Welcome to Kearney

Thanks for the intro Bryan. It’s good to be on board. Even though I’m in college I assure everyone that I don’t tote 30-packs of Busch Light these days. I’m always out trying new shit so this blog is right up my alley.

For the first post I have to chime in on a central Nebraska diamond, I’m talking about Platte Valley Brewery. If you want the balance of chill atmosphere and damn-good local microbrew then here is your reason to come to Kearney.

This is a little rundown of what they have to offer:

S.O.P. (South of the Platte) – Mexican-style lager, lightest beer they have but refreshing as hell

Hefeweizen – Classic German wheat, you’ll enjoy the Platte Valley version

Red Rock – Wheat beer, an orange overload similar to Shock Top

Adam’s Amber – German-style brown ale, Newcastle fans rejoice

I.P.A. – Good bitter beer with all the finest choice hops, barley n’ shit

Stout – Tied with Sam Adams Cream Stout as my favorite all-time stout…heavy with a ton of coffee, chocolate, and oatmeal flavor

Platte Valley has a beer for just about anybody, and they’re all solid. Like I said the place is laid-back with couches, wireless internet, and a beer garden. They also have the best drink special in Kearney: Thursday nights, any beer, 32 oz. mugs for $3.50. Do yourself a favor and hit it up, it’s on the south edge of downtown.

P.S. - You may hear that Thunderhead is the best brewery in Kearney, but it’s as overrated as “The Hangover.”

Chicago Microbrews

I love Chicago. I love Microbrews. If you're like me, you'll love this article from the New York Times Travel section.

Chicago's New Wave of Microbrews
via NYT

New Writer

Kids, it's summer. Drink beer and write about it. But in other efforts to revive Brews and Booze, I've commissioned the help of a college kid. Ryan Larsen (Chris's Brother). His resume is mortared with skills. He's a senior broadcasting major at UNK...so he knows how to write, and he obviously knows how to drink. After all, you can't spell drunk without UNK. But even more impressive, he currently works as a news director for NTV in Kearney...working hand-in-hand with the infamous Seth Denny. If that's not enough street cred, I don't know what is.

And he's rad at Nintendo.

So help me welcome the newest writer (and hopefully savior) to Brewsnbooze.blogspot.com.

Cheers!

The Science of Beer Tasting.

Apparently, you don't just pour it, chug it, and slam the glass on the table. Take it from this guy:



via FORA.tv - The Science of a good beer

By the way

Newcastle Brown Ale is one terrific beer. So good, it appears someone has created a Newcastle-inspired shoe. Put's a new meaning to "puttin' on your drinkin' shoes." After a rough day at the half-pipe, there's nothing like a Newcastle.

Nebraska Beer Events

Here's a list of upcoming summer beer festivals in Nebraska...The Good Life.

June 11: Nebraskaland Days MicroBrew fest in North Platte. Thursday, June 11, features the 3rd annual Wild West microFEST at the Wild West Arena Pavilion. Come join in the fun and sample 15 different Craft beers made available by Johnson Brothers Liquor Company from Omaha, Nebraska. The tasting begins at 5:00 p.m. and runs through 9:00 p.m.

June 26th: The Nebraska Craft brewers at the Omaha summer arts festival Friday June 26th 4-11pm, Saturday June 27th 11am -11pm and Sunday June 28th Noon to 5pm. Over 20 Nebraska beers on tap at the World Music Pavillion on 13th st between Farnam and Harney.

July 11th: The Crescent Moon Sunfest Saturday July 11th from 3pm to 8pm at the Crescent Moon.(36th and Farnam in Omaha) Sampling of over 100 different beers, an annual outdoor beer tasting extravaganza. Always a sold out event, you can buy your tickets and get more info from beertopia at 402-905-2603

---The Craft Beer festival at the Shadow Lake Towne Center in Papillion in conjunction with the Sarpy county Art fair. (Hwy 370 and 72nd st.) Actually not sure of the festival name yet, but this will be a large regional beer fest with possibly 30 to 50 breweries participating outdoors on Sunday September 13th. This is shaping up to be a very large beerfest with a large offering of beers! More information should be available somewhere somehow as time nears-- is that specific enough? haha.