drinkable reno tahoe
ÜBER BREW
Barrel-aged beers take center stage at FiftyFifty.
WRITTEN BY MARC TIAR
PHOTO BY JAMIE KINGHAM
While the movement has been brewing (pun intended) for some time, it’s hard for beer aficionados not to feel like we’re in a golden age. While big cities such as Portland vie for the title of Beer City USA, small towns are witnessing a rebirth of a time, before Prohibition devastated the brewing industry, when a local brewery was as common as the church or schoolhouse. You need look no further for an example than FiftyFifty Brewing Co. in Truckee.
Since opening in 2007, founders Alicia and Andy Barr have sought to create a destination with envelope-pushing beers and great American brewpub food. They’ve not only found their place in Truckee but in the national beer scene as well.
“We love the ‘local watering hole’ feel of it, and we love good beer and good food,” Alicia Barr says.
On any given day, you’re likely to find 12 to 15 taps pouring a mix of typical brewpub beers such as FiftyFifty’s IPA or a porter and the occasional Belgian-style, sour cherry beer, or barley wine.
But, according to Alicia, “What puts us on the map are our barrel-aged beers — specifically our Eclipse (Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout).”
The beer won silver medals at the 2011 European Beer Star Awards, 2010 Australian International Beer Awards, and 2009 Australian International Beer Awards. In addition, it was ranked among the Top 25 Beers by Draft Magazine in 2009 and listed in 1,001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die by Adrian Tierney-Jones. The base beer for Eclipse, FiftyFifty’s Totality Imperial Stout, also won a bronze medal in 2011’s Great American Beer Festival, a silver at the 2010 European Beer Star Awards, a gold for 2010’s Australian International Beer Awards, and bronze medals at 2009’s and 2008’s Great American Beer Festival.
The pitch-black Eclipse is the result of a year-long process: brewing the 9.5-percent-alcohol Totality Imperial Stout, then aging it in a variety of spirits barrels for more than 100 days before bottling. Eclipse is so popular that FiftyFifty takes down payments each spring for the December release to ensure everyone has a chance at getting a share. It’s also the only beer the brewpub will ship directly to buyers (in California, at least), but the release party each winter draws visitors from across the region.
Although demand for its beer is high, and breweries across the country are doubling capacity, FiftyFifty has deliberately remained small. The Barrs say expansion is on the horizon, but they are striving to retain that small-town neighborhood brewery feeling.
“We have made a very conscious decision to grow at a much slower pace than you see around the country right now,” Alicia says.
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.
11197 Brockway Road, Truckee
530-587-2337, www.Fiftyfiftybrewing.com
