What's On Tap, Omaha - The Crescent Moon Ale House

by Mike Pomranz, Posted Dec 17th 2009 @ 3:00PM

crescent moon ale house Photo: pheaber, Flickr

A weekly look at the draft selection in beer-friendly bars across the country.

Smack dab in the middle of the country, nestled up against the Iowa border is the United States' 40th largest city, Omaha, Neb.

Back in the 19th century, Nebraska was home to a number of thriving breweries. But by the 20th century, Omaha's beer culture had stagnated. So in 1996, when Bill Baburek opened the Crescent Moon Ale House, he was a trendsetter.

"At the time, we were probably a little ahead of the curve," said Baburek, before adding, "for this town, not necessarily for the country. But for Omaha, to open up a beer bar without any mainstream domestic on draft was pretty much unheard of."

Not surprisingly, Baburek found inspiration from traveling around the U.S.

"I worked, prior to opening this place, for a large corporation," he recalled. "I had a passion for beer and in my free time when I was on the road I would visit brew pups and beer bars and cultivated some knowledge on what I liked and what I didn't like and filed it away."

His mental filing system must have worked well: The Crescent Moon has been a big success. In fact, the place has expanded three times, adding two additional bars -- a German-themed beer hall called Huber Haus and the Belgian-style tavern, Max & Joe's -- as well as a beer store, BeerTopia, with more than 600 specialty beers for sale. Patrons can drop into three different style pubs without leaving the premises.

Nebraska's brewing scene has once again seen expansion as well.

"There are about 12 breweries and brew pups in the state now," says Baburek, "whereas back in 1996, there were maybe four or five."

Realizing that their success is mutual, his bars go out of their way to support these local breweries: "We have a good working relationship with the Nebraska brewers. I know them all very well, and we support them as much as we can."

Since the late '90s, Omaha has seen other craft-friendly bars pop up, but the Crescent Moon still remains one of the cities top beer destinations.

Here's a list of what's on tap:

Lucky Bucket Lager
Lucky Bucket Certified Evil
Spilker Ales Hopluia
Empyrean Darkside Vanilla Porter
August Schell's Snowstorm
Sam Adams Winter Lager
Avery Old Jubilation Strong Ale
Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale
Boulevard Singlewide IPA
Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat
Boulevard Dry Stout
Boulevard Black and Tan
Boulevard Cream of Wheat
Boulevard Nutcracker Ale
Big Sky Moose Drool Brown Ale
New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale
New Belgium 1554 Belgian Style Black Ale
New Belgium 2 Below Winter Ale
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Blue Moon Belgian Style White
Odell's 90 Shilling Amber Ale
Odell's IPA
Odell's Isolation Ale
Odell's Fade to Black Stout
North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
Ska Modus Hoperandi IPA
Weyerbacher Winter Ale
Weyerbacher Hops Infusion IPA
Great Divide Hercules Double IPA
Pilsner Urquell
Woodchuck Draft Hard Cider
Thomas Kemper Draft Root Beer

Filed Under: Lists, Drink Recipes, Reviews, Recipes, Drinks, Features
Tags: ale house, beer, Beertopia, Craft beer, crescent moon, crescent moon ale house, draft beer, huber haus, Max and Joes, midwest cities, NE, Nebraska, Omaha, whats on tap, WhatsOnTap

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

12-17-2009 @4:13PM beerorkid said... I stop by every time I am in Omaha. great place. I was a brewer for a pub and we loved having events there. Bill is a great asset to the brewing community.
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