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In a few days, Las Vegas will be filled with football revelers and maybe some will find their way to Able Baker Brewing and taste this…
I know that I usually turn my nose up at adjuncted beers. But for some reason this weird concoction sounds good to me. I can imagine the banana being too sweet but that peanut butter should complement it. Plus bourbon barrels will help there. I also like that the mood on the label doesn’t veer into outright IP theft.
Instead of worrying about gentrification, maybe you should take a listen to this podcast from USA Today, The City. Season 2 heads to Reno, Nevada.
This is a depressing series of podcasts. Strippers without authority or agency. Low income people with nowhere to go. Strip club operators and politicians saying one thing but meaning another. All packed into Reno, Nevada. Throw in Tesla and dangerous warehouse jobs and you got a cauldron of issues to work out.
I was kinda surprised that this was a USA Today production. But it seems like newspapers can find the good topics for podcasts. The reporting is well done and covers all the angles and you are left with basically wishing that someone would build some damn low-income units for people and put them less than an hour away from food pantries.
And though I am not a fan of their label art, you kinda have to start your beer pairing choices with Reno AF from Revision Brewing. Then grab Lunar Kitten IPA from Los Angeles Ale Works since they are near SpaceX, another Elon Musk company. Then I would strongly suggest finding a beer label that doesn’t depict women as just sex objects. You will hear too much about that objectification in the podcast.
To some Las Vegas means only Sin City, but to those in the know, the glittering city also has some beer spots. Maybe not rivaling the beer soaked Portlands and Denvers of the world, yet,but they are moving in the right direction.
That is the semi-ling preamble to my review of Tenaya Creek’s Hop Ride IPA.
Spooky rattler on the label. Pours an orange/yellow color. Fluffy head on this one. Spicy and floral aroma. Bitterness is medium to me and it sticks around on the roof of the mouth. Little bite at the beginning of each sip. A little caramel taste around too.
Rebel Malting of Reno is part of a new sub-culture within the sub-culture that is craft beer. I love the combination of keeping it local and using what is given to you. I mean, if you are in Reno, use the sun! It makes perfect sense. And of course you will try to use less water, cause it is Nevada…well. I will let the website do the talking. Less sarcasm that way.
“Rebel Malting Company is small, and produces malted products with local and niche grains ( Barley, Millet, Emmer Wheat, Buckwheat) for the brewing and distilling industries.
Micro malting operations are located in Reno, Nevada. Grain is primarily sourced from two locations: Fallon and Yerington, Nevada. Plus other locations if our farmers can not grow it here in Nevada.
The Rebel focus is to sow and grow grains within 100 miles of the malthouse and hand deliver (no ‘middle-man’) this product to local brewers and distillers near Reno, Nevada. An emphasis on customer service is achieved through order customization. Rebel utilizes advances in malting technology to lower water usage up to 30% (we are located in the ‘Rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada Mountains) and is constructing parabolic solar troughs (345 days of sunshine a year) to heat the building and first step in the kilning process. Rebel also supplies whole grain beer making and home malting kits, complete with detailed directions. Please see the About section for more details.”
As promised here is my full report (with photographic proof) of Canfest 2011.
Waking up in Reno! Big day ahead. So let’s recap what the good folks at Canfest lined up for me.
Bright and early (after a Starbucks run), I taxied over to the Buckbean Brewery. Soon followed by the crews and posse’s of Fort George, Kenai and Snake River. We were treated to the full range of Buckbean ales including their IPA, Tahoe Tessie and their Belgian IPA, Tour de Nez. And that was not all.
We also got a taste of 2010 Very Noddy. And thar was not all. They whipped up a couple pre-noon beer cocktails as well. My favorite of the day was the Tessie which had a crazy mix of galaxy, citra and other hops.
After that and knowing of the beers to come at the main event, I grabbed lunch and a nap in preparation. More on that in the next post.
The Beer Search Party has landed in Reno. And was met at the airport in grand style. Time to recap what the good folks at Canfest lined up for me.
I arrived in Reno after a turbulent flight from Burbank but things got much better. There was a limo driver with my name waiting to whisk me downtown after that luxury, I met Doug from Buckbean accidentally and he gave me a quick tour of where to drink in Reno including the great beer and wine shop, Craft. I had a New Zealand beer in honor of Brett and Jermaine then walked a block to Silver Peak Brewing and had lunch and a DIPA.
Due to long lines from multiple wedding parties, I snagged my room at Circus Circus and chilled before trying to wend my way through the casino maze and the beer dinner.
Addendum: After getting my 7th floor room, I wound my way through the casino to Brew Brothers to sample one of their ales. I went back to the the DIPA well and came up with mediocre. Did not hop up my palate. But I did get to beer chat with some fellow beer lovers.
Then it was on to the beer dinner and awards. It was a really good set of pairings with past award winning beers. All plated elegantly. The best was the desert. A Hawaiian pudding with pineapple that worked wonders with the Maui Big Swell IPA.
Even better was sitting with Peter Estaniel, a fellow beer blogger from the Bay-ish area and the guys from Snake River Brewing (who won best in show for their IPA).
FYI – There will be a full pictorial wrap-up when I get home.
I received these predictions recently in a dream……
Visit the Buckbean Brewing site for more information on Canfest 2010!
Canned beer on the list from Reno’s Buckbean…
The latest canned offering from Buckbean of Reno, Nevada is a red ale. Here is a short description…”This deep red robust ale combines a silky smooth rich body with a fruity caramel malt flavor and a soft herbal dry hopped finish. A full flavored classic beer that pairs well with hearty foods of all types.”
Now I would like to see an IPA or brown ale added to their can-line.