However, thanks to my daughter who fell asleep in the car on the way home from visiting her great-grandmother - we had a little time to do some extra driving today.  And we found it...99% without using the interwebs.  Not bad.  As we approached the building, 1) my daughter woke up and 2) we realized there were not many cars around.  <They better not be closed!!!>  I parked the car and watched a guy walk in the front door.  Sweet.  Wait here kids -- mommy's going to go see if she can get some beer!  In I walk and there are 2 dudes sitting at a picnic-style table.  No beers in front of them.  I ask if they're open and of course, they are not.  I ask if I could possibly (I might have said pretty please) buy a growler.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.

A few minutes later, mommy comes skipping out of the brewery on a hellaciously windy day with a growler full of beer.  Both my mom and two year old daughter laughed.  Then my daughter pointed at the growler and said "mommy's beer" -- definitely a proud parenting moment in my book.

Copper Alt (5.2% ABV)
Zipline Brewing Company
Lincoln, Nebraska

The Copper Alt is a crowd pleasing brew...meaning that both my mom and dad (who have very different beer tastes) enjoyed it and we had no problem finishing off the growler in an afternoon.  The brewer describes it as a unique ale/lager hybrid.  If I had to compare it to something, I'm going to go with a nuttier and slightly sweeter Newcastle.  The nut flavor was obvious and the chocolate flavor was a bit more subtle.  It is a very drinkable beer.

Recommendations: put down the can of Bud Light and tell your friends to meet you here for happy hour this Friday afternoon.  Check out their website or Facebook page to double check the tap room hours (subject to change) then stop by one day and have a brew or five.  And once you see it on the shelves around town, please pick one or two up and mail them to my house. 

Historic Haymarket beer + history lesson

I've been visiting my parents for the past 6 years at their home in Lincoln.  But every time I/we go to visit, we never really go out much due to lack of time, family get togethers, the kids, etc.  However, because I was there for a while this time with only one kid, I was able to get out and do some exploring.

It's a beautiful Wednesday afternoon and after getting my daughter down for a nap, I hopped in my dad's car and my smartphone was pointing me to Empyrean Brewing Company, in the direction of the University of Nebraska.  There is a small old warehouse area currently in the process of being revitalized which is apparently called the Historic Haymarket District.  Super cute.  Will definitely revisit this area next time.

After wrestling with the parking meter and eventually giving up, I wonder into Lazlo's Brewery and Grill, next door to the building marked Empyrean Brewing Company.  Hmmm.  I'm slighly confused.

I sit down at the bar alone in Lazlo's and realize that somehow these are connected.  And by alone I mean very alone -- it's Wednesday at 2:30pm.  Whatever.  I wait a minute for the bartender to see me and then I order a beer sampler ($7.09 with tax).  Reach into my pocket and pull out my brand new phone and begin to do a little research.  Where the hell is the ON button on this new thing?  Damn, I'm getting old.

In 1991, Lazlo's Brewery and Grill opened in the current Historic Haymarket location.  In 1997, Empyrean Brewing Co. was founded (apparently this was the brewery associated with Lazlo's Brewery and Grill) and is now Nebraska's largest microbrewery.

Since I was alone in the bar, I actually took notes on each of these beers.  At the time, they seemed very legible.  Now, almost 3 weeks later, they are very illegible.  I'll do my best to decipher them below:

Chaco Canyon Gold (4.8% ABV): clean.  light.  boring.

Watch Man IPA (6% ABV):  good hop smell.  low hop taste.  very drinkable.

Burning Skye Scottish Style Ale (5.3% ABV):  sweet.  malty.  nutty?  heavy.

Luna Sea ESB (6.3% ABV):  sweet.  very sweet.  caramel sweet?  no bubble gum aftertaste like with most ESBs.

Third Stone Brown (5.3% ABV):  standard brown.  a bit too sweet but good.  very drinkable.

Dark Side Vanilla Porter (5.7% ABV):  I hate vanilla porters.  Always.  This was no different.  Didn't finish.

Collapsar Oatmeal Stout (6% ABV):  was served on nitro tap.  very smooth.  very Guinness.  good.

Super Nova Summer Fest (5% ABV):  released 3 weeks before I tested.  sour aftertaste.  bitter.  not a good summer beer in my opinion.  I didn't finish this one.

Midnight Horizon American Black (6.5% ABV):  was not on tap until I asked.  got the very first pour (after they cleaned the lines a bit).  this was VERY GOOD.  clean.  taste is IPA-ish but also stout-ish.  finished smooth and creamy like a nice clean stout but with a mild IPA taste throughout.  LOVED it.  Had another.

Seasonal Flip-Flop

Doing my best to keep things local -- even while on vacation.  So less than 24-hours after landing down somewhere in Middle America, I rolled over to the nearest Hy-Vee in my mom's awesome minivan in search of some brews.  I had to fight the urge to get some magical Hy-Vee fried chicken, which sounds stupid ... but they seriously crank out some legit fried chicken which I have for about 3 meals each year when I typically visit my parents for the Fourth of July, which I typically refer to as the Fourth of Nebrasky.  Not only does this Hy-Vee have a giant beer cave and a cold water wine chiller by the door where you can leave your brand new bottle of wine for 3 minutes (cool), 5 minutes (cold) or 7 minutes (very cold), but they have a fantastic selection of craft beers for a grocery store.

So I walked up and down the beer aisle picking out a smattering of random midwestern craft beers unavailable to me at home and where the brewery is not located within the range of my upcoming tour of craft breweries in Lincoln, Nebraska.

First up, Flip Flop Strawberry Blonde Ale from Lucky Bucket Brewing Company in La Vista, Nebraska ... a town located in the southwest suburbs of Omaha.  This seasonal brew was released a week or so ago and I was able to score in in a brewer's variety pack.  It is light and crisp and wonderful but the strawberry flavor is very faint, which in my opinion, is a good thing.  But once the weather starts to heat up and the humidity kicks in (ugh), this will be a fantastic lawnmower brew.  It will be available this summer in bottle and keg. 

Flip Flop Strawberry Blonde Ale (4.5% ABV)
Lucky Bucket Brewing Company
La Vista, Nebraska

Recommendations: If you live in an area where you can get your hands on this brew, get some.  Save it for when the weather heats up and you want a nice crisp and refreshing brew.  Put some in your fridge in the garage and pop it open after you get done with yard work.

Sending out a wish for a very Happy Mother's Day to all the beer-drinking mommies out there who love beer and read my blog.  And an extra special shout out to my mom who entertains my love of beer and tries anything I put in front of her. You are truly an amazing woman and I love you bunches!