You love local beer, but have you ever wondered how brewing in the Silver State came to be? A new book, Nevada Beer: An Intoxicating History offers answers, along with plenty of photos for those too buzzed to deal with words. Author and magazine writer Pat Evans traces the history of brewing from thirsty mining towns in Northern Nevada to the birth of Great Basin Brewing in the 1990s to today’s thriving beer scene in both Northern and Southern Nevada. He says that the brewing community is still smaller than that of many other states, but it’s “more intense because it’s so small.”

“Coming from out of state, I’d heard a lot of bad things about Nevada beer,” Evans says during a phone interview. “I found that very quickly to be wrong.”

Originally from Michigan, Evans has also written Grand Rapids Beer: An Intoxicating History of River City Brewing, another book in the publisher’s American Palate series. To research our state’s history, Evans interviewed brewers, brewery owners and historians, and scoured university libraries, newspaper archives and historical collections. “What was really fun [to discover] is how many breweries popped up in mining towns,” Evans says. “After a day’s hard work, they needed a drink.” He adds that he found a ton of fun stories and can confirm that Nevada breweries are today making fantastic beer. His favorites locally are Big Dog’s, Hop Nuts and Crafthaus.

Evans will sign copies at the Summerlin Barnes & Noble (8915 W. Charleston Blvd.) on February 9 from 1-4 p.m. –C. Moon Reed

Nevada Beer: An Intoxicating History By Pat Evans, $10-22.