Top 10 places to drink craft beer in Lincoln, 2016

Craft beer is so tasty. I’m not sure what college me was thinking drinking all of those cheap beers, you didn’t know what you were missing college Joel.  We’re also living in a very fun time being a craft beer lover. There are so many breweries and places to drink popping up. In fact, this list will probably be out of date by the time it’s published.

1. Zipline

There are only a few breweries that I can always count on to provide great beer every single time. Zipline is one of them. They seem to have a knack for making anything taste good, even if the beer has fruit in it, which is no small task since I’ll usually stay away from fruit beer. I would put Zipline’s beer up against any brewery I’ve ever tried. I’m not the only person who thinks that, their Copper Alt recently won a gold medal at the Great American Beer festival.
http://ziplinebrewing.com/

2. Lazlo’s

Lazlo’s is Lincoln’s original craft brewery, they’ve been brewing beer since before it was cool. With that in mind their classics are a little more tame compared to the big flavors of the IPAs and pale ales that are dominating the craft market today. But that’s not a bad thing because they’re still really good. But the real thing that brings me in are the specials. They make some good special beer on their own and if you’re lucky enough to visit when they have a Beer Quest beer on tap, you’re good to go. Beer Quest is a quarterly local home brewers competition and is a pretty big deal with a lot of participation. The winner gets to be on tap at their restaurants and I’ve always been impressed with the winners.
http://www.lazlosbreweryandgrill.com/

3. Moran’s

Moran’s is a liquor store that decided to open a small tasting bar in the back of their store, which if how packed the bar is every time I’ve been in is any indication, it’s been a smash hit. Talk about a curated beer list, Moran’s really knows what they’re doing.
http://www.moransliquor.com/

4. Yia Yia’s

I love Yia Yia’s. It has great pizza, a fun atmosphere and is right in the heart of O street (where the college bars are). The college bar scene is a ton of fun if that’s your thing, but Yia Yia’s isn’t one of those typical college bars. There’s certainly a share of young college kids, but is more a a melting of old and young pot in the middle of the college scene. It’s also probably my #1 place in town to take a kid because it’s a fun place for both kids and adults. But on top of all that, they have an amazing beer selection and are what I would consider Lincoln’s original place to go drink craft beer. Whether it’s on tap or something off their extensive bottle list, you’ll always find something exciting.
https://www.facebook.com/yiayias/

5. Jake’s

At least for me, I’ve always known Jake’s primarily as a cigar bar. But since they’ve moved into their current location, I have absolutely loved their beer selection. It’s second to none. In fact, having them 5th on this list tells me how awesome the craft beer scene is in Lincoln right now because they could easily be first.
http://jakescigars.com/

6. Ploughshare

One of those places that is just solid good. They brew their own beer and I’ve liked it every time I’ve been in. They sort of remind me of the quiet kid who doesn’t need to say much. You forget he’s there but when you talk to him you leave thinking, man that kid is really cool. That’s Ploughshare- speak softly and carry a big stick. Definitely a place you need to try and love.
http://www.ploughsharebrewing.com/

7. Boiler Brewing Company

A relatively new place in town, Boiler Brewing is in … an old boiler room, imagine that. It’s new enough that I haven’t been there a lot. But I have managed to have a flight of every beer they brew and really enjoyed every one. The atmosphere is cool and I’ve hear rumors of being able to get food from the Single Barrel which would be a great combination.
http://boilerbrewingcompany.com/

8. Blue Blood Brewing Co.

My craft brew friends and I seem to have a love/hate relationship with Blue Blood. From their beginnings we’ll have a really good beer one time and then one that needed some work the next. But I really think they’ve hit their stride since they opened their new location. It has great atmosphere, really good food and solid beer. It also has an old cave attached with cave tours that makes the entire experience one that will bring me back–a lot.
http://www.bluebloodbrewing.com/

9. Happy Raven

The atmosphere at the Happy Raven doesn’t really stand up to the other places on this list. But it’s definitely a place where I go in and get excited as soon as I look at the beer list. They always have a completely different tap rotation which is interesting, exciting and worth a stop.
https://www.facebook.com/TheHappyRaven/

10. Hopcat

I hesitate to add chains to my lists. You won’t see them much in this blog. But Hopcat is a fairly small chain and does a really good job with including local beers with their already amazing & large beer list. The list isn’t just large, it’s well thought out and one that’s hard to beat.
https://hopcat.com/lincoln

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Tags: Blue Blood Brewing Co., Boiler Brewing Company, Happy Raven, Hopcat, Jake's, Lazlo's, Moran's, Ploughshare, Yia Yia's, Zipline