Adventures in Home Brewing

After visiting so many awesome local breweries, I wanted to try brewing myself, so a few weeks ago I hung out with my friends Steve and Eli and we made ourselves some Irish Stout (aka, knockoff Guinness). It was not the glamorous, high-tech process I originally imagined, but it sure was fun. Here's a general breakdown of how the magic happened.

Sanitizing- One of the most important lessons I’ve learned from visiting breweries is that the work is about 90% sanitizing and only 10% actual brewing. So the first step was to sterilize our equipment.

Pouring and Stirring- Next we heated up the water and added the stout mix and the malts. After that cooled we added the yeast and sealed it up.

Waiting- The beer sits in the bucket for about 5 days while the yeast does its thing.

Bottling- We used tubing to siphon the beer into bottles from the bottom up. You can either buy new bottles or just clean and reuse your old pry-off bottles. This batch filled 43 12oz bottles.

More Waiting- The beer sits out in bottles for a week, then in the refrigerator for another week before they’re completely ready to drink.

Drinking- The fun step! This batch ended up lighter than a traditional Guinness, but it came out clean and tasty.

Now, this was the totally unscientific, bare basics explanation for what is actually a pretty complex process. There’s a lot of work that goes into making a recipe for a specific kind of beer, but by using a mix, we were able to bypass that step. There are tons of different mixes and brew kits available online. You can also read some more in-depth descriptions from professionals who know what they’re talking about here and here. Once you purchase all the initial equipment, buying mixes for new batches is relatively inexpensive. If you get a chance, home brewing is a fun experiment that will delight your inner beer lover.

Lucky Bucket Brewing Co. and Cut Spike Distillery- La Vista, NE

I’m back! Many apologies for the brief hiatus. Between school and the Thanksgiving holiday, I have (surprisingly) not had much time for beer lately. But the good news is that I have lots of great articles coming up in the next week, so I promise, the wait will be worth it.

First up is my review of Lucky Bucket Brewing Co. and Cut SpikeDistillery in La Vista. Both of these fine establishments are housed under the same roof, so you’re really getting two tours for the price of one! They offer tours Wednesday-Friday at 5:30 and Saturday at noon, 1:30, and 3. It costs just three dollars per person and includes a free beer. Even better, right now there’s a Groupon available that includes 2 tours and four additional drinks for $15. Tours last about half an hour and cover Lucky Bucket’s history, the brewing and bottling process on the brewery side, and the distilling process on the Cut Spike side.

In the brewery, Lucky Bucket produces their IPA, HeartlandWheat, Pre-Prohibition Style Lager, and Certified Evil (the black-hearted Imperial Porter). In addition to their lineup of year round brews, they also produce four seasonal beers for distribution as well as a variety of specialty beers that are only available in the tasting room. This includes lots of small batch and cask beers that you won’t find anywhere else. The tasting room also has some really tasty infused vodka cocktails, so there’s something there for everyone.

On the other side of the fence sits the distillery. Cut Spike Distillery produces barrel-aged rum, single malt whiskey, and premium vodka. I got to sample the rum and vodka on the tour, and let me tell you, they did not disappoint. Cut Spike may have produced the smoothest vodka I’ve ever tasted. It was great. Their rum isn’t flavored with a bunch of different sugars and spices, but it is aged for a full year in old Cut Spike Whiskey barrels, so it is not lacking on taste. Although they make delicious rum and vodka, Cut Spike’s true star is their single malt whiskey. Each batch is painstakingly prepared and aged for two years in oak barrels. Their first batch, which was released in 2012, sold out entirely. It was that good. Cut Spike Distillery released their second batch of whiskey on November 12^th, so go get a bottle before it’s gone again.

This is another really fun tour and I would highly suggest checking it out. They serve up great beer and cocktails and the tour is definitely worth your three bucks. Check out their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for special announcements and upcoming events, and if you’ve got some free time this weekend, head over and have yourself a delicious drink.

Zipline Brewing Co.- Lincoln, NE

One of Lincoln’s fastest up-and-coming breweries is Zipline Brewing Company. Ever since their official opening in 2012, the folks at Zipline have been dedicated to producing innovative and high-quality craft beers for the thirsty people of Nebraska. The Zipline brewery and Taproom sits just off Highway 77 on West O. Due to their current brewery expansion, I was unable to take an official tour of Zipline’s facilities, but I was able to spend last Thursday night enjoying the taproom. Although somewhat hidden in a warehouse building, the inside of the taproom is warm, inviting, and a great place to unwind and have a nice brew.

Since public tours are on hiatus, I reached out to founder and head brewer Marcus Powers to get some inside information on what’s been happening at Zipline. Powers’ original career path was in environmental law, but once he discovered his passion for brewing, things started falling into place.

“I started brewing in the middle of the winter and made terrible beer for the first few batches. Then, a light came on. I started reading every brewing book I could find with the same study ethic I used in law school. Eventually, I got really good at brewing and people started to notice—including my now-partners in Zipline.”

Once the current expansion is complete, Zipline will have doubled their brewing capacity. This is big news for beer lovers because it means Zipline will be turning out lots of “brave new brews” in the upcoming year.

“We have our German-Style Kölsch coming into the year round lineup of six packs this month. We also are releasing our Brave New Brew Limited Series four packs later this month. That will include higher gravity, edgier beers like Black IPA, Belgian Pale Ale, Harumeku Saison, and about three more. We are elevating our efforts on barrel aging. Except to see more barrel aged releases from us in 2015. Finally, we have a centrifuge in operation now that allows us to spin our beer instead of filtering it. This will let us retain more body and flavor in the beer, and specifically enhance our hopping abilities. We’re looking forward to dry hopping lots of hoppy beers in 2015.”

Kölsch

Look for the Kölsch in stores any day now; sources tell me that this new six pack will hit stores within the next week or two. The Barrel-Aged Barleywine Ale is next in line, and the highly anticipated Black IPA will hopefully be released around Thanksgiving. (I will be posting a Brew Review of these new beers as soon as I can, so stay tuned!) In the meantime, there is a huge variety of beer in all styles and flavors available at the Zipline taproom.

“Our American Tripel is an absolute treat, brewed with Mosaic hops which lend a deep stone fruit and berry character to the classic Tripel style. And, it’s hard not to fall in love with the Chocolate Double Stout that’s on tap right now. Get a taste of that one while it lasts.”

Chocolate Double Stout

In addition to knowing the value of top-quality brewing, the people at Zipline also know the value of giving back to the community and were recently awarded the 2014 Small Business of the Year Award by the LincolnChamber of Commerce. 

“It was a great honor to win that award, mostly because it comes from our own community. We set out with a mission to tie deeply with Lincoln because that’s where you’re most ardent fans hail from. We ask people to drink local, and so we reciprocate by supporting many local non-profit events and organizations in the quest to make Lincoln a better place to live. It’s a great synergy and we hope to keep it alive.”

If you’re interested in learning more about Zipline and this awesome award, you can watch the Chamber of Commerce interview here. Finally, I asked Marcus if he had any words of wisdom for aspiring young brewers, and he offered up this advice:

“This can be a very rewarding career, but it’s a lot of mental and physical work. Be prepared to push yourself to limits you never thought possible. Most important: always, always, always focus on beer quality before anything else.  If you don’t care about making a great beer every batch, this field is not for you.”

Thanks to Marcus for taking the time to answer my questions. (Let me know if you’re interested in reading the interview in its entirety, and I would be glad to post it.)

Make sure you follow Zipline on Facebook and Twitter to stay informed of all their upcoming events, and stop by the taproom Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3-8pm, Fridays from 3-9pm, and Saturdays from 1-9pm to show them some love. I’m expecting big things from them in 2015 and I hope you’re excited to see what they roll out next!

Brew Review: Halloween Edition!

Happy Halloween! It's one of my favorite holidays, and I am pretty excited. Although I am now and adult (and will probably consume a few adult beverages throughout the night), I still love to relive my childhood and use Halloween as an excuse to eat some of my favorite candies. This year, I decided to combine the two, and I compiled a list of the best Nebraska craft beers to pair with your leftover Halloween treats. This post was inspired an article from Craft Beer and Brewing titled “Craft-Beer Pairings for Halloween Candy.” Make sure you check out their original post for more great beer and candy combos. 

Caramel Candies: Luna Sea ESB- Empyrean Brewing Company

This sweet, yet crisp beer is the perfect brew to cut through all that sticky caramel.

Milk Chocolate: Buffalo Sweat Oatmeal Cream Stout- Tallgrass Brewing Company (Manhattan, KS)

 This one isn’t technically a Nebraska Brew, Buffalo Sweat Oatmeal Cream Stout pairs well with the sweetness and creaminess of milk chocolate.

Sour Gummies: New Zealand IPA- Zipline Brewing Company

This IPA is packed with citrus and fruity flavors and the bitterness of the beer can easily standup to the sweet and sour flavors of your favorite gummy candy.

Snickers: Nut Brown Ale- Zipline Brewing Company

Zipline’s Nut Brown isn’t as overtly sweet as other brown ales on the market, which makes it the ideal counterpart to a sweet and nutty Snickers bar.

Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans: Espresso Porter- Modern Monks

If you’re looking for a little pick-me-up to get you through the night, this combination is definitely a winner.

Bonus: If you’re already looking forward to Thanksgiving, try Modern Monk’s Autumn Bomb Pumpkin Pie Ale. It has all the spices and flavors of a real pumpkin pie, so it's extra delicious. Almost as good as the real thing. 

Leave a comment and let me know your favorite candy/beer pairing. And whatever beverages you're consuming, have a safe and happy Halloween! 

Farnam House Brewing Company

Located in the heart of Omaha’s Midtown, Farnam HouseBrewing Company is one of the newest craft breweries to hit Nebraska. They opened their doors on June 30^th, 2014 and have been serving up hand crafted brews and delicious locally sourced food ever since.

Over the years, their building has housed everything from a fur retail and storage facility to a pizzeria, but, being located next to the infamous Beer Corner USA (home of Crescent Moon, Huber-Haus, Max & Joe’s, and Beertopia), it was only fitting that a craft brewery would find its home at 36^th and Farnam.

Last weekend I had the privilege of taking a tour with brewmaster Phil Doerr to see what goes on behind the scenes at Farnam House. The building’s surprisingly spacious basement is the perfect place to house all the brewing equipment, with plenty of room for potential expansion. Phil, who is a longtime home brewer, took me step by step through the brewing process. In addition to all their state of the art equipment, the basement at Farnam House is also home to a vintage bike, a disco ball, and several jugs of homemade cider. Although the cider won’t be available to the public this year, there is talk of brewing a cider/beer hybrid in the near future.

Upstairs they have 10 beers on tap ranging from the light Graetzer Smoked Polish Wheat to the dark and aptly named Taft American Stout. While I was there I tried the Farnam House Keller, the Oktoberfest, and the Hop Harvest Saison (which I would highly recommend). Although their beers aren’t available in stores, they do have growlers for sale at the bar so you can always take some home with you.

Keller and Pierogi

Farnam House is so much more than beer. Their food selection is unique and inventive, and I couldn’t wait to try some new dishes. Everyone I know who has eaten at Farnam House has raved about the pierogi, so I knew I had to try them. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed. Pierogi are a kind of potato dumpling with white cheddar cheese, creamed leeks, and little chunks of crispy bacon. So tasty. They were devoured in a matter of seconds. They also make giant soft pretzels out of the brewery’s spent grain, so that’s on the list for next time. They have so many tasty looking starters that you could easily fill up on apps and bar snacks, but they also have an impressive selection of entrees. Almost everything on their menu is made in house, from scratch. They frequently roll out specialty items, so keep an eye on their Facebook and Twitter feeds. Farnam House has great beer, delicious food, and is a great addition to the budding Nebraska beer scene.

To read more, check out this awesome review from last week’s Omaha World Herald.