An Early Visit From the Easter Bunny

Table for one please

I have many connections, but when the Easter Bunny sent me a message saying I have the most decadent coffee, coconut, and chocolate treat for you. Well my response was - I am in!

Much to my surprise, I was treated to an Hawaiian Trifecta from Boiler Brewing Company from Lincoln, Nebraska.

My ultimate trifecta - coffee, chocolate, and coconut

The trifecta comes from the three flavors of coffee, coconut, and chocolate. The nose on this beer absolutely reveals the coffee and chocolate! The coffee flavor rushes in with chocolate throughout. Midway through the coconut and sweetness of this beer takes over. The finish is very smooth and leaves those beautiful coffee notes.

This stout is so good. A very approachable one at 6% ABV. My recommendation to you is skip dessert and pour you a nice glass of the Hawaiian Trifecta!

Cheers!

My Kind of Bird Watching

So hard to capture a good photo of a cardinal in the wild

One of my favorite sounds of spring is the song of a Cardinal. Hearing it this morning reminded me that it was time to go out and search for one! Off I went as I grabbed my camera. Knowing patience isn’t one of my strengths, I was hoping to get a good shot before thirst would overcome me. It seemed today was my lucky day! I was as quiet as a mouse and got into position. A few quick pictures before this one took off!

Everyone needs a hobby, why not bird watching

Cardinal Pale Ale from Nebraska Brewing Company has long been a favorite! The nose on this one is citrus and floral. This pale ale has a nice malty backbone that pulls you in with each sip. There are nice, mild citrus notes that come through in the front and middle. The finish is nicely bitter which I absolutely love in a Pale Ale or IPA.

The hops used in the Cardinal Pale Ale are a nice combination of Cascade and Galena hops. The IBUs are 42 and this beer comes in at 6% ABV.

This beer pairs well with a lot of different food, but I love it with some good smoked pork! Matter of fact, I am planning on taking the Traeger out tomorrow and smoking some nice pork chops!

Nebraska Brewing has a wide array of amazing craft beers from pale ales to stouts! They also produce some of the most creative barrel aged beers you can imagine. I highly recommend you get your hands on some today!

Cheers!

I've Got Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

Can-O-Bliss

Cloudy and rainy today, no problem I found my glass of sunshine! Can-O-Bliss from Oskar Blues Brewery is a Tropical IPA with amazing citrus, stone fruit, and peach notes. Nice and crisp with a nice amount of carbonation. The mouthfeel is soft and the finish has a little hoppiness that makes any IPA lover’s day!

I completely enjoyed this IPA and to be honest couldn’t believe it was a 7.2% ABV beer. If you get the chance, this is one worth trying!

Cheers!

We Have a Jailbreak!

Such a Modest Hop

How could I resist a Juice and Desist from Kros Strain Brewing Company! The first little thing I need to share is that this is my first canned beer from Kros Strain, and it was so fresh and amazing! This hazy double IPA is masterpiece of mango and citrus flavor in a completely approachable IPA. As I was drinking this beer, I completely forgot that it was a 9.4% ABV beer!

I was taken in by the soft and full mouth feel and the flavor provided by the hop blend of Amarillo, Simcoe, and Citra hops. So glad to have this one locally!

When it comes to extraordinary IPAs, Kros Strain Brewing has you covered!

Cheers!

Mr. Peanut Would Appreciate This One ... May He RIP

I always look forward to when the Infusion Brewing Company Peanut Butter Stout comes out in the fall. This year was even more special because they also made the stout available in bombers!

I saved mine up for a few months and today just felt like one of those days to crack open that bottle and take in the chocolate and peanut butter aroma. There is over 23 pounds of peanut butter that goes into this stout, so you know that flavor is bound to come through!

The body of this beer is full and robust with lots of chocolate and toffee notes throughout. It has a real nice dryness that goes so well with the peanut butter. Sometimes you get a peanut butter stout that is just too sweet - not this one it is well balanced.

The finish is nice and smooth with just a touch of lactose which adds to that. The lingering roasted chocolate notes and peanut flavor hang on for some time which I really like.

A great limited release that comes in a 6.8% ABV and has me thinking that I should have stocked up more of these to get me through to next fall.

Cheers!

Restless Nights

I love a good collaboration beer!

When it comes to searching out unique brews, I am always up for trying one! Boulevard Brewing Co and Modern Times Beer teamed up on a coffee porter. This is not your typical coffee porter. This is a fresh porter blended with a barrel age porter. Oh, it gets better! There are 10 varieties of malted barley, wheat, and oats. So that explains the soft and smooth mouthfeel! The finishing touch to this brew is resting it on bourbon barrel aged coffee for a couple of days. I am so curious as to whose coffee they used. I love bourbon barrel aged coffee and have a favorite in my backyard.

Such great coffee aroma in this beer. I enjoyed the creamy head as it fades to a medium to bold coffee flavor. There are hints of bourbon, but nothing to overpower the coffee. The finish is silky and a little bit of sweetness. Overall an excellent coffee porter that comes in a 7.5% ABV.

I think I am going to save a few of these so when I have a restless night looking for an excellent coffee porter, I have some.

Cheers!

The Real Champagne of Beers - Bridges in the Sky

Cosmic Eye Brewing - Cheers to Your 1 Year Anniversary!

You know the one-year anniversary beer needs to be a pretty special. Cosmic Eye Brewing choose a great style of beer for the occasion! The Brut IPA is a style that hasn’t been around for a very long time. This slightly hazy and bright IPA is dry, crisp, and just a wee bit tart. The science geek in me wants to tell you all about the special enzyme used to gobble some of those extra sugars that helps make this beer nice and dry. Well as a disclaimer, I was lucky to get out of high school without having to take chemistry so you’re on your own for the technical details!

I love the hoppiness of the beer, but it is really hard to tell what type of hops were used. This builds the intrigue around Bridges in the Sky! Maybe someday, I can get the Master Brewer to let me in on the secret.

If you haven’t tried a Brut IPA, it is a style definitely worth getting to know. Cosmic Eye definitely nailed this one!

Make your way to Lincoln, Nebraska and get to know the beers of Cosmic Eye Brewing. The taproom has a great atmosphere and I challenge you to leave without grabbing some beer to go.

Cheers!

Adding Up All of the Flavors in This Single Barrel

Single Barrel Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout

Well my adding machine has seen better days, but I thought I might need it to tally all of the flavors in the White Elm Brewing Company Single Barrel Stout! I can’t imagine the about of malt that went into this beer. The front end of this stout is sweet with notes of molasses. Silky mouth feel lets you take in the chocolate and vanilla notes. The finish is very warming letting you know that this stout has definitely been barrel aged!

Single Barrel comes in at 12% ABV. The sweetness and warming will make anyone think of this beer for dessert or for a nice warmer on a cold winter’s night.

White Elm Brewing makes some big stouts and this is another great one! If you make it to Lincoln, Nebraska check them out!

Cheers!

Unidragons Do Exist

Snowy nights call for a great Russian Imperial Stout

There is no denying that I am a Clown Shoes fan especially their stouts. Blaecorn Unidragon - interesting name for a fantasy beast! Part Black Unicorn and part Soul Dragon makes the artwork standout for this mythical beast.

This 2018 Russian Imperial stout comes in at a healthy 11.5% ABV and 75 IBUs. Right away, my attention goes to the molasses notes inside of this robust stout. The dark malts lend to a little bit of sweetness upfront with hints of chocolate that warms your senses as it goes all the way down. The finish has coffee notes and is dry with a slightly bitter edge which lets you know that there is a good amount of hops present!

This is definitely a great time of the year for me! An imperial stout that is as good as Blaecorn Unidragon makes me want a cold, snowy night so I can warm up with an enjoyable brew.

Cheers!

Jack Plane Porter

All the way from Sante Fe

I like doing some barbecue especially when I get to see how the smoke from the different kinds of wood impact the flavor. My son was travelling to Sante Fe, New Mexico and made his way to the Second Street Brewery. He called me to say that he found a very good Porter that has malts smoked with cherry wood. I was very excited for him to bring this one back!

The Jack Plane Porter is an imperial porter coming in at 8.0% ABV and 60 IBUs. Nice legs on this one as you swish it in your glass. The combination of both chocolate and black malts gives it a deep, roastiness that is throughout the beer. The slight smoke lends to the overall robustness of this brew.

I am a fan of bold coffee, so I love how big and bold this Porter is! What an excellent way to kick off the new year! I highly recommend this porter if you get a chance to try it!

Cheers!

Five Popular Blondes...

The Happy Raven in Lincoln, Nebraska

Five Popular Blondes side by side in a craft beer bar. You thought this was going to be a blonde joke, didn’t you? Well this was a night for people who are serious about amazing coffee in a great blonde ale!

The wonderful, smooth blonde ale from First Street Brewing Company in Hastings, Nebraska is the base for all of the variants. When talking with Nathan Hoeft, co-owner and head brewer, he told me this has been a project he has always wanted to do. I think I have met my match when it comes to someone that loves great coffee as much as I do!

The First Street sign looks great on the wall at the Happy Raven

• Popular Blonde (original)

  Subtle but present coffee flavor. Very smooth and enjoyable from front to end. This blonde will have your attention for hours!

  Coffee: Populace Coffee via Art Bar

• This Blonde's Got Clout

  When you make a beer with bourbon barrel aged coffee you get so many interesting things going on! Bourbon and coffee aroma with bourbon up front and a rich coffee flavor in the middle and finish. This is one sophisticated blonde!

  Coffee: Clout Coffee Company

• Ferrari Blonde

  This variant is produced with a wonderful Kona coffee blend. Deep, rich coffee flavor captivates your senses and has you thinking about a walk on the beach. This is your dream date blonde!

  Coffee: Mark Ferrari Specialty Coffees

• Cultivated Blonde

  This well-read blonde has a spicy side. The coffee has a very intriguing spiciness to it. I need to learn more about the coffee because I am hooked on it!

  Coffee: Cultiva Coffee

• Milling About Blonde

  This is the shy blonde of the group. As you take that first sip you know there is coffee, but it doesn’t announce itself until the middle and finish. Very nice coffee flavor with a little edge that says I can be a little mysterious too!

  Coffee: The Mill Coffee & Tea

Thanks Happy Raven for hosting such a fun event!

If you can make it to Hastings, Nebraska to First Street Brewing, Jessi and Nathan Hoeft will greet you like family and I know you will have a wonderful time!

I will try to keep you posted when the different Popular Blondes are released and please follow First Street Brewing Company on social media for the latest.

Cheers!

Tall, Dark, and Delicious

I am always intrigued by a barrel aged Russian Imperial Stout, especially one I have kept for at least a year. I picked up this Kinkaider Brewing Company bomber last winter. The stout was bottled on November 28th in 2018. So, it has been almost exactly one year before opening it.

The beer is a little mysterious in that the bottle says it was aged in Wyoming Whiskey Bourbon barrels. So not sure exactly if it is different barrels that are blended or not. The research that I found says it was aged for 13 months. That is a long time!

The aroma is very light on the whiskey side. Not a lot in terms of a head on this beer. But let me tell you the first sip is packed with lots of deep chocolate notes with a hint of oak. I get a nice whiskey flavor that is not overpowering. The body of the beer is very silky and soft.

An 11% ABV that is so delightful. I love the slight warmth of the beer as it goes down. This is a great choice on a cold, winter night!

Kinkaider Brewing is located in Broken Bow, Nebraska. They also have a taproom/restaurant in Grand Island and a taproom in Lincoln, Nebraska. I hope you visit them soon!

Cheers!

 

Shaking It Up With OJ's Bronco

A happy group with their OJ’s Bronco

I remember last year drinking the OJ’s Bronco for the first time and was completely consumed by the flavor. The notion of a “Milkshake IPA” was new to me. I believe this was either my first or second one.

Pint Nine Brewing Company has done a great job with the hop profile of this beer. The Mosaic and El Dorado hops bring this wonderful citrus, peach, and apricot flavor that is so well pronounced up front. Then the addition of lactose (there’s the milkshake part) provides this smooth, soft mouth feel and sweetness in the middle. The finish balances out with just a little hop bitterness. The ABV comes in at 7.3% but you would never guess that.

Well the group is loving OJ’s Bronco, except for Frankenstein who is still confused over the whole milkshake thing. So glad to see Pint Nine Brewing had this in 4-packs to go!

Happy Halloween & Cheers!

Can I get Some Coffee in my Cream Ale?

I must admit I am a newbie when it comes to Cream Ales. The first time I heard of the style name, I was thinking it must be a lactose-based ale. In reality there is no cream, but the style came about in the mid 1800’s in the United States. The idea was to make an ale that drinks like a lager. Cold fermented and light body is the goal of the style. To me it reminds me of a Kolsch but lighter.

When Code Beer Co created a Coffee Cream Ale, I was all in! Not overpowering in aroma or flavor but well balanced with the Sumatra coffee that Code Beer uses. The coffee comes from The Mill Coffee & Tea in Lincoln, Nebraska. Another ingredient that adds to the light body of this beer is some flaked corn.

What I enjoyed about this beer, is the coffee forward flavor then you get light saltiness in the middle and a little sweetness in the end. The mouth feel is soft. So much flavor in this very easy drinking beer that comes in at 5.5% ABV!

As a native Nebraskan, I enjoy the fact also that Code Beer’s Cream Ales are made with hops and grains from Nebraska! My introduction to Cream Ales has been very enjoyable and look forward to trying them more often. Thanks Code Beer for making the introduction.

Cheers!

It's Moving Day and I Need an IPA

It was two weeks ago and the hottest day of the summer to be moving. The only thing that could have made it somewhat bearable is the Moving Day IPA from Lost Way Brewery in Holdrege, Nebraska.

This 7.2% ABV IPA is a nicely carbonated IPA with a light citrusy, herbal flavor up front and a caramel, semi-sweet body. The hop profile consist of Citra, Amarillo, and Ekuanot hops. The finish has just enough hop bitterness that reminds you - yes this is an IPA!

Lost Way Brewery does a great job of rotating a wide variety of beers on their 8 taps! You have choices from Blonde Ales to Porters. Always a great IPA available with other styles including Saisons and Amber Ales.

I guarantee you will love the taproom and the people there!

Cheers!

Set your compass and find your way to Lost Way Brewery

Beam Me Up!

It is rare style of beer to find especially one that is good as Beam Me Up. This Scottish Ale comes from Brewery 719 in Alliance, Nebraska.

Brewery 719 is one of Nebraska’s newest breweries that opened earlier this year and resides in the northwest part of the state. Named after the locomotive history of Alliance, Brewery 719 is crafting some wonderful brews in the panhandle of Nebraska.

A nice amber color that holds the sweet, caramel flavor up front that lingers in this easy drinking ale. The finish has just a touch of bitterness that finds its way in to complete this very nice beer.

Was thankful for a friend that brought this Scottish Ale back to Omaha and I am looking forward to trying more Brewery 719 beers!

Cheers!

Tame The Wild

Your instructions are to bring back something from the wild because the zookeeper needs to make some additions to the zoo. Lo and behold, you explorations take you across the globe and you discover an IPA that hits the mark on what the zookeeper asked for. The zookeeper looks in bewilderment, but smiles and takes the six pack.

Zookeeper IPA from Empyrean Brewing Co out of Lincoln, Nebraska is part of their limited collection and helps benefit Lincoln Children’s Zoo.

Zookeeper IPA is part of Empryean Brewing Co’s limited collection. This IPA for me has a lot of grapefruit citrus flavor upfront with just a hint of sweetness. The finish has a nice amount of hop bitterness. The hop blend is Citra and Simcoe coming in at 58 IBUs. The ABV is 5.5% making it a nice session IPA!

Empyrean Brewing Co is one of Nebraska’s oldest craft beer breweries. I enjoy many of their beers especially when having a great dinner at Lazlo’s Brewery & Grill in Lincoln and in Omaha.

I highly recommend checking them out. Cheers!

Abuelita - Not Your Grandma's Chocolate

White Elm Brewing Company never disappoints when it comes to the stouts they brew. Abuelita is a milk stout with cocoa nibs and cinnamon.

Give this one a little time to rest coming out of the can. As the beer warms and the carbonation subsides, is when it is at its best for me.

This smooth stout has lots of chocolate up front and finishes with a distinct cinnamon ambiance. This is definitely a nice after dinner beer or night cap. I highly recommend trying it out!

Cheers!

Your Friend Death

Your Friend, Death from Cosmic Eye Brewing breaks the principle of Yin and Yang. The balance of power shifts to the darkness after your first sip of this beer! This incredible imperial, oatmeal stout is deep and sophisticated and stops all notion of time.

There is so much chocolate flavor upfront in this beer that comes only from the malts. The finish is roasty and grabs your attention telling you to have more! All memories of light slowly fade and now you live only for the darkness you get from Your Friend, Death.

Cheers!

Everything Has Eyes

Eye opening Post Haze IPA

A wise old owl told me that I must try Everything Has Eyes from Cosmic Eye Brewing.

This hazy IPA has lots of citrus and pine aroma. The Cascade and Simcoe hops provide the citrus flavor upfront with a nice bit of hop bitterness in the finish. The mouthfeel is very smooth!

This IPA comes in at 5.8% ABV with 55 IBU. A very tasty IPA if you dare to take it away from the owl!

Check out other Cosmic Eye beers. Cosmic Eye Brewing is located in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Cheers!