Nebraska Brewing Company - Brunette

Nebraska’s English-style nut brown ale presents a gorgeous deep brownish-red hue, topped by a cap of light brown foam. In the aroma, look for a deeply bready and toasty character, shot through with a distinct and almost berry-like fruity quality. The theme carries forward into the flavor, as well, which boasts a core of toasted bread, rich caramelization, and characteristic touches of roasted nuts along with hints of coffee grounds. The hops contribute a fairly mild but well-balanced bitterness, but also some spicy notes along with a dried fruit element and a little woodiness. Lusciously malty on the palate, and with just enough bitterness to counter a dash of residual sweetness, the overall effect is one smooth and satisfying brew. For pairing options, we’d steer towards grilled meats and vegetables, along with bready dishes which can play well with the beer’s malty core. A BBQ bacon burger with smoked gouda, grilled onions, and a side of sweet potato fries sounds like a winner to us. Cheers!

Paul Kavulak began homebrewing around 1992, and it became a serious hobby which would ultimately lead to the founding of Nebraska Brewing Company many years later. The pivotal moment occurred in 2005 when Paul, frustrated and disappointed in the outcome of one of his recipes, threw a large bag of Cascade hops into the fermenter and walked away. When he calmly came to clean up his mess a couple weeks later, he discovered the beer had transformed into exactly what he had been trying to achieve. The idea of starting a brewpub with this “Cardinal Pale Ale” as its flagship began to take root.

After realizing that he would never achieve the dream of opening the brewpub if he couldn’t make enough time for it, Paul convinced his supportive wife, Kim, to go all-in. He quit his job, and the pair focused completely on bringing Nebraska Brewing Company to life. A used brewing system was located and purchased from Sasebo, Japan, and in November of 2007 the brewpub opened its doors. Unfortunately, this was right as the U.S. housing bubble burst, but they would weather the recession that soon followed through a combination of careful business decisions and great beer, eventually promoting talented assistant brewer Tyson Arp to his current position as Nebraska’s Overlord of Brewing. A bold decision was made to invest heavily in their fledgling barrel-aged beers – a decision which has proved very smart indeed, as members of our Rare Beer Club who have previously enjoyed Nebraska’s barrel-aged beers, including the excellent Chardonnay barrel aged Belgian-style strong ale, Mélange à Trois, can attest.

In 2014, a second brewing location was opened not far from the first, allowing the expansion of both their canned beer business as well as their barrel-aged program. For more info on this truly superb brewery, give them a call at 402-934-7988 or visit nebraskabrewingco.com.