This
week we enjoyed the hospitality of Thunderhead Brewing in Kearney, NE.
Trevor and crew gave us a great reception and we would highly recommend visiting his pub.
Tiny Tim:
Tiny Tim is an international Gold award winning Bragget. Listen to the
show for more details of this outstanding brew. If you are fortunate
enough to be near Kearney this weekend Trevor may have some of this
limited edition beer on tap. I'd buy a growler or three if you are that
fortunate.
Amber
A very nice beer with a middle level of hops and very drinkable. Nice
on a warm afternoon.
If you have a beer you would recommend we try email us at john@brewcast.net or call us at (402) 817-0351.
For
our first Episode outside of the Brew Cave we traveled to The
Nebraska Brewing Co and visited their 8 taps of happiness.
Paul and his crew had a couple surprises in store for us.
Belgian Blonde:
This deceptivly smooth Belgian style was a great start. It ranks in at
10% and was very enjoyable. Treat it with respect and it will treat you
well.
The eight taps of happiness
Dopplebock: Nebraska
Brewing Companies other German style beer, Eos Hefe Weizen, is a
favorite of our group. If this was on tap as a regular beer it would
rival it. This doppelbock is everything there is to love about the
style. Great malt character with a fine finish. Due to technical
difficulties this is missing from the recording. Our advice go buy it
now, because it'll be gone soon and it is not one to miss.
Now we come to the
first surprise Paul had in store for us. He let us try two beers from
the tap 8 program. For those unfamiliar with Tap 8, it allows members of
the Ale Nation
to sample and rate specialty beers brewed at Nebraska Brewing Company
that are not available to the general public. They estimated there will
be 50 Tap 8 beers in a given year. If trying new beers wasn't reason
enough to join, you also get a voice in refining the recipes and
possibly what goes on the 2 rotating taps. A very cool program.
Robust Porter:
A enjoyable dark beer that had a full flavor. A great take on
the style with a distinctive twist. I will tell you it was excellent and
leave it at that as it is no longer available. Drink to its hopeful
return.
Old Ale:
The current beer on Tap 8, it is overflowing with character. The it is
an amazingly malty beer that is an individual and proud of it. The
closest thing to it we agreed was Old Peculiar, but it's flavor far
outmatched it. It is not a beer to soon be forgotten.
The Tap 8 beers we tried were fun beers and we believe that the quality
of brewing we have seen from Nebraska Brewing Co. makes the Tap 8
program a requirement for beer lovers in the Omaha area.
Paul next showed of the abilities of his chefs Will and Adam. When you
go to the Nebraska Brewing Company you will see that a good portion of
their menu utilizes their fine brews to make great food. Now Will and
Adam are experimenting with beer desert s and we got to taste a few.
Belgian Wit
Garditas: A combination of the Belgian flavors with citrus
tastes that was what I always wanted sherbet to be. It was refreshing
and tasty. You can hear from our panel how much they enjoyed this.
Cherrmacca Chunky
Chocolate Ice Cream: Amazing, made from the leftovers of
the brewing process for Cherrmacca Porter. Our panel loved it. We hope
for a Nebraska Brewing Co. ice cream stand in the near future.
Paul had one final surprise a very special beer for our 100th beer on
the show.
Samichlaus:
This potent beer boasts to be the most potent lager in the world
ranking at 14% ABV. It is a tasty beer that demands you drink it slow.
Below is a picture of Gale, Ryan, Brian, & Anne holding the
bottle.
Thanks again to Paul and everyone at Nebraska Brewing.Co.
If you have a beer you would recommend we try email us at john@brewcast.net or call us at (402) 817-0351.
Seven states are looking at bills to lower the drinking age. Several weeks ago we talked about South Carolina was looking at lowering the drinking age for military personal to 18. Kentucky and Wisconsin are also looking at similar bills. While lawmakers in Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Vermont are looking at lower the drinking age for everybody. There is a federal law that reduces the percentage of federal highway funding for any state with out an age-21 drinking law.
Due to the popularity of the brewery tour at the Coors Brewery in Golden, CO the tour will be shortened. It goes from a 40 minute guided tour to a 20 minute self guided audio tour. All tour guides will keep their jobs but will now be stationed along the route. This will have no affect on the tasting room.
The Chicago based brewery Goose Island has lost the lease for their original brewpub location at 1800 N. Cleburne. Goose Island opened at this location in 1988. Their other two locations will remain open.
Assemblyman Jim Beall has proposed to raise the beer tax by $1.80 per six pack. The current tax is two cents per can / bottle. The proposal would raise the tax to thirty cents per can / bottle.
Brian
brought Wild Dog Collaborator Doppelbock from Flying Dog Brewery.
It is a opensource beer and the recipe is at http://www.opensourcebeerproject.com/
if you want to try to make a couple bottles. Opensource beer
is a nifty project and we hope it helps spread the beer knowledge.
The beer itself was something of an enigma. It is labeled as a
doppelbock, but our panel felt it was closer to a pale ale in taste and
hop character. Our panel gave it a 70% and agreed it was a overall good
beer just not what we expected out of a doppelbock.
If you have a beer you would recommend we try email us at info@brewcast.net or call us at (402) 817-0351.
Music to Drink to:
Something a little different
this week, we enjoyed the country style of Jared Pete Gile
and his song Drunk in
Luckenbach, Good stuff.
We
had the great fortune of having Trevor and Matt from the Thunderhead Brewing
from Kearney, NE come to visit. Determined to prove that some of the
best beer in the world is brewed here in the fine state of Nebraska
they brought 5 beers for the panel to enjoy.
Golden Frau Honey
Wheat: We started with this clear golden beverage.A Silver
award winner at the International Mead Festival in the category of a bragget.
Its nice to see judges that know quality. The honey character comes
through without overpowering the beer. Our panel loved this
beer and it was recognized as the best honey wheat we most of us had
ever enjoyed. It received a 100% approval rating.
Hefe Weizen:
An American Hefe Weizen with its own individual character. A very
enjoyable beer with subtle flavors that distinguish it from
other hefe weizens. As the weather warms up this
beer will be a great refresher from the heat. Our panel gave
it a 100% approval rating.
Porter:
A porter in name and color, but it could be it's own distinct style in
taste. I don't know if it has a full name yet and I would call it
Unexpected Comrade Porter, because it catches you a little off guard,
but in a good way. It has both dark chocolate and orange flavors that
play with nicely the malt taste. As you'll see all the beers were
enjoyable, but if you could only try one this is the one, because it is
different from anything I have had before and that is not an experience
I often get. We felt it was a great beer to finish off a meal, a desert
beer.And the more you had, the stronger the citrus taste becomes.
It obviously received a 100% approval rating.
Cornstalker
Espresso Stout: A gold medal winner at the Great American
Beer Festival a few years back If you like coffee and stout this is a
no brainer. The flavors play well together smooth and enjoyable. If we
lived a different time this would be the best part of waking up. This
beer would make a heck of a muse the combination of a great taste,
alcohol and caffeine could produce great works. Our panel gave it a
100% rating and Anne is bugging me to acquire more.
Ceremony Tatanka
IPA: A dry hoped IPA that wants you to know that has a
degree in hops and know how to handle them. In my mind another fine
example of the IPA style to come out of Nebraska. Our panel gave it an
100% approval rating for the style.
If you have not had a chance to sample Thunderhead's brews we highly recommend a road trip to central Nebraska. It will be worth your time.
The original brew pub is located at 18 East 21st street in Kearney and
their beers are available at select locations throughout the state.
If you have comments email us at john@brewcast.net or call us at (402) 817-0351.
There is a voluntary recall of a small number of Sam Adams beers. During a routine inspection a small amount of glass was found in the beer of certain bottles. The bottles being recalled have the number and letter combination of “N35” followed by “OI” around the bottom of the bottle. They have set up a toll free number 1-888-674-5159 and a web site for any questions. http://samueladams.com/cidefault.htm
Another Beer Truck Stolen
Monday in Mount Pleasant WI three men stole about $24000 of Miller beer. The robbery took place around 2 am. The police are looking for a white tractor trailer with the phrase “Great Taste of a True Pilsner Beer” in blue letters on the side. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j8alrlg1HGvQDzSta3EZd-zn-SzgD8VTPSF80
Sunday Beer Sales In Columbia, SC
Residents of Columbia, SC can now purchase beer and wine on Sundays now. People were lining up at 7:15 am at a local Piggly Wiggly. This is looked at a step at repealing the states blue laws. A blue laws prohibits the sale of anything that is not a necessity before 1 pm. http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8126520
Deschutes Brewing Company is buying Henry Weinhard from SABMiller. Weinhard hasn’t been brewed in its home state of Oregon since 1998. Plans are in motion to brake ground on a new brewery for Weinhard later this year.
New Belgium announced that they are going to start canning Fat Tire Amber Ale. New Belgium is the countries 9th largest brewery and would be the largest microbrewery to start canning a beer.
Schlitz the beer that made Milwaukee famous is going back to its original classic 1960s formula. Pabst Brewing Company announced that in honor of the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition.
Shiner 99 is ready for drinking. The Spoetzl Brewery has released the next beer in the count down to 100 years of brewing. Shiner 99 is a German Helles or a bright lager.
Mariissa
our resident champion of fruity beers brought Wild Blue a Blue Berry
lager. The best we can tell it is brewed by Anheuser-Busch. Our panel
had polar opposite feelings about this one. They either loved it or
hated it, I feel Beer
Advocate summed up my feeling pretty well.
The one thing our panel agreed on is that it tasted more like a wine
cooler than a beer. This seemed to have some of the panel love it and
others hate it. Our advice if you like wine coolers you might like that
it.
If you have a beer you would recommend we try
email us at john@brewcast.net or call us at (402) 817-0351.
Music to Drink to:
Steve and John from Curbstone
came to visit. We enjoyed the band's song Lost and never found. Definitely worth a listen.
The Blue Dawg Brewery is located in Baldwinsville, NY and is owned by Anheuser-Busch. <more info>
The featured beer Wild Blue is brewed with a blend of German hops from the Hallertau region in Bavaria and classic Aroma hops from the Williamette Valley in the Pacific Northwest. A combination of two and six row barely malt was also chosen for this recipe. It has a burgundy color and a ripe blueberry aroma.
They strongly advise drinking the beer out of a glass for full enjoyment and also so that you can see it's redish purple color and pink head of foam, they advise drinking it out of a large mouthed glass so you can smell the full effects of the blueberry aroma.
At this time Wild Blue beer is very popular in Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Missouri. In 2006 craft beer enthusiasts awarded Wild Blue with a gold medal in the fruit category at the North American Brewers Association Beer Awards. This organization recognizes top beers by style.
They recommend pairing Wild Blue with meat dishes such as pork rib roast, or pork tenderloin. It also makes a great dressing as can be seen in the following recipe:
Wild Blue Vinaigrette Dressing
Blend 6-8 fresh hulled strawberries, 1/2 cup fresh raspberries, 1/2 cup fresh blueberries and 2 tablespoons white vinegar in a blender until smooth. Add 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup Wild Blue; blend briefly until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill.
This beer is 8 percent by volume and is supposed to be available on a national basis real soon.
This week we tried
Breckenridge
Brewery's Oatmeal Stout. A beer as black as night and overall
smooth feel. It had a good taste and was appropriate for the style, but
was not exceptional. Our panel rated it as an average beer. One we
would recommend over Guinness, but not as highly as some others in the
category.
On a side note I
look forward to trying their Pandora's Bock.
Music to Drink to:
We had music from
a great band this week. NOFX
and Idiots Are Taking
Over. Thanks to the Podsafe
Music Nework for providing the sound.
After missing last week due to illness I have decided to write a short article about some things I have been thinking about for about a week and a half. Now that my mind is clear again I wanted to take a brief moment to inform all of our listners and readers (for those of you that are technology challenged and read only..... Hi mom!!) about one of the biggest kept secrets in Nebraska....... The Nebraska Brewing Company. Episode 80 we were graced with the presence of owner Paul Kavulak and Head Brewmaster Dean Dobmeier who talked very highly of this rather new establishment.
Last week several of us from the BrewCast panel ventured to Papillion Ne, the home of The Nebraska Brewing company to enjoy a wonderful meal and some great beer!! On this adventure we discovered that this wonderful establishment was everything it was talked up to be and then some!! We are so impressed that we have committed to taking a monthly pilgramage to The Nebraska Brewing Company to record an Episode of BrewCast while trying out their soon to be famous 8th tap (Beer in Development Stages).
I will let it be known right now that I have a lot of respect for any family/personally owned business in which the owner is very active in the day to day operations of the business. Paul may be the owner but Dean and Tyson are just as passionate about the business as he is, and because of this tremendous drive behind the scenes I think this small establishment has a big future to look forward to!! I know that we look forward to coming back in the near future.
I want to thank Paul, Dean, Tyson and their spouses for showing us some really great hospitality while we visited their establishment.
This
week we had the pleasure of having the Paul Kavulak, brewer and owner, and
Dean Dobmeier, the head brewer, from The
Nebraska Brewing Company in Papillion, NE stop by. They are good people who
are proud of what they do. So did they bring their favorite beer that
they brew? No, they brought five. We sampled them in order on the IBU
scale.
Infinite Wit:
We started with this cleverly named beer. A Belgian wit that was both
refreshing and flavorful. A light beer with a refined citrus flavor
that won over our panel. It received a 100% approval rating and even
won over a few of our panelists to the style.
Eos Wheat:
This is possibly the best example of a Hefe weisse I've had since I was
in Bavaria. It has the three flavors you want in the style, Banana,
Bubble gum, and clove. Our panel enjoyed the flavors, Gale commented it
was the first time he could actually taste all three in one beer. It
also received a 100% approval rating from out panel.
Brunette Nut Brown
Ale:
The
third beer we sampled won my wife over immediately. It has a darker
color, but retains a lighter taste. A taste which includes flavors of
coffee and the reason my wife loves it so. This was an incredibly
smooth beer. So tasty that our visiting Texan Amy, admitted that
Nebraska has better beer than Texas. Now we aren't going to comment on
that, but getting a Texan to say any state has something better is
quite an accomplishment and of course our panel gave this fine example
of a nut brown a 100% approval rating.
Cardinal Pale Ale:
Entering into the realm of hoppier beers the Cardinal Pale Ale was
next. It is dry hopped to give it a very full nose. For those that are
not hop lovers I would recommend this beer. It has a full hop flavor
without being too bitter. The flowery taste of the hops would
compliment many foods. It receive a 100% approval rating from
our panel. You might see a pattern here.
India Pale Ale:
We drank this beer in memory of Jeff. Ranking in the 70s of the IBU
scale it is hoppy beer. Even though it ranks quite highly on the scale
it remains a well balanced beer. The flavor has a one two punch. It
starts of with the maltier characteristics and follows up with a hit of
hops. Quite good and our panel agreed it deserved a 100% approval
rating for the style.
We recommend that if you can get to the Papillion area that you stop in
at The Nebraska
Brewing Company at 7474 Town Center Pkwy, Suite 101. The beer
was great and since recording we have had the opportunity to go to the restaurant. There will be an article coming on that later this weekend,
but let me assure you the food is as good as the beer and was well
worth the trip from Lincoln..
Amy's Beer:
Amy came to visit us from Texas. She has called into the show before
and is a regular listener. She was kind enough to Bring Goose Island's
Bourbon Cask Imperial Stout. One of our favorite styles this black as
night beer was a great way yo finish the night. It had a strong flavor
and a bit of a punch to it. One which our panel and guests enjoyed. It
also received a 100% approval rating making for a perfect six pack of
beers.
Thanks to Dean and Paul; of the Nebraska
Brewing Company and Amy for bringing the great brews. There
is no music section this week as the show clocked in at almost a hour
and a half due to the great beer discussion.
.
This week Ryan
brought two of Boulevard
Brewing Co.'s Irish style beers to celebrate St. Patrick's
day.
First off we triesd the Dry Stout. A tasty black beverage in the line
of Guinness.
Not a bad American beer to spend the holiday with.
Next we tried Boulevard's seasonal Irish Ale. The panel enjoyed the
smooth flavor of this ale and mixing it with the dry stout produced a
great beverage.
Music to Drink to:
To
help celebrate we listened to Murder
The Stout and there fine drinkin tune Streams of Whiskey.
Home Brewer's Best
Brian, a fellow Empyrean Beer Tour Veteran, brewed
an ESB.
Then He gave us another set.
We have enjoyed this beer before, but it was even better the
second time. A nice balance of hops character and bitterness. Excellent
work.
The Boulevard Brewing Company began operations in 1988 when John McDonald started construction of a brewery in a turn of the Century brick building in downtown Kansas City on on historic Southwest Boulevard. A vintage Bavarian brewhouse was installed, and the first batches of beer were ready in the fall of 1989. The first keg of Boulevard Pale Ale was delivered in the back of Johns truck to a nearby restaurant. Boulavard is now one of the largest Micro-Breweries in the United States. <click here for company website>
The following beers are available from the Boulevard Brewing Co. at this time:
Pale Ale 5.1% abv Wheat 4.5% abv LUNAR Ale 4.5% abv Bully Porter 5.4% abv Dry Stout 4.9% abv Irish Ale 5.3% abv - Only available Jan.- April ZON 4.4% abv - Only available May-Aug. Bob's 47 5.5% abv - Only Available Sept.-Oct. Nut Cracker Ale 6.9% abv- Only available Nov.-Dec.
Tours of the Brewery are available at the following times: Thursdays @ 3pm Fridays @ 1pm Saturdays @ 10am, 12pm, 2pm, and 4pm
All brewery tours are free but reservations are required. Ph# 816-474-7095
Tours include the following:
Hear the history of Boulevard Brewing Company Watch a video detailing how beer is made Take a walking tour of Boulevard’s plant Sample and learn about the different beers Boulevard makes
RECIPE:
Boulevard Dry Stout Ice Cream
1 cup Boulevard Dry Stout 1 cup Whole Milk 2 cups Heavy Cream 1 cup sugar 1 cup egg yolks 1 tablespoon cocoa
Mix all ingredients in a large saucepan. Heat until mixture begins to boil and reaches 185°F. Do not overheat. Remove from heat and pour into a pre-cooled metal bowl.
When mixture is cooled place in blender to smooth the lumpy mixture.
Cool the mixture as close to freezing as possible, and then freeze in an ice cream freezer according to the manufacturer’s directions.
When serving sprinkle a small amount of cocoa over the ice cream to counter the sweetness and enhance the flavors of the stout.
Ownership of the brewery changed hands many times during the early years until it was incorporated in 1892 when it was officially named The Santa Fe Brewing Company. But by this time the interstate transport had become more refrigerated and faster than previous years. The more established brewers back east in Milwaukee and St. Louis took advantage of this and actually forced the Santa Fe Brewing Company to close it's doors in 1896.
Now to the story of the modern Santa Fe Brewing Company. In 1988 using open top fermenters and custom square vessells obtained from the defunct Boulder Brewing Company, Mike Levis began brewing the pale ale that was to be the first of many beers to come. Over the next 10 years after attending many Beer festivals many people started to take notice and the Brewery grew in popularity. They added Nut Brown, and Wheat varieties along with offering seasonal brews. <click here>
In 1997 with the arrival of Brian Lock, Dave Forester, Carlos Muller, and Ty Levis the company started the process of expanding it's operation. They moved the breweries location to the Turquiose Trail just up the road from their former rental. Their new brewery has the ability to brew ten times the beer that they could before and they are actively seeking other states to distribute in.
They currently are distributing beer in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, new Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Nebraska.
The following beers are available: Santa Fe Pale Ale 5.5% Santa Fe Stout 5.0% State Pen Porter 5.0% Santa Fe Nut Brown 5.2% Santa Fe Wheat 5.25% Chicken Killer Barley Wine 10% Fiesta IPA 6.3% Freestyle Pilsner 5.5% Viszolay Belgian 7.5%
Brewery tours are held every Saturday @ 12noon with free samples of beer
If you hadn't noticed we are big fans of Jonathan Coulton. He provides us with free music for our podcast. Please go to the link below and help bring him to Lincoln. If enough people request him it might actually happen.
This week we tried a beer new to our state, Sante Fe Brewing
Co's State Pen Porter. The Sante Fe brewing co has been brewing since
1988 in Sante Fe, New Mexico, but has only been in Nebraska for a few
weeks.
Our panel gave it a 100% approval
rating. They commented that it had a nice malty flavor with a smooth
mouth feel. It's dark color made us happy and it full flavor made us
forget that it was winter.
The only unfortunate thing was it was so popular
that there was not a full bottle for the photograph. Trust us it was a
beautiful dark brownish black.
If you have a beer you would recommend we try
email us at john@brewcast.net or call us at (402) 817-0351.
Music to Drink to:
This week we had
a few difficulties. So in honor of those difficulties we played Jonathan
Coulton's ballad
Screwed. Enjoy and have a good week.
Gale
brought a beer black as night, Old Rasputin Russian Imperial
Stout from North
Coast Brewing Company. True to the style it is a heavy,
enjoyable brew.
Our panel felt it has a bit more of a hop bite than we were used to in
the style. We thought it would be great with beef on a cold night.
If you can find it we recommend giving it a try as it is different than
most other brews out there.
Music to Drink to:
Miss
J from ScottsdaleScottdale was kind enough to let us show off her
musical talen with her song Leave.
Her band Smob is currently available on iTunes.
