brewers collection celebrates the folks behind the magic in the glass
As we wrap up our celebration of kicking it for 30 years with you, we thought there’s no better way to end the year with a bang than by having each of our 4 brewers craft you their favorite beer. So here’s our 4 Brewers Beers that we’re releasing for our 30th anniversary year’s last hoorah! Read on to learn about these tastebud tantalizers and the mysterious men behind the scenes who continue to work their tails off to bring you mouth-watering maltiness all year round.
DOGZILLA japanese lager
BREWED BY JAMIE ROBERTS
Jamie’s Origin Story
A beer-lover from Oregon, Jamie is from a state known for its rich and diverse beer culture. He’s been with Big Dog’s for a little over 2 years, but has been brewing up a storm in the beer scene for 10 years! It was love at first brew in college for him when he started homebrewing, and he decided to pursue a food science degree and focus on fermentation from Oregon State University. His love for experimenting with different ingredients, styles, and techniques to create unique and flavorful beers and for sharing his knowledge and passion with other brewers and beer lovers makes him a top-notch brew dog.
Jamie's Beer...
Jamie crafted Dogzilla – a crisp lager brewed with pilsner, rice, and German hops. Its light golden brown color and pillowy head make it the perfect refreshing autumn brew. Smooth and balanced, it gives off citrus and floral aromas that awaken your tastebuds. It’s the perfect beer for any occasion, whether relaxing at home, enjoying sushi with friends, or watching a giant monster movie.
Jamie's Can....
Since Dogzilla is a Japanese lager, Jamie chose a Manga/anime theme! The spiky blonde hair in the artwork is based on a Japanese anime called Dragon Ball Z which has its characters power up by going super Saiyan to fight. He thought the play on Godzilla with Dogzilla would be a fun Japanese trope to play with, and the barley bombs shooting toward Dogzilla are a nod to the old Joseph James logo.
APOCALYPSE MEOW, ENGLISH STRONG BEER
BREWED BY MARSHALL LYTLE
Marshall's Origin Story
Originally from Arizona, Marshall grew up in Las Vegas and sparked his love of beer through homebrewing. Part of the brewing industry since 2015, he’s been going at it professionally since 2017.
His true brew loves are beer styles with a good malt profile, especially British beers. When he’s not brewing beer, he’s off adventuring with his wife, at home with their cats and rabbits, or writing and playing music!
Marshall's Beer...
Marshall crafted Apocalypse Meow – an English-style beer that’s made with English Golden Promise, caramel, and biscuit and honey malts and that’s bittered with Kent Golding hops. Brewed to be classic and refreshing, its notes of honey, fresh bread, stone fruit, citrus marmalade, and a little nuttiness, take the edge off your impending doom.
Whether popping into the pub to kill some time or adventuring through time and space, this is the proper pint for the occasion!
Marshall's Can....
Apocalypse Meow was inspired by Marshall’s love for beer, sci-fi, comic books, movies, music, and (above all else) his cat. He went with a Hitchhiker’s Guide and Doctor Who theme in the imagery with this English beer.
He says that no one plans for a bad day, let alone one that could prove catastrophic. Still, a contingency plan helps… even if it’s because Earth has been invaded by Extraterrestrial banjo cats. So when all else fails, have a pint!
sun hound, czech pilsner
BREWED BY sam mCkinney
Sam's Origin Story
A seasoned brewer from Enid, Oklahoma, Sam’s been making spectacular brews since 2006 with a focus on cellaring and packaging. He loves the good things in life, including motorcycling, gardening, and glass collecting. This cool dog’s favorite beers are pilsners and West Coast IPAs.
Sam's Beer...
Sam crafted Sun Hound – an American version of a traditional Bohemian Pilsner that he brewed to emulate the original style born in Plzen, Czechoslovakia. Bready, toasted, and biscuit-like, this classic beer is brimming with authentic Pilsner floor malt from the Czech Republic.
Light in color, it’s malty, crisp, and pungently hopped with Kazbek and sterling. Giving off a rich aroma with a subtle bitterness to the finish, this beer will leave you never satisfied with just one pint
Sam's Can....
Sun Hound was inspired by Sam’s first car from when he was 16, but the real star of the artwork is his dog, Baylee, who’s been with him for as long as he’s been brewing. He chose a space theme because of a play on an atmospheric optical phenomenon that consists of a bright spot on one or both sides of the sun – called sun dogs.
nec-romantic, west coast ipa
BREWED BY dave pascual
Dave's Origin Story
Dave’s brewing career began way back in 2004 when he was working towards his bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry at UNLV. At the time, he needed to fulfill an upper-division elective to graduate. He stumbled across a class called The World of Beer taught by a local head brewer at Barley’s Brewing Company.
In the class, they discussed all things beer, drank beer and made beer with a homebrew system. He received the highest grade in the class and was offered an unpaid internship at the professor’s brewery.
From there he got hands-on experience that pushed him to move away from the medical field and pursue a brewing career. Fast forward and he became Head Brewer at Chicago Brewing Company in 2008 and then Big Dog’s top dog brewer in 2015.
Dave's Beer...
Dave crafted Nec-Romantic, which, according to him, is the best type of IPA – the classic West Coast-style IPA! In this brew, he used specialty malts to give the beer subtle malt and bread-like qualities along with complementing the hop profile and finish.
He used classic American hops and several imported ones, including Nectaron, Riwaka, and Galaxy for late and dry hopping additions. This imparted this wondrous beer with some pine and juicy characters of grapefruit, passionfruit, peach, and a touch of lemon.
The aromatic punch of tropical fruit, citrus, and resin gives this an assertive, but not harsh, upfront bitterness that flows into a slightly grainy dry finish – perfect for any beer-lover craving a beautifully hopped beer!
Dave's Can....
Nec-Romantic was born from Dave’s family’s deep love of Halloween and that’s why he selected to do that classic horror film theme with the can artist David Yett.
The artwork revolves around his other true love (besides beer) – his family. His daughter is the specter holding a lantern and represents his and his wife’s light in their lives. You’ll also see his three rescued pets – Barley, Bingo, and Ella (the artist was even able to capture one of his dog’s incessant licking). His wife, who has a great sense of humor, is represented by the zombie’s arm reaching for a cold glowing brew he left out for her. Her tombstone reads an altered, but very fitting marriage expression.
He also chose to play on words when he selected the beer’s name. Nec-Romantic came about because it fits with the horror theme of speaking with the dead and also comically shows how special his marriage is. Last of all, what he’s wearing represents his work life and how much fun he has in his brewing career!
cheers to 30 years!
These delicious one-of-a-kind beers that our brewers poured their hearts and creativity into will be sold in mixed 4-packs. You can find them on draft all around Vegas Valley!
Be sure to hop to it and soak up all the suds you can before they sell out!
