| Nevada breweries made a strong
showing at the San Diego Strong Ale Fest, evidence that plenty
of big beers are brewed in the Silver State. Las Vegas was represented
by Big Dog’s Brewing Company (Moon Dog Barleywine), Tenaya
Creek (Imperial Stout) and Chicago Brewing Company (Hawaiian
Honey), and northern Nevada was represented by White Pine Brewing
(Imperial Stout) in Ely.
White Pine’s Imperial Stout just happened to be a landmark
tasting experience for Greg Nowatzki, a Las Vegan who keeps
an accounting of all the different beers he’s tasted
in his lifetime. The Imperial Stout happened to mark the 10,000th
on his list. Greg had intended to reach this landmark in Las
Vegas and said, “It kind of snuck up on me. I picked
Steve MacMillan's [owner and brewer, White Pine Brewing Company]
beer to show my appreciation to him for teaching my BJCP class
last summer. I thought it would be an appropriate thank-you.
The beer was fantastic — aged in a whiskey barrel. Huge
amounts of malt, hops and alcohol, but no one flavor overpowered
the others.”
| The Yard House, a multi-tap sporting hundreds of tap
handles, has entered the Nevada market. |
Greg gave a toast before his taste, in which he thanked God
for allowing his liver to last this long; his grandmother
Marion for taking him to his first brewpub; his ex-wife for
encouraging him to get a hobby and promptly divorcing him
after discovering what it was; and his fiancée, Pammie,
for putting up with his hobby. He also forgave his grandfather
Art and his father, Pat, for giving him his first two tastes
of beer when he was two: a Bud and a Pabst.
Greg’s last epic milestone was his 7,777th beer, on
July 7, 2006, at 7:07 p.m. Big Dog’s Brewmaster Dave
Otto assisted Greg in venerating the number 7 by brewing a
beer named Quad 7, with seven malts, seven hops, 77 IBUs and
7.7% abv. An accountant by trade, Greg naturally likes special
numbers, and his next goal is to reach his 11,111th brew,
which he hopes to commemorate in Las Vegas.
Richard Lovelady, brewmaster at Gordon Biersch in Las Vegas,
is brewing a lager yeast–based Roggen beer. Richard
plans to use 15–20% rye and a dash of Munich, with the
rest pale malt. He is shooting for about 6% abv and 25–30
IBUs. The brew should be on tap by the time you read this.
The Yard House, a multi-tap establishment sporting hundreds
of tap handles, continues to expand and has entered the Nevada
market. Its Las Vegas location will pour 160 taps and will
be the 19th branch in the chain. Located in the Turnberry
Town Square on Las Vegas Boulevard (The Strip), near the junction
of the 215 and I-15 freeways, the Yard House is targeted to
open in early February.
Another worthy new arrival is Morels French Steakhouse &
Bistro in the spanking-new Palazzo Resort, Hotel and Casino
at the center of the Vegas Strip. The $1.8 billion Palazzo
is an all-suites 50-floor luxury hotel tower that is being
compared to high-end locales such as Beverly Hills, Bel-Air
and Rodeo Drive. The beers at Morels promise to be equally
high-end, with the likes of Maudite, Blanche de Bruxelles
and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on tap. Bottled beers on offer
will include Duvel, Orval, Westmalle, Rochefort 8, Lindemans
Framboise, Anchor Christmas and all three varieties of Chimay.
Wine and Beverage Director Nick Hetzel knows plenty about
beer, having worked with Michael Shetler at Rosemary’s
Restaurant.
As always, good beer happens in Vegas! |
