What could be better on a cold winter's night than some dark beers, chocolate, and Joe. I have to say that I have been at several taproom events over the past year but this is the first one I actually was part of!  The event was held at the Thunderhead Brewing Taproom in Omaha.  For the event, 125 tickets were sold which included: a flight of 4 beers, the 4 chocolates, a Thunderhead Brewing Pint Glass, and a fill of the beer of your choice in that glass.

So onto the main event! The Thunderhead dark beers that were featured included:

• Nut Brown Ale

English Brown Ale that is smooth and nutty with a hint of coffee notes.

• Cornstalker Dark Wheat

A Dark American Wheat that is roasty and malty. This beer is super easy drinking and is brewed with malted Nebraska corn.

• Calico Espresso Stout

Heavy on the espresso for an amazing bold coffee flavor. This one will wake you up. The espresso comes from the Calico Coffee Company in Kearney, Nebraska.

• Your Argument is Invalid

A Whiskey Barrel Aged Imperial Stout.  This stout is brewed then aged 12 months in fresh wet whiskey barrels. Rich, complex with noticeable floral and fruity notes. Served on nitrogen. This one is also available in 750 ml bottles.

Adam Hurt is the chocolatier that provided the amazing chocolates for the event. Adam is currently a pastry chef in Lincoln, Nebraska in addition to making chocolates.  So the following are the chocolate pairings with the beers from above.

• Blue Cheese

A dark chocolate shell filled with a gorgonzola white chocolate ganache.  Paired with Nut Brown Ale.

• Poached Pear

Chocolates by Adam's signature award winning flavor! Based on the classic French dessert, a dark chocolate shell encasing with a white wine and cinnamon pear filling.  Paired with Cornstalker Dark Wheat.

• Eggnog

Obviously a seasonal favorite. White chocolate shell with a creamy eggnog ganache. Paired with Calico Espresso Stout.

• Caliente Cacao

A white chocolate shell, filled with a spicy dark chocolate ganache and cocoa nibs.

I had a great time at the event. It is always fun to meet new people and also acquaintances that you never knew enjoyed craft beer! With this event, my son came up with a great idea for an ice breaker.  I was able to go around to each table and visit with everyone individually. After asking questions about a person's Drinking Style, Type of Beer, and Social Tendencies, I would then guess the kind of beer they liked the best. I would say I was right about 70% of the time.

Each table had a fun beer story as to whether it was a favorite beer of theirs or a place that they had visited. There were also a lot of people new to craft beer. So we chatted about what they liked about the dark beers they got to try on this cold winter's night. Oh yes before I forget, I met a very nice young couple and I hope the pictures I took outside with the snow coming down that night turned out ok!

Thanks to all who came out! Cheers!

The Thunderhead taproom in Omaha in 2017 had so many great events including a Jazz Festival, barbecues, and so many more. With the addition of their new event space, you can have wonderful parties and events. I know of a few people who have already held birthday parties, business meetings, etc.  Jake Heiliger is the manager and will help make sure you have an incredible event.  You can reach Jake via the blue link above or at the taproom:

13304 W Center Rd
Omaha, Nebraska 68144
402-802-1600