Tahoe Mountain Brewery (Review)

by Thor

Over the holidays, I found myself in South Lake Tahoe looking for a brewery to visit. One of the newest breweries in the area is the Tahoe Mountain Brewery in the back of the Horizon Casino, just over the Nevada state line. Here is a little review for those who might skiing or gambling in the area.

How to get there

The Horizon is on Hwy. 50 just pass the Harrah's on the left. Like most casinos, the parking is always in the back. After finding a suitable spot and entering the Horizon through the back door, we started our search. Strangely enough, you can see the brewery through a window almost as soon as you enter but a sign tells everyone that the entrance is through the cave. I figured that the entrance was probably deep in the to tempt people to gamble on their way to a cool brew. I was right. The cave is located about in the middle at the back of the casino and there an unmistakable cave entrance to show you the way. At the other end of the cave, there is a chocolate colored bear to mark the way.

Inside the brewpub

The decor is contemporary wood (oak?) with tall tables with stools, normal tables with chairs, booths, and the familiar stools at the bar. Also inside are games of amusement such as a pool table, arcade games, and I think an air hockey table. The brewery itself is located in the middle of the brewpub with fermenters adjacent. The vessels were stainless steel with copper sheets on the outside for looks. It appeared to be a smaller brewery of maybe 14 bbl. but the management said that they had 30 bbl fermenters and the same capacity in brewing.

The service

Service was very prompt and helpful. The place was pretty quiet since we got there when it opened bit our waiter was extremely helpful and attentive. The manager was also very helpful giving me information on the brewery and giving me the beer menu.

The Food

The menu consists, of American fare such as Pizzas, Burgers, and fried stuff like Fish and Chips. We ordered the appetizer sampler which consisted of chicken strips, jalapenos, and Onion rings; all fried and with three kinds of dip; blue cheese, ranch and mustard. The portions of everything there were very generous and the onion rings in particular were very tasty (if not quite healthy).

The pizzas are about 12" in diameter with generous toppings and served hot. Probably too much for one normal person to consume but it's great to take the leftovers home. The burgers were also pretty good sized but were not too large when served with the usual toppings.

The Beer

Now to the important stuff. I'm going to write this from the perspective of the homebrewer and according to my own tastes. First of all, the beers were all clean and free from any diacetyl or off yeast byproducts. In all, there are 7 beers on tap when I got there with 6 regulars and 1 special. Here's my list:

Honey -- Very light. Clean. Lawnmower style. Not particularly inspiring but not bad.

Wheat -- Served with lemon. Clear. Clean. American style. Also not particularly inspiring since I really couldn't detect much of the wheat malt.

Raspberry Wheat -- Strong raspberry smell and overpowering in the taste. Cough syrup. This one I didn't like at all. Its pretty much like many raspberry beers I've had the over do the raspberry. Probably using raspberry extract. My lady agreed with me that it was over the top and not drinkable.

Pale Ale -- Light color. Light body. IBU around 20? It was nice to have an IPA but I enjoy a little more hops.

Red -- Malty. Medium body. Best beer. This is definitely the beer I would drink on the premises as a session beer.

Barley Wine -- Light alcohol for style. Sherry-like smells and hops in nose. My big problem with this beer has got to be the lack of alcohol in the nose and taste. A quick swirl of the glass showed no legs from the alcohol. Give me 1.090 or give me ale!

Stout -- Roasted malt in nose and taste. Alcohol, color and body appropriate for style. Chocolate and coffee tastes. Smooth. Also on the best beers there. Only problem is that it's not a session kind of beer. Can't drink any quantity of it but it's good for a change of pace or with dessert. Served in 10 oz. glasses.

All in all, very decent beers and probably brewed for the local tastes. After talking with many brewers of the years, you have to brew what the local drinker wants and not necessarily what is "true" to style. If there were any changes that I would suggest is to boost up the specialties a bit for the beer geek that may order them. Specialties are great for this purpose.

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