Lucky Bucket Brewing Company - Lucky Bucket IPA

This well-crafted IPA offers up a hazy amber color with a sizeable, fluffy, off-white head that drops plenty of lace as you drink down the glass. But as good as it looks, it’s nothing compared to the big, luscious, and complex hoppy aroma (not surprising given the 5 different hop varietals used in this brew) replete with very floral, resinous, and grapefruit-like citric zest notes. Underneath, strong pale and caramel malty aromas come through, with a bit of a honey-like hint. Take a sip and… Bam! Big American hop flavors erupt across the palate. Bitterness is very firm, but there’s a robust malt backbone to provide just the right amount of sweetness. Finishes with a persistent touch of that malt sweetness, and a resinous hop bitterness that lingers on till the next sip.

Lucky Bucket Brewing Company is a new kid on the craft brewing block, opening 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 all-malt “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 Herriot-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 recent December 2010 addition of six new 120 barrel fermenting tanks.  They’ve also launched two new beers: an IPA and a Belgian-style Strong Ale.  In addition, their sister business, Sòlas Distillery (the first distillery to open in Nebraska since Prohibition), has released the super-premium Joss Vodka, and is working on a rum and a Scottish-style single-malt whiskey.

For more info about the brewery, distillery, and scheduled tours, give ‘em a ring at (402) 763-8868 or visit their website at www.luckybucketbrewing.com.