Las Vegas may be a gambling and entertainment destination, but it’s also emerging as a hotspot for craft brewing. In fact, the scene is growing so fast that the city launched its own Brewery Row in mid-2021, a concentration of breweries and restaurants in the city’s Downtown Arts District that hosts monthly festivals and events.
Wyndee Forrest, president of the Nevada Craft Brewers Association and co-owner of CraftHaus Brewery, loves the community feel of the Arts District and the city’s recent changes. “Within Brewery Row, the city has encouraged breweries and craft beer locations to move into, including improved parking,” she says. “We all complement each other and are proud of what we have created.”
Forrest has successfully advocated for breweries in their state, helping change licensing options and making brewery openings more realistic. Combined with a new mindset in response to the pandemic, this has sparked a support movement for local Las Vegas breweries. Here are the ones to try on your next visit to Sin City.
CraftHaus brewery
John Deitrich
CraftHaus brewery
Inspired by the Bavarian craft beer culture, the couple Wyndee and Dave Forrest opened the CraftHaus in Henderson, Nevada seven years ago and added a second taproom on what would later become Brewery Row in 2019. With local artwork on the walls, CraftHaus offers a rotating selection of two dozen seasonal beers, including lagers, sours, and IPAs. Forrest suggests one of her favorites: Czech Plz, a crispy, unfiltered pilsner made with only ingredients from Prague and served in a dimpled cup. “Beer is art in liquid form,” she says succinctly.
capable baker brewing
Named for Able and Baker, the first two atomic bombs detonated at the Nevada test site in 1946, Able Baker Brewing pays homage to the atomic age with clever artwork and decorations. Sit at one of the long wooden tables and order your signature beer, a citrus IPA called Atomic Duck. (Legend has it that a duck was the only animal that survived the explosions.) Located at Able Baker, AD Kitchen serves classic pub favorites with Southeast Asian flavors. Combine a pint of Vertical Smoke Trails, a Scottish-style ale made with cherrywood and mesquite-smoked malt, with an order of Diablo Shrimp Tacos or a beer-baked fish po’boy.
HUDL brewery company
HUDL Brewing Company only offers beer and with the aim of delighting every palate, encourages friends old and new to bond over their love for beer. Enjoy a flight on Vanilla Oak Cream Ale, a staple on the evolving beer menu, or try a pint of High Hatter Yeast on Pineapple, a traditional German wheat beer with a Hawaiian twist. Better still, grab a seat on the outside patio and pair your beer with beef tri-tip or pork spare ribs from the neighboring Soulbelly BBQ, opened by top chef contestant Bruce Kalman this spring.
