Beer geeks and rock geeks aren’t all that different.

It takes a long time to observe the geomorphic processes that shape our natural world -- just like it takes a long time to create great beer. This patience is ingrained twofold in Tom Young: a geologist and the brewmaster of Great Basin Brewing.

Before Tom Young opened Great Basin in 1993, Nevada had zero breweries. The state was a dried-up gulch of good beer. But today, after 25 years and 14 GABF medals, Great Basin is a pillar of the Nevada craft landscape.

Tom and the Great Basin team saw what their home state was missing, and filled the void with intricate beers like Orogenesis: Topaz, an oak-aged Berliner Weisse loaded with 850 lbs of fresh blueberries per batch.

And let’s not forget the level of Tom’s rock geekiness: the Orogenesis series is a rotating collection of never-to-be-brewed-again barrel-aged beers named after the geologic processes that form mountains. After Great Basin’s exceptionally complex, barrel-aged Scytale series ignited our love affair with the brewery, we knew we had to lock down every new beer we could get our hands on.

Topaz is a soft, fruit-juicy elixir. The Berliner Weisse base brings a grainy tartness that mingles with the blueberries’ subtle sweetness. I’m not sure if it’s named Topaz because its deep crimson-violet pour is as striking as a crystallized mineral, or because its layers of oakiness make the beer as multifaceted as a prismatic stone. Either way, it rocks.

If you’ve tried a Great Basin beer before, you’ve probably already stopped reading and hit “Get It.” If not, a bottle of Orogenesis: Topaz can be your introduction to this essential Nevada brewery, and a collector’s item that will never be recreated. Embrace your inner rock geek and berry yourself in Great Basin.