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

Fort Collins Brewery-- Oktoberfest

After an extremely busy summer with work, I plan to hit my blog full force over the Fall and Winter months. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year, as well as the time when some of my favorite beers are available.  There is not another time of the year that has better beers. Over the next few weeks I will be outlining my favorite Autumn beers; I hope you enjoy!

First of all is an Oktoberfest I recently had the pleasure to drink. Boy was I missing out.  The most common Octoberfest beers served are a little heavier, so if that heavier beer is not what you are looking for, then this beer from Fort Collins Brewery is what you need!

Fort Collins Brewery is known for pumping out great beers, but this is one of the best beers not only from their brewery, but from any brewery. The Oktoberfest from Fort Collins Brewery is like no another Fall beer that I have had before. The sweet malt and light caramel taste will leave you wanting more on a cool Fall night. The lightness of this Oktoberfest makes it an extremely easier drinker while not giving up great taste and  good-looking color when poured into a tall pilsner glass.

Overall, this is one of my favorite Oktoberfest beers, and I am so excited that I ran across this at the grocery store. I most definitely will be buying more! This is an easy winner as one of my favorite beers of the year, and I recommend to anyone!

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:

-Brats

-Roast beef and mashed potatoes

-Coconut Flan

Beer info:

Style of Beer: Oktoberfest

ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 6.0%

Color: Malt Orange

Where to buy in the 402:

-N Street Liquor

-Hy Vee Liquor

Photo courtesy of FortCollinsBrewery.com

Boiler Brewing Company-- West Coast Wheat

After a busy winter with a few trips and work, I am back at my beer blog! For this review, I am going to be covering a great new brewery right here in our state capital. I have had the privilege to visit this place two different times and it has blown me away, both times.

As you descend the steps into the basement of the Grand Manse building, you are walking into the basement of an over one hundred year-old building.  Entering the doors into the old boiler room, the odor of hops hits your senses. Boiler Brewing Company is the name, and it is a MUST try for all of you beer lovers.

My first visit to the Boiler Brewing Co. was opening night, and when my buddy John and I looked over the menu, one of the beers stood out to me instantly. I had been looking for a beer that would be easy to have a few, but grand enough to just have one, and I found it.  West Coast Wheat hits both of these criteria. This refreshing and amazingly delicious beer is the perfect beer for a summer day.

The initial taste of hop followed by a great smooth after taste make this beer perfect for beer drinkers who aren’t huge hop fans but do love a little hop taste in their beer. After trying a few different brews, West Coast Wheat was the one I kept going back to. Most people love the mainstream wheat beers, and this one ranks right up with my favorite wheat beers: Boulevard Wheat and Shock Top. West Coast Wheat is a beer that I could drink over and over again, either while chilling and watching a game with friends or having a nice time next to the pool.

If you haven’t been to this great new brewery, it is a must! I think this will quickly become one of the best breweries in the city and even the state. Until next time, happy drinking!

Pair with these foods:

-Brats

-Grilled Chicken

-Steak

Beer info:

Style of Beer: Wheat

ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 5.5%

Color: Gold

Where to buy in the 402:

-Boiler Brewing Company 

Courtesy from http://boilerbrewingcompany.com

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!