Omaha Craft Brewery Tour - Upstream and Borgata

Another fun thing we did when we were in Omaha for Restaurant Week is visit a couple of craft breweries featured in the Omaha Craft Brewery Tour. Once again, our friends from Visit Omaha were kind enough to set us up with a free pint at each of 8 great breweries in Omaha - and the best thing is that if you want to request your own brewery card, just click here! It's only one per household, and you have to live outside of the Omaha area (which covers the lucky central Iowa beer nuts) - plus when you get your stamps all filled in, you can stop by the Omaha Vistor's Center and pick up a souvenir pint glass!

Our first stop was Upstream Brewing Co., located at 54 S 11th St in the Old Market area of Omaha. 

Upstream features 8 beers brewed fresh in-house, plus they always have a nice variety of seasonal beers, too. We've been stopping in here for years, so we've enjoyed several of their handcrafted beers. They also have a great restaurant with excellent American pub fare.  

Here's a closer look at the house beers with a brief description of flavors and ABV. 

And, some additional information about their latest seasonal beers. You can also try multiple beers in a flight.  

The giant brew tanks and mash tun are visible from the dining room. Beautiful copper and stainless steel, one of the brewers was busy back there when we visited. 

Grant had a pint of the Dundee Scotch Ale - a nice, malty flavor, he said it was a very smooth beer, easily drinkable. And look at that deep color! 

I wanted to try one of the seasonal beers, so I got a sample of a couple and decided on the Gettin' Ginger Wit It. A very interesting flavor, a little fruity, with nice notes of ginger. A bit of carbonation, but still very crisp and clean on the tongue. Tasty! 

This sign on the wall gives all information on the beers they have currently available, plus a little preview of what's coming up for seasonal beers.  

Plus, their coasters really say it all, right? 

If you are a fan of craft beer, Upstream Brewing Co. is definitely worth a visit if you are in the Old Market area of Omaha. Friendly staff are always willing to answer any questions, and the beer is outstanding. Check out their website for hours and more information.

Our second stop was a new one for us. Borgata Brewery & Distillery opened early this year at 1116 Jackson St, also in the Old Market area of Omaha. They brew their beer with locally sourced ingredients, and also distill a unique 'white' whiskey. 

It's a hip, very modern space, with plenty of tables for seating. Borgata features a full bar, plus they also pour some excellent beer from other craft breweries, and some great wines.

You can also tour the facilities on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Visit their website for more details.

Here's the beers Borgata had available the day we visited, along with their ABV. A nice variety. 

Grant chose a pint of the Imperial Stout - he's a big fan of stout beer and this was a great beer. Full-bodied, creamy and malty, he really enjoyed this brew.

I thought their ciderbeer sounded interesting, so I ordered a pint of that. What a surprising taste - I was expecting a sweet apple-y flavor similar to the draft ciders on the market, but this was crisp and refreshing, and not really 'sweet' at all. A lovely fruit flavor and just the right amount of carbonation. Wonderful! 

And since Borgata is also a distillery, we thought we'd better try their signature 'white whiskey,' so we ordered one up! It's definitely a different flavor than the aged golden whiskeys, more light and easy to drink. We had ours straight up, but it would be very nice in a cocktail, too.  

We had a very fun afternoon trying new craft brews with our Omaha Craft Brewery Tour passports. We will be back soon to try the 6 additional brew pubs and enjoy our free pints. If you'd like more information, or would like to sign up for your own passport, check out their website here. 

We'll have one more post up next week to wrap up our great weekend in Omaha!