Lazlo's Lincoln, NE

Tonight I was able to go to a place that gave me an epiphany in beer.  I revisited Lazlo's in the Haymarket District in downtown Lincoln and it seemed to be as good as I remember.  Actually it has grown since the last time I was there, they have taken over the building next door and converted it into restaurant space.  Overall the restaurant is what you would expect from a reclaimed warehouse building, wood and lots of brick.  I sat at the bar per usual and was treated to a granite bar top and a couple big screen TV's. 

When it comes to the Haymarket District the problem is finding parking.  Since I was there on a Tuesday night, I would hate to see a weekend night or even worse when the Huskers are having a home game in the fall.  There is parking but not overly convenient.   So plan to do a bit of walking if you drive down to Lazlo's. 

Lazlo's http://www.lazlosbreweryandgrill.com/index.html is where I found Empyrean's Vanilla Porter a gate way beer for me.  It is wonderfully rich with a strong vanilla flavor that offsets the roasty character of the underlining beer.  If I remember correctly I still have a couple of bottles in my cellar somewhere.

Tonight I started with their Collapsar Oatmeal Stout which they serve on nitrogen.  It is a really nice beer but not a great beer.  It is smooth and slightly roasty but lacks the depth of character of a stout.  I could probably drink a couple of these and not be unhappy, but I want more!  I also was able to try a couple of beers as tasters, a black pepper porter, that for some reason I could not pick out the black pepper, and also I tasted my favorite the vanilla porter, still as good as I remember.  The last beer I had was Better World Wheat, a Belgian style Wit.  It is a good beer but again not a great beer.  It is light and refreshing but not up to what I expect from a great Belgian Wit.

The food menu is a variety of various items.  I wound up going safe and having a bacon cheese burger and it was very good.  Since I was in cattle country I would expect nothing less.  They also have an extensive amount of steaks.

No matter why you find yourself in Lincoln, NE Lazlo's is a must stop.  They have a great selection of beers and great food.  The beer is called Empyrean but the restaurant is Lazlo's they are tied together in some way but I am unsure how.  This is a worthy stop on the great Midwest beer tour.

QC Beerguy