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|  | |  |  |  | | | Nevada Beer Nuggets - Celebrator Magazine
By Bob Barnes
Beer Fests and Beer Dinners
Beer fest season is starting up again in Nevada. First up is the Brews Best Spring Beer Fest on March 12 from 1 to 6 p.m. at the Montelago Village at Lake Las Vegas. This is an optimal time for great weather in Southern Nevada and an opportunity to sample more than 20 local and regional breweries. Cost is $25 in advance or $30 at the gate. Go to <montelagovillage.com> for info. on special room rates & packages. Montelago Village is 17 miles east of the Vegas Strip, and just a few miles from the entrance to Lake Mead National Recreational Area.
In November, I attended the first annual Craft Beer Tailgate Festival at the new Hard Rock Café on the Vegas Strip. This event featured over 90 craft beers, and tailgate-style snacks. To my knowledge, this was the first beer fest ever held on the Vegas Strip and the attendance was a respectable 750. The event was put on by Motley Brews, which was founded by craft beer fanatics Chris Grimes and Brian Chapin. It was one of the better beer fests I’ve been to, based on the atmosphere, quality of beer, variety of beer styles and food being included in the price of admission. More events are in the works. Check them out at <motleybrews.com>.
Beer dinners are on the rise in Nevada. In recent months there have been food and beer pairings in Reno at BJ’s, 775 Gastropub and the Firkin and Wolf, and in Las Vegas at Little Buddha at the Palms, Tbones Chophouse & Lounge at the Red Rock Resort, Gordon Biersch, BJ’s and at Ventano Italian Grill & Seafood. To keep informed of pretty much any beer event, your best bet is to go to NevadaBeerLovers.com and click the link to the Reno or Las Vegas club page to sign up to receive email notices. Each site includes a calendar of events that’s updated frequently.
Northern Nevada Hoppenings
Last issue I reported that Doppelgangers in Carson City had transitioned into Knee Deep Brewing, but the transition didn’t exactly pan out as expected. Instead, Doppelgangers has been rebranded High Sierra Brewing Co. Owner Jim Phalan owns The Firkin & Fox in Carson City, The Firkin & Wolf in Reno and The Firkin & Hound in Visalia, Calif. Jim says one of the main reasons he is taking the opportunity to open a brewery will be to create draught brews for the Firkin chain. Joe Renden, the former brewmaster at Doppelgangers, has stayed on as brewer and is busy brewing a wide range of styles, including pilsner, blonde ale, strawberry blonde, witbier, honey ale, pale ale, amber ale, red lager, stout, IPA and Märzen. The new brewpub reopened in late December. Visit their website at <highsierrabrewco.com> for more info.
As for Knee Deep Brewing, owner Jeremy Warren is contract brewing while in construction mode. Plans are to open a 60 bbl. and a 15 bbl. system in Reno by November. Knee Deep brews are now being distributed in Las Vegas, Reno and Northern California.
Southern Nevada Tappings
Aces & Ales held a tapping party to debut the beer that Dave Forrest helped brew at the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp. Dave was one of only 20 chosen to attend the camp, and the only participant selected from Nevada. Dave helped develop the name Hopsichord, which he says is so named for a symphony of hops that are incorporated into this 9.7% abv, 80 IBU hop monster. The ‘symphony’ includes Centennial, Estate Chinook, and Citra and is dry hopped with Citra, Amarillo and Simcoe. When I tasted it I experienced a very pleasant 5 seconds of aftertaste.
After a torturous 11 months of inactivity, Marshall Redmond is again brewing at the Colorado Belle in Laughlin. Brewing was halted due to a relicensing snafu after the brewpub changed ownership and its name. The Boiler Room has been renamed Pints Sports Bar & Brewery and has added 24 new flat screen TV’s, a pool table and a shuffleboard table. To help inaugurate the rebranded brewpub, Marshall is tapping his Blueberry Ale and IPA.
Richard Lovelady at Gordon Biersch will be the first in the company to brew his creation, an Imperial Pale Lager that he has named the Kombinator. It’s a traditional lager made with German yeast, specialty malts and hopped with Centennial and Citra hops. It logs in at 7% abv and 55 IBU’s and may be the hoppiest beer ever released at a GB brewery. Look for it to come out on Feb. 1.
Dave Otto at Big Dog’s Brewing will help us endure the last dregs of winter with some high gravity beers, his 9.1% abv Alpha Dog Double Red and 11.5% abv Moon Dog Barleywine. The GABF silver medal winner Moon Dog is a hoppy American-style barleywine fortified with Centennial, Nugget, Warrior, Cascade and Ahtanum hops.
On Valentine’s Day Boulder Dam Brewing will have live music, a special menu, champagne, and roses for the ladies. I’m guessing the guys will be content with having some reasons to entice their woman to go to a brewpub. On Feb. 19, the brewpub’s 4th anniversary will be commemorated with the Annibrewsary Bash and the unveiling of Annibrewsary Ale, an oak-conditioned IPA using copious amounts of Chinook, Centennial, Columbus and Cascade hops that Brewmaster/Owner Todd Cook promises will be even bigger and bolder than last year’s.
The partying continues on St. Patrick’s Day, with live music (including bagpipes), drink specials, a raffle and prizes and the tapping of Todd’s Irish Cream Coffee Stout, brewed with 500 shots of Boulder Bean’s (a neighboring business) freshly brewed signature espresso blend.
Tenaya Creek has added to its bottle repertoire. Its 2011 Barleywine is now available at all 15 Lee’s Discount Liquor outlets and other stores in Southern Nevada that carry a good selection of craft beer.
The latest beer nugget I’ve unearthed is Tbones Chophouse & Lounge at the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa. Executive Chef Joseph Kudrak is a homebrewer and knows a thing or two about beer. A well-rounded beer menu includes Rochefort 10, Delirium Tremens, local brew Joseph James American Lager, Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA and Chateau Jaihu, and Stone Arrogant Bastard and Vertical Epic Ale 10-10-10. A daily happy hour occurs from 5 to 7 p.m. with deals on food and beer. Tbones is also a very high quality steakhouse; it won the Best Steakhouse award in the 2010 Best of Las Vegas Review- Journal Readers Poll. As always, great beer happens in Vegas!
High Sierra Brewing Co.
302 N. Carson St.
Carson City, NV
775-884-BREW (2739)
T-Bones Chophouse & Lounge @ Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa
11011 W. Charleston Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV, 89135
(702) 797-7777
Bob Barnes is a native Nevadan and is celebrating his 11th 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.
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