Las Vegas Brewing News

By Bob Barnes

January 2023

BrewDog is now open on The Vegas Strip

BrewDog Las Vegas rooftop
BrewDog Las Vegas rooftop

Last month I gave a preview of BrewDog, the Scotland-based international brewery chain opening on the third and fourth floors of the Showcase Mall on the Strip. It held its grand opening on Dec. 2, 2022, and the beer brand now has more than 100 locations worldwide and nine in the US. It claims this is its largest to date, and the massive space spans 30,000 sq. ft. with capacity for 1,300. A 4,000 sq. ft. illuminated LED cube with the iconic BrewDog logo beckons from the rooftop letting all in the area know what’s new on The Strip. The rooftop is also where you can enjoy 360° views and hang out on daybeds to relax or sunbathe once warmer temps arrive.

Inside there’s a variety of seating options, with booths, communal long tables, high tops and comfortable cushioned chairs and couches. To keep you entertained there is an assortment of amusements including full-size shuffleboard tables, multiple TVs, retro gaming and pin ball, family-friendly board games, a merchandise store and a beer school taught by a certified cicerone. As the name suggests, dogs are welcome throughout and are provided biscuits and water. It’s also noteworthy that it’s the first Las Vegas venue to be carbon negative, meaning its energy use is offset by the planting of trees and having breweries that are 100% wind powered.

As for the beer, while there are 96 taps pouring at three bars, most are duplicate handles, but there’s more than a dozen BrewDog brews, such as its It’s a Beaut Stout, Mixtape Fruited Sour and crowd-pleasing Elvis Juice IPA. Interestingly, founders James Watt and Martin Dickie are huge Elvis fans, so in addition to an abundance of Elvis photos and artwork throughout, the Elvis Juice shares his name. In fact, after getting a cease-and-desist order to stop using the trademarked name, both Watts and Dickie had their first names legally changed to Elvis to circumvent prohibition of using the King’s name. BrewDog is known for collaborating with and spotlighting local brewers, so it’s fitting that in addition to its brews, currently 10 tap handles are designated for guest beers from six local breweries which include Able Baker, CraftHaus, Las Vegas Brewing, Lovelady, North 5th, Tenaya Creek and Trustworthy. There is a 10-barrel brewery which will be firing up in the coming months to brew exclusive small batch brews unique to the Vegas location, but for now all of the beer is being shipped in from BrewDog production breweries.

For sustenance while you are enjoying your time there, you’ll find three food menus featuring an assortment of pizzas, burgers (including one with authentic Scottish haggis), wings, salads, tacos, steaks and a handful of lobster dishes (such as the lobster chip butty, a traditional fish-and-chips type sandwich but with added lobster). Open Sun.-Thurs. 10 a.m.-1 a.m., Fri.-Sat. 10 a.m.-2 a.m.

> For more information, visit BrewDog official website.

Two Local Breweries Ceasing Local Brewing Operations

Unfortunately, while we gained one new brewery, one other has closed, and another has moved its brewing operations out of state.

Banger Brewing, which opened in December 2013 as the first and only brewery within the Fremont Street Experience, is expected to close in early January, 2023, reportedly due to being priced out on its lease. Many will mourn the loss of two of its brews: the El Hefe Jalapeño Wheat and the Morning Joe Coffee Kölsch.

Ellis Island Brewing, which had outgrown its onsite brewery at Koval and Flamingo, has moved its brewing operations to Silver Reef, its production brewery in St. George, Utah. Head Brewer Michael Key reports they are expanding the Utah brewery with more tanks and equipment and that we can still expect the same great beer and an expanded variety of styles. Ellis Island was known for having the most reasonably priced pints in town, mostly below $4, so we’ll see if that changes now that the beer will have to be transported from St. George and go through a distributor.

What’s Pouring in January, 2023

Big Dog’s annual Winterfest beer and music festival will take place on January 28, 2023, at its Draft House outdoor area from 3-8 p.m. This fest offers free admission, live music, winter stews and more than 50 local and regional brews.
> For more info and to purchase a package, click here.
Big Dog’s is also releasing its Cacao-a-Bunga Chocolate Coconut Porter and CrHazy Dog Hazy Triple IPA in 16 oz. cans and on draft, both of which should be available at the fest.

Kyle Weniger, our local roving brewer (AKA Juxta Nomad), has brewed some of his beloved pastry imperial stouts (all over 15% ABV) he has become known for, to help usher in the new year. He is gifting us with Cinna-Done, a cinnamon bun-inspired stout with flavors of both fresh cinnamon roll and cream cheese icing, tentatively debuting at Red Dwarf on Jan. 21, 2023. And back by popular demand, and released in late December 2022, is Grandma’s Original with caramel added (which some have described as being reminiscent of the Werther’s Original caramel candy that would emerge from Grandma’s purse during church). Both are 15.2% ABV and were brewed in collaboration with Astronomy Aleworks.

Tom Harwood, head brewer at Main Street Station’s Triple 7 Restaurant and Brewery, shared the good news that after completing equipment upgrades, he has resumed brewing. He’s currently replenishing their year-round beers including Black Chip Porter, Royal Red and his favorite’s Carlsbad IPA. He also hopes to have an ESB and an IPL on tap by the end of January, 2023.

Rebellion Pizza continues to support local beer

Last month I made it out to Rebellion Pizza, and I’m very happy to confirm that they still are supporting our local breweries in a huge way. They continue to only pour beer from our local breweries, and during my visit on the menu were brews from pretty much every brewery that offers its brews to outside accounts. And plenty of them as well, with eight on tap and another 28 in cans in a broad range of beer styles.

On the menu during my visit were the likes of Able Baker Atomic Duck IPA, Astronomy Key Lime Cherry Sour, Bad Beat Bluffing Isn’t Weiss Bavarian Hefeweizen, Big Dog’s Las Vegas Craft Lager, CraftHaus Belgard Coffee Stout, HUDL Beer Snob Hoppy Amber, Lovelady Love Juice New England Hazy IPA and Tenaya Creek 702 Pale Ale. I’m not aware of any other establishment in Southern Nevada with this level of commitment to local beer and this many beers from so many breweries available in one place.

By the way, the artisanal pizzas are very good, and co-owners Ricky Lewis and Ryan Perras are always there to offer a smile, pleasant conversation and unbeatable hospitality.

> Rebellion Pizza is located at 2540 Anthem Village Dr., Suite #100, Henderson, NV, (702) 268-8268. It is open Tue.-Sat. from 11 a.m.

December 2022

Big Dog’s Brewing Opens New Brewery Bar

Big Dog's new beer bar (photo courtesy of Big Dog's Brewing)
Big Dog’s new beer bar (photo courtesy of Big Dog’s Brewing)

Big Dog’s Brewing has expanded its options by opening an additional bar/lounge in the former dining barn area. There are 20 taps: Six pour Big Dog’s signature beers and the other 14 one-off specialties that will be available exclusively in the new lounge. These new taps will allow the brewing team to have more leeway to play around with small batch creations.

A really fun aspect is the mural behind the taps by local artist Adam Rellah, who goes by the name “Pretty Done” and is known for his signature style with use of patterns, symbolism and logos. The artwork here includes a tribute to Big Dog’s Founder Tom Wiesner, “the Big Dog,” with his football jersey with the number 38 (Tom’s number when he played football for the Wisconsin Badgers). In addition to the brews there will be a selection of tequila, mezcal, bourbon, whiskey and Scotch at a good value and with options to enjoy flights. They are also putting in couches, tables, board games and converting the silo to an arcade with old-school games. A soft opening is planned for mid-December which will be followed up with a grand opening in January. The opening hours are expected to be 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily.

This is just the first phase of several more upgrades, including expanding the patio area to the street (where parking is currently) to create a family- and dog-friendly parklike environment with trees and foliage, misters and heaters; adding a garage door to the brewery bar that will open during pleasant weather; and a well-sourced informant tells me a second Big Dog’s taproom with limited food will likely open in fall of 2023, possibly in the Arts District.

JP Chavarria Is Now Head Brewer at Chicago Brewing

Chicago Head Brewer JP Chavarria (photo by Chris Summers)
Chicago Head Brewer JP Chavarria (photo by Chris Summers)

In the last two months I reported on the sudden closing of Scenic Brewing and Chicago Brewing’s Head Brewer Erik Nielsen moving out of state. JP Chavarria had been Scenic’s Head Brewer for about a year, and now I’m happy to report he was not out of work for long, as he has taken the Head Brewer position at Chicago after training on the Chicago brewing system with Erik before he departed for Michigan. JP grew up in Northern California (South Bay) but has been a Las Vegas resident for 20 years. He was already a craft beer fan, but his job as a cook at the Triple 7 Brewpub at Main Street Station piqued his interest in brewing and he eventually made his way to the brewery where he received valuable on the job training from one of the best brewers in the city: Tom Harwood.

JP likes brewing IPAs and is a fan due to their aroma, flavor and bitterness. He says, “There’s nothing boring about IPA.” He also likes Saisons and plans to continue the tradition at Chicago brewing Belgian styles from time to time. “We have a good thing going here and I will keep it going. I’m looking forward to doing some of my recipes that I brewed at Scenic. I love what I do, love everything about brewing.” JP has some pretty big boots to fill, as Chicago is tied with Great Basin for the most GABF medals in Nevada history, but after trying his beers I’m confident he is up to the task.

December Beer Events

December 10 will be an epic day for local beer, as there will be two worthy beer events. If you’re adventurous enough, you could attend both, as one is slated for the afternoon and the other the evening.

First up will be Brew Festivus, hosted by the Nevada Craft Brewers Association (NCBA) and held at the Lawn at Downtown Summerlin from 1-4 p.m. The inaugural event will feature unlimited tasting of more than 50 local beers from about 25 Nevada breweries. There will also be food available for purchase from food trucks and a live DJ. Tickets are $40 and $75 for VIP with admission at noon. Proceeds benefit the NCBA and Three Square community food bank. For more info and to purchase tickets click here.

Later in the evening from 5-10 p.m., North 5th Brewing will celebrate its one-year anniversary with an unlimited pours ticketed event. There will be more than 20 of North 5th beers on tap (including exclusive anniversary beers), food for purchase from Torta Chaser and Father Figure food trucks and live music. There are three ticket options: $65 for early access at 4 p.m., five raffle tickets and an anniversary branded pint glass; $45 for general admission and one raffle ticket; and $10 for designated driver with free soft drinks, juice and lemonade. Tickets will not be sold at the gate so click here to purchase.

BrewDog Opening on The Vegas Strip

BrewDog Las Vegas rooftop
BrewDog Las Vegas rooftop

The Scotland-based BrewDog is opening on the third and fourth floors of the Showcase Mall on the Vegas Strip, with the unveiling set for December 2. The international beer brand with more than 100 locations worldwide is claiming this will be its largest venue to date and will have three bars (which will include guest taps from other local breweries) and a 10-barrel pilot brewery on-site. I promise more details after my visit, but in the meantime, visit www.Brewdog.com.

November 2022

Nevada Breweries Win Big at the Great American Beer Festival

Big Dog's 2022 GABF medal win (photo courtesy of Brewers Association)
Big Dog’s 2022 GABF medal win (photo courtesy of Brewers Association)

Nevada breweries (three from Reno, two from Las Vegas and one from Carson City) fared quite well, garnering seven medals at the 2022 Great American Beer Festival (GABF), held last month in Denver. The seven medals are the most ever won by Nevada breweries and the wins are quite impressive, especially considering the number of breweries and number of entries—9,904 beers from 2,154 breweries—making it the largest professional beer competition in the world.

Las Vegas’ Chicago Brewing earned two medals, a gold for its Paloma Persona in the Chili Beer category, and a bronze for Wild West Tripel in the Belgian-Style Abbey Ale category. As these wins brought Chicago Brewing’s GABF win total to 16, it is now tied for 1st place with Great Basin. These were also the 2nd and 3rd GABF medals for Head Brewer Erik Nielson, who sadly is going out with a bang, as this month he is leaving Chicago Brewing and moving to Michigan.

Big Dog’s Brewing won its 15th GABF award, placing them just one behind Chicago and Great Basin. The winning beer happens to be one of the most popular beers in town, Las Vegas Lager, which took bronze in the Contemporary American-Style Lager category. Quite noteworthy is that Big Dog’s Head Brewer Dave Pascual, who I continue to dub the “Michael Phelps of Nevada Brewers,” ranks as the person who has garnered more major medal wins than any other brewer in the history of Nevada. This win brings his total to 13 GABF, with several of those earned while he was brewing at Chicago Brewing, as well as several World Beer Cup wins.

The other four medals were brought home by Northern Nevada breweries. Reno’s Revision Brewing grabbed a gold (its 1st GABF) for its Coconut Pie Face in the Field Beer category, IMBĪB Custom Brews a bronze (5th GABF) for Triad in the Belgian-Style Sour Ale category and Schussboom Brewing a silver (1st GABF) for Bear Bait in the Fruit Wheat Beer category; and Carson City’s Shoetree Brewing a bronze (4th GABF) for Alt Ale brewed with AHA member Eric Coffman in the Pro-Am Competition, which pairs homebrewers with professional brewers who scale up their award-winning homebrew recipes.

It’s worth mentioning that Schussboom opened in June 2021 and this was its first time entering its beers, so not an easy feat to accomplish. Also, IMBĪB is on quite a winning streak, having won a gold for the same beer earlier this year at the World Beer cup, a silver and bronze at the 2018 GABF, gold at the 2019 GABF pro-am competition, silver at the 2020 GABF and now a bronze at this year’s competition.

Following are quotes from some of the winning breweries.

Dave Pascual, Big Dog’s Director of Brewing Operations: “It was great to be in person at the GABF again! I was glad that we were able to bring the brewing team to enjoy the festivities and then top it off with taking some hardware home. This year’s bronze medal was very, very cool, as it was for our Las Vegas Lager, our biggest production staple beer. Not much that you can hide when it comes to brewing lagers, so being able to claim a peer-judged award, really highlights the hard work, skill and talent it takes from my team. I am glad that we can produce a beer that represents our city in name and then receive one of the most prestigious awards in brewing.”

Matt Johnson, IMBĪB Custom Brews Co-founder: “We are honored once again to have been awarded a medal at the Great American Beer Festival. With nearly 10,000 entries in the competition it is always amazing to be recognized at the highest level. We are so grateful to be part of a thriving brewing community in Nevada which represented well this year pulling down 7 GABF medals.”

Erik Nielsen, Chicago Brewing Head Brewer: “I want to express how honored I am to win not one, but two medals at GABF this year. Winning bronze for the Tripel is so awesome keeping the tradition of that beer winning medals. I am even more proud of the Paloma Persona because that was 100% my recipe and one that I built from scratch. Basing that beer off my favorite cocktail, the paloma, was an easy choice, and to add jalapeños to it was icing on the cake. Also, want to thank Chicago Brewing Co for everything they’ve done for me and how much they have supported me these past seven years.”

Briana Wagner, Schussboom Brewing Company President: “It is a very distinguished honor to win this award. We work very hard to make exquisite craft beer and that work has been recognized by our peers as excellence.”

Tenaya Creek 23rd Anniversary

Tenaya Creek Brewery (photo courtesy of Tenaya Creek)
Tenaya Creek Brewery (photo courtesy of Tenaya Creek)

Tenaya Creek will celebrate its 23rd anniversary on Nov. 19. Held from 5-10 p.m. at the brewery at 831 W. Bonanza, there will be more than 30 beers pouring, including exclusive event beers and a barrel aged beer release; live music; and food for purchase from Smiley Pies, Alpha Dawg and Dough2Door Cookies food trucks. Tickets are $40 for unlimited sampling, $80 for VIP for unlimited sampling, early admission at 4 p.m. and a 32 oz anniversary edition stainless growler with fill; and $10 for designated driver. Tickets will not be sold at the door, so head over here to purchase in advance.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next