New downtown Truckee brewery on tap

Things are about to start hopping inside Truckee’s Flying A building as plans to construct a brewery there get under way.

Work to transform the bare space into Lake Tahoe Brewing Co.’s latest brewery and restaurant will commence in the coming days, with a late July or early August opening on tap.

“We’re Lake Tahoe Brewing Co., so we felt in order to be real genuine to that we wanted our recipe and beer to really start here at the lake and kind of go from there,” said Michael Candelario, owner of the Lake Tahoe Brewing Co. “We just felt it did us justice.”

While the brewing company has a Carson City and a soon-to-open Reno location, its downtown Truckee location will serve as its research and development site.

“Basically all of the beer that we’re going to brew and then offer to the market is going to start here,” Candelario said, while standing inside the empty 10091 Donner Pass Road space. “We’re really excited about the different varieties and the styles. If it never makes it to the market, but it’s a great beer, it will only be offered here in Truckee, so there’s going to be a lot of exclusive things on that level.”

At least 12 to 15 brews will be on tap, predominately craft beers along with cider and kombucha, a fermented drink of sweetened black and/or green tea.

Having learned the skill of beer making in Germany and Belgium, Candelario said those styles will be reflected in the establishment’s offerings.

Everything from Belgian dubbel and hefeweizen to saisons and IPAs will be available to taste.

“It’s going to be all over the place, and I think that’s going to be interesting for beer nerds like myself to go to a place and have that variety, and have that variety that’s highly executed,” Candelario said. “We feel like we have good representation of those styles.”

Yet customer feedback will not only be welcomed, but encouraged.

“We’re really looking for feedback from people, which is what makes this a really interesting space because you get all the locals and all the people from out of town coming in, so (it’s) a good opportunity to hear some feedback,” Candelario said.

Beyond the bar and small brewing pilot system, there will be a fire oven and kitchen turning out Neapolitan-style pizza, smoked meats and wings with indoor and outdoor seating.

“I want this to be the local tavern, the local hangout spot,” Candelario said. “We take beer very seriously, but when it comes to atmosphere and ourselves, we don’t. It’s a little more laid back.”

The approximately 2,100-square-foot space that previously housed Boice O’Neal Realty will have an industrial reclaimed aesthetic.

When asked about the two other Truckee breweries — FiftyFifty Brewing Co. and Tahoe Mountain Brewing Co. — and the several local eateries, Candelario said: “It’s always great to have multiple breweries together, multiple restaurants. It creates an environment where people feel they can come down and get exposed to these things for the first time.

“... There’s a lot of room in this market for beer and food. We have no concerns.”

Once Lake Tahoe Brewing Co. opens its Truckee location later this summer, it will operate seven days a week from 11 a.m. to an unspecified evening hour.

“Hopefully, people come down and give us an opportunity,” Candelario said. “I think they will be pleased with what they see.”