Pre-Prohibition Style Lager - Lucky Bucket Brewing Co.

Icehouse57

Iowa

4.35/5  rDev +31%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Well, many people may not be able to imbibe this wonderful beer on site, but if you have the time, I'd highly suggest taking a trip to the brewery for a tour. You'll get to try all of their beers, and possibly some of their very tasty vodka, as well.

Appearance- A delicious tawny amber. 1 finger off-white head that held its own for an average amount of time.

Aroma- Somewhat bready, with biscuit malt seemingly evident. Not sure what the grist is on this beer, but it must have some in there somewhere. Hard to pin the hop variety based soley on the aroma, but I'd say there are tettnanger and/or saaz from the smell of grass.

Taste- Very well balanced. A hint of toffee sweetness (crystal malt?) at the start, but as the beer moves over the tongue, a breadlike maltiness starts to edge forward, before mixing nicely with the hops. Not overly aggressive in the hops... a nice balance to the slight sweetness.

Mouthfeel- Very nice. Nice carbonation level, appropriate to the amber lager style.

Drinkability- I've since sat down with a six-pack... and it is extremely drinkable! A very nice session beer...

Overall, I'm very impressed for this first offering from this upstart brewery. A little history.... the brewery was started by the former brewmaster of Upstream brewery... a local brewpub. Zach, the head brewmaster here has his masters in brewing, and has hit the ball out of the park! VERY NICE ZACH! Can't wait to see what's next!

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2010 19:08:27 | More by Icehouse57

MadScientist

New York

4.08/5  rDev +22.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer is a medium amber with excellent clarity and an off-white head that settles to a quarter inch of foam on the top after a couple of minutes.
A very appealing grain, slightly sweet malt aroma is prominent with a moderately high citrus hop aroma that seems a bit spicy in the background. There was just a slight green apples aroma from the yeast for a couple of minutes.

The first sip has a big grainy, malty flavor balanced with a medium-high hop bitterness and medium-high citrus and pine hops flavors. The balance of malt sweetness and hops bitterness is tilted towards the bitter end with the bitterness lingering briefly into a dry finish.

This has a medium body and a medium-high level of carbonation with a pleasant creamy quality.

I really liked this beer it's like the lager equivalent to an American Pale Ale as far as hops flavor and bitterness just that it has a malty backbone and that clean lager yeast character to it. Beers like remind me that there is more to beer than ales and it's about time I tried my hand at brewing a lager.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 23:13:38 | More by MadScientist

mnbrewery

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer is very flavorful and the yeast make for a great drink for a lager. Insanely easy to drink! Very yummy for a lager brewed with centennial hops. Highly carbonated and dances on the tongue.
I usually not a lager fan, but this one did a great job pleasing my need for refreshment on a hot day!
A very good lager!

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2011 17:21:00 | More by mnbrewery

FightingEntropy

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On the tour at Lucky Bucket Brewing, a free pint came along with the tour. I'd had a bottle of the lager before with positive results, so tried a draft for comparison.

Tightly bubbled, thick, creamy head that lingers nicely as the effervescence builds the head from the bottom of the orange-amber lager. Bit dark for the stereotype of a lager, but, if I remember correctly, this is a pre-prohibition lager and fits a different style than the typical American macro-lager.

Clean malty nose with light spice, and, with a deep breathe, a hint of apple underneath. Smooth and full bodied, the spice, caramel and sweetness jump out on the tongue and linger--not typical lager characteristics, but a reason why I like this one. Refreshing on a hot day--a perfect reason to drink a lager.

Serving type: on-tap

08-31-2012 01:58:29 | More by FightingEntropy

Gavage

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev +19%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: light amber in color with a one inch head that slowly falls to a spotty surface covering.

Smell: light bread aroma with a hint of floral hops are the main aromatic components.

Taste: mild bready malt profile with some grass, apple sweetness, a hint of citrus, and a soft floral bitterness are most notable.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer. Lightly crisp throughout. Short lasting aftertaste.

Overall: this is a nicely flavorful lager that is a serious session beer. This represents the style well.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 19:20:56 | More by Gavage

KarlHungus

Minnesota

3.9/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer pours a cloudy golden color. The head is half an inch in height, and recedes within seconds into almost no lacing. The aroma is of light caramel with hints of floral hops. For the style the aroma is rather strong. The taste is similar to the aroma, but fuller. It finishes clean with a mild pale malt taste that lingers for a few seconds then goes away. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation, and a smooth texture. Overall, this is a nice easy drinking beer. I could drink this again without complaints, but there are better beers in this style that I would choose first.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2011 20:13:43 | More by KarlHungus

katan

Colorado

3.88/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz into a pint

A - Pours a very clear, light brown color. Little bubbling, appears lightly carbonated. Head formation is light, just a film of light white.

S - A light scent of grainy notes, lightly malty. Some caramel and toffee is present, lightly toasted.

T - Light malty note, 2-row light sweetness with some grainy caramel notes. Little hopping - little bitterness. Finishes with some caramel malt notes.

M - Lightly carbonated, little sting on the tongue. Finishes very clean, smooth. Clinging sweetness on the tongue.

D - Easy drinking. ABV is well within sessionability. Lightly filling at times. Malting is pretty assertive, leaving a sweet finish.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2010 03:48:27 | More by katan

CamuMahubah

Nebraska

3.8/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Clean and Yummy with hints of beer!

Pours a light orange amber...

Smells wonderful with a hint of walnuts...

The taste is almost there. It's just needs something. I was thinking this reminded me or Anchor Steam at first. Nope finishes way too clean. This is almost like a Buweiser or a Schlitz made with better ingredients. It just needs maybe one more IBU?

The mouthfeel sure reminds me of American macros. The creaminess but wait! Actual touch of hops in this one. I just got a taste of wet dog fur and almost coughed it up. Horse blanket?

I'm on number 2 and I really see myself finishing off the whole sixxer as it is my night off and I'm looking for something in this beer and I think this beer might be offering something else. I was expecting Anchor Steam but I keep going back to Bud.

Hmmm...I may need to try this again in a few months and review again possibly scrapping this one. The Hawaiian Luau pizza I had tonite should be going better with this than it is...

For some reason I really like this beer and my number scores I noted earlier before sitting down to type. A bit confused with the hop profile and body of this beer. I'm gonna let this review stand and come back to it later. Only fair...

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2011 03:07:20 | More by CamuMahubah

Greggy

Minnesota

3.8/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Thin head, no lacing. Amber body.

S- Malty and sweety with some biscuity notes.

T- Starts malty and semi sweet and transitions into a dry floral finish.

M- Could use a little more carbonation here. Overall, a bigger body, especially give the 4.5 % ABV.

O- Drinkable but not memorable.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2012 05:46:05 | More by Greggy

scoobybrew

Iowa

3.73/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - light copper color, very clear, small head retained in a light lacing

S - malty sweet, no perceptible hop

T - malt at first with a modest earthy hop flavor on the finish, which is fairly dry considering the aroma and initial malt taste

M - medium body, moderately high carbonation

D - This is a decent session beer and a nice gateway to craft brews. There are no off flavors, but there's not much to this beer. I would recommend this to a friend that isn't into craft beer, but not to a veteran.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2010 00:56:16 | More by scoobybrew

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.7/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Lucky Bucket Brewing Company Craft Brewery Lager, Est. 2006, Original taste, Pre-prohibition style., Brewed and bottled by Lucky Bucket Brewing Company, La Vista, Nebraska. 4.5% ABV.
"A lot of things go into making a great beer, This pre-prohibition style lager, for example, communes 100% malted barley with just the right amount of hops, making it smoother and more flavorful than today's typical lagers. But the most important ingredient isn't on the label. It's our passion for quality that goes into every Lucky Bucket brew. So take another drink and savor what real beer is all about."

Let's do it.
Clear and yellow look, slim whitish head. Not much else.

Aroma: cereal grain, typical lager-y smell, very malty, pleasant and all that.

Taste: a little sweet, a trifle corny, but not bad. Just enough sweetness, but not enough hops. A tasty lager, though, and very consumable. A little dry, then a touch sweet, …a kiss of the hops, a tiny touch of bitter. Not even tiny, but plenty more than you'd get from a non-craft lager.

Great balance, excellent pad de deau between the factors. Ultimately satisfactory. I can drink this, that's for sure. As a non-lager-lover, I'm not ultimately going to turn to this often, but it's fine for what it is.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2011 00:43:13 | More by feloniousmonk

wcudwight

North Carolina

3.68/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Fugazme for some fine local Nebraskan brews.
Cystal clear pale golden colored. Large fluffy white head quickly recedes to a thin white film on top of the beer.
Lot's of pale malt in the aroma. Fresh baked biscuits. Faint hint of a spicy hop and fruitiness.
Flavorful for the style. Lot's of pale malt. Biscut flavored. Fruit--green apple. Hint of Juicy Fruit gum.
Light bodied and crisp in the mouthfeel. Very clean finish. Mouthfeel is made for sessioning.
Very drinkable. One to keep stocked in your fridge in the summer. Would be a good beer to have in cans.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2009 03:48:52 | More by wcudwight

lawlerj

Nebraska

3.68/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: translucent, goldish brown, no head (tap)

Smell: hops and some malt. Pretty straightforward.

Taste:heavier than a traditional American lager, but still easy drinking. A little grainy, a little hoppy, a nice of balance of not too intense flavors

Mouthfeel: light, smooth

Drinkability:See mouthfeel & taste. A great, straightforward brew for drinking on a summer day.

Serving type: on-tap

04-03-2011 16:51:40 | More by lawlerj

mynie

Indiana

3.68/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I was gonna start this review out by saying naw, naw no way, this ain't no APL, it's obvious an adjunct. But the bottle says it's 100% malt, so I dunno.

See, it smells and tastes a lot like corn. Very pleasantly, but still adjuncty. The malt is pale and simplistic. The hops are a little earthy, a little citrusy. And then this corniness just hangs over everything, inexplicable. It's a tangy grain taste. I usually associate it with corn. Kind of like lemongrass, but usually that means corn.

So, hmph. Guess I'll just go with my gut here:

This tastes nice. It's crisp and simple, but it's not quite like anything I've ever had before. It's sweet but not agressively so. Not particularly well balanced, but that's par for the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 05:24:35 | More by mynie

NStLincoln

Nebraska

3.65/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hooray for local beers! Lucky Bucket hails from Omaha. It's the newest craft brewer in the state.

Lucky Bucket Pre-Prohibition pours like a typical lager, a light gold with a hint more orange than the average domestic. The head is white and short-lived.

On the nose I get biscuits, coriander, and, I'm not going to lie, the smell of dirty diapers about 30 feet away. Also some sweet tarts.

This beer hits me a bit like a wheat beer. I get a touch of oranges and an amazing amount of crispness, bordering on acidity, that is very refreshing and appealing. Again, the biscuity malt is present.

Lucky Bucket is a very drinkable beer. Goes down easy and is very refreshing. Probably something I'd prefer in the summer, but I'm impressed in December, too.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2009 21:20:39 | More by NStLincoln

phenomenologian

Nebraska

3.63/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Upon opening, little smoke comes out. It pours with a thin head that does not retain and laces. The body is an amber brownish gold color. Bubbles rise to the top. It looks like a nice beer, but the stream of bubbles is not uniform nor is it a lot of bubbles which shows a good amount of carbonation but maybe there should be more.

It smells of grain, corn, hops, and some other fruity tones. The grain and hops are most prominent.

It has a nice bitter taste combination of hops and grain. The other things dont come in too much. I taste water also.

The mouthfeel is of a lot of carbonation which is good but I'd like there to be less.

Overall, its a good beer that I drink every once in awhile. I don't drink it a lot because I want a different taste in a beer. I like LB's IPA better.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 02:35:37 | More by phenomenologian

chodinheaven

Maryland

3.63/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Really pretty beer, clear amber-orange in color with a slight chill haze and a decent amount of bubbles steaming from the bottom to feed the thin white cap of a head. Nice malt base to the nose, toasty caramel and biscuit tones with a sweeter floral hop aroma mingling in. Touch of citrus for a nice balanced nose that is surprisingly aromatic.

The taste is very much like the nose with a toasty biscuit and caramel malt base that goes well with the smooth lager mouthfeel. Light to medium body that makes this very easy to drink. Lightly fruity, not citrusy so much as apricotesque I suppose. There is a slight touch of bitterness in the back that balances out the fruitiness, the hops being floral with just the slightest touch of pine.

Overall, just an easy drinking lager that tastes pretty good and smells even better. For what it is, this beer does just fine as an easy to drink refresher.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 06:32:45 | More by chodinheaven

AgentMunky

Alabama

3.63/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a BrewDog cervoise glass.

A: Little to no head, nice effevescence, clear but hazy orange-gold.

S: Lager yeast, slightly skunky, slightly fruity, touch of hops.

T/M: Actually quite pleasant. Lemon-tart and crisp with green apples, earthy hops, and lightly dry hops and/or yeast. Crisp and drinkable.

O: I don't generally like lagers, but this one gets my seal of approval. Consumable, interesting, and goes great with food.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 01:33:40 | More by AgentMunky

zeff80

Missouri

3.6/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a clear, amber color with a one-finger, tan head of foam. The head was short-lived and left no lacing.

S - It smelled malty and somewhat fruity. Not what I expected from a pale lager.

T - It was malty and sweet with a nice caramel flavor. There was a fruity quality here, too. I couldn't identify the fruit but I'd lean toward cherry.

M - It was crisp, sharp and very smooth. A light bodied lager that is very easy drinking.

D - This is a pretty interesting pale lager. It is quite tasty and could be very sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2011 02:21:22 | More by zeff80

plfahey

Minnesota

3.6/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle poured into a tulip glass.

Appearance-Gold in color and brilliantly clear. Medium, nearly white head with decent retention.

Aroma-Herbal/spicy and slightly noble hop profile with a bready/Pils malt base, and slight grain notes. Touch of skunk fades quickly. Lightly sweet and fresh smelling.

Flavor-Bready Pils malt and saltine cracker with a faint herbal hop note and a light crack of hop bitterness in the finish. Relatively clean but not that crisp in the finish.

Mouthfeel-Medium body with moderate, soft carbonation. I wish the finish were a bit crisper-it would make for a more refreshing beverage.

Quite solid for an American Lager-a decent example of a fancy lawn mower beer if you will. I just wish that it finished a little bit crisper-as it is, it feels just a little flabby.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2011 05:09:22 | More by plfahey

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a Budweiser pokal.

Big ups to JMBSH for hookin' me up with my first Cornhusker brew!

Ah, we pine for the days before all that Prohibitive nonsense, don't we? Just as we pine for the fjords whilst preening our lovely plumage? Yup. This guy pours every shade of auburn from a tiger eye (from the darker amber on top to a pale straw at the base, with several gradients in between) with a minor bubbly head. Imagine a close-up photo of a tiger cub's left eye (the right looks different...we think it's some sort of genetic defect...). The nose is faint, with hints of light wheat and what I struggle to perceive to be caramel. Luckily (hey, that bucket worked! Fuck that dirty ol' rabbit's foot!) the taste has more strength to it, with notes of wheat (slightly darker than in the nose), random grains, raw corn (or, as the Indians call it, maize), and a very mild bitterness. The body is quite smooth and light, with moderate carbonation and a crisp finish. Why can't more lagers be this solid? I guess we're just gonna haveta hog-tie Peabody, jack his Way-Back, and rock our way to the days before those damn early progressives caved to pressures from...whoa, curse these historian's impulses!

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2010 06:03:56 | More by TMoney2591

keethrax

Minnesota

3.58/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Clear and bubbly, lots of carbonation.

S: Initial herbal aroma followed by malty undertones.

T: Grains and malt. Some citrusy hops, but not a lot. Just a hint of bitterness, but again, not a lot. Bright and easy drinking.

M: medium body, lots of fizz.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 22:28:21 | More by keethrax

brewduck

Minnesota

3.55/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I found a familiar flavor after opening this beer. What was it? It has a distinctly rich flavor compared to your average pilsner. The color is dark, and the aroma a bit salty. (I have to note, I had half this six pack here and there at rest stops around Texas and Kansas, warm).

It hit me on the 2nd bottle that this is basically an altbier. It has that kind of sharp worcestershire taste and the same color as an altbier. If you like that style - this is a good one!

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2010 19:37:37 | More by brewduck

Gump

Minnesota

3.55/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Lucky Bucket Lager
I had never heard of this beer. A co-worker gave me this sample which was give to him from the brewer. (cousin)

Great label.
Looks like an amber. A little cloudy.
Near perfect head and settling foam.
Smell is clean, with a touch of graininess.
The first sip catches my by surprise. I didn't expect this much flavor. The hops are prominent and delicious.
This beer finishes clean and quick. Good drinkablity.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 23:51:25 | More by Gump

DesMoinesMike

Iowa

3.53/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I suppose something good CAN come out of Nebraska. It's a pretty light copper color with light carbonation. The aroma kinda light with hops and a touch of floral. The taste is a bit light also, with some citrus, flowers, and honey. The finish is a bit tart but lessens when the glass warms up. This isn't too bad for a lager, definitely better than many of the style I've had.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2011 00:45:50 | More by DesMoinesMike