Day 189 - Zip Line Beer

As I have done in all of the states we visited Trader Joe’s in, while in Omaha I tried to get LOCAL products.  Because Trader Joe’s stores across the country carry the same products, the department where you can usually find something different and LOCAL is the liquor department.  So off I went :).  It is RESEARCH for the blog, right??

Look - Omaha Trader Joe's has real LIQUOR!  This is only the second location we have seen with more than beer and wine - the other was LaJolla, California

Sign at the TJ's check out in Omaha - cool, eh??

I found this local beer, Zip Line.  But I searched and searched for a local WINE.  I know there ARE Nebraska wines, because my entire family lives in Nebraska and once when we went to visit they took us to a winery (Soaring Wings I believe it was called).  So I asked a Trader Joe’s guy where I might find a local Nebraska wine in the store, and he kindly pointed out (with a funny face) that they did not carry any…  It was sort of cute, really.  It felt as if he was trying to save us from having to taste a Nebraska wine…  (Note:  the wines at Soaring Wings were not bad when we went!  And the location was very pretty and nice.  It is a fun place to visit.  Sure, it is not SONOMA, but it is worth a drive out if you are in the area!  http://www.soaringwingswine.com/ )

David presents ZIP LINE - a Nebraska beer

So, no local wine, local beer it was!  We checked out with the crazily overpriced Zip Line Beer, brewed in the capital of Nebraska (Lincoln, for those of you not in the know).  It was $8.99 for a 4 pack - $2.25 per bottle.  Way more than regular beer at Trader Joe’s. 

Just because it has "limited series" written on the box doesn't mean they should overcharge for it...

This is a seasonal brew, and for a summer beer it is “okay” according to Jim, my brother-in-law who I consulted for this review.  Jim likes beer, in fact he has been known to brew some of his own up at home.  He said to really be good it would have to be colder than it was when I served it.  My bad.  Jim said it was, “Not my favorite IPA in all the world.  Peppery, smoky citrus.  There is a hint of – hold on (this is the point where he GARGLED the beer.  I liked this part.) COMPLEX.  To me, it has too much citrus.  It is kind of a summer Pale Ale actually.  I don’t know.  But that is too much for a 4 pack.”

Jim doing a taste test

My favorite part - Jim gargling the beer.  This makes it fancy.

David and Jim tried to come up with the best pairing for this beer and decided on HOT DOGS.  Classy.

David’s review was this, “This beer would best be poured over the pavement by a police officer who has stopped you”.  Umm, I take it this was not David’s favorite beer on the planet.  Maybe because he was drinking it at Jim’s house and was wishing he had some of Jim’s home brew instead.

Price - $8.99

Rating – 3 (that is the rating Jim gave it and I gave it the same, so it averaged out to a 3)