Cheers to Beer

Raise a toast to the Best of Nevada breweries.

By CHARLIE JOHNSTON | July/August 2012

Best Brewery: Rural

Thirsty Thursdays at High Sierra Brewing Company are like Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve, and Fourth of July all rolled into one. That’s because pints of Headwater Hefeweizen, Imperial Stout, OMG India Pale Ale, and the rest of the micro-brewed lineup are $1.95 all day until the bar closes at midnight.

In November 2010, Jim Phalan purchased a struggling downtown Carson City brewery and promptly set his sights on making it successful. Promotions such as Thirsty Thursdays and a daily five-hour happy hour have evidently helped. The heavily discounted beer and food specials gained the brewery attention, visitors, and an increasingly strong following—for a brief time, Phalan even offered pints for a scant 95 cents during happy hour, a particularly popular promotion that he indicates might be returning.

Brewmaster Joe Renden and his staff of brewers are the brains behind the primary reason more and more visitors become regulars: the beer. Expertly executed standbys such as the hoppy, assertive, and surprisingly refreshing OMG IPA and the silky, roasty, and deceptively strong Imperial Stout are available year-round; while whimsical and creative seasonal brews, such as crisp and subtly fruity Blueberry Hefeweizen and smooth and creamy Apricot Ale are set to be poured only through the summer.

In addition to growing the brewery’s reputation, Phalan has also focused on reshaping its image. “We’re focusing on being a brewery,” he says while describing the property’s simple and functional furnishings, courtesy of a remodel executed by Phalan and his staff.

A spattering of beer memorabilia on the partially brick walls and neat stacks of empty kegs accent concrete floors and high black tables topped with sheets of butchers’ paper. The pine bar and its brushed stainless steel siding accentuate the taps and brewing operation, which is visible through large windows behind the bar. Two tap tables, originally designed for Guinness and imported from England, feature actual taps and allow customers to be their own bartenders.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

High Sierra Brewing Company
310 N. Carson St., Carson City, NV 89701
highsierrabrewco.com
775-884-2739

Best Brewery: North

Home of the award-winning, wildly popular, and dangerously delicious Ichthyosaur India Pale Ale—Icky, for short—Great Basin Brewing Company is a favorite throughout Reno, Sparks, and much of the West. The brewery expanded from its original Victorian Avenue location in Sparks to include a Reno brewpub in spring 2010. Shortly after opening, the new location started bottling and distributing Icky throughout Northern Nevada.

Wild Horse Ale is set to be available in bottles starting in July. Great Basin has churned out around 80 different beer varieties in the last 20 years, and it’s common to find a dozen or more on tap at either location at any given time. On June 26, the company announced that it has acquired the former Buckbean Brewing Company facility, located in Reno, in an effort to meet increasing demand.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Great Basin Brewing Company
Two Locations:
846 Victorian Ave., Sparks, NV 89431, 775-355-7711
5525 S. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89502, 775-284-7711
greatbasinbrewingco.com

Best Brewery: South

Surely the most widely recognized of this year’s Best of Nevada breweries, Gordon Biersch started in Palo Alto, California in the late 1980s. A new bottling plant allowed the brewer to start distributing its beers nationwide in the late 1990s, making Gordon Biersch a household name. Gordon Biersch produces more than 3 million gallons of beer annually and has more than 40 brewery restaurants in 18 states, including two Las Vegas locations.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Gordon Biersch
Two Locations:
3987 Paradise Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89169, 702-312-5247
750 S. Rampart Blvd., Ste. 16, Las Vegas, NV 89145,
702-487-6463
gordonbiersch.com


Read about more Nevada breweries in a story from our March/April 2008 issue.