Zipline Brewing Company - Nut Brown

Zipline's interpretation of an English-style brown ale presents an attractive, dark, ruddy brown color in the glass, with nice clarity and a cap of light brown foam. On the nose, look for a malt-forward profile offering up plenty of rich caramel and moderately roasty notes, augmented by touches of coffee and hazelnut, plus some woodsy and lightly spicy hop overtones. The flavor follows the aroma pretty closely with big notes of toasted bread, deep caramel, roasty coffee, and a distinct nuttiness. We were impressed by how robust this brew was, as all too often the brown ales we come across are overly thin for our taste and just too simplistic and insipid. Not so with this version from Zipline, which delivers lots of flavor without losing the drinkability that's a hallmark of the style. For pairing options, we'd go with roasted fowl or pork, or grilled halibut steaks, and brown or wild rice, beans, lentils, or quinoa. A snack of Cheddar, Gloucester, or Cotswold cheese is hard to resist, as well. Cheers!

Zipline Brewing Company in Lincoln, Nebraska first started production back in 2012, focused on making high-quality beers and building up a sustainable community around those beers that the brewery would be able to support. While the brewery started with just one of their three brewery founders (Marcus Powers) as the company’s lone employee, Zipline has since grown to about 40 employees.

Since their opening, the brewery has quickly grown to the full capacity of their production system, and they decided to respond to that constraint by focusing on their nearby markets and adding retail locations. Zipline’s first taproom opened up in 2013 adjacent to their brewery in Lincoln, and they opened the Zipline Beer Hall in November 2016, the latter also in Lincoln, but focusing more on a beer-garden vibe. The brewery’s third taproom opened in summer 2017, in northern downtown Omaha, with more of an urban industrial vibe, and Zipline opened their Culture Lab facility (focusing on mixed-fermentation beers and wild projects) there in February of this year. For good measure, Zipline’s fouth taproom, the Zipline Beer Lounge, opens in Omaha this summer.

Currently, Zipline produces eight year-round brews, plus a wide array of seasonal, small-batch, and barrel-aged beers, incuding the delicious MAAANGO! IPA we featured earlier this year in our Rare Beer Club. For more info on the brewery and their multiple locations in Nebraska, give 'em a ring at 402-475-1001 or visit ziplinebrewing.com.