Brewery Profile

Occidental Brewing

In Sparks, Occidental Brewing occupies a distinctive place in the local craft-beer landscape because its public identity is tied closely to homebrewing education. The brewery is associated with James Spencer, host of Basic Brewing Radio, a weekly podcast about making beer and mead at home. For a visitor, that connection gives the stop a different frame than a brewery known mainly through flagship beers or a large production footprint. The available information does not specify the size of the facility, the layout of the taproom, or the regular beer list, so the most reliable expectation is a visit centered on current pours and brewing conversation rather than a fixed published lineup. Walking in is the moment to see what is actually available that day.

Travelers in the Reno-Sparks area often build brewery stops around a few familiar goals: tasting something local, taking a break from road travel, or finding a casual place to compare notes on beer styles. Occidental Brewing fits that kind of itinerary especially well for visitors who are interested in how beer is made, not just what is in the glass. Basic Brewing Radio covers subjects such as hop samplers, brewing techniques, and homebrew recipes, and that educational thread is part of the brewery’s online presence. Since specific beer styles are not listed in the available facts, visitors should avoid assuming a particular lager, IPA, stout, sour, or mead will be pouring. The better reason to include the stop is its connection to the wider homebrewing community.

Practical planning should be simple and verification-focused. The taproom is the place to confirm the day’s pours, any serving format, and whether there are details such as food options, packaged beer, events, or homebrew-related gatherings. Published information provided here does not identify amenities, hours, seating, family policies, dog policies, reservations, or production tours, so those are best checked directly before making a special trip. For visitors who follow Basic Brewing Radio or who brew at home, the brewery may be most meaningful as a real-world extension of that educational network. For everyone else, it can be approached as a Sparks craft-brewery stop where the current beer selection and visitor experience should be confirmed on arrival.

Occidental Brewing in Sparks, Nevada, is associated with James Spencer, who hosts the Basic Brewing Radio podcast focused on homebrewing beer and mead. The weekly program covers a range of topics related to craft brewing at home, including hop samplers, brewing techniques, and homebrew recipes. The brewery's online presence highlights an emphasis on education and community engagement within the homebrewing hobby. Details about the brewery’s beer lineup or production facilities are not specified.

Website available

865 S Rock Blvd, Sparks, Nevada, 89431

Phone: 7753984200

Website: http://www.basicbrewing.com/radio/radio.rss