Empyrean Brewing Company
Encyclopedia
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, by the holding company Telesis Inc. The following year, Telesis opened Lazlo's Brewery and Grill, Nebraska's first brewpub. Lazlo's restaurants are located in Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
and Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
. Currently, Empyrean beer is available in Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, Council Bluffs, Ames
Ames, Iowa
Ames is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. The U.S. Census Bureau designates that Ames, Iowa metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa...
, and Des Moines IA
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
.
History
Barrel (unit)
A barrel is one of several units of volume, with dry barrels, fluid barrels , oil barrel, etc...
of their beer.
In 1996, construction began on a new fermentation cellar in the adjacent Coffee and Spice Building at 729 Q St. After completion of the construction in 1997, Empyrean Brewing Company and Lazlo's Brewery and Grill became separate financial entities under the Telesis umbrella. As production increased, K & Z Distributing of Lincoln and Miller Brands of Omaha begin distributing Empyrean beer.
Just one year after contracting with the distributors, Empyrean had over 70 draft contracts in Lincoln and Omaha. To meet these needs, brewing capacity was increased to 2,500 barrels
Barrel (unit)
A barrel is one of several units of volume, with dry barrels, fluid barrels , oil barrel, etc...
. The increasing popularity of the beers caused Empyrean owners to begin to consider bottling the beers for more widespread distribution.
Empyrean began the bottling process in 1999 with their LunaSea ESB, Third Stone Brown and Chaco Canyon Honey Gold. In doing so, Empyrean became the first Nebraska craft brewery to bottle its beers.
In 2000, a second Lazlo's location was opened in South Lincoln on Old Cheney Road. As the brewing capacity was increased again, Empyrean began to draw up plans for a new brewhouse which would make it the largest brewery in Nebraska in 2001. It was at that time that Dark Side Vanilla Porter was created. By 2002, Empyrean became the first brewery in Nebraska to distribute across the entire state. In Lincoln, the Telesis family was expanding as well, with the creation of FireWorks, a restaurant focused on wood-fired cooking.
Also in 2002, the Burning Skye Scottish Ale was created.
At the 2006 World Beer Cup
World Beer Cup
The World Beer Cup, known as "The Olympics of Beer Competition", is one of several major international beer competitions. It was founded by Association of Brewers President Charlie Papazian....
, the LunaSea ESB took the Silver medal in the English-Style Extra Special Bitter or Strong Bitter category.
Company Information
Empyrean
Empyrean, from the Medieval Latin empyreus, an adaptation of the Ancient Greek ἔμπυρος empyrus "in or on the fire ", properly Empyrean Heaven, is the place in the highest heaven, which in ancient cosmologies was supposed to be occupied by the element of fire .-Use in literature:The Empyrean was...
. Empyrean Brewing Company has embodied the flaming sphere in the Empyrean logo (see left). Further suggestions of the celestial connection can be gleaned from the beers themselves. Most of the beers' names reference astronomy and all of the company's labels depict heavenly scenes.
All of Empyrean's active beers are available on-tap and in bottles, except for the nitrogenated Collapsar Oatmeal Stout, which is on-tap only. In addition to their six regular beers, Empyrean consistently brews two additional beers, the Eccentric Seasonal Ale and the Lazlo's Limited. Usually, the Eccentric is chosen from the company's lineup of seasonal beers, while the Lazlo's limited, available only at the Telesis-owned restaurants, is the champion of the "BeerQuest" competition for local homebrewers
Homebrewing
Homebrewing is the brewing of beer, wine, sake, mead, cider, perry and other beverages through fermentation on a small scale as a hobby for personal consumption, free distribution at social gatherings, amateur brewing competitions or other non-commercial reasons...
.
In addition to "BeerQuest", Empyrean sponsors several beer-related events in the Lincoln area. On the first non-holiday Monday of every month, Lazlo's Brewery and Grill in the Haymarket hosts "Cask Night", an event featuring two Empyrean beers that have been cask-conditioned. On the same night, next door, the brewery opens its doors to the first 150 people to arrive to receive an exclusive tour of the brewery and a presentation from Head Brewer Rich Chapin. "Brewed Awakening" is a monthly event that pairs beers from all over the world with food that will compliment them.
External links
- BeerAdvocate.com Empyrean Brewing Company Ratings
- Empyrean Brewing Company http://www.empyreanbrewingco.com
- Lazlo's Brewery & Grill http://www.lazlosbreweryandgrill.com
- FireWorks Restaurant http://www.fireworksrestaurant.com