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The past decade has been an exciting time for Las Vegas craft brewing fans, as a close-knit community of local brewers has transformed what was a tiny cottage industry just ten short years ago into an exciting and delicious scene.
Today, there are no fewer than 17 breweries operating in the Las Vegas area. They’re scattered throughout the valley and as far south as Boulder City. While the City of Henderson was an early epicenter of activity, the Downtown Las Vegas Arts District and surrounding area have now emerged as ground zero for local brewers in what the City of Las Vegas has dubbed Brewery Row.
The 1.6-mile stretch of Main Street between Wyoming Avenue and Stewart Avenue is home to six breweries, four of them within a half mile of each other just south of Charleston Boulevard. Because of that concentration, we recommend starting your beer tasting crawl at the south end of Brewery Row at Able Baker Brewing and making your way north. Those who make it all the way to Triple Seven Brewery inside Main Street Station and are still looking for more may also want to take the short 3/4-mile trip to Beer Zombies Brewing Company (831 W. Bonanza Road), although that last stretch is much better suited to an Uber ride than walking.
The Downtown Las Vegas Arts District has emerged as ground zero for local brewers.
The area surrounding Main Street is also home to some tap rooms and bottle shops with extensive beer selections. They include the Las Vegas Brewing Company taproom (1226 S. 3rd St., #180), Servzehzah (1301 S. Commerce St., #130), The Silver Stamp (222 E. Imperial Avenue), and a Downtown tap room operated by the owners of the pioneering Henderson brewery Crafthaus (197 E. California Ave., #130). For the purposes of this crawl, however, we’re sticking to places that operate a brewery on site.
Named for the first two atomic bombs detonated at the Nevada Test Site, Able Baker has 32 taps, all but two of which (a cider and a rotating local guest beer) are used for their own brews. They’re known for barrel-aged beers, barley wines, Belgian brews and imperial stouts, brown ales and porters. But they also create the house beers for local hotspots like Esther’s Kitchen and AREA15, and the occasional collaboration with a local musician or athlete. And every beer flight comes with a miniature rubber ducky from their quirky collection.
With a large outdoor patio, an extensive food menu, over 80 whiskeys, ten signature cocktails and a trio of signature shots, Nevada Brew Works is much more than just a showcase for the beers they brew on premises. But the rotating selection of 16 different brews are certainly at the heart of the operation. Recent selections include a lager, hefeweizen, golden blonde ale, double dry hop hazy and the signature Ariana Rye P.A., which raises money for children with disabilities.
Located just two doors down from Nevada Brew Works, HUDL has a similar outdoor patio, 26 taps and a rotating selection of 15 or 16 of their own brews, with two guest taps serving mead and cider from a pair of Nevada producers. They’re best known for cream ales, with Vanilla Oak as their flagship. Every spring brings their seasonal Mosquito Bite Mexican Cerveza, with a Toasted Pecan Brown Ale rolling out every autumn. And next-door neighbors Soulbelly BBQ supply some of the finest barbecue in Las Vegas.
In 2015, when home brewer Kevin Holder decided to make his hobby available to the public in the neighborhood where he grew up, The Arts District was little more than a vague concept. Today, Hop Nuts is a local institution, serving at least a dozen of their own beers at any given time, alongside three to five guest beers from around the country. They specialize in IPAs, Double IPAs, pale ales and other hoppy brews. And the large indoor bar and covered patio can accommodate 99 guests, with shuffleboard, cornhole and assorted board games available for fun.
The most food-centered of any stop on this list, Cin Cin is equal parts seafood restaurant and brewery. And while the rotating selection of about 20 of their own brews contains some heavier options like an imperial stout, most of the selections are lower ABV pilsners, rice lagers and lighter IPAs designed to enhance a menu of cooked and raw seafood, sushi, crudo and carpaccio. Sundays and Mondays feature 99-cent oysters for as long as the multiple varieties last. (If they sell out on Sundays, a fresh shipment comes in every Monday.)
While Main Street Station is technically outside of the Arts District, Downtown’s oldest brewery is just a 15-minute walk from Cin Cin Brewhouse, straight down Main Street, past the Fremont Street Experience. Located inside a casino & hotel, it’s the largest and most elegant place on our list, decorated in dark wood with two stories of shiny metal brewing equipment on display behind glass. Their half dozen brews tend to have Vegas-centric names (High Roller Gold, Marker Pale Ale, Black Chip Porter) to accompany a menu of burgers, sandwiches, steaks, ribs and pizzas.
