Food in Reno: Day 1

Reno, NV- Lots of beer, lots of food- and all I have is a camera with 3 days to find out whats good and not.

A year ago we visited a restaurant called Silver Peak. Met the head brewer there- Trent- and he spent some time sitting down with us talking about his beers. I told him I was in love with the Porter they had by far- turned out it was his particular beer that he made his way. When you've got a good one, everyone beats a path to your keg...

This time we went to the original Silver Peak Brewery, located at 124 Wonder Street, Reno NV.

They have a sampler there which, for the cost of 8.75, can be yours. The one we received had Red Roadster, XXX Blonde Ale, Baileywheat Hefeweizen, Sierra Amber Ale, Peavine Porter, Silver Peak India Pale Ale, and three specialties- Sunset Raspberry, Honey Ale, and Kolsch Ale.
The samplers weren't over filled so they didn't spill or contaminate (you'd be surprised) and were served in a stainless tray with accompanying documentation. Of course, a pair of ours were out of order but it's fairly easy to recognize the differences between a Pale Ale and a Porter :)

Red Roaster: Excellent hops but too much malt/unfermented sugars. Far too sweet to drink more than a sip- 2/8/10 (based on a sip. Based on an entire glass that 10 falls to a 2/8/4)

XXX Blond Ale: Not a fan, but that's me. 1/4/5
BaileyWheat Hefeweizen: A good Hef, if only I drank it more. Got very spoiled in Germany... so the low scores: 1/5/7

Sierra Amber Ale: Excellent taste with mild malts and good hops to finish. 2/5/7

Peavine Porter. When I had this last I don't remember it being so ... limp. Maybe it was a bad pour from the bottom of a keg, maybe it was just a low pressure day, but this beer needed more head than it was served in. 2/7/4 - and I LOVED it the last time I had it. Great coffee and bitterness to round out everything.

Silver PEak India Pale Ale: Extra hoppy but not overwhelming with a massive burst of one type of 'alpha acid rules' hops. Great nose- and even better finish. I wish I'd ordered a pint of this over the roadster- 3/8/9

Sunset Raspberry- Specialty beer. Skip it- you'll burn your taste buds. In fact, cut it with the Hef or the Blond, but served as it is it'll strip the flavour centers of your brain to their bare wires. I didn't even score it.

Honey Ale: Great flavor, not overpowered by the honey. Little more hops to give it some bite and it would be perfect, IMHO. 2/6/4 (for finish was lacking aroma hops)

Kolsch Ale: Great tasting all the way. Can't get much better than this in the US I'd imagine. 2/8/8
As for the food- Delicious. I had Rosemary flatbread with roasted garlic + brie. The brie I wish had been spread out a bit but that would have ruined the aesthetics of the dish, I'm sure. the main meal was the Brewers burger- undercooked slightly (I ordered medium, got medium rare) but they hit my double cheese with no problems.





Wait staff was attentive and quick on responses. Can't go wrong there.
This was the original Silver Peak and it's quality is excellent- Thanks for a great evening!