Lucky Bucket Brewing Company - Festbier

Traditionally brewed in March (März), märzen, the original Oktoberfest beer style, was brewed with more malt than usual (which yields more fermentable sugars, which in turn yields more alcohol) in order to beef the beer up to survive storage through the summer months when it was generally too hot to brew. Since the 1990s, the beer commonly served at Oktoberfest has been the somewhat lighter and paler sub-style known as festbier, although there is plenty of overlap between these related style interpretations and some beers labelled as festbier are more akin to traditional märzen. Lucky Bucket’s version pours a bright golden-copper color with good clarity and a sizable head of pale foam. On the nose, look for the hops to offer up a touch of herbal spice with some floral tones overlaid over a clean malt profile offering just a dash of breadiness. On the palate, we get a smooth maltiness that’s never heavy, but still delivers a tasty bready character with light hints of toast. Those hops bring a pleasant contrasting spice note along with moderate bitterness to easily and excellently balance the light touch of residual malt sweetness and keep this brew quite crisp in the finish. For pairing options, you can’t go wrong with traditional schnitzel or grilled bratwurst, or classic pub fare such as a juicy burger or chicken wings. Cheers!

Lucky Bucket Brewing Company opened for business in 2008. The result of a shared dream among three friends, the brewery first set out to craft an eminently drinkable and flavorful “session” beer that would be their flagship product and the cornerstone of their business. The result is their “Pre-Prohibition Style” Lager, one of the brews we bring you this month.

To create their flagship brew, Brewmaster Zac Triemert leveraged both his education from Edinburgh, Scotland’s esteemed Heriot-Watt University, where he earned a Masters in Brewing and Distilling, as well as his experience visiting more than 50 breweries and distilleries throughout Europe during his time studying abroad. After perfecting their lager, the friends launched their brewery in 2008 and proudly poured their first glass for the public in January 2009.

Since that time, Lucky Bucket has met with significant success (the name, by the way, is a reference to the days before widespread bottling when folks would fill up buckets of beer at their local brewery and take them home—similar to how we use modern growlers today). The brewery expanded twice in 2010, including the December 2010 addition of six new 120 barrel fermenting tanks. They’ve also launched a variety of new beers, in addition to their sister business – the first distillery to open in Nebraska since Prohibition – originally called Sòlas Distillery and now called Cut Spike Distillery, where they make single malt whiskey, vodka, rum, and brandy.

For more info about the brewery, distillery, and scheduled tours, visit their website at www.luckybucketbrewing.com.