Taking the bartenders advice from the Brewery in Lake Tahoe, I made my way to one of their sister brewpubs and restaurants called Cecil’s Steak and Brew located on 4118 Lake Tahoe Boulevard.

The atmosphere was an open floor/sports bar feel (large-screen TV on the wall), and you could see the chefs cooking from the main floor. No booths, just tables. As always, I migrated over to the taps to have a look and grabbed a seat at the bar. The bartender was very knowledgeable about their craft beer and told me all about a specialty batch of brew that their master brewer had just released called their Double Time Double Scotch Ale.

So on to the tasting…. the bartender placed a small taster of the Double Time Double Scotch Ale in front of me and told me to smell it before tasting it. I filled my lungs and smelled butterscotch and coffee. Upon tasting the ale I was pleasantly surprised to find an equally similar taste to the aroma. The beer had bold flavors and was high in alcohol content. My first thought was that this would be a great after dinner or dessert beer to be paired with chocolate.

I wasn’t fully in the mood for dessert yet, so I browsed the beer menu looking for my next victim. I quickly spotted a familiar Californian micro brew on their menu and ordered a round for me and my friends. Lagunitas India Pale Ale is by far one of my all time favorite IPA’s perhaps due to the extra dry hopping technique towards the end of the brewing process or the centennial hops they use. I’m just a sucker for good hops and apparently anything Lagunitas brews up.

Lake Tahoe offers many exciting thrills for skiers and climbers as well as those with a taste for fine cuisine and fine brew. Thousands flock to Lake Tahoe every year to do a bit of sight seeing and many will run across a great little brewery called The Brewery at Lake Tahoe.

Located on the main drag at 3542 South Lake Tahoe Blvd, this pizzeria/brewery is the perfect spot to unwind after a day on the slopes or on the many trails that circle the lake.

The brewery is known for its unfiltered and copper fermentation process, which results in craftbrews that have wonderful aromas of rich malt. There Indian Pale Ale stands up against some of the best IPAs on the market including Stone’s Ruination IPA or Dogfish Head’s 90 Minute IPA. It’s hazy copper color and rich malty aroma tells the story of what’s hidden inside. It’s just slightly floral in the nose with flavors that weigh heavy with malt at first and then gliding into a forest of hops. Very, very bitter. HopHeads love this one. The finish is crisp and bitter. One of the better IPA’s we’ve ever tasted.