I love good beer. I also love enjoying good beer with my wife and dog. I therefore really love doing both together. Unfortunately, that is not always possible (unless done at home). Hence, the following series.
I cannot profess to know every single dog friendly brewery in the state, but I do believe I have a pretty good grip of the best ones in a few different areas, namely SF, the Bay Area and north, and the Central Coast. This series will pass along my knowledge on this ever so important topic.
The fourth in this series will focus on dog-friendly breweries in the Tahoe area and Auburn (nothing in South Lake, as both breweries I have been to there do not allow dogs).
See other articles in this series here:
https://californiaipas.com/2015/07/28/dog-friendly-brewery-series-north-sf-bay-area/
https://californiaipas.com/2015/03/09/dog-friendly-breweries-series-san-francisco/
Knee Deep Brewing
Knee Deep is one of my current, favorite breweries. To top off the great beer, they are dog friendly.
Knee Deep is in Auburn, although it is not necessarily a quick stop off the freeway of you are driving up to Tahoe. Nonetheless, it is worth the stop.
The brewery is right by the Auburn airport in an industrial area. There is a large indoor area and a pretty decent sized outdoor area, which seems to often have food trucks. The pups are allowed inside or out.
The space is laid back with cornhole, plenty of space, and most importantly, awesome beers. Knee Deep is doing some of the best double and triple IPAs around right now. The list when we went was full of awesome beers.
Naturally, I had to get a flight. I went with the first 8 on the list, and as expected, all were solid. The Simtra and Lupulin River stood out, but I could have any of their brews.
I expect to stop here every time I go to Tahoe, as the beers truly cannot be missed.
Auburn Alehouse
Auburn Alehouse is another good option for stopping on the way to Tahoe. Auburn Alehouse is right of the freeway in Old Town. However, there are often decent waits, especially on a nice day to sit outside. Nonetheless, if you want more of a place to eat, this is probably it.
The Alehouse has a smallish patio out back that is often pretty busy.
They have a large variety of beers, and something for most people’s taste. Food is decent, and atmosphere is solid.
The PU240 IIPA was probably my favorite brew. I would certainly return on a nice day, especially if the plan is to eat lunch or dinner.
Fifty Fifty Brewing
Fifty Brewing is in Truckee in over by the airport. It is a prototypical brewpup, with small dog friendly patio.
Beer was decent, but the day we were there the service was less than stellar. Food was pretty good, again, standard bar food.
I am inclined to give them another shot, as they were very dog friendly.
Tahoe Mountain Brewing
Tahoe Mountain has two locations, one in Truckee and one in Tahoe City. The Truckee location is a bit off the beaten path, and is just a brewery. Cool location, small, and the focus is on the beer. Dog are allowed to hang in the bar area.
The Tahoe City location is right downtown and has a large patio along the street where dogs are allowed. The restaurant has a typical brewery menu, burgers, fish and chips, some salad etc. I had the fish and chips, and it was fantastic. I get fish and chips alot and this was up there. The kicker was the homemade tartar-esque sauce.
They are also making some great beer. Hop Dragon, Hop Song and Party Boy are all solid brews, especially the Hop Dragon.
Bonus tip: buy their mustard. It is bomb. I am not a mustard guy, but something about theirs is special. The hot sauce is real good too.
Let me know if there are any I missed in the comments. Otherwise, go get a beer with the pup!
IPA for All 