Great Basin Brewing Company

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Great Basin Brewing Co.

Type	Private
Industry	Alcoholic beverage Restaurant
Founded	1993
Founder	Tom Young Eric McClary
Headquarters	Sparks, NV , United States
Number of locations	2 brewpubs (2013) 1 bottling facility (2013)
Area served	Nevada Northern California
Key people	Cameron Kelly[1]
Products	Beer
Production output	7,932 barrels (2013)[2]
Owner	Tom Young
Website	greatbasinbrewingco.com

Great Basin Brewing Co. is a brewery headquartered in Sparks, Nevada. It is Nevada's largest^[2] and oldest currently operating brewery^[3]—though not the state's longest operated.^[4] Great Basin beers are available as draught beer and in bottles at over 400 locations in Northern Nevada and the surrounding regions, including Aces Ballpark. They also serve beer at many special events, such as the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off and The Great Reno Balloon Race. Growlers and kegs may be purchased or filled at any of the company's tap rooms.

History[]

The company was established in 1993 after Nevada brewers, including company founders Tom Young and Eric McClary, successfully lobbied the Nevada Legislature to allow for brewpubs in the state.^[5] The original brewery and restaurant is on Victorian Square in Sparks. Their beers were winning national awards as soon as the next year.^[5] The Reno location was opened in 2010 with the expectation that its added capacity would satisfy demand for the next five years.^[6] Great Basin began regular bottling operations in 2011 (holiday releases had previously been available for several years, but on the scale of a few hundred bottles a year) and currently bottles three of their flagship brews.^[7][8] As demand increased further, a third facility was established when Great Basin moved into the warehouse formerly occupied by the defunct Buckbean Brewery.^[9] Along with the facility, they also acquired Buckbean's equipment, which was modified to meet Great Basin's needs. Taps & Tanks opened to the public at this location in 2012, and a high speed bottling line was installed there the next year - providing capacity to bottle seasonal beers. In 2014, just one year later, Great Basin bottled their millionth beer.^[10] Great Basin saw increases in business every year during its first twenty years in operation.^[11] Taps & Tanks no longer serves to the public due to new regulations on bars, but beer is still brewed and bottled there.

Beers[]

Great Basin brews several different beer styles and maintains ten to fourteen beers on tap.^[12] Many of their brews are seasonal or otherwise available for a limited time. Cask conditioned, barrel aged and nitrogenated beers are available by the glass on location.

Flagships[]

These beers are available year-round.

• Cerveza Chilebeso- It pours a beautiful light-straw color with a brilliant white head. This award-winning Kölsch-style ale is crafted using only the freshest jalapeños, individually cut by hand. It bursts with incredible jalapeño aroma and flavor with a gentle heat that fades to a clean and crisp finish. To turn up the heat a little more, every time we’ve entered this beer into the Great American Beer Festival® (1994, 1997, and 1999) 5.5% abv (available in 12 oz. bottles)
• Ichthyosaur IPA – or simply Icky,^[13][14] an American-style India Pale Ale made with Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe, and Citra Hops the company's first 'Brewer's Special' upon opening, named after the state fossil . 6.4% abv (available in bottle and cans)^[15]
• Leave No Trace Lager- This Munich style Helles Lager is inspired by the pristine forests, lakes and peaks at the edge of the eastern Sierra, this alpine lager is clean, crisp, refreshing and brewed to elevate everything you do. Brewed in the time-honored Bavarian style. 5.0% abv (available in 12 oz. cans)
• Outlaw Milk Stout^[i] – One of the most award-winning cream-style stouts in the world, Outlaw Milk Stout is infamous for its silky rich mouthfeel and unmistakable flavor that is crafted from the generous use of roast and caramel malt. Look for it on Nitro where available. 5.0% abv (available in 12 oz. bottles)
• Tectonic Event DIPA- A big West Coast IPA that gives off huge orange, grapefruit and pine aromas. Sip by sip you’re greeted by a light malt backbone that allows the hop bitterness to shine through. It finishes crisply with citrus and stone fruit on the palate. 8.7% abv ( available in 16 oz. cans)
• Wheeler Peak Wheat – American style wheat beer, Refreshing and effervescent – The liberal use of malted wheat lends a light, dry but fruity finish to this satisfying brew. 5.4% abv
• Wild Horse Ale – altbier-style amber ale brewed with five malts . 5.2% abv (available in 12 oz. bottles)

Limited brews[]

• 404 Scytale^[16] – imperial stout aged in whiskey barrels for 404 days (available in bottles)
• Balloon Brew^[17] – brewed to benefit the Great Reno Balloon Race
• Belgian Lavender^[5] – a Belgian-style ale flavored with locally-grown Royal Velvet lavender
• Bitchin' Berry^[18] – This refreshing fruit-forward beer gets its ruby red color from real raspberries and blackberries — never extracts. Beginning with fruit and floral aromas that precede a fresh berry zing on the palate, backing up to a light and crisp malt base. It finishes dry with hints of citrus, spice, and everything nice. 5.2% abv (available in 12 oz. bottles)
• Bitter Recession^[5] – an English-style bitter
• Black Eye PA^[19] – an American black-ale
• Buster No. 4^[20] – strong IPA brewed to benefit the ALS Therapy Development Institute
• Cowboy Coffee Stout ^[21] – a coffee-flavored stout
• Dawn Patrol^[22] – crystal pale brewed to benefit the Great Reno Balloon Race (available in bottles)
• Deathwish APA- In collaboration with Moment Ski Company. It has a light malt backbone that gives way to an avalanche of citrus, floral, and piney hop flavor and aroma with a crisp and clean finish. Label designed by Moment Skis using their Deathwish ski art as the inspiration. 6.66% abv (available in 12 oz. cans-Seasonal)
• Distant Lands Slim Hazy IPA- Distant Lands is a perfectly crushable companion, fit for any adventure. Brewed with Zappa, Mosaic, Simcoe and Amarillo hops, it showcases aromas of tropical fruit, citrus and mandarin orange. On the palate you'll discover bright floral notes with a hint of spice that finishes crisp and dry. 4.6% abv
• Fat Monk Belgian Style Dubbel^[23] – a Trappist-style dubbel
• Firelit Haze - Hazy IPA - Finding inspiration for this brew in the cool summer nights spent around a campfire with good friends. Bursting with tropical fruit, pear, peach, melon, and citrus hop aroma and flavor — this IPA shines brightly with a smooth, creamy mouthfeel that's rich in hop character without bitterness. 7.0% abv (available in 16 oz. cans)
• Gone to Helles^[24] – a helles, or German-style pale lager
• Harvest Ale^[25] – released in fall and brewed with locally sourced piñon pine nuts, juniper berry, and sage
• Hopasaur^[24] – the same recipe as Icky, but using fresh instead of dried hops
• Hop Head Ale^[5] – a heavily hopped strong ale measured at 100 IBUs
• Jackpot Porter – formerly a flagship, Porter in the English style
• Katie's Cream Ale^[26] – a cream ale
• Kristall Weizen^[21] – a filtered version of Wheeler Peak Wheat
• Mayan Maybe^[27] – brewed with vanilla, honey, chocolate, corn, and chile peppers, released in 2012 to celebrate the Mayan doomsday prophecy, rereleased subsequent years as Mayan Maybe Not (available in bottles)
• Mollie's Irish Stout ^[21] – Irish-style dry stout
• Moment Deathwish^[28] – a collaboration with Moment Skis, an American Pale Ale
• Munich Kellerbier^[24] – an unfiltered lager, thus the designation kellerbier
• Nevada Gold^[15] – Kölsch lager made with 2-row barley and wheat malts, and noble Saaz hops
• Nevada Museum Of Art 80th Anniversary Egyptian Ale^[29] – brewed to commemorate the Egyptian Exhibit at the Nevada Museum of Art, this was a recreation of a New Kingdom-style beer made with emmer and no hops
• Oktoberfest^[24] – usually brewed around October for the celebration of the same name, made with German barley and noble hops
• Pogonip Pilsner^[30] – pilsner brewed with noble hops
• Preservation Ale^[15][31] – organic ale brewed to benefit the Nevada Land Conservancy
• Rare Bear Cream Style Ale^[23] – a cream ale dedicated to the aircraft of the same name
• Red Eye PA^[19] – hoppy red ale
• Red Nose Holiday Wassail^[32] – not a true wassail, but a Christmas beer brewed with cinnamon, orange peel, cloves, vanilla and Nevada honey (bottled near Christmas as a stocking stuffer^[25])
• Risky Biscuit Barley Wine^[26] – a barley wine, sold in smaller glasses and unavailable for growler fills
• Road Cone Delirium^[33] – brewed to celebrate the opening of the Reno location, the surrounding area was experiencing heavy road maintenance at this time
• Rock Mai Bock^[26] – maibock, or a helles brewed to bock strength
• Russian Imperial Stout^[21] – a heavy Imperial stout with seven malts at 9% abv
• Smoke Jumper^[19] – a brown ale with smoked malts
• Struwwelpeter - German Chocolate Cake Stout - This German chocolate cake pastry stout was made with fresh cacao nibs, toasted coconut, and toasted pecans. Brewed with extra lactose for a sweet and velvety finish, this beer is a new take on this classic American dessert. 8.5% abv (available in 16 oz. cans - Seasonal)
• Truckee River Red^[34] –it's named in honor of the river that feeds the brewery with pure sierra water that goes into every brew. This award-winning craft beer pours a deep copper red with light tan head. Low in hop aroma, it has a rich caramel sweetness that's balanced by roasted malt, ending in a slightly dry and crisp finish. 6.0% abv
• White Eye PA^[28] – a Belgian-style India pale ale.(available in bottles)
• Wicked Icky^[16] – a stronger version of Icky

As a non-alcoholic or child-friendly alternative, Great Basin also brews their own root beer, which is available only on premises.

Use in food[]

Great Basin is renowned for integrating their beers into the menu items available from their kitchens^[35] and offers beer braised pork, homemade beer cheese, beer batter fish and chips, chocolate brownies baked with porter, and many other dishes. They also reuse spent barley left over from mashing along with brewer's yeast in artisan bread. As a result of these and similar initiatives, 95% of Great Basin's waste output is reduced.^[14]

Awards and recognitions[]

Great Basin's brews have garnered several awards at many national and international beer competitions.^[5][36][37]

See also[]

• Alcohol laws of Nevada
• List of breweries in Nevada
• Barrel-aged beer
• List of defunct breweries in the United States

References[]

Coordinates: 39°32′06″N 119°45′15″W / 39.535009°N 119.754151°W / 39.535009; -119.754151