Empyrean Brewing Company - Third Stone Brown

Third Stone presents us with a dark brown hue in the glass, topped by a prominent head of tan foam. This brew comes across fairly malty on the nose with touches of toasted nuts and bread crust, deep down caramel, and just a hint of dark fruit ester which melds with hoppy touches of tree fruits and wisps of mint. The story remains malt-focused on the palate too, as we get a nice balance among toasty impressions, caramelization, and nuttiness, rounded out by that mild dark fruity quality which seems to emerge more as we head into the finish where it lingers along with a lightly crisp hoppy bite. Nicely balanced, this brown ale never veers too sweet or heavy, remaining easy to drink can after can. The brewery recommends serving it on the colder side, but we prefer our brown ales a bit more at cellar temp. Either way, this tasty brew is a winner. For pairings, the brewery recommends grilled beef or vegetables, Southwest cuisine and caramel desserts. We’re also thinking chicken satay, pork chops with apple sauce, grilled salmon, or a snack of aged and/or smoked cheeses should do nicely, too. Cheers!

The story of Empyrean Brewing Company begins with the founding of Lazlo’s Brewery & Grill in Lincoln, NE in 1990. Accomplished homebrewer Rich Chapin was brought in as Head Brewer to helm the brewing side of the new business. When Lazlo’s opened its doors and served its first beers to the public in March, 1991, it became the state’s first brewpub, going on to produce about 500 barrels in its first year. The brewpub concept proved popular with the locals, and in 1997 the brewery was spun off as its very own enterprise under the name Empyrean – a word tracing its origins to Aristotle’s notion of cosmology and representing the highest part of the heavens. By 1998, production capacity was expanded to 2500 barrels per year, though at this point it was all draft. When they installed a bottling line the next year, Empyrean became the first craft brewery in Nebraska to do so, and it allowed them to begin establishing a retail footprint for the first time.

In 2000, Lazlo’s expanded by opening a second brewpub location, and the increased demand from the restaurant plus their growing retail business pushed Empyrean to open a newer, larger brewhouse in 2001. By decade’s end, distribution had reached throughout all of Nebraska and into neighboring Iowa and South Dakota.

Today, Empyrean can be found in several states, including in the Chicagoland area as of 2022. They produce a slate of around ten core year-round beers along with five rotating seasonals and an array of additional limited-run, hop-focused, and barrel-aged brews. In addition to a focus on excellent beer, Empyrean is focused on being good stewards of the planet: they donate 150 tons of spent grain to local farmers each year, use geothermal heating and cooling technology, and their warehouse boasts the largest privately owned solar array in Nebraska. For more info, visit them at empyreanbrewingco.com.