By james art 
Brian Edwards knows a little about beer – good beer, that is.
Edwards, owner of the Brass Tap craft beer bar on Steamboat Parkway in Damonte Ranch, spent more than two years in Belfast, Ireland, while earning a degree in physical therapy at the University of Ulster. Edwards said it was when he lived abroad in his early 20s that he learned what good beer tasted like.
“I got a feel for quality European beer, and it really opened my eyes to beer,” Edwards said. “I had never lived in a foreign country before and coming from Las Vegas to Belfast brought an awareness of other cultures and other beers. It was fascinating.”
After working as a physical therapist for more than 30 years, Edwards, 53, felt it was time for a change.
“Once you’ve done something for 30 years, there are no more mountains to climb,” he said. “It was time for something else.”
The Brass Tap mirrors the town hall experience of European pubs, which typically feature rows of seating at long communal tables rather than individual tables. The pub had its grand opening in early October.
The contemporary glass and steel architecture was designed by Blas Laulom, director of design and construction for FSC Franchise Co. of Tampa, which owns Brass Tap craft beer bar, Beef O’ Brady’s family sports pub (150 locations in 15 states) and Newk’s fast food restaurant (95 locations in 15 states)
The pub’s spacious exterior windows open onto Steamboat Parkway.
“The idea is to bring the outdoors in and the indoors out,” Edwards said.
After finally deciding to retire from physical therapy, Edwards began looking for franchise opportunities. However, he ran into a number of dead ends – and since he’s a relative newcomer to the restaurant business, he knew he’d need a lot of initial guidance in whatever venture he embarked on.
When he found the Brass Tap, he immediately knew the match was made.
“I’m a guy — I like to drink beer and watch sports,” Edwards said. “I wanted to combine the two and make a career out of it. When I contacted Brass Tap, I knew within a 15-minute phone call that I had found the right people.”
Brass Tap Craft Beer Bar has 50 locations in 14 states. The closest Brass Tap location is in Rocklin, California. In addition to assisting franchisees with a comprehensive four-week corporate-level training, the company conducts two-week on-site training and provides ongoing financial, marketing and operational/growth consulting.
That training and insight is invaluable, Edwards said.
“I don’t worry about customer service because the medical field is customer service, but running a bar, ordering alcohol, food and supplies, hiring the right staff, they helped with all of that.
“It’s a whole new world,” he added. “The amount of knowledge and material you have to learn in a short period of time is a lot. I’m a fast learner and we’re moving in the right direction – and Brass Tap always helps us.”
Brass Tap serves upscale bar food and has 60 beers on tap. While you’ll find about 10 regular corporate beers on tap, most are specialty brews—many from local craft breweries.
“The big three American beer companies have done a fantastic job of convincing everyone that their beer is good beer,” Edwards said. “But everything looks the same and tastes the same. Craft beer doesn’t taste the same, and that’s the point. We have lager, pilsner, hefeweizen, Trappist beer, seltzer and cider. The price points may be a bit higher, but it’s totally worth it.
“Brass Tap is all about local brewers,” he added. “Eight to five percent of our draft beers are from brewers within 150 miles of where we are. The food menu is very corporate standard, but they have a chef and cicerone who put together the menu and our beer portfolio. They worked hand in hand to pair the food with the beer.
Brandon Hall, who helped open Chickie and Pete’s at the Grand Sierra Resort, is Brass Tap’s general manager. Edwards said the biggest challenges so far have been navigating funding through the Small Business Administration, as well as obtaining liquor and gaming permits. The non-smoking, child-friendly pub will eventually offer 12 gaming machines with a limited gaming licence.
Edwards plans to open another Brass Tap in Spanish Springs, possibly in a year, followed by another location in Stead in 2026 after construction on US 395 is complete. He’s also eyeing a future location in Carson City.
“Our demographic is customers with a little more disposable income,” he said. “Brass Tap is a neighborhood bar and our demographic really works well for Spanish Springs and Stead.
“We are already exceeding our forecasts. In a few months, when we get into the games, I hope to go to the local banks and show them that it works. It was absolutely fantastic.”