Rising costs and shifting consumer preferences are pressuring craft breweries in the Truckee Meadows.
Long-running craft breweries such as Great Basin Brewing Co., which opened in downtown Sparks in 1993 and bills itself as the state’s oldest operating brewery, continue to thrive, but rising operating costs may lead to widespread consolidation in the region’s saturated craft beer industry.
In February, Parlay 6 Brewing Co., acquired a majority stake in Lead Dog Brewery from founder Ryan Gaumer. The deal made sense, Parlay 6 Founder Ken Foster told NNBW, because of Foster’s extensive expertise with logistics and distribution in the beer industry. Parlay 6 will manage the day-to-day operations of Lead Dog, which maintains a taproom at 415 E. Fourth St…