Time sure does fly when you're having fun, the past two weeks just flew by. Well we made it to the left coast and it is time to head back to the coast where the sun always rises. With Petaluma in our rear view mirror, we headed Northeast to Lake Tahoe on then on to Reno. Oh.....yes there were a few Brewpub stops on the way, this is the Quest.
- Tahoe Mountain Brewery- we were surprised to see how the Northern California drought had impacted the water level of Lake Tahoe. The water in the lake might have been low but the level of beer in Tahoe City was high. The brewery was located in the center of the lake front main street in town. So I headed to the brewpub and my travel companion headed to the numerous shops in town. The brewpub was very rustic with a nice bar an indoor area. If you wanted fresh air they have a few tables outside with views of the lake. My favorites on the sampler were the Hop Dragon, Hop Song, Ms Coco Stout and Recolte DuBois - aged in Sherry Barrels. Beautiful town and a great brewpub.
- Brasserie Saint James- located just on the outskirts of Casino alley in Reno, the brewpub was just named the Mid-Sized Brewpub of the year at the Great American Beer Festival the day before our visit. Now timing is everything and sometimes the timing is just right. Well everything was festive and energized during this visit. The brewpub fits the mold of a Northern France/Belgian Brasserie. The brewery had also won a gold medal for their French/Belgian Saison. Unfortunately they did not have it on draught, however, I did walk out with a bottle of it. I also enjoyed the Third Man Belgian Tripel, Jamison Porter and the Pacific Passage to India IPA.
- The Great Basin Brewery- you will find this brewpub on the other side of Casino Alley in Reno. remember what I said about timing, well as luck would have they won a Bronze Medal at the Great American Beer Festival for their Milk Stout. Yes they had it on tap and yes it was deserving of their place on the medal winner podium. I also enjoyed their Great Pumkin Ale, Jackpot Porter and the Tectonic Event IPA.
The Trail east then took us through Utah, there are some good breweries in Utah, however, Utah law makes it very difficult to sample beer. Breweries are permitted to brew beer above 6%ABV, but they can not sell it in Utah..go figure. Lets just say the scenery is beautiful in Utah, but the beer revolution has some work to do in Utah.
OK...enough beer whining about Utah its time to head to beervanna in Colorado.
- Breckenridge Brewery- Interstate 70 on the west side of Denver is the most beautiful stretch of Highway I have every driven. The are is packed with ski resorts and what do skiers like...BEER. Breckenridge is a great ski town with a great Brewery. The brewpub fits perfect with the rustic ski side decor. The bar area and seating area is very large and I can imagine packed during the ski season. Selecting a sampler flight was difficult with numerous beers to choose from. I particularly enjoyed the Vanilla Porter Nitro, Oatmeal Stout and the Highwire double IPA.
- Dillon Dam Brewing- venturing off of the Interstate on the way over the Loveland Pass, you drive through Dillon, Colorado and there it is the Dillon Dam Brewery. A very large brewpub with a huge circular bar. The beer and food are great and you can also see this brewpub being very popular with the skiers from Keystone and the Arapahoe Basin. as I mention the beer was very good and how could you not drink a beer named "Here's Your Dam IPA. I also enjoyed McLuhr's Irish Stout and the Extra Pale Ale. Ok its time to drive over the Loveland Pass and cross the Continental Divide.
- Tommyknockers Brewery- Idaho Springs is an old mining town located just off of the interstate before you head down the mountains to Denver. You can not be an old mining town in Colorado without having a brewery in town. Tommyknockers fits the bill with great beer and during my visit a great beer server who knew the beer and had a passion for it. Going with her recommendations, the Maple Brown Ale was worth the trip alone. However, the Black Powder Stout and the Pick axe IPA were also very good. Before you ask.....a Tommyknocker is a mine gnome that can cause good or bad things to happen. The miner's lore of the Tommyknockers started in the mines in Pennsylvania and drifted west with the gold rush. There you have a little trivia with your beer.
I could have spent the next two months in Colorado and still not visit all of the Breweries in the state. Unfortunately it was time to leave Colorado and push east to home.
- Gella's Diner and Lb. Brewery- you are driving across Kansas among miles and miles of flat farm land. I need a beer and I need to find a brewery in Kansas for my Quest state count. Hey...there is a brewery in Hays, Kansas, not far off of the Interstate. So with the attitude a brewery is a brewery I head to Gella's Dinner & Lb. Brewery with low expectations. Wow was I surprised, located in this farming city was an award winning Brewpub. The brewery is attached to a modern decorated, very large brewpub with a very large food and beer menu. They were also past GABF medal winners for their wheat and stout beers. IO enjoyed the Brownell Brown, Oatmeal Stout and the Pale Ale.
- Schlafly- the last brewery visit on this cross country venture is St. Louis's famous Schlafly brewery. The large brewery has two equally large tasting areas. We visited during a very busy lunch hour. we found two seats at the bar and enjoyed Fish Tacos with a nice Sampler Flight. It was difficult to choose a flight with the large number of brews on draught. I settled for the Pumpkin Ale ( high ABV), Oatmeal Stout, Coffee Stout, Dry hopped APA and a very good Oktoberfest. Great place I hope it is surviving the riots
Thus ends the cross country drive, a trip that not only added breweries to the Quest count and completed the 30 state requirement, but opened my eyes to how beautiful the country is. There are surprises around every corner and so many places we did not have time to visit. We will do this again and I highly recommend that everyone take the time to drive and enjoy this great country. Stay tuned, I'm ahead of schedule on the quest, I'm going to take a short break to catch up on other things beside beer. Well my beer inventory is a little large, so I need to stay home to complete some inventory reduction ( drinking ). &5 Breweries to go, so I plan to hit the trail again in December.