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|  | |  |  |  | | | Nevada Beer Nuggets
By Bob Barnes
As long as the sun is shining, Nevada’s beerfest season continues to thrive. The 8th Annual CasaBrewsake poolside-fundraiser on June 6 from 3-6 p.m. will be held at the CasaBlanca Resort in Mesquite, and will include more than 50 vendors serving craft brews and sake from around the world. A $25 donation will get you an unlimited tasting, and tickets can be purchased through the CasaBlanca by calling 800-459-7529. Mesquite is just west of the Arizona border, about an hour’s drive north from Las Vegas.
Consider heading up to Northern Nevada for the 14th Annual Great Eldorado BBQ, Brews & Blues Fest, hosted by the Eldorado Casino in downtown Reno. This fest is a big draw, evidenced by the tally of over 20,000 fest-goers that turn out each year. This year’s fest is expanding to two days, Saturday, June 27 from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. and on Sunday June 28th from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. This fest never fails to delight beer fans with a solid line-up of micros from around the west; award-winning brews from The Brew Brothers (the Eldorado’s brewpub) will be on tap, along with beer from more than 45 breweries. Here’s your chance to drink beer in the street; the fest is held on Virginia Street just outside the Eldorado. Live entertainment will be on every corner, with blues bands playing throughout the fest. For more information, call 800-648-5966 or 775-786-5700 in Nevada, or visit the Eldorado online at <www.eldoradoreno.com>.
BJ’s is now hosting Beer Appreciation Dinners. The next round of dinners will feature the “Beers of Flanders” with imports and American craft beers in Flemish styles. Some of the highlights will be Poperings Hommel with Southwest Chicken Pizza, Gulden Draak with Pot Roast and Troubadour Obscura with White Chocolate Macadamia Pizookie. The Reno BJ’s dinner will be on June 9 and the BJ’s in Summerlin (Las Vegas) has its slated for June 19. The cost is only $30. To reserve your place, call 775-853-7575 (Reno location) or 702-853-2300 (Las Vegas).
The Sonoma Cellar at the Sunset Station Casino in Henderson recently hosted its 2nd Craft Beer Dinner featuring the beer of San Diego’s AleSmith Brewing Company. The first course started off with a nutty flair, pairing a Marcona Almond Soup with AleSmith Nautical Nut Brown Ale. Beer-washed Chimay Trappist Abbey Cheese was complimented with Lil’ Devil Belgian-style Ale, a wit spiced with coriander and orange peel. Barley Risotto with Mushrooms and Carlsbad Black Mussels was balanced with Yulesmith Winter Ale, a 9% Imperial Red Ale. Grilled Colorado Lamb Tenderloins with a cherry demi-glace was a rich entree backed up by a rich beer, the 2008 Decadence Ale, an 11% English-style Barleywine that was premiered at this dinner. The dessert offering was a California Date Shake with Steamed Cacao Nib Cake and Vanilla Bean Syrup, matched with the 2007 Barrel-Aged Decadence Ale, an 11% Imperial Porter that was aged in a bourbon barrel for nine months.
AleSmith owner Peter Zien and AleSmith’s Jessica Oliver introduced each course and talked about the nuances of each beer. Chef Schuyler Schultz related that he had become a fan of AleSmith’s beer and was delighted when Peter accepted his offer to do a food and beer pairing at his restaurant. Since AleSmith is not readily available in Southern Nevada, it was a rare treat for Southern Nevadans to appreciate how well AleSmith brews match up with Chef Schuyler’s creations.
The latest beer nugget I’ve unearthed in Reno is the St. James Infirmary. Opened in November of 2008, it has become a haven for pop culture fans and beer aficionados. Black and white movies play on the pub’s plasma TV’s and the walls are adorned with collages of pop film, writers and architecture. St. James is a juke box joint, and the discs are hand selected, with selections that include Billie Holiday, Thelonious Monk, John Lee Hooker, Tom Waits, Waylon Jennings, and The Stooges. A cool feature is a roof-top patio sporting views of Downtown Reno and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. As for the beer, 21 taps pour the likes of Great Basin Ichy IPA, Anderson Valley Boont Amber Ale, North Coast Old Rasputin, La Chouffe Blonde and Unibroue Ephemere, Blanche de Chambly and Trois Pistoles. Large format Belgian-style brews are available in bottles including Ommegang Hennepin and Three Philosophers, Triple Karmeliet, Chimay Blue and several varieties of Unibroue. St. James Infirmary is located at 445 California Ave. two blocks south of the Truckee River and a half block east of Arlington.
Southern Nevada brewers are hard at work to help us weather the summer heat. Marshall Redmond at the Boiler Room Brewpub at the Colorado Belle in Laughlin will refresh us with a German-style hefeweizen and two fruit beers: a Blueberry Ale and an Apricot Ale with additions of 100% juice. Richard Lovelady at Gordon Biersch will roll out his Sommergold (kolsch), due out sometime at the end of June. Big Dog Brewing’s Dave Otto will brew a pilsner hopped with German Hallertau, Bohemian Saaz and German Hersbrucker; all German malts and a Munich lager yeast strain. He also will bring out his Rover’s Razzleberry Wheat Ale, a blend of raspberries, blackberries and boysenberries. Matt Marino at Main Street Station’s 777 Brewpub delivers a Honey Bock and a German-style hefeweizen, which is his most popular special brew of the year. Dave Pascual at yChicago Brewing Company reports that their outdoor beer garden has reopened for the warmer months; to help celebrate he will release his Maibock. To help celebrate Cinco de Mayo, Todd Cook at Boulder Dam Brewing has brewed Cincuenta Cervesa, a Mexican-style made with the juice of 50 limes. He’s also brewing Triple Berry, an American wheat ale with raspberries, blueberries and boysenberries. As always, good beer happens in Vegas!
Bob Barnes is a native Las Vegan and is celebrating his 10th anniversary as a regional correspondent for the Celebrator Beer News. He welcomes your inquiries and is standing by to assist you in your Vegas beer quest. He can be reached via e-mail at LVBobB@juno.com.
St. James Infirmary
445 California Ave.
Reno, NV 89509
775-657-8484
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