Hops and rye fans invited to tour Henderson brewery monthly

Running a brewery isn’t as glamorous as people might think, according to Matt Marino, the head brewer at Joseph James Brewing Company.

“I mean, it’s great,” he said. “It’s an industry (in which) you get to be creative and make great friends. But we don’t just sit around all day drinking beer.”

From cleaning and sanitizing equipment to bottling and packaging beers, each day provides a new challenge. But there are the days they do get to sit back and enjoy what was created.

JJ Brewing Company, 155 N. Gibson Road, opened in 2008 with two goals.

“Beer is meant to be shared,” Andrea Allison, the company’s brand manager. “There is a different beer for every palate.”

The company makes several beers year-round, including its Citra Rye Pale Ale, American Lager and Hop Box Imperial IPA. Marino said it also makes a gluten-free beer.

The company is scheduled to release its new beer — a Black Rye IPA brewed with Chocolate Rye, Chocolate Malt and heavily hopped with Mosaic and Chinook Hops — in March.

Whether it is on tap or in a bottle, brews can be found in a variety of chains and local establishments.

JJ Brewing also ships to Washington, California, Arizona and Pennsylvania.

“We are planning to start distribution to Reno later next month,” Allison said.

Marino said the company also does soda and root beer in limited supplies.

Its main product is beer.

For those interested in seeing the behind the scenes of brewing, the company offers a monthly tour for $5, allowing people to hear about the process and sample some of the brews.

The next tour is scheduled for April 19.

Taking a tour of Joseph James Brewing Company, people have the chance to see the process — usually two to three weeks — of making beer.

Along with meeting its crew, guests can also see the tanks the libations are brewed in. There is Old Faithful, named for the time it spewed out like a geyser, or Big Frank, named for the man it was bought from.

Demand for the tours is starting to grow, Marino said.

“We cut it off at 50 people,” he said.

Marino added the tour might need to be split into two since it is getting more interest.

Along with tours, JJ Brewing has gone to several beer festivals to spread the word about the company.

It is planning to be at the Great Vegas Festival of Beer downtown on April 26.

“Those festivals get a good crowd,” Marino said. “It’s a good way for people to learn about us.”

With the added interest in the brewery, he hopes more breweries open in the Las Vegas Valley.

“For a city our size, we should have more,” he said. “If you look at other cities that are smaller than us, they have a few.”

He said Las Vegas has lagged behind, but things are beginning to change.

He is glad to see other breweries starting to pop up.

“We don’t compete with each other or see each other as rivals,” he said. “We are a community.”

As the company continues to grow, it hopes to produce more of its product.

“Our goal is to do 4,000 barrels this year,” Marino said.

He added the space could allow the company to do up to 17,000 a year.

“We just need to upgrade some of our equipment,” he said.

It already expanded its space in 2013 to begin making more beer.

Marino thinks the company will continue to grow.

“And eventually maybe have another location,” he said. “That’s in years down the road.”

For more information, visit jjbrewing.com.

Contact Henderson/Anthem View reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@viewnews.com or 702-387-5201. Follow on Twitter @MjLyle.