What are the "must visit" breweries in Omaha?

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Calling out to Husker Nation, for your best and favorite brewery or beer bar in and around Omaha. I'll be traveling in a few weeks, and it's great to see craft becoming popular, there. (my last visit about 6 years ago, not much was going on)

Thanks in advance!

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Anyone? @PianoMan, @dawn_kiebawls, @husker

 

[BitterSweetBrews]

That is a very loaded question. There are currently at least a dozen breweries in Omaha and they all make great beer. It has exploded in the last 5 years or so. There are also a bunch of great craft beer bars with from 30 - 100 taps. It depends on what you are looking for and where in town you will be. Here are a few: A couple of my favorites are Farnam House (specializing in German and European beers), Scriptown (great browns and always a good assortment on tap and Kros Strain (what they do with Hops is amazing - try the Fairy Nectar NEIPA). Depending on the part of town, here is a list: East in the Old Market - Upstream Brewery and Brickway Brewery & Distillery There are a few craft beer bars (CBB) within 7 or 8 blocks. Omaha Tap House (14th & Farnam & 156th & West Dodge), Wilson & Washburn CBB (14th & Harney), the Local CBB (10th & Dodge, Millard Ave & N) - all local/regional beers). Zipline Brewery Taproom (from Lincoln) and the Blatt CBB are in NODO by TDAmeritrade CWS Park. Further west on Farnam Street between 35th and 40th are Farnam House Brewery, Crescent Moon Alehouse CBB and Scriptown Brewery. A newer one (less than a year old) Vis Major Brewery is at 36th & Center - They do a great job. In Aksarben you can go to Spirit world and grab a beer from the large selection in their cooler and drink it there. This is also true at one of my favorite CBBs Casual Pint at 90th & Pacific (they also have 36 taps). In Benson you can go to the Infusion Brewery and Benson Breweries. SouthWest, by Exit 442 (Cabellas) you can go to Nebraska Breweries tap room and main brewery (108th & Harrison - Nebraska's largest brewery), the Infusion Prod Brewery Taproom (They make Nebrasks's best craft selling beer - Vanilla Bean Blonde), Lucky Bucket (brewery and Distillery), Pint Nine and Kros Strain breweries and Patriarch Distillery. At 132nd & West Center is the Thunderhead Breweryy Taproom (from Kearney). A great KBB, Growler USA is at 158th & West Maple) Good luck, have a great time.

 

[jeeppilot]

Brickway for sure. Benson Brewery also.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Here are a few: A couple of my favorites are Farnam House (specializing in German and European beers), Scriptown (great browns and always a good assortment on tap and Kros Strain (what they do with Hops is amazing - try the Fairy Nectar NEIPA). Depending on the part of town, here is a list: East in the Old Market - Upstream Brewery and Brickway Brewery & Distillery There are a few craft beer bars (CBB) within 7 or 8 blocks. Omaha Tap House (14th & Farnam & 156th & West Dodge), Wilson & Washburn CBB (14th & Harney), the Local CBB (10th & Dodge, Millard Ave & N) - all local/regional beers). Zipline Brewery Taproom (from Lincoln) and the Blatt CBB are in NODO by TDAmeritrade CWS Park. Further west on Farnam Street between 35th and 40th are Farnam House Brewery, Crescent Moon Alehouse CBB and Scriptown Brewery. A newer one (less than a year old) Vis Major Brewery is at 36th & Center - They do a great job. In Aksarben you can go to Spirit world and grab a beer from the large selection in their cooler and drink it there. This is also true at one of my favorite CBBs Casual Pint at 90th & Pacific (they also have 36 taps). In Benson you can go to the Infusion Brewery and Benson Breweries. SouthWest, by Exit 442 (Cabellas) you can go to Nebraska Breweries tap room and main brewery (108th & Harrison - Nebraska's largest brewery), the Infusion Prod Brewery Taproom (They make Nebrasks's best craft selling beer - Vanilla Bean Blonde), Lucky Bucket (brewery and Distillery), Pint Nine and Kros Strain breweries and Patriarch Distillery. At 132nd & West Center is the Thunderhead Breweryy Taproom (from Kearney). A great KBB, Growler USA is at 158th & West Maple) Good luck, have a great time.

Thank you, for taking the time to make such a great list! I've looked at brew guru and I must say it is incomplete.

 

[BitterSweetBrews]

Thank you, for taking the time to make such a great list! I've looked at brew guru and I must say it is incomplete.

Your Welcome. It is pretty hard to go wrong at any of the places. Depending on how much time you have to go around, I would probably recommend going to either locations of "The Local" craft bar/restaurant (I like the one in Millard at Millard Ave and "N" streets in the Lumberyard district). They have somewhere around 50 taps, all loaded with "local" beers from around Nebraska and Iowa. It isn't a brewery, but it is a good representation of the local craft. The breweries that have the most taps of their own selections are probably going to be Nebraska Brewing (they usually have around 24 of their beers on tap and some great barrel aged beers) and Farnam House (They usually have around 12 or 16 of their beers on tap, including some really nice sours and great food). I am friends with their brewers and really enjoy their beers. Kros Strain, Scriptown, Pint Nine, Lucky Bucket, Brickway, Infusion, Benson and Vis Major would all be good stops. Farnam House won a World Beer Cup Medal in 2016 for their Bierre de Garde. Tim

 

[dawn_kiebawls]

There isn't much I can say that BitterSweetBrews hasn't already done an excellent job of explaining! I was going to recommend Kros Strain for their hop forward beers, and because it is right next door to Pint 9 so (if you're like me and want to see as many breweries as possible when traveling) it could be an easy 2fer.

The same could be said with the Benson area, where, in an afternoon you can walk and hit Scriptown, Infusion and Benson brewing. If you're in the Benson area, it's a bit of a hipster haven, but I would recommend a stop into Beercade. They typically have 20+ quality craft beers on tap and have 20+ fully restored pinball machines and a lot more arcade games.

Farnam House brewing is what I consider to be a 'must see' if in the area. As previously mentioned they have some excellent sours, barrel aged quads, brett beers and a World Beer Cup Medal Bier de Garde all served in a laid back environment with excellent service and a wonderful lunch menu to boot! (ask what the daily burger special is, the IPA buffalo wings are phenomenal and they make soft pretzels from their spent grains..mmmmm)

Again, there isn't much I could say which hasn't been covered already so I hope this wasn't too redundant. Just wanted to get my 2 cents in! I hope you enjoy your visit to Omaha and if there's anything I can help you out with while you're here feel free to ask!

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Thanks! HBTers are the friendliest! Used to visit mostly south Omaha and at least took sometime to go to the old market every visit. (I'm so old I remember when the transformation of that area started and the aroma of butternut coffee was in the air, which was much more pleasant than the stockyards. ) Now most family has moved a little north and west, and it's good to get away and unwind a little.

 

[BitterSweetBrews]

There isn't much I can say that BitterSweetBrews hasn't already done an excellent job of explaining! I was going to recommend Kros Strain for their hop forward beers, and because it is right next door to Pint 9 so (if you're like me and want to see as many breweries as possible when traveling) it could be an easy 2fer.

The same could be said with the Benson area, where, in an afternoon you can walk and hit Scriptown, Infusion and Benson brewing. If you're in the Benson area, it's a bit of a hipster haven, but I would recommend a stop into Beercade. They typically have 20+ quality craft beers on tap and have 20+ fully restored pinball machines and a lot more arcade games.

Farnam House brewing is what I consider to be a 'must see' if in the area. As previously mentioned they have some excellent sours, barrel aged quads, brett beers and a World Beer Cup Medal Bier de Garde all served in a laid back environment with excellent service and a wonderful lunch menu to boot! (ask what the daily burger special is, the IPA buffalo wings are phenomenal and they make soft pretzels from their spent grains..mmmmm)

Again, there isn't much I could say which hasn't been covered already so I hope this wasn't too redundant. Just wanted to get my 2 cents in! I hope you enjoy your visit to Omaha and if there's anything I can help you out with while you're here feel free to ask!

Good point about Beercade. My daughter works at IKA across the street (until Sunday) and we have stopped in there a few times. Benson is a fun place and there are a lot of great places to drink and eat. You're right about the hipster thing and that's good.

I second the Farnam House vote. Phil and Tony make great beer and we love their food. I helped them bottle some of that Barrel Aged Quad last Spring or Summer and it was awesome. Phil and his wife Bernie are long time SOBs and still are very active in the Omaha home brewing community (South Omaha Brewers). Pretty much every brewery in town has its roots in the Omaha Home Brewing community (just like everywhere else). Plus, Scriptown is right up the street. Stop in and say hi to John and try his great brews. Tim Trabold

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

I just got back from my Nebraska visit. Family kept hubby and I pretty busy, but we did get to visit Upstream and Farnam House one day. We sampled some more brews visiting Too Far North in Fort Calhoun and another day had lunch at Growlers USA and more drank up some more NE brew. Thanks again for the reccomendations!