Your guide to Lincoln’s Breweries in 2021

Updated from the orginal 2019 post.

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Beer. It’s one of my favorite subjects. I won’t travel to a city without checking out the local brews, and if you’re in Lincoln, here is where you should go to get some of the local stuff. Lincoln’s beer scene can hold it’s own and I think each brewery is worth trying for one reason or another. I’ve ranked them below based on a combination of 1) how much I like the beer and then 2) overall brewery/tasting room experience.

1. Zipline

Zipline just does it better than anyone else in the state. I’d even put them up against pretty much any other brewery I’ve been to. They have awards to back that feeling up, including a Great American Beer Festival 2015 and 2021. The gold medal beer was also the first Zipline beer I ever had when they were very young and I had never heard of them, Copper Alt. Copper Alt is a lighter beer and it’s tastes are subtle, so you need to enjoy it at the right temp and in the right glass, but it’s worth it when you do. I’ll never forget that first glass when I thought: now that is just a really good beer. I had no clue Zipline would just keep knocking them out of the park but I’m glad they have. You can visit their original brewery or the beer hall in my neck of the woods. You can get some great food from Art & Soul at the beer hall, but both locations are well worth your time.

Favorite beers: Too many to choose from. DAAANG! IPA, Black IPA, Bourbon Barrel-aged Calavera or whatever is their newest creation.
https://ziplinebrewing.com/

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2. Emperian/Lazlos

Not just Lincoln’s original craft brewery, Lazlo’s is Nebraska’s original craft* brewery. They were brewing beer way back in 1990 before the craft beer revolution made it cool. Lazlo’s has shown up on a variety of my lists since they’re a solid place to go for both food and beer. But focusing only on the brewery part, Lazlo’s has some solid year-round beers, but it’s the seasonal beer and community support that really makes them stand out.

*Note the use of first “craft” brewery. Nebraska’s first actual brewery was probably opened in the 1850s, Pioneer Brewing Co. Emperian is also Nebraska’s oldest brewery still in operation.

Favorite beers: Imperial Mango IPA (w/ Coconut) & Barrel Aged Imperial Peanut Butter Porter.
https://empyreanbrewingco.com

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4. Boiler Brewing

Boiler is the experimental mad scientist brewery for Lincoln. They have a boatload of different beers on tap that explore every different taste you’ve ever wanted to try in a beer. There are traditional beers, and try them if you want. But my opinion is that you should go to Boiler just have fun trying different beer tastes that you have never tried before. The atmosphere is cool too, in the boiler room (imagine that) of a historic Lincoln building in the downtown area. Because of the mad scientist approach, I would put their beer more in the hit or miss category, which is sort of what makes them awesome and, in my opinion, what you should expect when they are brewing so many wildly different and super creative ideas. They also have a very nice south Lincoln taproom to visit, and you should.

Favorite beers: Holy cow, who knows. I’ve tried so many different one-off beers at Boiler that it’s hard to remember just one. However, one that sticks in my head is a cask pumpkin pie beer that tasted just like my mom’s pie and it was fantastic.
http://www.boilerbrewingcompany.com/

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5. White Elm

White Elm wraps up my go-to section of Lincoln breweries. I would put my most-drank beers to be Zipline, Cosmic Eye, Empyrean & White Elm. I think this is because I know I can try anything from any of these breweries and, in general, expect that it will be good. White Elm has two locations, their original taproom and a very nice patio in the Haymarket. They also get some extra points from me because Pepe’s bistro provides food often & I do love my Pepe’s.

Favorite beers: Skinny Legs IPA, Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout, Inverted Galaxy DIPA.
http://www.whiteelmbrewing.com/

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6. Kinkaider

Kinkader isn’t an original Lincoln brewery. They are based in Broken Bow Nebraska, with a taproom in the Lincoln Haymarket. Since they’re a small town Nebraska Brewery, having a taproom in Lincoln counts enough for me to add them to this list. The location is a perfect addition to the Haymarket since, and they do a good job with their outdoor patio, having food and live music options from time to time. The location alone makes it a must stop for a drink if you’re in the Haymarket and are looking for a good beer.

Favorite beers: Devil’s Gap Jalapeño Ale & Snow Beast Winter Ale.
http://kinkaiderbrewing.com/lincoln/

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7. Code Beer company

Code: good beer & a good building to drink it in. It’s also close enough to downtown and right on the N street bike path. That, combined with Saro Cider and Craft Axe Throwing also being across the street, you could easily make a it part of a fun day or night out out at all three.

Favorite beers: Wee heavy & English Bitter
http://www.codebeer.co/

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9. Catalyst Brewing Company

Catalyst is what “The Local” and their Omaha-based restaurant & brewery morphed into. After that transition, as far as I know Catalyst is now a Lincoln-only brewery and now belong on this list. They have expanded the beers they offer a lot and as far as I’m concerned, they’ve increased their quality too. The patio is a fantastic place to just exist, especially if you are drinking one of their beers.

Favorite Beer: Thirsty Kangaroo Brut IPA

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Honorable Mention

Saro Cider

https://sarocider.com/

Glacial Till

https://www.glacialtillvineyard.com/ciders

They don’t brew beer, so they don’t technically belong on this list. But cider isn’t quite wine and it’s not really beer, so I’m not sure where to put them. They’re both doing really good stuff and you’ll see cider from both places on tap right next to beer at plenty places around town. When exploring all of the breweries in town, these two need to be on your list.

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Tags: Backswing Brewing Co., Blue Blood Brewing Co., Boiler Brewing Company, Code Beer Co., Cosmic Eye, Glacial Till, Green Flash, Kinkaider, Lazlo's, Saro Cider, White Elm, Zipline