Brewery Visit) Scriptown Omaha

Nutjob Brown Ale

There's a new brewery on the block in Omaha's Blackstone District. With the location's historic look and classy feel, Scriptown fits right in with its use of rustic wood elements and vintage light bulbs.

With a list of easy-drinking beers, the selection is very sessionable. No food yet, but they mentioned something about parking a food truck out back that would serve waffle sliders. That sounds awesome, but for now, the beers should be more than enough to keep you occupied.


Nutjob Brown Ale) As all of their beers are, this one was nice and easy to drink. However, the finish had an unusual touch on it that I couldn't pin down initially. With my friend's help we pegged it as a caramel flavor but more like the kind you'd find in a barrel aged beer. For those of you who like Newcastle's Brown Ale, you will definitely like the unique touch on this one. ☆☆☆

Lone Tree IPA, St. Meinrad, Intensity Stout, Muddy Mo, Beligian Curve IPA

Belgian Curve IPA) If there's a curve to this one it is that there's a bit more malty caramel to this on than I had expected. There's a good bit of mild citrus in the middle. The finish is more pale ale than IPA to me, but considering I'm not a hop head, that was ideal. ☆☆☆

Muddy Mo) Usually the association of mud and beer are not good thing, but this amber pushes past all that. I'm curious if anyone else had the same sensation I had after drinking this beer. The aftertaste reminded me of what I'd get after eating graham crackers.  ☆☆☆

Intensity) This stout is a good roasted stout with just a touch more bitterness than I would like in an easy drinking stout. However, that punch helps it live up to its name. ☆☆☆

St. Meinrad) This was easily my favorite one for the evening. It is full of flavor and has that lovely belgian-style complexity and coriander touch. ☆☆☆☆

Lone Tree IPA) Not being a major IPA fan, I have to say that I did like the initial on this one. A good light watery mouth feel full of pine-esque citrus. The finish though was bitter enough to nuke my tastebuds a little. ☆☆☆

(Sorry, no picture)
4th Wiseman) Scriptown's winter seasonal brew delights. There's just the right amount of sweetness - from Mexican molasses. The mouth feel is smooth and a myriad of good spices are at work. Definitely check out this belgian-style winter warmer. ☆☆☆☆


Bonus!
Do you know who St. Meinrad was? If you don't, allow me to remedy that.

In Switzerland 797, Meinrad was born. He grew up to become a Benedictine monk in the same region. Then in 829, he withdrew into a place called the Black Forest to be a hermit. However, word of his piety and good counsel got around. People and would-be disciples often came out to visit him. In order to actually have his seclusion, he was forced to retreat to an even more remote location. Einsiedeln (which somewhat ironically means hermitage) is where he spent his time in relative obscurity until...

January 21st, 861, a pair of rough-looking sojourners arrived seeking refuge. Being the hospitable person that he was, Brother Meinrad fed, clothed, and sheltered the men. They returned the favor by trying to steal from him. They soon found that he had nothing of value though and became enraged. In their anger, they beat the monk to death. He then became known as the "Martyr for Hospitality" since he died in defense of the virtue.

However, legends and folklore speak of a slightly different ending. He still died on January 21st, and the day remains his feast day in the Catholic Church. I suggest celebrating it with a beer, perhaps even a St. Meinrad. However, there are tales that speak of how two ravens came to his aid and drove off the two ruffians. This is why images of St. Meinrad show him with two black birds.

And yet, I have to digress, but there is another figure of old that has two crows: Odin. That's right, the ruler of Asgard kept Huginn (Thought) and Muginn (Memory). Together, they served as his eyes and ears informing him of events from around the world each day. Odin so appreciated their services that he is reported to have even given them the ability to speak.

29/100) Unibroue Gold Round

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.

Ephemere, Don De Dieu, Maudite

And we return for another week of Unibroue. After having done a silver round and this week a gold round of their beers, I really wish they had a bronze tier as well. I will definitely be searching out more of their drinks, as well as periodically having another Ephemere. It's just so delightfully  transient.

Ephemere) Every time, I have one of these, the taste is slightly different. This time I think I got more of the apple flavor. However, some of the other times, there has been a stronger yet delightful sourness. I wonder what it will be like next time. ☆☆☆☆

Don De Dieu) The flavors are rich and hearty like wheat toast or raisin bread. It has a rather thick  mouth feel, and if I tried to peg the roasted flavor, I'd say "chestnut." Lastly, this one was very cloudy. Perhaps it's just me, but there's also this touch of flavor that reminds me of nigori sake, the really cloudy kind of sake. To me at least, this beer easily lives up to its name, "God's gift." ☆☆☆☆

Maudite) My brother and I thought it funny that we both recognized something like "hint of marachino cherries." It's even more funny when you know that the beer's name means "the damned." There are a lot of forces at work in this belgium-style beer making it hard to peg down, but though it wasn't my favorite Unibroue, I still liked it. ☆☆☆

Brewery Visit) Haymarket in Chicago

In searching for a brewery that I could check out during my short trip to Chicago, I eventually settled on Haymarket. Since I was searching on a Monday a lot of places were closed, but thankfully Haymarket, with its status as a brewpub, came through. Also, since they don't package or distribute, the only way to experience their beers is on site, or via a friend's growler.

Clare's Strong Scotch Ale, Too Hot for Sod, Girl and the Goatee VIII, Mash Made in Heaven VI, Mini Mathias IPA

Clare's Strong Scotch Ale) Lot's of different malts went into making this beer. The light touch of bitterness is offset by toffee and a growing complexity with each sip. Really nice and easy to enjoy whether you go for bitterness or not. ☆☆☆

Too Hot for Sod) This Belgian dark ale has an amazing mix of roasted flavors. I doesn't have your typical porter kind of roasted flavor but possesses more of a deep burnt barley sensation with just a bit of chocolate in the backdrop.  ☆☆☆☆

Girl and the Goatee VIII) Not tart at all. Apparently, the previous batches succeeded at causing your lips to pucker, but not this one. Instead, grape filled beer has just a touch of sour funk and is light and easy to drink. ☆☆☆

Mash Made in Heaven VI) The peach flavors in this whitbier dominated. I enjoyed it, but it reminded me of what I imagine a peach cider might end up tasting like. What I mean by that is that that peach was there, but it wasn't there in a pure peach way.  ☆☆☆

Mini Mathias IPA) A malt-lite version of their Mathias Imperial IPA. This one was more like a pale ale to me than an IPA, mostly because I enjoyed it. After a citrusy initial, the bitterness is there, but not strong enough to nerf one's taste buds. Next time, I'll have to try the normal Mathias.  ☆☆☆

While I enjoyed the above beers, I munched on a bratwurst covered in sliced onions and sauerkraut all wrapped up and falling out of a hearty pretzel bun. Haymarket makes as much of their food in house, and I recommend visiting just to try the result. It's quite good.

28/100) Unibroue Silver Round

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.

Blanche De Chambly, Trois Pistole, La fin Du Monde

All I knew about Unibroue when I first found them was that I couldn't pronounce their names. Canadian made and French titled, these beers have distinct bottle art and great liquid content. I suggest visiting their website to learn about the legends behind each beer's name.They put a lot of thought into each one.

Blanche De Chambly) It seemed appropriate to start of with this one, which is apparently the first beer Unibroue produced. A fairly basic whitbier style, it lacks for nothing, but doesn't do anything too adventuresome. If you want to draw out and understand the coriander flavor, I suggest pulling out some ground coriander and trying it alongside the beer. You'll likely find, as I did, that the spice flavors vanish from the beer when you actually put raw coriander on your tongue. ☆☆☆

Trois Pistole) The name encapsulates a unusual story of bridled demon horses and a missing church stone. The beer, a nice strong dark ale, is ripe with dark fruit flavors. For me, the raisin was most prominent. ☆☆☆

La Fin Du Monde) To the ends of the earth! The frothiness of this beer got me the most. And it went great with Turkey leftovers. A very, very good tripel. The initial is light almost nonexistent, but the finish hits with a whole swath of spices. I couldn't distinguish them very well, but the mix was an enjoyable marrying of flavors. ☆☆☆☆

27/100) Game of Ommegang

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.

Take the Black, Three Philosophers, Valar Morghulis

The rich, dark literary tapestry that is Game of Thrones has brought to life a great many entertaining things. These thematic beers are no exception. While I try and track down bottles of the two other Game of Thrones beers, Fire and Blood and Iron Throne, I decided that it would be good to try the two alongside something classically Ommegang. And so I added not one, and not just two, but Three Philosophers into the mix.

Take the Black) This Stout pours black like the heart of anyone who dares force more victims onto John Snow's Wall. No bitter pill will this heavy beer be. As thick as it pours it goes down smoothly and easily. In the middle to finish is a light maltiness with roasted accents, but the main flavor that comes through is deep anise. I really approve. ☆☆☆☆

Three Philosophers) We all become philosophers when we drink, right? I think it's in our nature as humans to be free to ruminate when we feel good. For most of us, our focus on survival just gets in the way of mulling over the things that give life meaning. Anyway, this beer, or should I say enlightenment in a glass, foams thick like the depth of the king-philospher's thoughts. Each layer unfolds another flavor as you are sent further and further into wordy complexity more indecipherable than the last. Overall the experience is on the sweeter end for quads, but my question is when the taste fades, can you return to your old mundane perception of reality? ☆☆☆☆

Valar Morghulis) "All men must die." Remember your fate, and cherish the fading moments as you savor this dubbel. True to its German style, this beer is smooth, semi-sweet, and goes down easily. When someone offers you a glass, the proper response is "Valar Dohaeris." After all, "all men must serve"...beer? Perhaps not, but though this was not my favorite of these three, it is a solid drink nonetheless. ☆☆☆

26/100) Grimms Brother's Brewhouse

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.

Snow Drop, the Farmer's Daughter, 3 Golden Hairs

Once upon a time, there was a collection of stories compiled by Brother's Grimm. Over decades and centuries, these stories gained renown and became part of the patchwork culture that is the world. Then at an equally nebulous point in time a brewery set about to make these legends liquid. Stop by, and let the drinks tell their tales...

Snow Drop) "Tell me, glass, tell me true!  Of all the ladies in the land,  Who is fairest, tell me, who?" Alternatively known as Snow White but just like her, this Köttbusser ale is on the run from royalty as well. German's purity laws limit beer to four ingredients: water, hops, malt, and yeast. Breaking that mold, this beer is brewed with molasses, honey, and oats. The result is a semi-sweet drink with a touch of hops and an unusual mouth feel. I imagine the golden apple she's holding doesn't fall far from a perfect description of this beer's flavor profile. ☆☆☆☆

Farmer's Daughter) Sometimes known as the Clever Peasant's Daughter, the title of this beer comes from the tale of a maiden as wise as Solomon. When presented with eviction and permission to take one thing with her, she took her husband the king. "I have nothing more precious and dear than yourself, so I have brought you with me." Not so sure if this would be my beer of choice if I could only take one with me, but in classic style, this Oktoberfest is an easy drinking beer with a toasty touch to the malts and a clean finish. ☆☆☆

3 Golden Hairs) If you were sent to hell to retrieve three of the Devil's hairs, could you do it? How about if they came in the form of a robust Pilsner? If that were the case, I think that I certainly wouldn't need the help of the Devil's grandmother like the boy in the story. This beer caught me off guard with the presence of a light bitter hoppiness. Unexpected, but not unpleasant. ☆☆☆

Special) Oktoberfest Oktet

Oktoberfest beers. Come the fall season, the shelves become flooded with them almost as much as Pumpkin Spice-flavored everything arrives. I got curious as to what an Oktoberfest is supposed to taste like, so I bought eight different ones. You know, more data, more accurate results, right?

Shiner, Abita, Sam Adams, Point, Lucky Bucket,
Goose Island, Hacker-Pschorr, Millstream

For the most part, as Oktoberfest beers, they all tasted fairly similar so here's a brief explanation of each one's unique or unusual characteristic.

Shiner) Toffee? Caramel? This one had a burnished sweetness to it.

Abita) Lighter than the others on flavor, but the hops subtle bitterness came through more clearly.

Sam Adams) Smoother and cleaner than the others, but nothing unusual.

Point) Almost peppery in the middle with a floral touch in the linger.

Lucky Bucket) A nutty roasted taste came through.


Goose Island) had an apricot taste in the backdrop.

Hacker-Pschorr) seemed almost like a tart saison with its middle fruitiness. I suspect the bottle had soured a bit.


Millstream) Reminded me of a pumpkin beer. Not sure why.


Assessment: Oktoberfest beers are dangerous to drink. They all finish smooth and crisp and as a result are too easy to drink. Differences if there are any, appear in the middle for the most part or are a subdued part of the background. Any of the eight beers we tried would stand on their own, but because my brother and I compared them side by side, the differences stood out.

So, after we tried them all, my favorites were Lucky Bucket's and Goose Island's with Sam Adams following right after that. My brother for the most part agreed with me, but he liked Shiner's instead of Lucky Bucket's. That was our experience. Yours might be different.



Note: I have since had another bottle of Hacker-Pschorr. It was much better the second time around, and I do believe that it was more of a contender than came across in this oktet tasting.