Thunderhead Brewing Co.

Thunderhead Brewing Co.

Stop #5 of Roadtrip

Kearney, NE

Just when we thought we’d seen all of the corn the world possibly had driving through Iowa, we entered Nebraska and were greeted with more corn, more cows and some horses.  Note to self: if you see a herd of cows and there are smaller creatures amongst them, they are most likely calves, not dogs.

We took a slight detour off of our route to Colorado to camp and drink beer in Kearney, Nebraska.  Luckily for us, this is the home of Thunderhead Brewing Co.  The small city of Kearney has a desert, cowboy kind of feel to it and on a Tuesday night, it felt a little bit like a ghost town.  Surprisingly enough though, Thunderhead Brewing Co. was an outstanding small brewpub located in what seemed to be the middle of nothing.

Flight on Thunderhead (flight on Wayne…):

Peach Wheat: ***

Not too sweet; light peach taste; really good for a fruit beer.

Honey Wheat: **

Nothing too special; can’t really taste the honey.

Summer Tiny Tim: ***

High alcohol taste; Nordic style (Gruit); had somewhat of a candy taste to it (a tad too sweet for me);

Grand Cru: **

Light looking but definitely deep and rich in flavor; looks like a lager but has a heavy wheat taste; a little funky.

Sweet Corn Pils: ****

Sour/sweet aroma; slightly cloudy but has a bright yellow color; lingering aftertaste; crisp with some bitter notes. (This is the beer we tried to get a growler of, but then were denied... see below.)

Saison (9%): ****

Amber color; Clean Belgian taste; really easy to drink.

Cocoa Porter: ***

Mouth feel could be better; smooth; nice cocoa aroma.

Orange Chocolate Porter: ***

Orange peel gives it a bitter taste; wish orange taste was a tad more pronounced; still very light for a porter; wish it had a better orange/chocolate aroma.

Cornstalker Dark Wheat: *

Bland; watery; more Munich malt please; little to no aroma.

Ian MacTawisch Scottish Ale: ****

Medium-thick mouth feel; heavier stout taste; smooth yet sharp alcohol taste with a rich dark color to it.

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Notes: We enjoyed a pizza at the brewpub which was fantastic!  They're food is pretty good, but the menu is based soley on a "pizza" type theme, which I believe they could expand a little further.  I do think that their beer and flights should come with better descriptions.  We had to chat with the bartender a few times to figure out what we were drinking, what the ABV was and so on.  I’m really fond of their graphics and branding, I think it’s done really well and looks very professional.  On the other hand, the brewpub itself I felt could use a little bit of help (just to make it a little less of a standard bar and more of a stand-out brewpub with a specific atmosphere). 

Funny story though: apparently there’s some crazy law in Nebraska that says you can’t fill a beer from a brewery using another brewery’s growler…  Even though they had a line of growlers on their own bar from other breweries… odd. 

Lastly, Thunderhead was quite a surprise.  Jason and I both agree that when it comes down to the actual beer, Thunderhead wins.  They had a huge selection of their own brewed beers on tap and the majority of them were really good.  I didn’t expect this from a brewery in the middle of Nebraska, but that just goes to show you that the appreciation of beer is a cultural phenomenon that’s affecting even small towns across the United States.



Note Note:  I know I'm really behind on these blog posts but I've literally been drinking my way through Colorado... which leads to mostly drinking and less computer time.  I promise you, they're on their way... after I finish this beer...