Kinkaider Brewing Company-- Oktoberfest

This week's beer of choice comes from the amazing new brew hall in the Lincoln Haymarket. Those of you who haven’t heard of Kinkaider Brewing Company should  check it out.

The original brewery sits on an awesome farm in Broken Bow, NE, and a visit to the original is a great outing. From their tasty food to their amazing beer selection, it’s a must visit; but now you don’t need to plan a road trip to enjoy their great beer. Kinkaider opened their new taproom here in the  Haymarket located south of Gate 25. A visit to this place is a must!

Being a history lover is what first drew me to Kinkaider Brewing. Kinkaider is named after the 1904 Kinkaid Act. This act was an opportunity for people to settle in the great rolling plains of what would become Nebraska. Upon registration and a fourteen-dollar fee, any settler could get 640 acres of land. These people, taking advantage of the Kinkaid Act, became known as Kinkaiders.

I could write this review about multiple beers at Kinkaider; every beer I have had there has been fantastic. With fall upon us, I am going to cover the Kinkaider Oktoberfest. This German Festbier is one of the better Oktoberfests I have had and for sure is the best Oktoberfest brewed in the state of Nebraska. Unlike Marzen style Oktoberfest beers that have an amber color, Festbier is a more deeper gold color. What makes this beer so great is the strong malt taste when it first touches your lips. This beer, unlike other Oktoberfests, has a clean and refreshing finish with low hop bitterness. The smoothness and amazing taste of this beer make it a must this fall season!

This brew will be in the running for my favorite Octoberfest of this year. Next time you are in Broken Bow, Grand Island, or Lincoln, make sure to hit up Kinkaider. Broken Bow and Grand Island both offer a full menu that is amazing. The new Lincoln location is a taproom; so while they do offer food specials at times, they do not have a full menu. Don’t let that stop you because this place is amazing! The beer is to die for and is quickly becoming my favorite brewery in the great state of Nebraska. Until next time, happy drinking!

Pair with these foods:

-Warm Pretzel

-Brat

-Pizza

Beer info:

Style of Beer: Oktoberfest Festbier

ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 5.4%

Color: Deep Gold

Where to buy in the 402:

-N Street Liquor

-Kinkaider Tap Room

courtesy of Kinkaiderbrewing.com

Green Flash Brewing Company-- Sea-To-Sea Lager

After a busy winter full of work, a trip to the Waste Management Open, and a few other family trips, I am back talking about what I love, craft beer. With the news from this last year of Green Flash Brewing Company bringing their great brew pub to Lincoln, I decided to try some of their beers. There is one that I really fell in love with.

I started by looking at the lineup of year-round beers that Green Flash offers. I have had a few of their beers, which never disappoint; however, I had not tried Sea-to-Sea Lager. When I look for beers that I want to cover on my blog, I usually look for either a very unique beer that is like nothing I have ever had, or I look for a great beer that is easy to drink, I usually refer to this in my notes as ‘tailgate’ beers. These are the brews that allow you to throw down a few without feeling like you have a beer baby.

Sea-to-Sea has checked off one of those boxes-it is one of the easiest drinking beers that I have had in some time. The light body of this beer, along with the sweet malt and fruity flavors makes this an amazing beer for any time of the year. A mix of German Malt Pilsner and Czech Hops help make this beer such an easy drinker. With the mixture of fruit, light body, and smooth crisp finish, this brew an instant staple in the Lincoln and Nebraska communities.

With the huge hype around this brewery making its way to the Midwest, I cannot wait for this brew pub to open. With their mix of great beer and a great looking food menu, Green Flash will instantly become a go-to spot in the Lincoln brewing community. Until next time, happy drinking!

Pair with these foods:

-Cheeseburger

-Brat

-BBQ

Beer info:

Style of Beer: Kellerbier (unfiltered German lager)

ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 4.0%

Color: Straw Yellow

Where to buy in the 402:

-Green Flash Brewing (Opening soon)

-N-Street Liquor 

Photo courtesy of Green Flash Brewing.com

My Top Nebraska Beers

I've had a long hiatus from my beer blog, but I was posed with a good question the other day from one of my best buds, so I decided to pursue it. He said, “You should do a list of top Nebraska- brewed beer; I’d be curious to see what you got?” This immediately got me thinking about all of the amazing beers I have had in our great state. So, after a few days of contemplating, dreaming, and tasting, I have come up with a list of my top ten Nebraska beers. Drum roll please……..

Ten:

Coming in at number ten is a great beer from a brewery I just recently visited for the first time. Benson Blonde, from Benson Brewery is a great light-bodied beer for an easy drinker any time of the year. A super refreshing beer. (5.4% ABV, golden in color)

Nine:

At number nine is a great beer from a local Lincoln staple. Chaco Canyon Gold from Empyrean Brewing Company is sold at Lazlo restaurants in Lincoln and on tap at Lazlo's restaurants and The Watering Hole. It's one of my favorite go-to beers when I can't decide what I want. Brewed using a bit of Nebraska honey, it has a sweet dry initial flavor with a bit of a hop finish. This is an amazing beer for a summer grill out. (4.8% ABV, golden color)

Eight:

Number eight comes from one of the most popular Nebraska craft breweries, ZipLine. This is one of my favorite winter ales coming in with a floral hop taste rather than the hint of nutmeg or cinnamon contained in most winter ales.  With a thick head and thyme  inish, this is truly a beer that will help keep you warm on cold winter days. (6.5% ABV, mahogany in color)

Seven:

I do love Winter Ales, and my favorite Nebraska winter ale is from out west. Snow Beast comes from Kinkaider Brewing in Broken Bow, NE. This amazing brewery is really hitting the Nebraska beer scene hard and is becoming one of my favorites. This winter ale is something special with a taste of cinnamon and creamy malt at first and ending with a huge kick of vanilla. If you need a great beer to keep yourself warm, this is one to turn to. This is a must during the cold months. (7.0% ABV, dark in color)

 
Six:

Coming in at number six is my favorite time of the year when it comes to beer. When Fall comes around, all of the great October beers come out. Specifically, Lucky Bucket Oktoberfest. It is usually available from August to October and is by far my favorite Oktoberfest beer in Nebraska and in my top five Oktoberfest beers out there. Its first taste of amazing German malt leaves you wanting more. The clean crisp finish makes it an extremely easy Fall beer to drink. If you are looking for something to sip around the bonfire, this is a must! (5.5% ABV, golden brown in color)

Five:

Do you love peaches? I sure do, and this beer brings an amazing peach flavor out. Prairie Peach Wheat from Thunderhead Brewing Company from Kearney, NE is one of the top fruit beers on the market. The first punch is amazing peach followed up by a small tart bite at the end. This is a must drink during the hot summer months. (5.0% ABV, cloudy golden in color)

Four:

With number four, I am coming in with a beer that is quickly becoming one of the more popular beers among craft drinkers. Vanilla Bean Blonde from Infusion Brewing out of Omaha, NE is simply an amazing beer. At first I was wary about trying it because often vanilla beers are over powered by the vanilla flavor; however, This one starts off with a blonde ale taste quickly followed by the Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla that is used in this amazing brew. The freshness and exact amount of sweetness make this a beer that you can drink over and over. It’s a must try this summer while sitting around the lake.  (4.8% ABV, Gold in color)

Three:

With the Bronze Medal, I am going with a newer brewery here in Lincoln, Boiler Brewing Company. I went to this great brewery the first day it opened to the public. It had West Coast Wheats that instantly became one of my favorite beers and it a favorite brewery. The initial citrus flavor followed up with a bit of a bite of hops make this a perfect mix. The hops and citrus work great together making this one of the smoothest beers on the Nebraska craft beer scene. If you are a lover of wheat and/or hoppy beer, this is a MUST try. (5.6% ABV, Golden brown in color)

Two:

The decision between one and two was a difficult one. Coming in with the Silver Medal is one of my favorite local beers. This is a beer that you can drink all day long. Brickway Pilsner has quickly become my beer of choice. This traditional Pilsner Larger comes with a solid malt taste at the start followed up by a slight hoppy finish. I truly love this beer. In fact, my fridge always has a Brickway Pilsner in it and many of my favorite local food joints have this on tap. If you are not a huge craft beer lover, this is a craft beer I think you will love. Its an easy drinker that will leave you wanting one after another. (4.8% ABV, Golden in color)

First:

Coming in with the Gold Medal is one of the first Nebraska craft beers that I sank my lips into. It's from one of my favorite local breweries, Zipline, Copper Alt is nothing short of amazing. This hybrid style beer falls somewhere between an ale and a lager and has amazing hints of hazelnut and chocolate. These two flavors working together give a fruity taste at first sip followed by a toasty grain finish. There is a reason this great beer won a gold medal at the 2015 Great American Beer Festival, and it is a must try for any craft beer drinker. (5.2% ABV, Brown in color)

This list complies some of the best beers across the great state of Nebraska. I have been to a lot of the breweries across the state, and I drink their beer regularly. I hope you all enjoy trying these local beers and help support local business in buying beers from these and all the other great breweries across our state. Until next time, happy drinking!

Kinkaider Brewing Company--Snow Beast Winter Ale

As we start the Holiday season, I am going to be reviewing a local beer that is a must for all of  you Winter Ale drinkers. Last week, as my wife and I shopped for Christmas presents, I knew the one good thing that would come out of the night was the fact that we just so happened to have LOCAL Beer, Patio and Kitchen nearby; so after a few hours of shopping we made our way to LOCAL for dinner. The first thing that popped out to me on the beer menu was a beer from Kinkaider Brewing Company out of Broken Bow, NE. The first sip had me glad I made this choice!

Kinkaider Brewing Company was opened in Broken Bow, NE by some good friends who had been home brewers for many years. The name of this company comes from the  Kinkaid Act of 1904 which revised the famous 1862 Homestead Act. In a nut shell, it gave settlers 640 acres of land for free (minus some filing fees). This Act was strictly meant for the Nebraska Sandhills, about thirty-seven counties in total. 

Enough with the history, lets get back to the beer! The beer I'm  reviewing is the Kinkier Snow Beast Winter Ale. This is one of the better Winter Ale’s that I have tasted. It starts out with an amazing cinnamon and malt mix. With this first taste you quickly think, ‘How can this get any better?’ Well, trust me, it does; after the first taste you are hit with the amazing vanilla after taste. All-in-all this beer is perfect for a cold winter day becauseit reminds you of everything that people love about the holidays. After trying it out at LOCAL, I went over to my favorite liquor store, N Street Liquor in Lincoln, NE, and I found a six pack of this beer. After looking over the bottle, I wondered why there's a snow beast on the bottle. So I lookedover the Kinkaider website and stumbled upon the legend of the snow beast:

           

            “ The Blizzard of 1949 ravaged the plains. Some say the endless winter awoke the fanged savage; others say the white furred devil brought it along with him. As if the cold, sickness & starvation wasn’t enough, folks in these parts had to fear this icy monster. The moon is bright & the still,  quiet softness the fresh fallen powder brings is deceiving. He attacks and then he’s gone. Nothing left but giant footprints and the drag marks of his prey. Beware SNOW BEAST!!” –courtesy of the Kinkaider Brewing Co. website.

I'm sure that after reading this short tale you just cant wait to get your hands on a bottle of this great beer.  Trust me, you will not regret it. This is a clear five out of five and not only a must for Winter Ale lovers but for beer lovers in general! Until next time, happy drinking!

Pair with these foods:

-Christmas Ham

-Sweet Potatos

Beer info:

Style of Beer: Winter Ale

ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 7%

Color: Dark Brown

Where to buy in the 402:

-N Street Liquor

-Avaliable on tap at different restuarants around Lincoln and Omaha

Millstream Brewing Company--Oktoberfest

When my wife and I made the trek to Chicago two weeks ago, I found myself reminiscing  about the Amana Colonies where I went with my dad when I was a boy. I had never before seen people driving buggies instead of cars and so many buildings without electricity. The quaint little town we visited is Amana, Iowa. This area is known for its Amish traditions and German inspired food and drink. This time around the stop was a little different than when I was a boy; instead of a quick coca-cola with Dad, my wife and I were stopping at one of my favorite Midwest breweries, Mill Stream Brewing Company.

After a quick stop at The Ox Yoke Inn for a tasty lunch, we sauntered down the street to my real reason for the stop, Mill Stream Brewing Company. The beers from this great place have quickly become some of my favorites. The first time I drank their brews was  in Omaha at LOCAL which is known for serving Midwest beers and food.

I instantly fell in love with the German Pilsner and Schild Brau Amber, but the beer that will be covered today is the Oktoberfest. This beer, like the other Octoberfest beers I have reviewed, has quickly moved up my list of favorite Octoberfest-style beers.  The way that this brew mixes in malty flavor with hints of spice and caramel does the mouth wonders. This beer is currently available at HopCat in Lincoln as part of their Octoberfest beer list. This is one amazing beer you need to give a try.

After having two of the Oktoberfest’s while sitting at the amazing new tap house located next to the Mill Stream Brewing, my mouth and heart were calling for more, but our trip to Chicago had to continue.  So, next time you are driving East on I-80 through Iowa, make the quick twenty minute trip off the interstate to Amana. I can guarantee you will not be disappointed. Until next time, happy drinking!

Pair with these foods:

-Mexican

-Grilled Chicken

-Pork Chop

Beer info:

Style of Beer: Oktoberfest Marzen, Amber Lager

ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 5.7%

Color: Brown

Where to buy in the 402:

-N Street Liquor

-Also on tap at HopCat for a short time

Courtesy of Mill Stream Brewing Company

Bell's Brewery-- Octoberfest Beer

This week's beer of choice was found at the HopCat brew house and restaurant in the Lincoln Haymarket district. HopCat is a new restaurant in downtown Lincoln with over 125 beers on tap; the most in Nebraska. Starting on September 15,  their first Octoberfest celebration will begin and last into October. They currently have around fifteen Octoberfest and pumpkin beers on tap.  It is a must try not only for the beer but the food as well.

This week Bell’s Octoberfest Beer is in competition with my last review of Fort Collins Brewery. Bell’s Brewery is new to the Nebraska market, coming into our fridges in May of 2016. This great brewery is located in Comstock, MI, which is a suburb of Kalamazoo, MI.  This brewery is quickly becoming popular in the Midwest and is becoming one of my personal favorites.

This Octoberfest is another one of my top 10 beers of the year. This amazing beer spends a full six weeks fermenting before it is prepared for sale.  The length of fermentation brings out the amazing flavors of toasted malt along with a slight caramel taste. The sugary coating that remains in your mouth once the beer goes down leaves you craving more. The balance of this amber lager makes it easy to forget how many you have put down. With this beer not tasting overly sweet, it is perfect for a crisp fall night.

This brew will be in the running for my favorite Octoberfest of this year, which I will reveal at the end of the season. Next week I will be bringing you another review of a great fall beer, so make sure to check in for another great brew! Until next time, happy drinking!

Pair with these foods:

-Pizza

-BBQ Chicken

-Roasted Chicken

Beer info:

Style of Beer: Oktoberfest Marzen, Amber Lager

ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 5.5%

Color: Malt Orange

Where to buy in the 402:

-N Street Liquor

-Also on tap at HopCat for a short time

Courtesy of Bellsbeer.com