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Moving on from the Lincoln breweries, we will alternate between Omaha breweries, and breweries in other parts of the state. This week, we visited Infusion Brewing in the historic Benson District of Omaha.
All of the previous pieces in the series can be found here, including the introduction. As previously mentioned, my wife and I are investors in Blue Blood Brewing in Lincoln.
Background
The brewery and taproom were opened in October 2013 by Bill Baburek, Aaron Bush, and Max Stewart. Bill owns Beertopia, Bill was his manager, and Max was an employee. Bill is best described as a connoisseur and collector of beers and beer memorbilia from around the world. After the Extreme Beerfest a few years back, Bill decided he wanted to open a brewery. Aaron and Max had both been home brewing for years, and sharing their brews with their co-workers. Aaron is the head brewer, while Max works closely with him on the beers. The taproom location is the former Olson's Meat Market which occupied the location for over 60 years.
The name Infusion represents the idea that they like to brew beers that are unique, and people haven't had before like the Vanilla Bean Blonde (more on that later), and the upcoming Pineapple IPA.
Location/Hours
The taproom and brewery are located at 6115 Maple Street in Omaha in the heart of the Benson Business District. The taproom is open Monday - Wednesday from 3 pm - midnight, Thursday and Friday from 3 pm - 2 am, Saturday from noon - 2 am, and Sunday from noon - midnight.
Tours are offered Monday at 7:00 and Saturday at 1:00 pm and 2:30 pm. The cost for the tour is $5.00/person, and the tour is limited to 15 people. A free beer is included in the cost of the tour.
Beer
The Infusion website has a great description of each of their beers. The name of the beer tells you quite a bit about the beer itself.
- D.R. Brown Ale
- Hawaiian Imperial Stout - Stout with chocolate and coconut notes
- Keg Stand Pale Ale - American pale ale
- Splish Splash - Tart Cherry Wheat
- Prom King - Black IPA
- Nitro Dry Stout
- Red X IPA
- Vanilla Bean Blonde
- Unclearly - American wheat
- Radial IPA
- Butcher Block - American brown ale
- Joel Porter - English style porter
They also brew limited styles and update the website as the beer available at the taproom changes regularly.
Availability
Available on draft at bars around Omaha and Lincoln as well as in growlers from the taproom. There are plans to beginning bottling and distributing in the near future, though no date is set.
Verdict
The Prom King is a great black IPA. It starts off with the malty, chocolate notes of a stout, but finishes with the hoppy character of an IPA. The Hawaiian Imperial Stout is unlike any stout I've had before. It has a strong malt and chocolate character, but the coconut flavor stays after you've finished your drink. The Vanilla Bean Blonde is unbelievably good. It tastes like vanilla ice cream. The mouthfeel is creamy, and it's sweet and delicious. The brewery is willing to take risks (I was told there was a Skittles IPA and a Mike and Ike beer previously) and bring beers infused with flavors that you don't get often.
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