Nevada Beer Nuggets - Celebrator Magazine
December '11 / January '12 By Bob Barnes
Silver State GABF Medals
Nevada unearthed two medals at the Great American Beer Festival, one each from breweries hailing from the northern and southern ends of the state. Las Vegas’s Chicago Brewing Company earned a silver in the Belgian-style Abbey Ale category for its Wild-Westmalle Tripel and Reno’s Great Basin Brewing Company was awarded a bronze in the Sweet Stout category for its Outlaw Outmeal Stout.
Great Basin continues to lead the Silver State in medal wins, with this latest award logging in as its 10th GABF win. Brewmaster Tom Young said, “We brew our Outlaw Oatmeal Stout with fortitude, celebrating the complexity of a blend of barley and oats. We have worked on this beer for many years and this example displays the latest in our endeavors.”
Chicago Brewing holds onto its claim as the most award- winning brewery in Southern Nevada. This win is its 9th GABF accolade, but equally impressive is that this beer has now medaled for the 4th time (twice at the World Beer Cup and twice at the GABF). Brewmaster Dave Pascual said, “Ever since this beer first medaled I knew it was a winner. It’s nice to see consistency year to year. It has a nice Belgian character with a light sweetness and it’s well balanced.” Since the GABF combined the dubbel and tripel categories and the gold winner was a dubbel, Dave’s was technically this year’s best tripel.
BJ’s Hosts Beer Dinner at All Five Nevada Restaurants
BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse hosts beer dinners every few months and magnanimously features brews other than its own. Its next pairing will make a departure by spotlighting all BJ’s beers, with a five-course dinner matching tastes of LightSwitch Lager, Piranha Pale Ale, Harvest Hefeweizen, Jeremiah Red, P.M. Porter, Tatonka Stout, and my favorite, the Annual Grand Cru. Dates for the five Nevada locations are Nov. 28 (Summerlin), Nov. 30 (Reno), Dec. 5 (Centennial and Henderson) and Dec. 7 (Sparks). As usual, the price for this feast is a very reasonable $30. Call the restaurant of your choice or visit <www.bjsrestaurants.com> to make a reservation.
Big Dog’s Brewing on the Move
Big Dog’s Brewing in Las Vegas has some big news; an expansion is planned for early 2012 that will allow for more of its beer to be enjoyed by the masses. Current plans include adding four 30 bbl tanks to the existing system, which will triple the existing output; installation of a small bottling line for 22oz. bomber bottling of specialty brews; additional keg and pony keg capacity for sale at Big Dog’s locations and select retail outlets; and installation of an outdoor patio, festival plaza and beer garden at the Big Dog’s Draft House location to facilitate outdoor dining, entertainment and beer drinking under the stars (late 2012). The brewery tanks and bottling systems have been ordered and installation is expected to take place in January.
Las Vegas Winterfests
Aces & Ales will celebrate the winter season with two beery events. First up will be the “12 Days of Decadence with Deschutes” from Dec. 12-23, with multiple Deschutes rarities on tap, visits from reps, give-aways and the Abyss Vertical Tasting on the night of the 23rd. Next up will be the 2nd Annual Winter Beer Festival, January 20-22, with more than 40 hand-picked rare specialty beers from the best breweries in America and Europe. Each day at noon new beers will rotate into the line-up, so it’s worth showing up for more than one day.
Big Dog’s Brewing continues to host quarterly beerfests, with its Winterfest slated for Saturday, January 28 from 2-9p.m. Admission is free, and after purchase of a commemorative pint glass for $5, tastes of more than 30 beers will run from $1- 5 depending on the style and pour size. Debuting will be Big Dog’s still-to-be-named Black IPA, which is being brewed by the students in the 9th installment of its Brew School, convening on January 7. To sign up for the school, or for more info. on the fest, visit <www.bigdogsbrews.com>. The fest will be held at the Draft House location at Craig Rd. and Rancho Dr.
What’s on Tap
Richard Lovelady at the Las Vegas Gordon Biersch will release his annual Winterbock, an 8% abv dark, malty strong lager with elements of roast and caramel. Richard also reports that his assistant, Eric Todd, has been promoted to head brewer for the G.B. Park Lane location in Dallas.
Matt Marino at Triple 7 Brewpub at Main Street Station in Downtown Las Vegas has his annual Dunkel Lager, a smooth dark malty brew with lots of Munich and Honey Malt. He’s also tapping the “Bourbon Klaas” in early December. Named after his good friend, he saved enough of last year’s Santa Klaas to fill up a bourbon barrel. This 8% abv Imperial Porter was brewed with cocoa nibs and peaberry coffee beans and the barrel aging will give it a whole new dimension. Klaas actually custom-made a tap handle for this beer that rings every time a glass is tapped! Last but not least, is another annual favorite, the Monique V 2.0 Belgian Quad. This year’s version checks in at 11% abv and Matt claims it’s even smoother than the previous version. There is a bourbon barrel version of Monique aging that will come out in about six months.
Around Thanksgiving, Great Basin Brewing in Reno/Sparks will pour its Harvest Ale, which is described as Nevada in a glass; this sustainable brew is fortified with ingredients collected in Nevada: pine nuts, juniper berries, sagebrush and honey. As every year, a pine nut cracking party was held to help out with the cracking of about 100 pounds of the delicate nuts. Another seasonal favorite, due out Dec. 1, is the brewery’s 12th season of the Red Nose Holiday Ale, available on tap and limited to 400 large format bottles, each of which are signed and numbered.
More Local Beer on the Vegas Strip
The latest beer nugget I’ve unearthed on the Vegas Strip is the newly opened Rí Rá Irish Pub at the Mandalay Bay. It has considerably more choices than the average Irish pub, with more than 100 beers covering a large spectrum of beer styles. What’s even better is that Nevada breweries are well represented, with varieties of Tenaya Creek, Joseph James, Knee Deep and Sin City Brewing on its menu. You’ll appreciate the pub’s authenticity, for it was constructed from a pub that was meticulously restored and shipped from Ireland, and almost every inch of the five bar areas are decorated with Irish bric-a-brac and salvaged materials. As always, great beer happens in Nevada!
Rí Rá Irish Pub @ The Shoppes at Mandalay Place
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV 89119
(702) 632-7777
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.
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