Pub plans brewing

Bob Shemeligian

Thursday, Jan. 30, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

A new brew pub is what's on tap in Las Vegas, the nation's fastest growing city.

Construction crews Wednesday hoisted 13 stainless steel brewing tanks into place at the site of the microbrewery restaurant being developed in the Hughes Center by the Gordon Biersch Brewing Company.

The 14,000-square-foot brewery restaurant, scheduled to open in May, will join a growing "restaurant row" of dining establishments, including Cozymel's Mexican grill, Fog City Diner, Nicky Blair's and Lawry's.

The Las Vegas location will be the company's sixth brewery restaurant, joining those in Honolulu and the California cities of San Francisco, San Jose, Pasadena and Palo Alto.

With seating for up to 420 diners inside and on the patio, the Las Vegas brew pub will be the company's largest and its first free-standing restaurant.

"This is an ideal location for us," said Dan Gordon, co-founder of Gordon Biersch. "Las Vegas is a hot town with a hot climate."

Company co-founder Dean Biersch also said the Southern Nevada climate suits him fine.

"I love Las Vegas," said Biersch, who directs restaurant operations. "There is a great business climate here and it's exciting to be part of it. There's a 'can-do' attitude here with regards to development and business initiative and it's really refreshing."

Gordon Biersch will join a growing number of area brew pubs including facilities at New York-New York, Monte Carlo, Main Street Station, Barley's and Holy Cow.

In Nevada, the flood gates were opened by the 1995 Legislature that voted to give cities and counties authority to decide where microbreweries should be located. Previously, state law restricted brew pubs to historical or redevelopment districts.

Like its other facilities in California and Hawaii, Gordon Biersch is developing the Las Vegas location around the massive brewing tanks set into place Wednesday.

"The tanks will be on display behind glass walls so diners can see how the beer is brewed," Biersch said.

A brewhouse, custom-fabricated in Germany for Gordon Biersch, is an integral part of the brewery operations and will serve as the centerpiece for the restaurant.

Gordon Biersch produces three signature lagers -- Pilsner, Marzen and Dunkies -- as well as a variety of seasonal beers.

"We brew lager beers out of the finest ingredients," Biersch said. "The final product has a higher degree of effervescence. It's a lighter and smoother beer."

Gordon Biersch will be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. The brewery will contain no slot machines.

The company plans to open its second brewery restaurant in Southern Nevada in June, when it opens an 11,000-square-foot facility adjacent to the Sunset Station hotel and casino in the Green Valley area of Henderson.