New Truckee Summer Favorites
A few evenings ago, I was riding my bike on the Donner Lake Rim Trail and i saw my first Western Tanager of 2021. To me, that means summer is officially here! (It might have snowed within the last two weeks, but that doesn’t make it not summer here.) To celebrate the arrival of summer, here are some of my Summer 2021 favs.
The Good Wolf brewery
The Gold Wolf, a new-ish brewery in Truckee has climbed quickly to the top of the list of my favorite locally breweries. The beer is incredible, the vibe is awesome, and the staff is friendly and knowledgable with great recommendations.
Two of my current favorites are
Range of Light : 6.4% : Evergreen Juicy IPA - California blue juniper berries layered on an intense Citra dry hop. Juicy Mandarin and lemon pith with delicate aroma and flavor notes of pine and forest. A soft and pillowy base beer married to a fresh spring hike through the forest.
Smoke Ritual : 6% : Juniper Smoked Campfire Ale: A campfire in a glass, Smoke Ritual was crafted with @40milemalt wheat smoked with foraged juniper and conditioned on crushed CA juniper berries. Finishing a beautiful chestnut color, we get tasting notes of campfire clothes, pine grove, and open fire wheat toast.
Floating the Truckee River
If you’re looking for warm water, it might be a little on the early side for a Truckee River float, but with the drought this year, the floating season will be on the short side. Get it while you can. There’s the classic “Booze Cruise” section from Tahoe City to Alpine Meadows that’s easy with a ton of infrastructure in place to make things easy.
For something a little spicier, I also like floating or paddling from the confluence with Donner Creek to the Truckee River Regional Park. Check out my Strava route for the paddle here.
Check out my gear list for new paddlers here.
Best Gear for Eating Outside
Is there anything better than dinner outside on a warm summer night? There are a few things that I have that make dining al fresco even better. I try avoiding glass outside whenever possible, but stainless steel and wine don’t mix very well. That’s why I love the Silipint unbreakable silicone wine glasses. For beer, the Yeti Rambler Can Coolers might seem ridiculous, but the work so well. They’re great for bringing a beer or two on a hike. They stay cold, but you don’t need to bring a whole cooler. Speaking of coolers, if you do need one for just a few hours, a small, soft sided model with a shoulder strap like this one or this one is great. Finally, I have the REI Co-op Outdoor Blanket that’s water resistant on one side that we use all the time.
Great Gold
Truckee has an awesome new pizza restaurant - Great Gold. Right now, it’s take out only, but they’re hoping to open the patio for outdoor dining and inside service soon. The pizza is wood fired and high quality, and beer selection has more than the usual suspects.
I recommend the burrata margherita pizza, the east coast chop salad, and a draft beer while you wait.