Longwell's '76 (Lincoln)

Located in The Railyard, Lincoln’s new(ish) addition to the Historic Haymarket, Longwell’s ‘76 (350 Canopy St., Ste. 100, Lincoln) offers a variety of slow smoked bbq dishes, burgers, sliders and sandwiches as well as over 190 varieties of beer. Everyday is Happy Hour at Longwell’s from 4p-6p offering $1 off appetizers (from loaded fries to pretzel braids) and sliders, as well as all beers on tap.

Longwell’s is the perfect place to catch your favorite team playing. With multiple big screens throughout the bar and restaurant area, you won’t have to miss out on anything. If it’s a (relatively) nice day you can sit outside and catch the game on the Railyard’s Cube (a 14x40 feet behemoth that can be seen throughout the Railyard’s open pavillion). Dependent on how busy they are or what team is playing seating can get a bit cramped, but the outdoor seating option seems to still be viable, at least till the first snowfall. The interior is what most people have come to expect from a modern bar/restaurant of this elk; a dual bar, one with seating that gives you a front row glimpse at the many many beers on tap, (surprisingly, Longwell’s doesn’t actually brew its own beer, instead opting to provide many Lincoln staples like Empryean and ZipLine), lots of high tops and a glass encased party room. I was a bit disappointed that they play music instead of audio from the game on the big screen but it only slightly affected the experience.

I started out with the Wasatch Pumpkin Ale (pumpkin ale, Utah Brewers Cooperative, ABV 4%) as it’s October and I felt like being seasonal. Liked that there wasn’t an overpowering pumpkin flavor, the ale was very mellow. Would get this over many of the Oktoberfest brews I’ve tried lately.

My friend and I decided on three items to share: a half order of the Fries Rule add pulled pork, Spinach and Artichoke Dip and the BBQ Bacon Cheddar Sliders. The Fries Rule w/ pulled pork ($6: natural cut fries layered and topped with green onions, bacon & cheddar cheese over and over again) are Longwell’s super delicious version of loaded fries/potato skins. The half order was so big that even after splitting it with my friend there was leftovers for my lunch the next day. At first I liked that the pulled pork didn’t come pre sauced, but as with most loaded fries it needed a little bit of moisture so I ended up topping it with bbq sauce. The fries were super crispy, although I do wish they were lightly seasoned.

The spinach and artichoke dip ($6: served with tortilla chips) was really creamy and didn’t separate into an oily mess when it got cold. Would have liked more spinach or artichokes in the actual dip but that’s my complaint with most restaurants dip. Would have also liked 1) handmade and 2) warm tortilla chips as the side. Overall pretty decent but you should definitely eat this first unless you want to battle with a top layer of cheese to get to the dip underneath when it does cool off.

The last thing I tried and certainly my favorite of the night were the BBQ bacon cheddar sliders ($7.5: Angus beef, crispy bacon, melted cheddar and Longwell’s BBQ sauce). We got three nice sized sliders on pretzel buns, not too much sauce, not super small burgers patties in comparison to the bun and shredded cheddar which I like a bit more on sliders (no worries about cutting a slice of cheese to fit). Also no bacon skimping which was a plus. Would order these little guys again.

The last two beers I got were an old fav and a dare. I love the Stella Cidre they have on tap (Belgian recipe cider with apples, Stella Artois, ABV 4.5%) which is super crisp and refreshing. Not hoppy at all and a good neutral drink compared to the other two I had that day.

The Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout (milk stout brewed with milk sugar and milk chocolate, Odell Brewing Co, Fort Collins, ABV 8.5%)  was basically a dare because I have yet to reach a level where stouts are things I want to drink. Also not a huge fan of chocolate anything (except me…. never mind). I did enjoy that it was similar to a glass of milk chocolate. I full glass of this would have been too much however so I opted for a 5 oz pour. A nice little finish to the night, like dessert.

Longwell’s ‘76 gets 4 smiles. I can see myself returning to watch a Broncos, Bulls or JayHawks game this season and trying more beers and menu items. Nice staff and atmosphere and it’s not too far from where I work. Would like to see them switch over to game audio but other than that Longwell’s is a great place for sports and beer fans.