12/100) Odell Brewing Company

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Easy Street, Levity, Lugene

The name Odell in this brewing companies name comes from the last name of the owner of the company. That's I suppose a fairly common occurrence. However, Odell's Brewing Company has some of the more whimsical names for their beers that I've seen, and almost all of them have a story.

Easy Street) Since brewers don't filter this wheat beer, they can "take it easy" when they make this beer, ie the name Easy Street. There is a light citrus in the backdrop. The initial spikes with a bit of hops, and the mid is not very heavy on the wheat flavor. Despite the flavor being generally good, the finish is not smooth, and it took away from the experience a bit much for me. ☆☆

Levity) The name Levity comes from both how you shouldn't take things too seriously and how this is a fairly light Amber. According to the description, this beer is quite accurately called "crisp not bitter." The initial is watery. The finish has a nice warmth, and there's no bitterness to be found. Nothing too special, but rather good.☆☆☆

Lugene) So named for the farmer who "recycles" O'dells leftover brewing material for his cows, this beer is true to its name. It is rich and chocolaty, with a creamy sweetness in the backdrop. My sister approvingly calls it a "Guinness milk shake." Me, I just like how the creaminess sticks around and lingers even after you've had a sip yet doesn't get overwhelming if you take a good swallow. ☆☆☆☆

Special Event) Great Nebraska Beer Fest 2014

Saturday August 23rd, 2014 was my first time attending the Great Nebraska Beer Fest. In short, I had an amazing time. I tried quite a few good beers as the afternoon progressed, and I definitely took advantage of the VIP ticket that I had, retreating periodically to the VIP tent to relax and regroup. Of course, I also arrived at one pm and got in an hour early to the event, a great VIP perk.

VIP Glass, Dragon's Milk Hat

The venue, Werner Park, was great. I had expected something like wall-to-wall crowds after the General Admission ticket holders entered at two. While lines did grow slightly in areas, the variety of booths and sheer length of the area compensated for the increased numbers. Moreover, kudos to the stadium designer. The place is oriented just right so that the shaded area increases inside the grounds as evening approaches.

Despite my planning and coming up with two lists of must-visit and should-visit booths, I simply did not get to all the beers that I wanted to try. Some were out before I got to them, and others I just didn't know about until it was too late. One company, Heretic Brewing, must have not made it to event because I never did see them.

The most notable beers for me:

1)Surly Brewing Co - Darkness) So smooth it's dangerous. Stout. ☆☆☆☆
2)Kinkaider Brewing Co - Jalapeno) The initial burns just a touch. The mid has flavor, and then the drink finishes with warmth. ☆☆☆☆
3)Peace Tree - Templeton Black River Gumbo Stout) Cask-aged in Templeton Rye barrels. This beer is thick and chewy just the way I like it.☆☆☆☆
4)Surly Brewing Co - Cocoa Bender) Rich coffee and chocolate notes. ☆☆☆☆

My favorite beer for the event:

New Holland - Dragon's Milk)  This is a bourbon barrel aged stout. Not only does it have a light roasted taste to the background, but it has that nice oak barrel bite.☆☆☆☆

Most unusually good beer:

Cigar City Brewing Co - Cucumber Saison) Initial is ale-like, but the finish is briefly cucumber, light and crisp. ☆☆☆☆


Here's the full list of what I tried:

Firestone Walker Brewing Co - Opal) Nice lemony citrus Saison. ☆☆☆

Surly Brewing Co - Darkness) So smooth it's dangerous. Stout. ☆☆☆☆

Cigar City Brewing Co - Cucumber Saison) Initial is ale-like, but the finish is briefly cucumber, light and crisp. ☆☆☆☆

Kinkaider Brewing Co - Kölsch) Good and easy to drink, just lacking in unique character. ☆☆☆

Kinkaider Brewing Co - Jalapeno) The initial burns just a touch. The mid has flavor, and then the drink finishes with warmth. ☆☆☆☆

Zipline Brewing Co - Cask-aged Harumeku)  Everything I hoped it would be. Spring citrus with the barrel's lovely background effect. ☆☆☆

New Holland - Dragon's Milk) This is a bourbon barrel aged stout. Not only does it have a light roasted taste to the background, but it has that nice oak barrel bite. ☆☆☆☆

Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project - Vieille) Decently tart. ☆☆☆

Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project - Surette) Too tart, but a great contrast to the day's heat. ☆☆☆

Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project - St. Bretta) Tartness is just right, and very smooth. ☆☆☆☆

Grimm's Brothers Brewing Co - Master Thief) The finish of this porter is warm and alive. ☆☆☆

Cigar City Brewing Co - Hunapu's Imperial Stout) Bitter and bitey finish, but the initial and mid are near heavenly. ☆☆☆

Cigar City Brewing Co - Vanilla Maduro) Great finish, but the mid lacks that chewability I want. ☆☆☆

Kinkaider Brewing Co - Porter) Guinness like initial. Rather roasted in the finish. ☆☆☆

Crane Brewing Co - Ruby) Really does taste like the beets it is made from. ☆☆☆

Crane Brewing Co - Duchamp) Decent. Smooth and floral hopped. ☆☆☆

Crane Brewing Co - Blackberry) Puckered up too much. ☆☆☆

Blind Tiger - Basil Beer) Basil and Beer are not the best of friends. ☆☆

Firemen - Brown Ale) Good initial and mid, but the finish was not smooth. ☆☆☆

Tallgrass - Halycon) Too much bitter hoppiness for a wheat beer. ☆☆

Martin City Brewing Co - Hibiscus Prickly Pear Saison) The tartness overwhelmed the other flavors too much for me. ☆☆

Lucid - Goslar) Tart yes, but the other flavor aspects of a Gose aren't pronounced enough. ☆☆

Lucid - Smoked Amber) Light amber, and the smokiness stays in the background. ☆☆☆

Modern Monk - Chocolate Stout) The chocolate is there but rather thinned out.☆☆☆

Boulevard Brewing Co - Saison Brett) Okay, but more tart than I expected. ☆☆☆

Grimm's Brothers Brewing - Farmer's Daughter) An Oktoberfest with an unusually robust flavor profile. ☆☆☆

Peace Tree - Templeton Black River Gumbo Stout) Cask-aged in Templeton Rye barrels. This beer is thick and chewy just the way I like it. ☆☆☆☆

Surly Brewing Co - Cocoa Bender) Rich coffee and chocolate notes. ☆☆☆☆

Founder's - Porter) Already like this one. Had it just to confirm that my taste buds were not compromised. They weren't. ☆☆☆

Lagunitas - Kinky) Light, refreshing. Way too easy to drink. It's basically a soda though. ☆☆☆☆

Blue Blood - Pod's ESB) Very drinkable with a light citrus to it's hops. ☆☆☆

Redemption) Zipline Oak Aged India Ale

I particularly love cask-aged beers. They marry two usually separate spheres of drinks. After my somewhat disappointing experience with this cask-aged IRA on tap, I wanted to give this one another chance. In bottle form, this beer redeemed itself.

Oak Aged IRA bottle #305 of 480

Zipline Oak-Aged India-Style Red Ale) Ultimately, it was still too bitter to become one of my favorites, but I rather liked this one's taste profile. The smell has a sweetness to it, and the more cloudy the pour was the better it tasted overall. The initial and mid blur together into a nice mix of oak and red ale bitterness. That bitterness still appears stronger in the finish but doesn't linger harshly or overwhelm the other flavors like the draught version had. This is a good beer to sip at and enjoy. ☆☆☆☆

11/100) Porter Trio

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Polygamy Porter, Suede, Anchor Porter

What's a porter exactly? A porter is a hopped malted beer with a moderate to heavy flavor profile and typically is dark brown in color. Now what does all that mean? Hopped means that it has a touch of bitterness to it from the hops used. Malted means just that. Have you ever had a malted shake? Hopefully you have because you'll likely taste some similar flavors when you have a porter.  

Polygamy Porter) Very smooth. No bumps in either the mid or finish. The finish left a lingering taste that reminded me of the way roasted chestnuts smell. "Why have just one" indeed! It'd be hard not to want another. ☆☆☆☆

Suede) This imperial porter is a collaboration between Stone, 10 Barrel, and Blue Jacket brewing companies. The pour is rather thick and the smell is somewhat sweet. Aroma is very special, nutty with a bit of a raw honey accent in the backdrop. The initial is not overwhelming and the overall mouth feel is very smooth. The middle is fairly malty with a touch of caramel to the flavor. ☆☆☆☆

Anchor Porter) Is that vanilla? Or burnt caramel? This beer has such a similar yet different flavor profile than polygamy porter that I find it hard to describe. Perhaps you could say it is sweet for a porter, but the finish lacks any sort of bitter or roasted punch. The previous two were smoother even though this one is still smooth. ☆☆☆

Brewery Visit) Boulevard Brewing Co

First of all, Boulevard has a massive and very modern facility. The tour took nearly an hour and encompassed multiple buildings. We made our way through the original facility, stood outside by some fermentation tanks, and watched from a floor overlooking their huge bottling room. When we reached the "hand's on learning" part of the tour or the tasting room, I tried these as my two free samples:

Hibiscus Gose, Entwined Ale

Both of these beers are part of Boulevard's Backroads series. This group of beers is adventuresome taking you out off the beaten path of common beer types, so, naturally, I wanted to try them.

Hibiscus Gose) This beer was just released last week, and gose is actually a type of beer not just a funny name. A gose is a sour beer characterized by a strong citrus body with other notes ranging from herbal to salty. Boulevard's version combines all three of those by using hibiscus, coriander and sea salt. The mid and finish are very tart, but that tartness doesn't build or overwhelm. The experience of this drink was a bit like having lemonade without the sugar only not pucker-up sour. This is great summer drink. ☆☆☆☆

Entwined Ale) Boulevard set their goal at making a beer that tasted like white wine, and they succeeded. There's a touch of a lager-esque flavor just enough to remind that this is actually a beer. Otherwise, the taste is very much like a semi-dry white wine, and a very easy to drink one at that. ☆☆☆

KC Pils, Zôn, Tasting Room: Oatmeal Stout, Tank 7

While I finished sipping on my two free samples, I looked down the list of beers available for a flight. It didn't take long for me to choose these four. 

KC Pils) This beer is a very solid pilsner. The overall taste profile struck me as very similar to Lucky Bucket's Lager. The mid in this KC pils is a bit warmer though. This one's a solid go-to beer when you want something simple. ☆☆☆

Zôn) First of all, this beer's name is pronounced the same as "zone." The spelling comes from the Flemish, and it means "Sun." It's a witbier or "white beer" which is a type of beer that is usually characterized by its cloudiness. The finish has a light touch of grapefruit minus the tartness. The middle is fairly fruity, and the background has coriander. If the following Tank 7 hadn't blown my mind, this would have probably become my favorite citrus tasting beer. ☆☆☆☆

Tasting Room: Oatmeal Stout) I really hope they keep this one as more than just their tasting room series. I almost don't want to spoil the experience by describing it. However, the initial has subtle chocolate notes, and the finish comes out with a nice burnished roast flavor. This stout is smooth from initial to finish. I'm adding this one to my favorites list. ☆☆☆☆☆

Tank 7) I thought Zôn tasted like a grapefruit. Then I had Tank 7. So named for one of Boulevard's more quirky fermentation devices, this beer is unique and great. The grapefruit hops used gave this a taste like their citrus namesake. The finish keeps just enough of the tartness to make one happy, but Tank 7 doesn't overwhelm with sourness at any point. My only question now is "why didn't I have this one sooner?" ☆☆☆☆

Factoid: Zôn's special o can be made by holding alt and then while still holding alt, pressing 0244. When you release alt, then ô should appear. At least, that is how it works for windows. 

10/100) Irish Ales

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Irish Ale, Irish Ale,  Premium Irish Ale

I rather missed St.Patrick's day so Irish beers seems like an odd choice, but I found a Boulevard Irish Ale and wanted to compare it to some Smithwick's imports. All three are Irish Ale's which, by the way, is short hand for "Irish Red Ale." An Irish Ale as a type of beer is a variation on the amber ale.

Smithwick's Irish Ale) In an attempt to cool this beer faster, I accidentally left this beer in the freezer too long. After thawing it out, I tried it. However, I am pretty sure the carbonation took a hit. The taste however was decent. The drink has flavor that seems caramel-like initially but then drops into a smooth watery finish. ☆☆☆

Boulevard Irish Ale) The short summary is that this beer tastes almost the same as the previous. However, it is a bit more bitter. I'm not sure where to place this one as I liked it, but not very strongly. ☆☆☆

Smithwick's Premium Irish Ale) ... and upon reaching this beer, I have discovered that it is the same beer as the other Smithwick that I tried. At least it tastes, smells, and looks the same. I did a little research and found out that Smithwick's did a logo redesign this last year. The two bottles look so completely different that I can imagine that I am not the only one this change has confused. I wonder what their thought process was behind this re-branding. ☆☆☆

In order to keep up appearances with my three beers a week though, I popped open one more Irish themed beer.

Red Harvest Stout

Red Harvest Stout) I sipped it. I drank it. I sipped it again. Smooth this drink certainly is. However, it is decidedly lacking in flavor. The initial and middle are very watery. The finish has a subtle flavor that I can't describe well, but that is partially because it is barely there. A couple internet searches only revealed the terms "velvety" or "burgundy" to describe the taste. I'm not sure either term fits, but maybe you can detect on or the other. The only really positive thing I can say about this is beer is that it is easy to drink. ☆☆

Brewery Visit) Zipline

I know that didn't take long for me to go from trying a few Zipline beers to actually checking out their tapping room. However, when I found out their brewery tour schedule was so limited, I didn't hold back on visiting. In short, I didn't get to tour the actual brewery yet, but the beers are what it's all about, right?

Wild NZ IPA, Copper Alt, Nitro Pale, Kölsch, Oak-aged IRA, Mosaic Pale

They had nine beers on tap, and since I had just had three of them for the previous post, I got a flight of the six I hadn't tried. Two of them, the Copper Alt and Nitro Pale, are ones you can find bottled or on tap elsewhere, but the other four were two single-batch and two cask-aged varieties, making them taproom exclusives if you want them draught.

Wild NZ IPA) This is a cask-aged version of their normal NZ IPA and a sour beer at that. I rather enjoyed the normal NZ IPA. However, I'm not sold on this variation. Though, the mid has a bit more of a berry touch to it, the finish is now much more bitter.  ☆☆

Copper Alt) A bit of a roasted taste to the mid and finish. Other than that, this one wasn't very robust for a Alt, though I did find it fairly smooth and drinkable. ☆☆☆

Nitro Pale) My guess is that this beer is great for people who like the light lager types. The initial has almost no flavor except a fairly pleasant watery aspect to it. However, the finish is bitter pine. I can't blame it for that since it is a Pale Ale essentially, but that just means it is not for me. ☆☆

Kölsch*) This is easily one of my favorite types of beer. The usual flavor is somewhere in between a lager and ale with just the right touch of bitterness. This single batch variant by Zipline has even less bitterness than the norm and instead has a light floral aromatic effect on the finish. This one was easily the most drinkable and smooth of the six I tried. ☆☆☆

Cask-Aged IRA) The smell caught me off guard. It was strong and somewhat vinegary. My brother said something about the smell reminding him of pickles. After our first sip though, we decided that what were smelling was hopefully the bourbon. This beer is very raw and harsh. While sipping it is enjoyable, taking a swallow is barely recommended. I'd almost say that it tastes like someone dropped a shot of bourbon whiskey right into an IRA. This one was definitely a unique experience. ☆☆☆

Mosaic Pale) If I were to simply compare this one to the earlier Nitro Pale, I would say that the hops are more complex in this beer. They aren't just pine but also have citrus. The hop flavor though is more ubiquitous as their bitterness dominates the initial, mid and finish. There's also a subtle background flavor almost like velvet or burgundy. I didn't find this one easy to drink. ☆☆

*Factoid: Do you know how to type in the German umlaut that is in Kölsch? First press down the alt key. Then while still holding the alt key press 1, 4 and 8 in succession. When you release the alt key, the umlaut should appear. Try it out!

9/100) Zipline

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Oatmeal Porter, Country White, NZ IPA

Zipline is a young brewery that is in Lincoln, Nebraska. They just got underway in 2012. In the near future, I hope to go there for a tour because they have a small line of cask-aged beers that intrigues me. However, my general impression of their beers is that while they are good and won't let you down, they aren't too adventuresome, yet. I look forward to watching them grow.

Oatmeal Porter) In short, this porter had chocolaty notes in the initial to mid that were somewhat overwhelmed by the fairly harsh finish. I can see why Zipline had attempted to keep it as a seasonal. Perhaps its flavor profile is more enjoyable in the cold of winter. It's not bad, but as a porter, it just didn't have enough smoothness or flavor for me. ☆☆

Country White) This beer uses a farmhouse yeast strain and is their seasonal release for summer. The pour forms a pretty tall head of foam, and it's pretty easy to make too much froth on this one. The taste has a touch of wheat but is refreshing with a nice citrus in the backdrop. There's something though that makes the beer have an almost "chewy" aspect to it which is really the only thing that set it off from something like a generic Blue Moon. ☆☆☆

NZ IPA) First of all, I had to look this up, but what makes an IPA an NZ IPA is just that the hops are from New Zealand. Of course, depending on where you get your ingredients the taste can change. If this Zipline brew is exemplary of NZ hops, I might search out more like it. The bitterness wasn't overwhelming and didn't linger or build like other IPAs I've had. The hops might even be floral because there was a touch of citrus in the middle. Other than that, this IPA was also lightly effervescent.  ☆☆☆☆

8/100) Crispin Artisanal Reserves

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

The Saint, bird on a wire, Landsdowne

Crispin is known for their artisan approach to ciders. They focus on trying new things. In other words, they experiment. This is perfect for those who are adventuresome. I, particularly, am enjoying their series of ciders where they switch out their normal cider yeasts for other yeasts.

"The Saint") This cider has that classic wild Trappist yeast touch. The addition of maple syrup gave it a light sweetness to the robust flavor. Somehow though, the end product ends up tasting and smelling more like a beer than a cider. However, it still has a light background that maintains some of the sweetness of a hard cider. Of course, since Trappist beers are arguably some of the best beers in the world, "the Saint" tastes great. ☆☆☆☆ 

"Bird on Wire") This is special reserve barrel aged cider, and just so you know, that little bottle cost more than either of the large bottles flanking it. Moreover, it is a blend so the resulting flavor was intentional. I cannot over-hype this one. The smell is heavenly. The initial is mellow, sweet and smooth. The finish fades into a halo of tupelo honey that lingers lightly on the tongue. I just hope I can find it again. ☆☆☆☆☆

"Landsdowne) Using the yeast for an Irish Stout, Crispin crafted this unusual cider. The pour was dark like a stout, appropriately enough. The taste is also closer to a stout than a cider, but there are traces of that apple sweetness. The finish is dominated by the warmth of molasses. It was a fairly hearty cider. ☆☆☆☆

Bonus! Having tried "The Saint" and "Landsdowne," I have actually tried four total ciders in Crispin's Artisanal Reserve. Here are my thoughts on the other two that I've had.

Bare Naked) If there was ever an apple cider champagne, this would be it. The special yeast process used to make cider was to process the cider one more time with champagne yeast. Personally, I don't know where this one ends up for me because when I want a cider, I don't want champagne and when I want a champagne, I'm not looking for apple attributes. This one sits squarely in between the two, and so I can't think of a time I'd ever crave it. ☆☆☆

Superexpress) First of all, I was impressed that they actually had kanji, Japanese characters, on the bottle. 超特急 or Superexpress, as in the train line, is a cider made using sake yeast and organic rice syrup. The taste was a bit like a subdued sweet sake. It's an agreeable flavor, but not what I want in a cider. ☆☆☆