9 minute read
Lost Sierra Breweries
EAT&drink
food & libations | recipes | delicious events
Advertisement
Sierra Sips
BREWING IN THE LOST SIERRA
There is something magical about the Lost Sierra, driving through vast ranch lands, thick forests and small towns steeped in rich history with deep roots that go back to the days of the Pony Express. It is here that small breweries have established themselves and honed their craft.
There are more than a dozen local breweries creating craft beers stretching from the Lost Sierra to the South Shore, and in this installment of my series on the breweries of the Tahoe Sierra, I’ll be highlighting those in the Lost Sierra.
You can create your own pub crawl using our inaugural Sierra Sips map or read about the breweries of Truckee and the North Shore at TheTahoeWeekly.com.
BY PRIYA HUTNER
THE BREWING LAIR
HOP-FORWARD
The Brewing Lair, owned by Rich and Sue Delano, is a fabulous brewery located off the beaten path in Blairsden. I met with Sue early on a sunny picture-perfect fall Sunday afternoon. The brewery is set on 30 acres, the property a gift from her former partner, the founder of Stone Brewing Company. Sue, who grew up in Quincy, had been brewing beer for years before opening The Brewing Lair 10 years ago with her husband Rich.
“Rich has the scientific mind. He’s definitely more precise. I am more of a chef adding a little of this and that,” said Sue.
Brewing requires consistency and with Rich’s scientific mind and precision, the couple has created a beautiful place to hang out and drink delicious beer.
As we sit outside (there is only outdoor seating), people started arriving: adults, families with grandparents and kids, and couples. It was a busy day. Sue and I talked beer. The Brewing Lair has 10 brews on tap at any given time that change with the seasons.
“Ambush IPA is by far most popular. We’ve had it since the beginning. It’s a classic West Coast IPA,” she said.
Dope Is King Pale Ale is a classic pale ale, a winter brew that pays homage to the miners of the 1800s. The miners would ride the ore cars up and ski down the hill on their longboards. Those with the best dope – the equivalent of modern ski wax – were the best racers.
A year-round brew on tap is Deep Cover Black IPA. It’s a dark, dry and crisp beer with hints of espresso. The BLT, Brewing Lair Tripel, is a Belgian ale and is 9.6 percent alcohol. The Louie is another IPA that uses Sierra Valley Farms hops from Beckwourth. The Brewing Lair makes several IPAs, which Sue notes are hop-forward and hop-centric. They don’t create lagers, but they make Lairy brew, which is a brown ale. When I asked Sue pong. We are a local watering hole,” she said.
In the summer months, they host music from the stage on Saturdays. From April until November, they are open seven days a week. From November until January, they are open Fridays through Mondays and from January through April, they are open Fridays through Sundays. Guests are welcome to bring their own food with a few barbecue grills available on site (BYOB bring your own briquettes).
Their brews can be found at Old Town Tap and New Moon Natural Foods in Truckee and The Bridgetender in Tahoe City.
14
15
Sierra Sips Tahoe Weekly presents Sierra Sips Tahoe Weekly presents Portola Portola Portola Portola
Blairsden Blairsden
Graeagle Graeagle
BREWERY BREWERY
Lost Sierra Lost Sierra
The Brewing Lair The Brewing Lair
67007 CA Hwy 70, Blairsden 67007 CA Hwy 70, Blairsden | | thebrewinglair.com thebrewinglair.com
Dedicated to high-profi le ales Dedicated to high-profi le ales
Ronin Fermentation Project Ronin Fermentation Project
601 Graeagle Johnsville Road #1645, Graeagle 601 Graeagle Johnsville Road #1645, Graeagle roninfermentationproject.com roninfermentationproject.com
Classical brews married with experimental brews Classical brews married with experimental brews Sierraville Sierraville
Truckee Truckee
Alibi Ale Works Truckee Public House Alibi Ale Works Truckee Public House
10069 Bridge St. 10069 Bridge St. | alibialeworks.com| alibialeworks.com
An adventurous line-up this is always evolving An adventurous line-up this is always evolving
Donner Creek Brewing Donner Creek Brewing
11448 Deerfi eld Drive 11448 Deerfi eld Drive | | donnercreekbrewing.com donnercreekbrewing.com
Pico brewery focused on locally grown hops Pico brewery focused on locally grown hops Truckee Truckee
FEATURED LISTING FEATURED LISTING
(PAID) (PAID) WINERY WINERY DISTILLERY DISTILLERY FOOD TRUCK FOOD TRUCK FOOD FOOD
Reno & Sparks Reno & Sparks
Great Basin Brewing Company Sparks Great Basin Brewing Company Sparks
846 Victorian Ave., Sparks, NV 89431 846 Victorian Ave., Sparks, NV 89431 | greatbasinbrewing.com| greatbasinbrewing.com
Great Basin Brewing Company Reno Great Basin Brewing Company Reno
5525 S. Virginia St, Reno, NV 89502 5525 S. Virginia St, Reno, NV 89502 | greatbasinbrewing.com| greatbasinbrewing.com
TRUCKEE TRUCKEE AIRPORT AIRPORT Reno Reno
RENO RENO INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AIRPORT
FiftyFifty Brewing FiftyFifty Brewing
11197 Brockway Road, Suite 1 11197 Brockway Road, Suite 1 | | fi ftyfi ftybrewing.com fi ftyfi ftybrewing.com
Barrel-aged gems from Truckee’s oldest brewery Barrel-aged gems from Truckee’s oldest brewery
The Good Wolf The Good Wolf
10990 Industrial Way B103 10990 Industrial Way B103 | | thegoodwolfbrewing.com thegoodwolfbrewing.com
Forest beer from local sources Forest beer from local sources Northstar Northstar Incline Village Incline Village
Old Trestle Distillery Old Trestle Distillery
West River St. West River St. | Tasting room opening fall 2022| Tasting room opening fall 2022 | | oldtrestle.com oldtrestle.com
Gin, vodka & bourbon using locally harvested botanicals Gin, vodka & bourbon using locally harvested botanicals
Truckee Brewing Co. Truckee Brewing Co.
a. 10736 Pioneer Trail, Suite 1a. 10736 Pioneer Trail, Suite 1 b. b. 1001 Soaring Way (opening Jan. 2022) 1001 Soaring Way (opening Jan. 2022) truckeebrewco.com truckeebrewco.com
Focus on high-quality ingredients Focus on high-quality ingredients
Truckee River Winery Truckee River Winery
10061 S. River St. 10061 S. River St. | | truckeeriverwinery.com truckeeriverwinery.com
Specializing in single-vineyard varietals Specializing in single-vineyard varietals Olympic Olympic Valley Valley
Alpine Alpine Meadows Meadows
North Shore North Shore
Alibi Ale Works Brewery and Barrel House Alibi Ale Works Brewery and Barrel House
204 E. Enterprise St., Incline Village 204 E. Enterprise St., Incline Village | | alibialeworks.com alibialeworks.com
Alibi favorites & Barrel House exclusives (bring your own food) Alibi favorites & Barrel House exclusives (bring your own food)
Alibi Ale Works Incline Public House Alibi Ale Works Incline Public House
931 Tahoe Blvd, Incline Village 931 Tahoe Blvd, Incline Village | alibialeworks.com| alibialeworks.com
Crafted with an eye to experimentation & variety Crafted with an eye to experimentation & variety
Bear Belly Brewing Company Bear Belly Brewing Company
8428 Trout Ave, Kings Beach 8428 Trout Ave, Kings Beach | | bearbellybrew.com bearbellybrew.com
Small batch brewery Small batch brewery
South Shore South Shore
Cold Water Brewery Cold Water Brewery
2544 Lake Tahoe Blvd. 2544 Lake Tahoe Blvd. | tahoecoldwaterbrewery.com| tahoecoldwaterbrewery.com
7-barrel brewhouse featuring all-grain beer 7-barrel brewhouse featuring all-grain beer
Sidellis Brewery Sidellis Brewery
3350 Sandy 3350 Sandy Way Way | | sidellis.com sidellis.com
Specializes in rotating, small-batch brews Specializes in rotating, small-batch brews
South Lake Brewing Company South Lake Brewing Company
1920 Lake Tahoe Blvd. 1920 Lake Tahoe Blvd. | southlakebeer.com| southlakebeer.com
16 craft brews on tap with styles for every beer lover 16 craft brews on tap with styles for every beer lover (bring your own food) (bring your own food) Tahoe Tahoe City City
South of North Brewing Co. South of North Brewing Co.
932 Stateline Ave. 932 Stateline Ave. | | southofnorthbeer.com southofnorthbeer.com TAKE THIS TAKE THIS MAP MAP
WITH YOU WITH YOU
READ OUR STORY ON READ OUR STORY ON Kings Kings Beach Beach
NV NV
Homewood Homewood
CA CA
Carson Carson City City
Emerald Bay Emerald Bay
Locally handcrafted ales Locally handcrafted ales
Stateline Brewery Stateline Brewery
4118 Lake Tahoe Blvd. 4118 Lake Tahoe Blvd. | statelinebrewery.com| statelinebrewery.com
Crafting house & seasonal favorites Crafting house & seasonal favorites TRUCKEE’S EXPANDING TRUCKEE’S EXPANDING BREWERY SCENE BREWERY SCENE
IN THIS EDITION ON PAGE 16 IN THIS EDITION ON PAGE 16
Revive Revive
3135 Harrison Avenue 3135 Harrison Avenue | | revivecoffeewine.com revivecoffeewine.com South South Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe Stateline Stateline
Meyers Meyers
T TheTahoeWeekly.com heTahoeWeekly.com
DESIGN BY ALYSSA GANONG | TAHOE WEEKLY DESIGN BY ALYSSA GANONG | TAHOE WEEKLY
Kirkwood Kirkwood Plan your own brewery tour with
our Sierra Sips map
Available at issuu.com/
TheTahoeWeekly
what her favorite brew is, she said she mixes the BLT and the Ambush.
I tried the BLT. It was tropical, citrusy and tasty. I also tried the Dope Is King, which I really enjoyed. I loved the setting of this brewery. I can’t wait to come back out.
“I feel like what makes us unique is that we are like a park, where dogs, kids and families can come for birthdays, rehearsal dinners and anniversaries. They can take over the area, barbecue if they want, play cornhole or ping
RONIN FERMENTATION PROJECT
KOJI-STYLE
Ronin Fermentation Project in Graeagle had a rocky start as owners Charlie Johnson and Lisa Jansen received their certificate of occupancy the week of the pandemic in 2020.
“It’s been crazy,” says Jansen of opening a brewery during a world-wide pandemic.
Johnson was a brewing consultant for nearly 20 years, spending many years abroad, before opening Ronin, which creates kojistyle beers. The name Ronin is an ode to Japanese master samurais.
“I’ve been in the commercial side for quite a long time, almost 20 years. I consulted with mainly breweries and I’ve done a few distillery projects, as well, but mainly breweries all over the world from Japan, Mexico, Hong Kong, Australia, UK and here in the states,” he said.
“Koji is a hybridized style from sake brewing and beer brewing. We use local grains and inoculate them with this koji. We actually have a koji sauna in the brewery lined with cedarwood,” said Johnson.
The brew is only made in the winter because cold weather is needed to produce it. The Electronic Monolith and Multiverse Lives are two styles of koji beers Ronin offers. The Alpen Glow Pilsner is one of their most popular beers. Johnson described it as “a nice light, dry, pale yellow, German-style pills brewed with all European German barley and
ABOVE: Outdoor tasting room at The Brewing Lair | The Brewing Lair
LEFT: Alpen Glow Pilsner. | Ronin Fermentation Project
German hops.”
They also make lagers. They use all-natural carbonation, and it takes 10 to 12 weeks to produce.
“We make slow beers. It’s our big defining feature. Our beer is 100 percent all-natural. We blend Old-World with the experimental,” he said.
Currently, they have six different varieties of beer based on season and demand. Ronin Fermentation Project is open on Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m. with indoor and outdoor seating. Their brews can be found at Old Town Tap, Donner Lake Brewing Company and New Moon Natural Foods all in Truckee.n
The Brewing Lair
(530) 394-0940 thebrewinglair.com
Ronin Fermentation Project
roninfermentationproject.com
Priya Hutner is a food writer, personal chef and owner of The Seasoned Sage, a local meal delivery and catering company. Priya has been creating and preparing meals from an early age. She has worked in the restaurant industry in New York City, attended catering school, and was the head chef and executive director of a nonprofit spiritual community in Florida. Visit her website at TheSeasonedSage.com. Send your comments, story ideas and food tidbits to priya@tahoethisweek.com.
