I'll be stopping by Reno during a break in my summer camping trip and will need to refill my beer stash for the next leg. I'll have my two kids with me, both 7 and under. The five year old believes he speaks to barrels. I'm also looking for a place with good food that has a solid tap list of their own beers or others. So basically some restaurants, bottle shops and beer recs. I know in Southern CA Wholefoods is reliable, what about here? I'll be driving down from Lassen if that helps. If you can throw any ideas for things to do during our night in Reno that would be cool too.
My gf's parents live in Reno and I have been out there a few times. I'll be heading there again at the end of August, and was perusing this thread to see if any new info popped up. In the past I haven't seen much, so I thought I'd opine with my observations/recommendations. I'm sure there is more/better info available, but maybe the below will help you out. P.s. feel free to offer send some tips back my way after your trip . Brasserie St. James: Highly Recommended. Great beer; Great food; Great atmosphere. This is one of the pricier/fancier options and we did this for a date night, but you could still take the kids if you wanted. Their beers are all good to great, and the food doesn't disapoint either. I actually just opened a bottle of White Downs (Butternut Squash & Sage Saison) I bought here this past Saturday and it was delicious! Great Basin: Recommended. Good Beer; Good Food; Laid back/family friendly. Got a few recommendations to check this place out and went here on two occasions. The beers are not as impressive as St. James, and one or two were misses, but I still enjoyed most. Menu was creative and service is great. Moo Dang: Recommended. Good Food; Surprising Beer list. If you like Thai, check this place out. The owner happens to be a beer geek and stocks the place with bottles you wouldn't expect. You don't need to make a special trip here, but thought I'd mention it. Beer NV: Recommended. Massive Beer list; BYO food. This was brand new when I went and they have the largest selection in the area. They'll do Growlers or Crowlers of anything on tap, so you can restock for camping. Not much in bottles when I was there but maybe they've expanded this. It's in a shopping center with a few food options that you can bring in (we did Mexican; cheap and good). Silver Peak: Semi-Recommended. Decent Beer; Good Food; Good prices. If you're nearby I'd say stop in, but I wouldn't make a special trip to go there. Food is good, though not as interesting as Great Basin. They do wheat beers very well, but rest of taps were hit or miss. The Depot: Not Recommended. Bad beer; Bad spirits; Hipster than thou vibe. I had high hopes from their website, and maybe they've improved, but when I went they were a big let down. If I was younger and looking for a decent date spot, maybe I'd go back; maybe? I didn't try any of the food, though it looked good. But if you want good beer, I'd steer clear. Only bottle shop I shopped at was Total Wine; it was good. I was food shopping and poked my head into Whole Foods's pub. They had recently done a Dogfish tap takeover and it looked like a good spot but I didn't have time to stay there. Cheers!
Thanks for all the help. That's exactly what I was looking for. We will probably hit one of the top three depending on how our mood is after the first four nights in a tent.
If you need bottles, stop by Craft. Its relatively close to St. James, the best food/beer option. Be careful not to mix up St. James Infirmary with St. James Brasserie. I dunno if you can bring kids into BeerNV though, even though it has the best taplist by far.
I'll be in the Residence Inn across the 395 from BeerNV. Looks like I might be able to walk over there after the kids are asleep. Do they fill growlers with brewery names on them? I usually start the trip with a growler full of homebrew and try to fill it with some commercial beer during the trip.
I agree Brasserie St. James is a good option, though keep in mind it gets really crowded and you may not be able to get a table without a wait depending on when you go. I would also suggest The Brewer's Cabinet. They have tables and food where you could sit with the family though you might have similar difficulty finding a table. They had some impressive beers. I really liked the pale ale, wit, and imperial coffee stout.
