Ploughshare Brewing Company- Farm Boy Cream Ale

It was pouring rain as I ran to my car with my wife and brother in-law, and on the way  we found a brewery in Lincoln that we had never visited. The name, Ploughshare instantly stood out and is a perfect fit for our agriculture-based state. Ploughshare Brewing Company is a relatively new brewery on the Lincoln scene, and it does not disappoint!

It opened in July of 2014, and I have wanted to hit up this tap room for some time, so I finally got to enjoy a great brew from Ploughshare last week when we came in out of the rain! Not only do they offer amazing beer brewed on site, it also offers a great made-from-scratch menu based on products from Nebraska producers and farmers.

The first beer that I tired was one of the best selling beers at Ploughshare: Farm Boy- Cream Ale. This is amazingly smooth session ale, with very light hops. If you are someone who doesn’t like drifting far from a light-bodied beer, this is the one for you. This beer goes down smoothly with a light-body and crisp taste; this beer is extremely refreshing.  Not only is this beer amazing, but the atmosphere of the establishment is second to none. With the British Pub style taproom, you can order your beer from the bar and sit wherever you’d like. There are two floors, so there are many options to sit and mingle with your friends while you enjoy one of the best beers in the Midwest. Until next time, happy drinking!

Pair with these foods:

-Brats

-Chicken and dumplings

-Bangers and Mash

Beer info:

Style of Beer: Session Ale

ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 4.8%

Color: Gold

Where to buy in the 402:

-Ploughshare Brewing Company

Broking Compass Brewing Company- Chili Pepper Pale Ale

A few months ago I was lucky enough to receive a growler from my brother-in-law, Andy, from the Broken Compass Brewing Company, an up and coming brewery in Breckinridge, CO. When Andy first told me about this beer, I was pretty hesitant to try it. More about that later...

First, here's a little background of this fairly new brewery in Breckinridge.  The brewery officially opened last summer by three men with backgrounds in chemical engineering and love for in- home brewing. Now these three brewers are helping to make Summit County a go to place for beer lovers.

Back to my hesitancy in tasting the beer; when I saw the name Chili Pepper Pale Ale, I initially mused, ‘Who the hell wants to drink chili pepper beer?’ To my surprise, this is one of the smoothest beers I have ever had. The aroma and taste of five different chili peppers gives a hot and flavorful first sip, but flows down the throat with such ease that it leaves you wanting more. Pair this brew with some fish tacos, and you will be having yourself one hell of a food/beer pairing.

Overall, this is by far one of the smoothest flowing beers I have ever had. My wife and I will be heading to Breckinridge in August, and, as we make our way to the mountains, we will be stopping at a few breweries in Fort Collins and Denver, but the one I am most anxious to visit is the Broken Compass Brewing Company in Breckenridge. Until next time, happy drinking!

Pair with these foods:

-Fish Tacos

-Chips and Salsa

-Pork Chops

Beer Info:

Style of Beer: Pale Ale

ABV: 7.0%

Color: Gold

Where to buy in the 402:

-Not available in the 402, but watch this one because this brewery is going to go places. Hopefully coming to the 402 in the near future!

Renegade Brewing Company- Consilium Pale Ale

Hello beer lovers! It's been too long since my last review, so to kick off the awesome spring weather, I have decided to pump out a few reviews. Let me start with a brew I had at Longwells. Last night I attended the World Champions of Tennis at the Pinnacle Bank Arena with my wife and a few friends. After a great time, we went across the street to Longwells, one of my favorite Haymarket bars. It just so happened it was pint night with a Denver brewery in the house, known as Renegade Brewing Company. Little did I know, this was going to be an amazing tasting brew!

My buddy gave me the choice, either oatmeal stout or pale ale. Neither of these are   in my wheel house, but I gave the pale ale a try. My taste buds were so happy that I chose this great tasting brew. As I thought about the beer, I looked up the brewery on my phone and came across this brews name, which is, consilium, meaning purpose and wisdom. The part that stuck out to me was purpose; this beer has a purpose, a purpose to make your taste buds explode with a rush of barley and oats!

For those of you who are not the biggest PA fans, I would suggest giving this brew a try anyway. The accent of oats and orange peel make this a great tasting and refreshing beer that it will be hard to not have more then one.  Renegade Brewery is new to me, but I definitely will be trying more of their beers. Please give this brew and brewery a try because it won’t disappoint! Until next time, happy drinking!

Pair with these foods:

-Pizza

-BBQ

-Warm pretzels

Beer info:

Style of Beer: Pale Ale

ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 5%

Color: Dark Golden Reddish gold

Where to buy in the 402:

-N Street Liquor

-Hy Vee

-Super Savor

-On tap at Longwells

Photo courtesy of Renegade Brewing Company

Shiner Brewery- Holiday Cheer

Season’s greetings! It has been a few weeks since my last beer review, so I wanted to make sure I would get this one done before the holidays. This, by far, is one of my favorite holiday beers. So, if you're looking for a great beer to drink during your family holidays, I have the perfect one for you.

Shiner Brewery is an absolute love of mine, and their Holiday Cheer is clearly the best holiday beer around. This beer derives from the southern German beer, Dunkelweizen. Drunkel means dark so this is a darker beer. What is so amazing about this brew is the fact that it has very low bitterness. The first taste that hits your mouth is the taste of peaches and pecans. These two flavors compliment one another in a way I have never tasted in another beer. The caramelized malts give this a very rich and warm body, making Holiday Cheer a perfect beer for the cold day blues!

If you are a fan of darker malty beers, I insist that you try this, and if you are a lover of pecans and peaches, I guarantee this is a beer for you. I hope that all of my readers have a happy holiday and enjoy time spent with family and friends. Until next time, happy drinking! Have a Holiday Cheer for me!

Pair with these foods:

-Turkey

-Pecan Pie

-Ham

Beer info:

Style of Beer: Dunkelweizen

ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 5.4%

Color: Dark Golden Brown

Where to buy in the 402:

-N Street Liquor

-Hy Vee

-Super Savor

3 Floyds Brewing Company- Zombie Dust

Continuing on my Chicago beer reviews, I move onto one of the best micro breweries in the United states, 3 Floyds Brewing Company. Back in August, I was relaxing in the basement watching one of my favorite shows, Brew Dogs on Esquire TV. Little did I know, this episode they were going to be brewing a beer in Chicago. Half way through the show they listed the Chicago areas best breweries, what stood atop the list? 3 Floyds Brewing Company!  As Leigh and I planned our trip to Chicago, I knew this was going to be the first place that we went!

I will be reviewing two different brews from this great brewery, first of, is one of the best IPAs I have ever had, and it just so happens to have an awesome Halloween theme name. The brew is Zombie Dust and after drinking about four of these you feel like a zombie! These is one of the more intense hoppy beers I have ever had, but mix this with the pale malts used to make this beer work with each other in an amazing fashion. I am usually not the biggest fan of IPAs, but this is clearly one of the better ones I have had. I paired this beer with a peperoni and spinach pizza, the taste of the pizza sauce and spinach work great with this brew, really bringing out the flavors in the food as well as the hoppy flavors of the beer.

Overall, this brewery is just awesome, not only do they have amazing beer, but also the food is to die for! Sadly, this beer is not available in the 402, so next time you are in Munster, IN, make a quick stop at 3 Floyds, as they do have cases of beer to go, and you know I did not leave there without one! Until next time, happy drinking!

Pair with these foods:

-Peperoni  

-Pizza

-Hot Pretzel  

Beer Info:

Style of Beer: Pale Ale

ABC (Alcohol by Volume): 6.2%

Color: Light

Where to buy in the 402:

-Not avalable in the 402