For our first post of 2018, we took a 2 day trip to Reno, NV for New Year’s Eve. We got to stay with some good friends (thanks again Ben and Monica) who showed us around. They took us skiing, hiking, and of course, beer drinking.
We arrived at the Reno airport late Friday evening on a fairly small Alaska Airlines flight. During the flight we were pleasantly surprised to find that Alaska airlines now offers complimentary craft beer and wine on select regional flights in the west and northwest. On this particular flight we were treated to an Alaskan Amber ale, an altbier from Alaskan Brewing Co. in Juneau, Alaska. It’s vey malt forward, sweet with a little roastiness, and very little hop presence. It was a nice treat for our short flight. We didn’t do much that evening after getting picked up at the airport. Our friend Monica brought us back to her place in the mountains south of Reno where we enjoyed a few more beers while catching up.
I do need to take a moment to talk about these beers that Monica shared with us. They were from a small brewery in Dover, NH called Garrison City Beerworks, where Monica’s sister Nicole is working on some excellent and inventive beers. Seriously inventive… we got to try a kettle soured gose with rose hips (Spindrift) and a Grisette style ale fermented over figs, chardonnay soaked oak, and elderflower (Sisters Four). If you’re anywhere near Dover, NH be sure to check them out.
Our first “peak” for the trip was a day of early season skiing at Mt. Rose resort, which is located about 30 min south-west of Reno in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Another tidbit to know is that Mt. Rose Ski Resort is actually on Slide Mountain, and it just faces Mt Rose to the north. While there wasn’t abundant snow, the weather was perfect and warm, and the early season conditions must’ve scared off the crowds because we rarely waited for a lift line on this holiday weekend. We’re hoping to get back later in the season for a powder day in “the chutes ” which is a North facing section of the mountain that offer some steep, powder- filled terrain, and with the base of the chutes being at 7900′ and the summit being at 9700′, they’re also pretty long.
After carving the slopes all day, our foursome enjoyed a round on the patio at the Winters Creek lodge where we had a perfect view down to Washoe lake and the whole Great Basin where Reno sits. I had a nice, dank, citrusy IPA from the local Lead Dog brewery. We tried this one again the next day in cans, and it was excellent again.
After getting cleaned up, we were shuttled down the other side of the mountain towards Lake Tahoe to a brewery in Incline Village. Alibi Ale Works is located just off the beaten path in Incline Village next to a boat supply and storage place. When we were on our way there I was a bit surprised when we didn’t stop in the middle of town where it seemed like everything else was. It was okay though, because this place was already pretty crowded, but not so much so that we couldn’t find 4 spots. They’ve actually got a nice big bar layout with a big communal high top with plenty of stools, as well as a back room with some couches. Apparently in the warmer months they’ve also got an outdoor seating area. Also worth noting is it is a dog friendly brewery, and there were quite a few dogs. This also means that they don’t have a kitchen, though they do allow you to bring food in from local restaurants if you want. The beers were solid, with a few very unique ones. The most unique that we tried had to be the Key Lime Pie Berliner… it tasted like key lime pie. Seriously. Just like the pie, with the crust and everything. Second was the Pinot Noir Barrel Aged Rustic Rye, which was almost a soured old ale, with a nice smooth finish. I’ve really been enjoying what brewers have been doing with old wine barrels. We see so many bourbon barrel aged beers out there, it’s fun to try something different. I finished this visit off with the fairly standard triple IPA, which left me feeling pretty happy as we headed off to get some mountain town Mexican food for dinner.
The next day started a bit slowly for all of us, probably because of additional night caps after we got back to the house. In any case, we were fed a nice breakfast of waffles, fruit, and bacon, then we were off for a hike to fully wake up and ready ourselves for the new years eve ahead.
Our hike was a 6.5 mile loop beginning at the Upper Thomas Creek trailhead, just over a mile north of Rte 431, and just on the eastern edge of the National Forest. We began on the Upper Thomas Creek Trail which, surprise, followed Thomas creek upstream for close to 1.5 miles through the woods, only gaining a little bit of elevation. This would be a really nice walk, or quick trail run. This is a multi-use trail, so we did need to step aside for a lot of mountain bikers on this loop.
At the 1.5 mile intersection, we made a decision to head uphill on the Dry Pond Trail, which was a switch-backing, but still not too steep, trail that brought us up to a dry pond (such a thoughtful name!). On the way up we were afforded some north-easterly views of the foothills and back out towards the Great Basin. As we crested over the hill we got some nice south-westerly views back towards the Mt. Rose Ski resort, as well as the actual Mt. Rose. After a quick stop at Dry Pond, we continued down-hill on the south side of hill we’d just climbed to the intersection with the Whites Creek Trail, which, interestingly enough, follows Whites Creek through a slightly thicker forest. We saw some big piles of cut lumber, which Ben informed us are burn piles (he’s a firefighter). Again, the walk out on Whites Creek Trail was mostly a gentle descent, except for one “hikers only” portion where we dropped down to the creek, then steeply back up to rejoin the main trail/forest service road. Finally, we met up with Timberline Dr, and headed back up the road to the vehicle.
After that 6.5 mile loop, we were all pretty hungry… and thirsty. Ben and Monica treated us to the local favorite, and small chain brewpub(only 2 locations around Reno), Great Basin Brewing Company. Their Reno brewpub location is located amongst your typical box stores and chain restaurants, but it’s an oasis for beer lovers and foodies alike. They’ve got a huge seating area, which I’m sure gets pretty crazy on the weekends, or dinner. We lucked out, showing up after the normal lunch time on New Years Eve, sp we were seated immediately. I went with their flagship Ichtyosaur “Icky” IPA, named after the fossils of the giant “fish lizard” that were found in central Nevada. This wasn’t a typical american IPA… it’s a bit more earthy like a traditional english IPA, more like the what the style originally began as. Not overly bitter, it was extremely drinkable, and it was no wonder why it’s their most popular beer. Casey went crazy and got two 12 ounce pours of the two different “Hop-A-Saur” wet hopped beers… one with good old Cascade, and the other with Idaho 7. Basically, they make a base beer, then take some and add fresh Cascade hops to one fermenter, and fresh Idaho 7 hops to another one. By doing this you can really gain an appreciation for the differences in the two hops. The Cascade had that typical citrus and melon flavors, while the Idaho 7 was more herbal, with an almost tea-like flavor. The food was also top-notch. We started with stuffed jalapenos, which come stuffed with cream cheese, fried in a beer batter, topped with cheddar cheese and bacon, and then served with a honey jalapeno sauce. Only 7 come per order, so one person (Casey) only got to have one (plus a bite of my second). I went with the Breuben, of course, which is made with house smoked pastrami, which was so good, served on house-made “Icky” bread.
We decided to head back to the house after dinner instead of visiting another brewery. We grabbed a four-pack of Lead Dog IPA, and hiked up to the top of Sky Tavern Ski area; right in Monica and Ben’s backyard. It was a snowy and steep hike, but it was rewarding. Just as we reached the top, the sun went down, and the trees perfectly framed the Mt. Rose fireworks. We all sat at the top of the ski lift, enjoyed our beers and began to reflect on what had happened in 2017, and what was to come in 2018. It was only about 6:30 pm when the fireworks ended, so we still had a few hours left of 2017. Our small group spent them enjoying a few more beers, some music, conversation, and some food. It was a great finish to a wild year.
