Nevada Forum: Favorite brewery/brewpub/gastropub in the Silver State

It's great to see the state forums up and running now.

So what's your favorite place to get the good stuff? Having grown up in Vegas but living in Reno for a long time I can honestly say the beer scene is better up here.

So here we go:

Favorite Brewery: Buckbean (now defunct.) Now it's Pigeon Head.

Favorite Brewpub: Great Basin Brewing Co. (best beer in the state, IMHO)

Favorite Gastropub: 775 Gastropub. (very sadly, now defunct.) It's now Brasserie St. James. Having a fantastic seasonal IPA with bone marrow canoes is probably my favorite dining experience.

Big dogs definitely has it goin on!

Oh yeah, that place isn't bad. I know the Big Dogs bar/grill has been around for a long time... since I was a wee lad. Have they always been a brewpub?

Reno_eNVy said:

Oh yeah, that place isn't bad. I know the Big Dogs bar/grill has been around for a long time... since I was a wee lad. Have they always been a brewpub?

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I think it was just a brewery on the strip. I've been working in Vegas for a year and it is a weekly hang out!

Ah, gotcha. I was thinking of the large Big Dogs' on Sahara (near the CSN West Charleston campus) or the one on North Rancho.

I grew up in way-way-up North Las Vegas.... I avoided the strip like the plague (still do)

Down Here in the South (Las Vegas)

Brewery: Joseph James - New kid on the block with great beers.

Brewpub: Big Dog's / Draught House - These guys have been around for about 20 years, and have really good beers and brats.

Brewpub Second Runner Up: Tenaya Creek

Gastropub: Aces & Ales - A great rotating selection of beers and fresh hand-made pizza.

Second Runner Up Gastropub: Khoury's Fine Wine & Spirits - Issa, The owner, has three taps and a wide ranging rotating selection of hard-to-find beers. Fore example, in the las few weeks he's served Black Xanthus Stout, Firestone Walker XV, DFH 120, and others. He also has a fantastic bottle selection, and often gets items that no one else has. While he doesn't serve food, you are welcome to bring food in, and every Wednesday and Thursday evening he has one of several food trucks parked out front. these get-togethers are always a blast, as there is always a rare bottle of something being passed around.

Reno_eNVy said:

Ah, gotcha. I was thinking of the large Big Dogs' on Sahara (near the CSN West Charleston campus) or the one on North Rancho.

I grew up in way-way-up North Las Vegas.... I avoided the strip like the plague (still do)

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I usually go to the draft house on n rancho they have an awesome imperial stout on tap right now. It's amazing how fast the strip loses its magic!

hxcpunk71 said:

I usually go to the draft house on n rancho they have an awesome imperial stout on tap right now. It's amazing how fast the strip loses its magic!

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Yup... $5 beers during happy hour can only be alluring for so long

I moved to NV in July and have only had a little sample of stuff out here.

Favorite brewery: Great Basin - Reno. I've not had Buckbean and what I've had from Ruby Mountain has under whelmed me so far.

Favorite brewpub: High Sierra - Carson City. The beer is ok and I kind of like the food here.

Favorite gastropub: 775 Gastropub is the only one I've been to so far. For the most part, I've found the affordable food is sub par in Nevada, but the food here blew me away and their beer selection is awesome.

Ruby Mountain underwhelming? Dude to me their amber is the perfect representation of an american amber. But just my $0.02 ^_^

I'll seek that out. No sense in being unfair to them. The buckaroo pale ale is all I've really had. I think it was spillover from me being crabby about the food. I want my Illinois BBQ and fried chicken fix.

Brewery: Great Basin - Bottling was the best decision they've made, and they are very friendly, even willing to supply me with yeast starters from the bottom of their tanks!

Brewpub - None have knocked my socks off, and not much of a selection in Reno, the owner of St. James Infirmary bar is planning to open a Brewpub on Virginia St. and I'm hoping for good things.

Gastropub - Haven't been to one here, I'm headed to the 775 Gastro Pub tonight!

One place I have in my sights is 50/50 in Truckee. I hear nothing but good things about it.

I am also in agreement with Reno eNVy, the Ruby Mountain amber is amazing, however the rest of theirs are fairly average.

Great to see more Renoites (.... right?) on here :rockin:

RenoHomebrew said:

Brewery: Great Basin - Bottling was the best
decision they've made, and they are very friendly, even willing to supply me with yeast starters from the bottom of their tanks!

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That's awesome, I wasn't aware they did that. Do you know what their house yeast is? And I was also going to be all "I think they're a brewpub" but I believe if they distribute and sell off premises they turn into a brewery.

RenoHomebrew said:

Gastropub - Haven't been to one here, I'm headed to the 775 Gastro Pub tonight!

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Excellent! Be sure to join their Beer Club so you can start your journey to becoming a Beer Jedi!

Also, definitely get the bleu chips and be sure to post how your experience when!

Renoians?

I suppose Great Basin is more of a.. Brewpubery.

775 Gastro Pub was definitely a win! I had 2 flights of beers that were all superb. The blue chips were awesome, however I didn't eat much of my burger because I wanted more room for beer!

RenoHomebrew said:

however I didn't eat much of my burger because I wanted more room for beer!

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HA! That's always my issue when I go there. I make a point of getting at least three beers each time.

They have an Oyster Stout in the bottle list that is quite excellent. Nice and briney.

I've never tried an Oyster Stout, next time I'll have to try it!

On a bit of a tangent, which brew store do you frequent? Trevor at Just Brew It, or Robb at RHB?

Didn't realize there was a HBS in Carson. I don't go to the capitol too much.

And judging by prices I'd say I'm better off saving the gas and sticking with Reno Homebrewer. Robb's awesome, too.

Robb is a great guy. Trevor the guy in Carson has a bit better prices, a different inventory and gives the club I started a discount, so I try to make it there when I can! Another plus there is the hops are vacuum packed, which helps the freshness a little bit. There is no obviously better shop. We're pretty lucky here to have two good shops.

Indeed we are.

Did you enter the Great Basin Brew Off?

I did not. Jazz, one of their brewers told me about it and I totally spaced it. I couldn't find any information on it either online. I'm trying to put together a Northern Nevada Brew calendar and its impossible!

Brewery: Great Basin all the way I just love the Bourbon Barrel Black Cherry Sour its so good

Great Basin takes the cake for best local beer. I was never a fan of Buckbean, and apparently neither was anyone else. I will say that Very Noddy, Extremely Noddy, and Tahoe Tessie IPA were all pretty good beers which I will miss.

775 is great for selection, decent food, and the beer Jedi program. Craft and Ben's have the best bottle selection for taking home.

I was worried Reno was a beer wasteland when I first moved here, but it ain't so bad...

cinderbike said:

Great Basin takes the cake for best local beer. I was never a fan of Buckbean, and apparently neither was anyone else. I will say that Very Noddy, Extremely Noddy, and Tahoe Tessie IPA were all pretty good beers which I will miss.

775 is great for selection, decent food, and the beer Jedi program. Craft and Ben's have the best bottle selection for taking home.

I was worried Reno was a beer wasteland when I first moved here, but it ain't so bad...

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Ben's is awesome for bottles.... but what is Craft?


However, since making this thread (I can't remember if I mentioned it) they opened a Total Wine Beer and Spirits down by the Meadowood Mall. Dude..... just.... dude. The beer aisle (although at room temp) is so massive, packed, and intricately organized I've literally spent an hour looking at everything and trying to come up with decisions. On one side of the aisle are the US/Canada brewed beers divided up accurately into styles, and the other side holds all of the imports divided by country.

Then there's always scotch, wine, and whiskey tasting from noon-6pm and there's usually somebody giving samples of a beer in front of the beer aisle. Also there are cold 6-packs, half-racks, and cases in a fridge behind the beer aisle.

Combine that with an amazing selection of wine, booze, and even a walk-in humidor, Total Wine is in a three-way tie for "Best Store Ever" along with Reno Homebrewer and Fry's Electronics.

http://www.craftreno.net/ not much info on web.

They have a large walk-in refrigerator full of several different beers very cool place. No food service but you can bring in out side food and get a cold one.

Reno_eNVy said:

Ben's is awesome for bottles.... but what is Craft?


However, since making this thread (I can't remember if I mentioned it) they opened a Total Wine Beer and Spirits down by the Meadowood Mall. Dude..... just.... dude.

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+1 to all of that. I like Aloha Beer, Wine, and Liquor in Carson City as well.

Hit up 775 after work today the blue chips are rocking had a smoked porter and loved it all

Bluesfastduce said:

Hit up 775 after work today the blue chips are rocking had a smoked porter and loved it all

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:rockin:

Friggin love that place. It's just so unfortunate that I live so far away from it (North Valleys)

We used to live in stead so I know how that drive is. we work over on longley and stopped in after work.

heard they are kicking 775 out of their spot WTF?

Yeah sadly the dude who runs the mall has stock in Cheesecake Factory so that's going in it's place. It's so incredibly frustrating.

I think they're trying to move somewhere. I hope midtown

jimmayhugh said:

Down Here in the South (Las Vegas)

Brewery: Joseph James - New kid on the block with great beers.

Brewpub: Big Dog's / Draught House - These guys have been around for about 20 years, and have really good beers and brats.

Brewpub Second Runner Up: Tenaya Creek

Gastropub: Aces & Ales - A great rotating selection of beers and fresh hand-made pizza.

Second Runner Up Gastropub: Khoury's Fine Wine & Spirits - Issa, The owner, has three taps and a wide ranging rotating selection of hard-to-find beers. Fore example, in the las few weeks he's served Black Xanthus Stout, Firestone Walker XV, DFH 120, and others. He also has a fantastic bottle selection, and often gets items that no one else has. While he doesn't serve food, you are welcome to bring food in, and every Wednesday and Thursday evening he has one of several food trucks parked out front. these get-togethers are always a blast, as there is always a rare bottle of something being passed around.

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I second all of this, though Khoury's isn't really a gastropub, really just a good bottle shop with beer on tap. Great place though. Living way up north I wish I had the time and reason to visit more often. I am thrilled that Aces and Ales opened their new location on Tenaya though.

I'm going to be in Vegas for 10 days next month. Any place with in walking distance of the strip worth going to?

For those in the Henderson area, Shakespeare's is a great craft beer pub. Usually have lots of local brews on tap. Also a selection of over a hundred other beers. Wednesdays are packed because pub quiz, and each other night having something going on; including Thursday as local beer night.

Also, they just did a collaboration brew with Joseph James brewing co. It's called milkshake stout and it is pretty damn good.

BJ's at the Summit mall, Reno, makes good beer and food. Their Brewmaster is a regular contributor on this site. He is very proud of their beer, as he should be.

MindenMan said:

BJ's at the Summit mall, Reno, makes good beer and food. Their Brewmaster is a regular contributor on this site. He is very proud of their beer, as he should be.

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Is he? Huh I worked there for a summer.

Im a major Great Basin Fan, ST James is not bad either But Basin is where i go every time i make the 2.5 Hour trip to Reno.

I heard that 775 Gastro shut down ? Anyone confirm this ?

Duplicate post

MindenMan said:

BJ's at the Summit mall, Reno, makes good beer and food. Their Brewmaster is a regular contributor on this site. He is very proud of their beer, as he should be.

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Reno_eNVy said:

Is he? Huh I worked there for a summer.

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I believe Minden is referring to me. When did you work there? I've been brewing there for just over a year and a half.

BrewTech117 said:

I heard that 775 Gastro shut down ? Anyone confirm this ?

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Yeah, it's a cheesecake factory now.

FastAndy said:

I believe Minden is referring to me. When did you work there? I've been brewing there for just over a year and a half.

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Heh I don't think we would have crossed paths, aside from any time I've been to BJ's in the last year and a half. I worked there nearly seven years ago. It was a ton of fun.

Yeah, it's a cheesecake factory now.

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"775 Gastropub is now a Cheesecake Factory" is possibly one of the saddest sentences I've ever had to say out loud.

Sooooooo I edited my original post. Great Basin is left untouched.

NEW FAVORITE BREWERY: Pigeon Head. It's under the Wells bridge (I know, sounds super sketchy but that place is turning around. Redevelopment projects all over the place.) They are strictly a brewery and taphouse, the latter being just another room in the brewery so you can see all the magic. I highly recommend it. The Red Rye Lager is the perfect drink-anytime lawnmower kind of beer. Super easy to drink, lower gravity, but tons of flavor... but then again I'm a sucker for rye be it bread, beer, or whiskey. They also distribute to several (if not many) local restaurants, including Wild River Grille and Archies.

NEW FAVORITE GASTROPUB: St. James Brasserie. The only thing I can say aside from what I added in the OP is...