So Saturday Stacie, Schenck, Melissa and I went to the The Great Nebraska Beer Fest at Shadowlake Town Center in Papillion. If tickets would have cost us only 15 bucks a person (like the festival of Iowa Beers will cost us next weekend), then the whole day would have been wonderful.
However, the tickets were $30 a piece, and at that price, the beer fest wasn't all that great. There was a lot of great beer, don't get me wrong, but for that price, I expected more.
With 20-25 breweries represented, he illusion of quality was there. However, some of those breweries sent nothing but a few bottles, and volunteers poured them. Not knowing anything about the specific beer.
Also, there was no free stuff. Not that I am cheapskate (read: I am a cheapskate) but for $30 a person, I want to walk outta there with some stickers, glasses, key chains... the like. When we left, all I had was a drunk (which was very nice), 2 stickers and a coozee. Bullshit.
But, instead of ragging on what I didn't like, let's get to what I did like: the beer.
(I'll go down the list of breweries and name which beer I liked best, or what I liked least or whatever.)
However, the tickets were $30 a piece, and at that price, the beer fest wasn't all that great. There was a lot of great beer, don't get me wrong, but for that price, I expected more.
With 20-25 breweries represented, he illusion of quality was there. However, some of those breweries sent nothing but a few bottles, and volunteers poured them. Not knowing anything about the specific beer.
Also, there was no free stuff. Not that I am cheapskate (read: I am a cheapskate) but for $30 a person, I want to walk outta there with some stickers, glasses, key chains... the like. When we left, all I had was a drunk (which was very nice), 2 stickers and a coozee. Bullshit.
But, instead of ragging on what I didn't like, let's get to what I did like: the beer.
(I'll go down the list of breweries and name which beer I liked best, or what I liked least or whatever.)
Upstream Brewing Co. - Omaha, Nebraska
I don't care much for Upstream, but I tried the Harvest Peach Saison and loved it. That and the Ebenezer are my two favorite beers they got.
Empyrean - Lincoln, Nebraska
I love Empyrean. My favorite from them was the Better World Wheat. I was saddened by the Cask Condiioned Lazlo's Limited Summer Ale, but only because the keg wasn't cold, and it was a very hot day out. Empyrean still wins in my book.
Lucky Bucket - Omaha, Nebraska
I first heard of Lucky Bucket last week at El Bait Shop (the best beer bar in the world). I was intrigued, but hadn't got a chance to try the Pre-Probition Style Lager yet. Well, Schenck tried it at the beer fest and did not like it. For one, it was out of a bottle. That's like going to Iron Chef and trying to serve a McNugget. I tried the Oktoberfest Sour Belgian Porter, because it was kegged, and it wasn't bad, but it wasn't great.
Thunderhead Brewery - Kearney, Nebraska
This was one of my favorite beers of the day. Thunderhead couldn't send a representive down because of a scheduling conflict and was almost going to have to pull out of the beer fest all together, but the guys from Empyrean went and picked up a keg of Grand Ale Grand Cru and had it side by side with the Empyrean beers. The Grand Ale was a wonderful wheat beer, like a wit, that made the temperature go down with every sip.
Schilling Bridge - Pawnee City, Nebraska
I tried the Cherry Wheat from these guys and I was pleasantly surprised. It came from a bottle but tasted great. Although, they have a beer called "Git-R-Done", nuff said about this brewery.
Gottberg - Columbus, Nebraska
I really liked the Tin Lizzie Hefeweizen.
Tallgrass- Manhattan, KS
I only had one of the Tallgras brews, because they were mainly darker beers and came in a tall boy can, but the Buffalo Sweat Stout was really good, and this was Stacie's favorite beer.
Boulevard - Kansas City, MO
I don't like Boulevard, so I didn't drink anything from them. But, they did bring stickers, so there's that.
Boston Beer Company - Boston, MA
Sam Adams was represented well, but only in bottle form. The dumbest thing was they had the imperial bottles on the table where everyone could see them, but they wouldn't taste them because of some Nebraska law. Bullshit. I drank the Oktoberfest.
Left Hand Brewing Company - Longmont, CO
I really like Left Hand, and if I could remember when we visited the brewery, I am sure I'd cherish the memories. I drank some Milk Stout, but it didn't taste the same with out 10 or 11 basic menthol lights.
Avery Brewing Company - Boulder, CO
I had never heard of them, apperently Schenck really wanted to go to them back in March. I loved the White Rascal belgian white. It was crisp a delicious.
Odell's - Fort Collins, CO
Another brewery we missed on our brew tour last spring, Odell's didn't impress me. THe Easystreet Wheat wasn't anything special, but I didn't hate it.
North Coast - Fort Bragg, CA
I liked the Bluestar alright, I was looking forward to trying North Coast for a long time. I was surprised to see them at the beer fest.
Breckenridge Brewing - Breckenridge, CO
I drank 2 glasses of the Vanilla Porter, and loved it. I wish I hadn't been so hung over when we went there back in March.
Schell - New Elm, MN
I drank the Lakemaid just to try it out. I remember seeing this all over Minnesota. It wasn't terrible for a lager, but I don't see myself going out of the way to drink it again.
Rock Bottom - DSM, Iowa
I hadn't tried Rock Bottom Brewery before, but I was happy with the Liquid Sun Wheat. It was very good.
Crabtree Brewing Company - Greeley, CO
This is my most memorable brewery of the day. We followed the truck to Shadow Lake, they were funny, nice and had good beers. The Ginger Beer was way better than it sounded. Also, they gave us a sticker. Great showing.
My "Best in Show" award would go to the Railroaders Brew Club. A group of homebrewers who brought the best beers I drank. Plus, they were the most energetic and social brewers of the day. The best beer was the Watermelon Wheat (served with a piece of watermelon) and a hoppy beer, served with a hop garnish. They were side by side with the South Omaha Brewers, another homebrewer club that also had some great beers.
Empyrean - Lincoln, Nebraska
I love Empyrean. My favorite from them was the Better World Wheat. I was saddened by the Cask Condiioned Lazlo's Limited Summer Ale, but only because the keg wasn't cold, and it was a very hot day out. Empyrean still wins in my book.
Lucky Bucket - Omaha, Nebraska
I first heard of Lucky Bucket last week at El Bait Shop (the best beer bar in the world). I was intrigued, but hadn't got a chance to try the Pre-Probition Style Lager yet. Well, Schenck tried it at the beer fest and did not like it. For one, it was out of a bottle. That's like going to Iron Chef and trying to serve a McNugget. I tried the Oktoberfest Sour Belgian Porter, because it was kegged, and it wasn't bad, but it wasn't great.
Thunderhead Brewery - Kearney, Nebraska
This was one of my favorite beers of the day. Thunderhead couldn't send a representive down because of a scheduling conflict and was almost going to have to pull out of the beer fest all together, but the guys from Empyrean went and picked up a keg of Grand Ale Grand Cru and had it side by side with the Empyrean beers. The Grand Ale was a wonderful wheat beer, like a wit, that made the temperature go down with every sip.
Schilling Bridge - Pawnee City, Nebraska
I tried the Cherry Wheat from these guys and I was pleasantly surprised. It came from a bottle but tasted great. Although, they have a beer called "Git-R-Done", nuff said about this brewery.
Gottberg - Columbus, Nebraska
I really liked the Tin Lizzie Hefeweizen.
Tallgrass- Manhattan, KS
I only had one of the Tallgras brews, because they were mainly darker beers and came in a tall boy can, but the Buffalo Sweat Stout was really good, and this was Stacie's favorite beer.
Boulevard - Kansas City, MO
I don't like Boulevard, so I didn't drink anything from them. But, they did bring stickers, so there's that.
Boston Beer Company - Boston, MA
Sam Adams was represented well, but only in bottle form. The dumbest thing was they had the imperial bottles on the table where everyone could see them, but they wouldn't taste them because of some Nebraska law. Bullshit. I drank the Oktoberfest.
Left Hand Brewing Company - Longmont, CO
I really like Left Hand, and if I could remember when we visited the brewery, I am sure I'd cherish the memories. I drank some Milk Stout, but it didn't taste the same with out 10 or 11 basic menthol lights.
Avery Brewing Company - Boulder, CO
I had never heard of them, apperently Schenck really wanted to go to them back in March. I loved the White Rascal belgian white. It was crisp a delicious.
Odell's - Fort Collins, CO
Another brewery we missed on our brew tour last spring, Odell's didn't impress me. THe Easystreet Wheat wasn't anything special, but I didn't hate it.
North Coast - Fort Bragg, CA
I liked the Bluestar alright, I was looking forward to trying North Coast for a long time. I was surprised to see them at the beer fest.
Breckenridge Brewing - Breckenridge, CO
I drank 2 glasses of the Vanilla Porter, and loved it. I wish I hadn't been so hung over when we went there back in March.
Schell - New Elm, MN
I drank the Lakemaid just to try it out. I remember seeing this all over Minnesota. It wasn't terrible for a lager, but I don't see myself going out of the way to drink it again.
Rock Bottom - DSM, Iowa
I hadn't tried Rock Bottom Brewery before, but I was happy with the Liquid Sun Wheat. It was very good.
Crabtree Brewing Company - Greeley, CO
This is my most memorable brewery of the day. We followed the truck to Shadow Lake, they were funny, nice and had good beers. The Ginger Beer was way better than it sounded. Also, they gave us a sticker. Great showing.
My "Best in Show" award would go to the Railroaders Brew Club. A group of homebrewers who brought the best beers I drank. Plus, they were the most energetic and social brewers of the day. The best beer was the Watermelon Wheat (served with a piece of watermelon) and a hoppy beer, served with a hop garnish. They were side by side with the South Omaha Brewers, another homebrewer club that also had some great beers.
There were some more breweries there that I didn't drink. (most notably, the Nebraska Brewing Company, who held the event. However, thanks to Julianne I do have a growler now, waiting to be filled.)
So like I said, if the tickets would have been half price, it would have been a wonderful afternoon. Instead, it was just an expensive day of drinking with some great friends. Which really, isn't all that bad in retrospect.
I fully intend on writing a review of the 6th Annual Festival of Iowa Beers next week. So stay tuned.
So like I said, if the tickets would have been half price, it would have been a wonderful afternoon. Instead, it was just an expensive day of drinking with some great friends. Which really, isn't all that bad in retrospect.
I fully intend on writing a review of the 6th Annual Festival of Iowa Beers next week. So stay tuned.
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