USA, NV: Lake Tahoe Brewing Co. forced to close temporarily

Carson City's Lake Tahoe Brewing Co. closed temporarily on Jan. 27 since it has been without a working brewery for almost four months, Reno Gazette Journal reported.

"Right now we're losing a lot of money," said owner Michael Candelario. "It's not financially feasible to maintain operation without brewery revenue."

Candelario said their landlord owns and is responsible for maintenance of the brewery equipment. The boiler, which heats the water used to make beer, is broken, preventing them from making any. A Jan. 28 lawsuit from building-owner Steve Neighbors includes a lease agreement indicating it is the responsibility of the tenant to fix brewery equipment.

"After three months of no beer, we figured we should stop running the restaurant and focus on fixing the problem," he said.

Breweries make the majority of their revenue from high-volume beer sales instead of food. Candelario informed employees of the closure and encouraged them to find new employment.

"We're extremely thankful for our loyal customers in Carson City, which is why we are working closely with our property owner to get this resolved as soon as possible, and we are eager to continue brewing and doing what we love most,” he said in a statement.

Candelario is looking for partnerships in Reno and Sparks, including talking to High Sierra Brewing Co. in Baldini's Casino, to see if anyone can make beer for them. They started canning beer before the breakdown and can no longer fulfill obligations to customers. Battle Born Beer was also made at Lake Tahoe Brewing until now.

Lake Tahoe Brewing's Fourth Street location in downtown Reno should open in May around the same time as Reno Craft Beer Week, Candelario said. The Fourth Street location will be the largest barrel-aging center in Reno with 600 barrels.

Their Truckee location is currently at a standstill, and Candelario is unsure how the broken brewery in Carson City will affect those plans to open any time soon.

03 February, 2016