USA, NE: Boiler Brewing Company joining Lincoln craft beer scene on April 1

If you like to experiment with new beers, then Lincoln's newest craft brewery may be right up your alley, Lincoln Journal Star reported on March 24.

Boiler Brewing Company, which is in the basement of the Grand Manse building at 10th and P streets, will open April 1 with at least four of its beers on tap, but probably a few more, said taproom manager Thad Aerts.

"Most likely we'll have more than that," Aerts said. There are 12-13 beers brewing in Boiler's tanks right now, he said, and at least some of those will be available when the brewery opens.

The four that will be on tap for sure are Raspberry Tart, a raspberry blonde; Koo Koo for Coconut, a coconut stout; Hisbiscus Saison; and Overdone IPA.

If you are noticing a theme of strong flavors, there's a reason for that.

Boiler Brewing's brewmaster is Tim Thomssen, a former home brewer who won the 2015 Sam Adams LongShot Award, which recognizes the top home brewers in the country.

Thomssen’s LongShot award-winning beer, Raspberry Berliner Weisse, will be available at Boiler Brewing Company on April 22, one day before Sam Adams releases it anywhere else.

Thomssen is known for experimenting with bold flavors, and that will continue at Boiler.

“Our setup is ideal for experimentation,” Thomssen said. “We’re going to let our customers decide what they want, and we’ll make more of it; but we’re never going to stop trying new things and pushing ourselves to create unique, interesting beers.”

Aerts said that partly due to the focus on experimentation and partly due to other factors, Boiler does not plan to do commercial distribution of any of its beers.

"Our focus is our beer, and since we're not doing distribution, there's nowhere else you can get it," he said.

Aerts said that's one thing that will help Boiler stand out in what's becoming a somewhat crowded craft beer scene in Lincoln: you won't be able to get its beers anywhere else, and you won't be able to get any other brewer's beers in its taproom.

That taproom initially will have only beer. Boiler does not have its own kitchen, though it will be partnering with restaurants and food trucks to bring in food options later on.

Hours are Monday-Thursday 4-11 p.m., Friday 4-12 p.m., Saturday 1-12 p.m. and Sunday 1-8 p.m.

Along with Thomssen and Aerts, the other partners in the brewery are Monte Froehlich, who owns the Grand Manse, and Jon Marco and Matt Rennerfeldt, owners of Alpha Brewing operations, a company that makes brewery equipment.

25 March, 2016