Brew Around Lake Tahoe

The Tahoe craft beer scene is as impressive as the mountains and lakes that provide the inspiration for the local brew masters. An incredible array of local breweries, and some premier visitors, will be in attendance at the Tahoe Brewfest on August 27th

Imagine a Tahoe cabin-turned-woodsy tavern, complete with Edison lights and a mural of the Sierra. Weathered picnic tables, wood barrels and a hops garden fill the backyard (and dogs are welcome).

Brews & Bites

Five dedicated and seven barrel-aged taps are on offer here, with stouts, porters, sours and saisons to choose from. Enjoy deviled eggs, beer-boiled bratwurst and other snacks and sandwiches. Don’t miss the house-pickled veggies and fruits — balsamic olives, Cajun bell pepper, pineapple, artichoke hearts and dessert-like kiwi-lime-strawberry with cinnamon.

Don’t miss: Try the cabernet barrel-aged Oakalee Doakalee, a Flanders — as in Ned from “The Simpsons” — red ale with cherry puree, and the Mangonada, sweet-spicy mango-jalapeño white ale.

Details: Open 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. daily, until 10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; patio closes at 9 p.m. 3350 Sandy Way, South Lake Tahoe; www.sidellis.com

With both a full-service restaurant and a dedicated tasting room, Cold Water Brewery and Grill has a large menu of food and brews, all served up in a classic Tahoe ambience.

Brews & Bites

Fourteen taps include five guest taps. There’s a full lunch and dinner (mussels, steaks) menu here, as well as Sunday brunch service, and the food comes with culinary cred. Cold Water won the Sierra Chef Challenge — think “Chopped” — in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Don’t miss: Owner Debbie Brown belongs to the Pink Boots Society, which supports women in the brewing industry. For their annual Collaboration Brew Day, Brown and her female employees brewed a batch of Hey Girl Hey honey malt double IPA. Or get a pour of Mr. Toad’s Wild Rye.

Details: Open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily and until 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at 2544 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe; www.tahoecoldwaterbrewery.com

A polished cement-and-plank bar and floor, picnic tables, stacks of stainless-steel kegs and towering fermenting tanks help define this brewery’s industrial-warehouse character. There’s also an incredible outdoor patio space that often offers live music. Be sure to cruise the narrow gallery of local art for sale.

Brews & Bites

The array of 11 to 16 rotating taps include five of the brewery’s flagship beers. Snacks only, but food trucks are regularly onsite to provide a more substantial meal.

Don’t miss:  Try the Angora and Fog Nozzle hazy IPAs.

Details: Open 2-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 12-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 12-9 p.m. on Sundays at 1920  Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe; www.southlakebeer.com

This striking taproom makes creative use of wood and stone, flattered by natural light. At night, the fire pit on the spacious woodsy patio is the place to be, with live entertainment offered Friday-Sunday. A second location is available in the casino corridor at Stateline. NV.

Brews & Bites

In this self-serve model, customers open a tab, choose from 25 taps to pull their own and pay by the ounce. Grazing is the way to go. The taps are in constant random rotation, sourced from a library of 500 beers from multiple breweries. The two house-brand beers are crafted for AleWorx by Alibi Brewery in Incline Village.

Seventeen thin-crust pizzas, blistered in a wood-fired oven, include a pear-arugula version with gorgonzola, mozzarella and honey.

Don’t miss: This is pure sampling fun. Try any or all.

Details: Open 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily at 2050  Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe; www.laketahoealeworx.com.

This dog-friendly tasting room is strictly no-frills. Its sister, the Truckee Public House, is much larger and more party-centric, with 14 kinds of nachos (10069 Bridge St., Truckee), but this one has its charms.

Sample from 15 rotating taps. A selection of light bite sandwiches and salads complement the taproom’s chips, popcorn and jerky.

Don’t miss: Try the flagship pale ale and oak-fermented Berliner Weisse plum-apricot sour.

Details: Opens at 3 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 12 p.m. Friday-Sunday at 204 E. Enterprise St., Incline Village; www.alibialeworks.com.