Desert travelers find oasis at Death Valley Brewing

The edge of one of the driest places on Earth is where a weary traveler would expect to find a growing brewing business.

But “When You’re Dyin’ For A Cold One,” Death Valley Brewing, located on the Old Spanish Trail in Tecopa, California, is where you may want to be.

More and more folks are quenching thirsts along the dusty roadway as the business starts its third year of operation this season.

“Business is booming, we couldn’t handle any more business,” said Jon Zellhoefer, owner and brewmaster, during a soft opening for the new season a few weeks ago. “We couldn’t even handle the business that’s in here right now; this is the first day we’ve been open.”

Jon Zellhoefer opened the brewpub with wife, Cheryl, on Oct. 31, 2014 after restoring and converting an old railroad tie house. The building had served as the railroad paymaster’s office and the medical library of Zellhoefer’s late father, Dr. Howard Zellhoefer. The brewery is open seasonally from October through April.

Jon Zellhoefer also owns the town, which he inherited from the family trust of his father, who purchased the town back in 1969.

Death Valley Brewing has been growing in popularity and outgrew its previous location in the historic former mining and railroad town.

The Zellhoefers will be marking the brewery’s anniversary this weekend in the newly-restored building, which used to be the Tecopa Trading Post, dating back to 1942. The location, next to the post office, is only steps away from the previous brewery site on the property.

Zellhoefer said business has been doubling every year since they opened, and he expects to do twice the business this year compared to last.

“We have pretty solid local fans, but the majority comes from the snowbirds or visitors who are coming through,” Cheryl Zellhoefer added.

In May, the couple traveled to Bamberg, Germany, a well-known beer town, to get ideas for their renovations, which have been underway for the past three months.

Jon Zellhoefer said they observed how the beer guest houses operate. The bar was small and off to the side, with a larger area for a lounge or restaurant for guests to mingle, different from bars in Pahrump which are usually in one large room.

Zellhoefer, who is also an artist, recreated and modeled the German layout in the new spot by moving the former tasting room, his artwork, and furnishings to the larger building.

He added upholstered booths, a 60-year-old slate pool table, a band area for music and karaoke with plans to have movie nights and drama dinners when a future steak house is opened adjacent to the brewery.

Another big addition outside is the so-called largest beer mug, which Zellhoefer had crafted out of wood in Oakhurst, California as a landmark for the watering hole.

Dan Leseberg, Cheryl Zellhoefer’s son, recently moved from San Jose to help his mother and stepdad with the makeover.

“I love it so far, yeah,” Leseberg said. “I’ve been helping them; we’ve laid the tile, built the wall, moved the bar, brewed the beer and everything, putting in a lot of hard work in the past month and a half, but it’s awesome. You know it’s something that kind of makes you feel good.”

Death Valley Brewing is considered a “nano” brewery, which is even smaller than a microbrewery according to Jon Zellhoefer, who said they don’t distribute their craft beer - it can only be bought there.

“We like really good beer,” Jon Zellhoefer said. “We reached a level of beer snobbery where the best beers were not adequate for what we wanted, so we made better beers. So now we make very unique beers.”

He described craft beer as being created like a piece of art, instead of factory-made, comparing it to an original oil painting instead of a print.

Zellhoefer credits the local water for their good beer despite a newspaper article in June that reported the water in Tecopa had unsafe levels of arsenic, fluoride and other contaminants.

He said they do nothing to the water except inspect it to make sure it has no microbes in it.

“We use the local water, and it produces excellent beer,” Zellhoefer stated.

He said they are on a completely different aquifer from the hot springs, in a different part of town.

Cheryl Zellhoefer described herself as the “official taster” of beers.

She said that they can go into a brewery, and she will taste a variety of beers and select her favorites.

“Jon will say to the waiter, ‘which ones are your favorite ones ?’ and they’re all the ones that I picked. I didn’t study for that in any way, shape or form, but I just seem to be able to have a taste that can say, ‘yeah, I think people will like that’.”

She said that beer blending is key and something that Jon has been doing for a long time.

“Which is finding out what you like and being able to put together something that you like, from what he has, but it’s not just all one of the beers,” she added. “It might be a third of this and a third of that and a third of something else.”

There’s no smoking in the establishment, no cell phones allowed and no gambling permitted.

“So, when you come over here, it’s a lot more like ‘Cheers’ than Pahrump,” Jon Zellhoefer said. “People talk to each other, you know, they actually do talk to each other.”

Zellhoefer brews his beers about once or twice a week and the selection varies.

Some of their popular ones include Cucumung ale, with a hint of cucumber, Dan’s Original Sin, an apple variety, Snakebite, Scorpion, the “BAM” berg, a smoked beer inspired from their trip to Bamberg, Germany, and Blueberry Fields Forever will be a future brew.

Jon Zellhoefer said their most popular beer ever is still Celtic Kiss, a coffee stout, which sells out quickly and is currently unavailable. For non-beer drinkers, a delicious root beer can be ordered.

The Mug Club Legion of the Crystal Skull was started to help pay for the expansion project. Fifty spots, available at $100 each, have all been sold and the skull-shaped crystal mugs with members’ names are all hung around the tasting room. Members are entitled to special beer prices and events at the brewpub.

Pahrump resident Marty Doyle is a member of the exclusive Mug Club, and has been a frequent patron of the brewery since it opened.

“I think expansion is a good thing, although I kind of miss the patio over the fish pond over there, that was a real nice place to sit and enjoy,” Doyle said. “And I’m sure if I wanted to, I could just walk over there and sit on the patio, so it’s no big deal. John and Cheryl are delightful people, and it’s always a joy to spend time with them.”

Also new this season is the Beer of the Month Bottle Club. For $99 members get their own personal 12-bottle case of refillable bottles, a mug and early access to the craft beers. It costs $25 a month to get four 750-ml bottles refilled, equivalent to one and a half growlers. The label for the bottles and mug were designed by Jon Zellhoefer.

Tim and Donna O’Callaghan drive from Henderson to the China Ranch Date Farm for a date shake, take a hike, and a soak in the hot springs before stopping for a cold one at the brewery.

“Just because you meet very interesting people; it’s fun, you get to know people, and you’re not on your phone because you don’t have cell service,” Donna O’Callaghan said. “So, I love it, in that respect.”

“They’re really good,” she commented when asked about Zellhoefer’s craft beers.

“The Snake Bite IPA is much better than the Ballast Point Sculpin IPA,” added husband Tim O’Callaghan.

Death Valley Brewing is located at 59 Suite A, Old Spanish Trail near the intersection with Hot Springs Road. Look for the large wooden mug in front of the building.

It is currently open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m. and on holiday Mondays, including Oct. 31st for Halloween. A light menu of food items and snacks will be available.

“People are encouraged to wear their costumes when they come over and last year we made Witch’s Brew on Halloween, and we might do the same this year,” Jon Zellhoefer said.

Their hours will probably be expanded since the new location has indoor seating, unlike their prior one with only outdoor seats.

Cheryl Zellhoefer said the barbecue/patio area is available for special events. The $5 rental fee will cover the cost of the propane but individuals have to supply their own food and do the cooking.

More information and updates can be found on their Facebook page at Death Valley Brewing. Their website is: www.deathvalleybrewing.com.