Tenaya Creek Brewery Experience

For the Beer Babe, no trip to another city would be complete without getting a taste of the local brews, so when I went to Las Vegas last week I was determined to tour a local microbrewery. Lucky for me the Tenaya Creek Brewery was just a few miles outside of "the strip" and featured 10 original beers crafted by a family born and raised in Las Vegas. The Tenaya Creek Brewery, founded by Tim Etter (pictured above) in 1999, is the only one of its kind and has been family owned and operated for over a decade. Although the Tenaya Creek Brewery itself is a smaller operation, their kegs are on tap at many popular Vegas hotels such as the Bellagio and the Wynn. The goal of the brewery is to offer a wide selection of unique beers to the myriad tastes of the Las Vegas market, offering four core beers and five seasonal beers. Anthony Gibson, longtime friend of Tim Etter and Head Brewmaster at Tenaya Creek for 10 years said, "We aim to change people's perception of what beer is and what it can be." Gibson (pictured below) personally gave me an informative and interactive tour of the entire Tenaya Creek Brewery--from where the malt and barley are kept to the boiling kettles to the keg room where the finished brews are chilled. I even got to taste their hefeweizen straight from the 620 gallon fermentation tank itself! Gibson taught me a lot about the intricacies of the brewing process from the importance of sanitation to "sparging"--a term that refers to the addition of water to extract fermentable sugars from the grain. I also learned a lot more about the hop flower--one of the four key ingredients integral to brewing beer. There are nearly 50 varieties of hops, with certain species being used for flavor and others being used for aroma. Even though I am a wheat beer afficionado, Gibson was so descriptive and enthusiastic about their hops that I was inspired to try the Tenaya Creek Brewery's hoppiest beer of all.

Tenaya Creek Brewery's Monsoon Double IPA

Appearance: A clear, deep golden hue with moderate bubbly white head that left light lacing on the glass

Aroma: Great floral hop nose with hints of pine and grapefruit

Taste: Very approachable for a double IPA, well balanced start with a malty beginning, decent carbonation and a dry, citrus bite of hops at the finish

Alcohol: 7.6%

I decided to explore outside of my palate's preferred realm of white ales and go for a big IPA after hearing that the owner himself had grown the Mt. Hood and Cascade hops used in brewing the Monsoon Double IPA. I was able to sample the majority of the Tenaya Creek brews, but I chose to write my review on the Monsoon Double IPA because I felt it exemplified the TCB team's dedication, expertise and passion for beer during all stages of the brewing process. It is a tasty beer that has the complexity and balance of a double IPA with the approachability of a traditional IPA. I recommend pairing the Monsoon Double IPA with spicy foods like curry or Creole cuisine because the hops are strong enough to stand up to the fiery flavor. The Monsoon Double IPA is a well balanced brew and straddles the fine line between giving hop heads what the flavor they crave without overdoing it.

Even though the Tenaya Creek Brewery brought home a gold medal from the 2002 Great American Beer Festival, both Etter and Gibson were incredibly humble and complimentary of other breweries and stated, "We're not better, we're equal." Among a strong appreciation for quality ingredients and the brewing craft itself, the Tenaya Creek Brewery prides themselves on their passion for all things beer. Gibson says, "The fun part is the creativity. We are extremely dedicated to our craft and the reward is being able to see people enjoying what we've been working on." Both Tim Etter and Anthony Gibson were extremely gracious and erudite, so the next time you are in the Las Vegas area, I highly recommend stopping by the Tenaya Creek Brewery for some delicious beers and a tour, straight from the experts. For more information check out their website http://www.tenayacreekbrewery.com