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Every since the first prospectors flocked to the Tonopah area in search of silver and gold, back in the 1880's, brewing beer has been a long-time tradition in Tonopah. Today, the Tonopah Brewing Company carries on the fine tradition of brewing fine beer at their Tonopah-local micro-brewery, and for your dining pleasure, they serve classic "Americana" bar cuisine. As with all of reviews that I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: It's a little past four in the afternoon, Saturday, November 16, 2024, and I've arrived at Tonopah Brewing Co. and BBQ to enjoy a great early Saturday evening dinner. The sign says "New Menu!" and that's the truth, but the barbecue part of the brewery and restaurant seems to have disappeared, since my last visit, eight years ago, and has been replaced by "pub" cuisine. There have been many changes since my last visit, eight years ago...
Photo: The covered patio in front of the restaurant faces Main Street - U.S. Highway 95 - and offers comfortable dining during warmer weather. On this 33-degree late Saturday afternoon, patio dining wasn't an option for me.
Photo: The dining room is large, spacious and attractively furnished for comfortable dining. The bar, which is the centerpiece is to the right, complete with video monitors and over 20 locally-brewed beers on tap. Tonopah Brewing Co. is truly a polific brewery, serving Nye County and all of central Nevada with delicious beer.
Photo: A small sample of the collection of vintage license plates with decorate one of the walls.
Photo: The decor of the restaurant is western, in keeping with Tonopah and all of Nye County, thanks to the mining heritage. This is one of many movie posters that decorate the dining room.
Photo: There are over 20 beers on tap, and here are a few listings from the beer menu. I ordered a "flight," and to keep things simple, I ordered the first five beers on the menu. I loved them all!
Photo: The food menu is quite simple, and is mostly "pub fare" along with classic "Americana" cuisine. The barbecue that I enjoyed during my previous visit seems to be gone from the menu, along with the smoker outside the restaurant. No worries, as I found the "New Menu" to be great in every way.
Photo: My friendly host and bartender, George, pours my flight of beer from the tap. The video monitors were following college football, which truly makes "the season" in mid November.
Photo: George delivers my flight of five beer with a smile. He was friendly and a very gracious host in every way.
Photo: I'm a happy guy, as after ordering my "Brewmaster Burger" and fries, I am ready to enjoy a flight of in-house-brewed beer as an appetizer.
Photo: From the top of the "Tonopah Brewing Tap List" menu, I went with the first five beers, just to keep things simple. Here goes... from left to right... Pro Brewer's Reserve - Premium Pilsner Quite a selection of craft beer, brewed in Tonopah. SO... what were my thoughts on the beer? I loved them all... truly! I really didn't know what to think about the "Attaturk," as I'd never drank anything like it. A week later, as I'm writing this article, I still don't know what to think about the "Attaturk." I suppose I'll have to return, order a pitcher, indulge, and then post an opinion. I loved the "Brewer's Reserve" and the "Mucker Red," as both are solid, delicious beers that would always be a delight to enjoy anytime, anyplace. My favorite? It worked out to be a tie between "Moe's IPA" and the "Baja Negra." They were both definitely different beers, both delicious and both elegant in different ways. Simply a tie... You can't go wrong with any of the amazing beers brewed at Tonopah Brewing Company, in Tonopah, Nevada!
Photo: Each table, and every seat at the bar is set with an array of condiments, including salt, pepper, sugar, mustard, ketchup and chili pepper flakes. It makes for fine dining in Tonopah!
Photo: Meet George, my friendly host and bartender, who brought my "Brewmaster Burger" and an order of fries to me with a smile.
Photo: What more could I ask for? I have a flight of five beers, along with a "Brewmaster Burger" and a side of fries. My Saturday evening is truly complete!
Photo: From the "Between the Buns" section of the menu, I went with a "Brewmaster Burger" and fries as my side of choice. How could I ever resist such a burger? The menu describes the burger as, "House sauce, lettuce, tomato, red onion, American cheese." Such a simple description for one of the best burgers you will enjoy during your travels to rural central Nevada. The burger began with a large patty of seasoned tender beer, and I'd guess it was about a third of a pound, which is the perfect size for me, unless I want to take half of it home. I didn't think to ask how I wanted my meat prepared, but it all worked out great, as the burger arrived cooked medium, which is always perfect for me. The tender beef was placed on a fresh bun - sweet smelling, soft and tender - and garnished with "House Sauce," which is essentially the local version of "Thousand island Dressing," with fresh, iceburg lettuce, sliced tomato and red onion. The lettuce, tomato and onion were super fresh, and made for a great garnish. Oh yes... I truly loved the "House Sauce." The burger patty was topped with a thick slice of "American" cheese, melted to perfection, which added to the amazing taste, and helped to bring everything together. And... the bun... which was a large, sweet, freshly baked bun, which held together, and helped to make this a burger to remember for superior dining in Tonopah. The side of fries arrived in a little stainless steel basket, which added "show status" and made for a beautiful presentation. Looks aside, the fries were simply delicious, as they were deep fried to a medium golden brown, seasoned to perfection, and simply delicious. As a bonus, both the cheeseburger and the fries arrived hot and ready enjoy, to make my late Saturday afternoon dinner simply BEYOND ENJOYABLE! I simply can't say good things about the cheeseburger, fries and the flight of beer I enjoyed at Tonopah Brewing Co. The food was simply delicious, the flight of beer was amazing, and it made the mile-hike back to my motel mostly enjoyable.
Photo: "Brewmaster Burger," close up and personal. The burger looks delicious in the photo, but it was better in person, as it turned out to be one of the best burgers you could ever hope for west of the Colorado River. Maybe an overstatement on my part? ... anyway you look at it, you can't find a better burger in Nye County, Nevada.
Photo: One bite out of my "Brewmaster Burger," shows the true goodness this amazing cheeseburger has to offer. If you're a lover of burgers, and you're visiting Tonopah, Tonopah Brewing Co. and BBQ should be on your addenda. Let's go back to Wednesday evening, March 30, 2016, when I enjoyed barbecue and beer at this fine restaurant...
Photo: Tonopah Brewing Company refers to themselves as "The Pick of Nevada," and they have a giant pick in front of their fine brewery to prove their point! When you visit Tonopah, you'll see picks, and symbols of picks everywhere, as Tonopah is proud of it's mining heritage.
Photo: Tonopah Brewing Company is very serious about great barbecue, as they have giant smoker, located outside the restaurant, as seen in the right-hand side of the photo.
Photo: The main dining room is clean, comfortable, and tastefully decorated. My only complaint was the lighting was a little on the low side, but that's an insignificant complaint considering this is such a superior restaurant/brew pub. There is else nothing like Tonopah Brewing Company for hundreds of miles, until you hit Las Vegas or Carson City.
Photo: It's early Wednesday evening, March 30, 2016, and I've just stepped inside to enjoy a couple of beers, and delicious barbecue. Lucky me, as my motel was only a 10-minute walk, so I could enjoy a couple of beers and not have to worry about driving.
Photo: The restaurant has a window where you can look at the co-located brewery, which is separated from the restaurant by a wall. All of the brewing equipment has been imported from Germany, and Tonopah Brewing Company brews all of the beer they serve in their own micro brewery.
Photo: My view from the end of the bar, where I strategically placed myself. The window to the micro brewery can be seen at the left of the photo. There are many television monitors which, on this early Wednesday evening, were broadcasting a basketball game, but since I'm not a fan of basketball, I have no idea who was playing.
Photo: As soon as I sat at the bar, my friendly server, Vikki, gave me a menu for food and brew, and placed four squeeze bottles of in-house made barbecue sauce for me to contemplate. Naturally the first thing I ordered was a beer, in my case, the in-house-brewed "Mucker Irish Red Ale." "Muckers" which is a Tonopah word for "miners," is the mascot of the local high school, so it seemed the right thing to do to order a brew with the same name. Good ale!
Photo: Meet Vikki, my friendly server, who poses as she places my dinner before me. More on the dinner in another photo. Vikki was very friendly, charming, and is the sort of server that you want to have on the "other" side of the table, or the bar.
Photo: Vikki snapped my photo, on my request. The window to the adjacent micro brewer can be seen to my left. Why the empty plate? The empty plate raises the convenience factor up a couple of notches, as it's a great place to put bones.
Photo: Everything on the menu looked delicious, but barbecue chicken, from the "Classic BBQ Plates" section of the menu caught my eye, so I ordered "Barbecue Chicken." Dinner includes one-half barbecue chicken, corn muffin - all dinners include a corn muffin - and two sides, in my case, I chose baked beans and coleslaw. Naturally, I enjoyed a second "Mucker Irish Red Ale" to accompany my fine barbecue dinner. The dinner was simply amazing! The skin of the chicken - which I normally never eat - was so delicious that I ate it all. The meat was tender, juicy and smoky, but not overpowering; it was simply delicious. The sides and the muffin were wonderful. I sampled all varieties of barbecue sauce, and my favorite was the "Saloon Kick," which had just the right amount of "kick" to it for my tastes. However, every variety of sauce was fantastic, including the "Nuclear Test Site," which was hot, but not as spicy as I expected. All in all, an OUTSTANDING meal, complete with OUTSTANDING ale! What goes better together than beer and barbecue? I doubt that the 19-th century miners were privileged to enjoy delicious barbecue in Tonopah, but for those of us in the 21st century, all we have to do is head over to Tonopah Brewing Company to enjoy some of the best barbecue served anywhere, and the best microbrew that Central Nevada has to offer. No wonder this fine restaurant and brewery is known as, "The Pick of Nevada." Tonopah Brewing Co. and BBQ Copyright(c) 2024 eRench Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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