The Revolution Comes to Nebraska

The Crescent Moon Ale House

3578 Farnham St.

Omaha, NE

I’m pretty sure nobody in America is more grateful for the craft beer revolution than me.

Just a few years ago, one of my typical stopovers at some Middle America sports bar would yield nothing more than a monotonous display of ubiquitous tap handles — the same dozen boring taps you see in every bar in America.

And that’s what I don’t get about the people who actually enjoy those mass-produced American lagers – don’t you get bored drinking the same damn thing over and over again?

And don’t even try to tell me that Bud Light tastes radically different from Miller Lite. I’ve blind taste-tested them all.

They’re all the same formula. The same pale color. The same nonexistent flavor.

Now, don’t get me wrong, my favorite kind of beer might be a hoppy Imperial IPA, but my second favorite beer is…

…free beer.

Even if it is a Bud Light.

I’ll never turn down free beer.

But what makes me excited about the craft beer revolution is the wonderful variety of good beer out there waiting for me to sample.

Which makes even a trip to Omaha, Nebraska an enlightening experience.

I chose the Crescent Moon not just for its beer selection alone, but because I had read that it serves the single best sandwich in the state of Nebraska – the Blackstone rueben.

Named after a local historic hotel where the original version was served, this was one top-notch rueben.

Slow cooked in secret spices, the chunks of corned beef melted in my mouth. The swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing lended plenty of gooey goodness.

Even the sauerkraut was spot on and I don’t even like sauerkraut.

On the side, I paid extra for fried green peppers.

Fried green peppers?

Yes, lightly breaded so the pepper flavor shines through, fried green peppers are a welcome reprieve from the usual fries, onion rings and coleslaw.

Which to me is what I love most about eating my way across America — trying new things.

Which is also why I love the craft beer revolution.

Crescent Moon Ale House is a fantastic beer house with an exotic display of tap handles from across the Midwest and Nebraska.

I was excited! And even more so when the bartender informed me that all brews from Nebraska were just $3.50 per pint tonight.

Bargain!

I started with the Zipline Black IPA out of Lincoln, Nebraska – a toasty, flavorful oxymoron in a glass. How exactly can a “pale ale” be black?

My second brew was the Radial IPA from Infusion Brewing Company across town, a nice wallop of spicy hops.

How cool is it that microbreweries are popping up in every nook and cranny of America — even in places like Nebraska??

The Crescent Moon had a nice crowd for 10pm on a Wednesday night.

Definitely a college bar vibe with long tables full of students from nearby Creighton University, beer banners hanging from the ceiling, and a burly bouncer dude checking IDs at the front. Behind him was a glass display case selling t-shirts that said “Moon Me.”

There’s even a “Huber-Haus German Bier Hall” in the basement, and Max and Joe’s – a Belgian beer bar off in a side room.

You’d think this place would be a sausage fest of frat guys downing beer and telling fart jokes.

But you’d be wrong.

There were just as many girls knocking back brewskies.

How cool is that?

While I munched on my fried green peppers at the bar, a couple of attractive college girls stepped up to order some local brews.

“Damn, I love beer,” the brunette said.

The blonde one replied, “I know, right?!? The next time you go home to Denver, I want to come with you so we can stop off at every brewery in Colorado.”

Wow!

Besides sounding like a VERY fun road trip (would it be rude if I invited myself along?) — I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Girls who like good beer? Apparently I was born too early.

When I was in college, the cool girls would help you finish your $4 dollar pitcher of Busch.