Nevada Beer Nuggets - Celebrator Magazine
By Bob Barnes

Beer Fests and Beer Dinners

  June is the month with the longest days of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, which will allow extra time to bask in the warmth of Nevada’s abundant sunshine while enjoying three outdoor beerfests on tap in Las Vegas and Reno.

  First up is the 2nd Annual Brews & Blues Festival on Saturday, June 4 at the Las Vegas Springs Preserves and hosted by the Nevada Brewers Guild. $30 will get you a commemorative mug and unlimited samples of more than 50 craft brews. The event is from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., but buying your ticket in advance for $25 includes early admission at 3p.m. Local and regional blues bands will perform on two stages throughout the festivities. Tickets can be purchased at the Springs Preserve or online at <vegasbrewsandblues.com>. The Springs Preserve is located on Valley View, just south of the 95 Freeway.

  The inaugural Great Vegas Festival of Beer will take place at the new Tivoli Village in the Summerlin area on Saturday, June 18 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Although it’s during the Vegas summer heat, misting systems, cooling fans and the location’s temperature-controlled stone walkways along with the evening hours it’s scheduled for should result in fairly pleasant temps. The fest is put on by Motley Brews, who in my opinion put on an outstanding event in its Craft Beer Tailgate Festival back in November. More than 25 breweries are expected with a varied selection of beer styles. Cost for unlimited sampling and tasting glass is $27 online or $37 at the gate, with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas. To order tickets, visit <www.GreatVegasBeer.com>. Tivoli Village is located at Rampart and Alta, just south of the Summerlin Parkway freeway.

  The 16th Annual Eldorado BBQ, Brews and Blues Festival will take place out on Virginia St. in downtown Reno on Friday, June 24 from 3 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, June 25 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. This fest has the three B’s covered, with plenty of BBQ, live blues and beer, and with three blocks closed off to traffic, it’s a real kick to walk around Virginia St. while sampling brews from more than 30 different regional breweries. This is the largest beer event in Nevada, with a tally of over 20,000 fest-goers turning out each year. Visit <www.eldoradoreno.com> or call 888-808-7720 for more info.

  The 775 Gastropub in Reno is hosting monthly beer dinners. On the summer schedule are Lagunitas (June 16), Mammoth Brewing (July 14) and Stone Brewing (August 11). The dates are tentative and cost for the dinners is $50. Don’t delay in securing your spot by calling 775-828-0775, as the dinners have been selling out. The Gastropub recently made a triple play, winning Best New Bar, Best New Restaurant and Best Beer Selection (with over 200 beers) in the Reno Metromix, an internet publication with info. on food, drink and music.

What’s on Tap

  Nevada brewers are hard at work to help us weather the summer heat. In Reno, Great Basin Brewing now has its new bottling line in operation, with its ever-popular “Icky” IPA rolling out by the end of May. Icky is a highly evolved IPA named after the Ichthyosaur, Nevada’s official state fossil. Buckbean Brewing celebrated its 3rd anniversary by releasing a limited edition anniversary beer called Bourbon Barrel Double Duck, an 8% abv bourbon barrel-aged version of the Tule Duck Red Ale. In April, the Roler Bock was rolled out, a golden hued full-bodied maibock named after and dedicated to the Nevada Air National Guard and all other armed forces (Roler is the Guard’s call word when they are in flight). Beginning this summer, the new Adaven IPA in cans will be available year around. Buckbean’s latest market additions include Arizona and North Carolina.

  Just across the border in Truckee, Calif., barrel-aged beer pioneer Todd Ashman continues to create his masterpieces at FiftyFifty Brewpub. Versions of his 2011 Eclipse Imperial Stout are now aging a minimum of 180 days and will be ready for a release in December. Several different oak bourbon barrels were used, including Elijah Craig 12-year, Four Roses Single Barrel, Rittenhouse Rye, Elijah Craig 20-year, Buffalo Trace and Brewmaster’s Grand Cru Blend-a blend from selected barrels of the 2011 Eclipse.

  In Las Vegas, Matt Marino at Triple 7 Brewpub at Main Street Station is serving his V.I.P.A (Vegas India Pale Ale), which thanks to newly installed beer lines will become a permanent fixture on tap. The V.I.P.A. is hopped and dry hopped exclusively with Hop Union’s Falconer’s Flight “mystery” hop blend. Also pouring is Matt’s Mango-Weizen, his popular Mango Cream Ale brewed weizen-style, which will be followed with a Honey Bock. In February, Tenaya Creek Brewery released its Old Jackalope Barleywine. It’s going fast; the whole batch was sold to distributors within eight weeks. Out just in time for summer is Red Ryder, a hoppy rye-based beer. The brewery continues to expand its market, with bottles of the Calico Brown Ale, Hop Ride IPA and the Old Jackalope Barleywine now available in Salt Lake City.

  At the Nevada/Arizona border, Brewmaster Todd Cook at Boulder Dam Brewing is teaming up with Grandma Daisy’s (a local candy shop) to make a chocolate stout called Grandma Daisy’s Cough Medicine. He’ll also bring out his Bridge Breaker IPA, a true English IPA using all English hops (East Kent, Whitbread Goldings and Challenger).

Beer Nugget

  The latest beer nugget I’ve unearthed is Khoury’s Fine Wine & Spirits. Located at Eastern and St. Rose on the dividing line between Las Vegas and Henderson, this retail store has more than 300 craft beers and recently obtained a liquor license allowing you to buy a beer, pop it open and enjoy it there. They also have 3 taps, which rotate weekly. When I stopped by they were pouring Sierra Nevada Kellerweis, Dogfish Head Midas Touch and Firestone Walker Velvet Merlin. There are comfortable stools, a bar, tables, an extensive library of beer books and copies of Celebrator Beer News to keep you entertained as you sip your beer. Wednesdays are the designated beer geek hangout night. As always, great beer happens in Nevada!

Khoury’s Fine Wine & Spirits
9915 S Eastern Ave. #110
Las Vegas, NV 89183
702-435-9463

Bob Barnes is a native Nevadan and is celebrating his 12th anniversary as a regional correspondent for the Celebrator Beer News. He welcomes your inquiries and is standing by to assist you in your Nevada beer quest. He can be reached via e-mail at LVBobB@juno.com.