Las Vegas Weekly

June 28, 2012 · 3:30 PM

Put Hop Ride IPA on your shopping list

By Ken Miller

Great packaging, great beer, courtesy of Las Vegas' own Tenaya Creek Brewery.

Last week, I reviewed Tenaya Creek Brewery’s Calico Brown, a pleasant enough product, but not really my cup of … beer. This week, I get the distinct pleasure of reviewing another of Tenaya Creek’s products, Hop Ride IPA.

To recap, Tenaya Creek is as solid a local brewery in Las Vegas as you’re likely to find. They started out serving food along with their brews, but as time went by, they decided to focus only on beer. Good for the Valley, I say.

Their bottled product has now been available for a few years and, I dare say, has become a bit difficult to find. On a recent search through Total Wine, I had to have a store clerk help me find any of their products. Turns out there were only a few bottles left. Not sure if that was a result of popularity or supply, but hopefully you’ll have an easier time locating a bottle than I did.

And you definitely want to get a bottle of Hop Ride, especially if you’re a die-hard IPA fan. It’s a solid all-around drink, not exactly daring in its execution, but odds are you won’t be complaining by the time you’re through your first glass. It’s got plenty of the bitterness we’ve come to expect in the finest IPAs, but its flavor stays long after the first swallow.

And I’ve gotta give another shout-out to Tenaya Creek’s packaging, which pays tribute to Las Vegas. The label states, “We live in Las Vegas and enjoy the areas beyond the reach of the neon. Bootleg Canyon MTB Park is one of those places. Be Warned, the rattlers have as just as much bite as this ale.” So not only are people out there enjoying a local product, they’re learning something about our area. Very educational, and pretty cool.

With every Tenaya Creek product I have, the more impressed I am. Next week: Tandem Double Pale Ale.

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