Top 10 Best Places To Get Craft Beer in Las Vegas
The one thing that Las Vegas has no shortage of is laid-back places to get your drink on. No matter your price point, music preference, ethnic background, nationality or age, someone on The Strip is ready and willing to meet you at your idea of fun and hand you a stiff drink, in exchange for your dignity and your hard-earned moolah. All around Las Vegas from the Strip out to the suburbs, thousands of bars offer up libations and suds of the common and obscure variety to entertain the city’s 650,000 residents and 42,000,000 annual visitors.
Vegas has its share of dayclubs, nightclubs, bars, live music venues, and fancy lounges; however, if craft beers are your guilty pleasure and weapon of choice, Sin City can surely deliver what you want… if you know who to ask and where to look. Regardless of your style and flavor preference, Vegas-brewed craft beers have undeniably become less of a gamble and more of a sure thing. From ales to lagers, lights to stouts, and hoppy to fruity, here are Discotech’s Top 10 best places to sample craft beers in Las Vegas:
1. Beerhaus @ The Park Vegas / T-Mobile Arena – $$ – North Strip
Built in 2016, the 20,000-seat capacity T-Mobile Arena is an ultra-modern gathering place for large-scale concerts and sporting events. To complement the hundreds of entertainment dates scheduled at the arena annually – and also to draw tourists to the area on the few nights the arena is dark – the stadium grounds are bordered by The Park Vegas, an open-air cobblestone footpath lined with casual restaurants and bars that are perfect for T-Mobile pre-partying… and post-partying, since Vegas never sleeps duh. The best of the bars in the bunch is Beerhaus, an uber-fresh take on the German beer hall concept that features hundreds of craft beers on top complemented by made-to-order high-end bar grub favorites – burgers, ribs, hot dogs, brats, soft pretzels, wings, tater tots etc. – using hormone-free meat and locally sourced produce. On any sports nights at the stadium, the place is packed more than two hours in advance and one hour after; even if you don’t have tickets to T-Mobile, Beerhaus is perfect for getting together with friends, sampling new small-batch brews, and watching your teams on one of the pristine flatscreens while taking periodic breaks to talk smack over a game of ping pong, Connect Four, or cornhole under the patio misters.
2. Aces & Ales – $$ – Off Strip (Summerlin)
Located on Tenaya in Summerlin, locals’ favorite Aces & Ales offers 50 different craft beers on tap, more than 150 bottle types, and gourmet comfort food and is well-known for hosting numerous community events such as tap takeovers, trivia nights, and Burger & Beer Nights. Inspired by the classic gastropubs of London, Aces and Ales appeals to the casual craft beer connoisseur who knows what he or she likes but nevertheless seeks to be adventurous and break free from the mold. The managers frequently rotate their inventory to ensure a full range of beer styles from pilsners and imperial stouts to reds, hefeweizens, and IPAs, and they are hands-on with each of their suppliers so that they are more knowledgeable when talking beer with their guests. In addition to top quality craft beers, A&A also offers a fine selection of ‘vintage’ single malt Scotch, Bourbon, and Tequila for when the workday or night shift requires something a bit stronger.
3. Three Sheets Craft Beer Bar – $$ – Off Strip (Downtown)
Three Sheets Craft Beer Bar is the perfect place to wet your whistle when exploring the rejuvenated Arts District in Downtown Las Vegas. The venture was launched by two Bay Area craft beer nerds who traveled all over America to sample local craft beers, then brought their knowledge and experiences to America’s favorite meeting place. Three Sheets boasts 30 taps, which gives them the ability to showcase a wide variety of unique craft beers from around the country side-by-side with those of local Las Vegas area breweries. The atmosphere is quite simple compared to glitzier watering holes on the Strip, but it’s a relaxed, congenial atmosphere where you can catch up with old friends, meet new ones, and focus on one goal: enjoying craft beer. If the weather isn’t too hot or chilly, the venue has two patios as well as a biergarten courtyard for plenty of space to enjoy drafts, ciders, and wines in the open air; it also has HDTVs for sports and is dog-friendly in case you want to bring along man’s best friend while enjoying cold sips of man’s “other” best friend.
4. Tilted Kilt @ the LINQ Promenade – $ – Center Strip
If craft beers are on your mind but so are food, sports, and eye candy – and in Sin City, we don’t blame you for multitasking – then Tilted Kilt Las Vegas is your jam. Tilted Kilt is THE BEST sports bar on the Las Vegas Strip, checking all the boxes off any list a customer could wish for from both a local sports bar back home and a fun-loving pub while on a hard-earned vacation. Great location? Check. (Stumbling distance from any Strip resort.) Theme party with sexy Vegas kitsch? Check. (Bawdy Scottish pub meets naughty schoolgirl fantasy.). Attentive, very easy-on-the-eyes service staff? Check. (See above pics… C’mon man, it’s Vegas!!!) Sports on every TV? Check. (Forty large plasma TVs and two extra-large projectors always tuned to live action, plus the Holy Grail: friendly floor managers that move quickly to fulfill any channel change requests.) Mouth-watering bar food? Check. (World-class buffalo wings, “Big Arse” Burgers, flatbread pizzas, loaded tater tots… the list goes on.) And… craft beers? Ohhhh, you betcha. TKLV carries over 60 beers on draft, over half of which are local craft stars now showcasing their major-league qualities on the All-Star stage of the Las Vegas Strip. A cold craft beer never looked so good…
5. PKWY Tavern – $$$ – Off Strip (Summerlin)
Way out west where the sun sinks behind the rose-colored mountains, PKWY Tavern is the beer-soaked heart of activity along the perimeter of the Las Vegas Valley. PKWY’s 250 beers include sudsy selections that are drawn from 120 taps linked to a spacious keg fridge, with the majority of beers coming from breweries in Colorado and points West (including locals such as Big Dog’s and Sin City). PKWY also serves up some of the best American comfort food in the city – their twist on pub grub includes appetizers like “beer poached wings,” a pork belly burger glazed with hot pepper scorpion sauce, sandwiches, pizza and desserts like a “Guinness Mocha Cake” – as well as an array of games from shuffleboard and cornhole on its 3,000-square-foot outdoor patio to darts, Bowlingo, and arcade machines inside. Regulars can join the PKWY TEAM (Taphouse Exclusive Active Member) loyalty program to earn rewards for every beer consumed. It’s also a popular college bar, and Thursdays and Friday nights – as well as any night when UNLV football or basketball is playing – draw a younger well-dressed adventurous twentysomething local crowd looking to sample new craft brews and make new friends.
6. Atomic Liquors – $$ – Off Strip (Downtown)
The oldest free-standing bar in Clark County, Atomic Liquors was originally built in 1945 as a café and was converted to a freestanding drink-pouring bar in 1952. The bar was named for the atomic blasts taking place at the nearby Nevada Test Site, which could be seen with a cold beer in hand from the roof of the building. As most things downtown in Vegas, it’s not the upscale environment of the Strip, but what Atomic Liquors lacks in swank it more than makes up for with nostalgia, cementing its status as one of the timelessly cool bars in Sin City. Over the years, it’s been a celebrity hang-out, a dive bar, a film set, a pool hall and more, and a complete renovation several years ago brought new life to the venue. The Atomic is known for its solid craft beer list – there’s a rotating list of 20-plus brews on tap, from Saugatuck Nitro Blueberry Maple Stout to local seasonals – as well as a range of beer cocktails. And as a heads-up for any craft beer lover who might have just hit it big at the blackjack or roulette table: Atomic Liquors owns and sells the most expensive bottle of craft beer in Las Vegas. The beer, which was featured on the show Brew Dogs, retails for $3,600 USD.
7. Brooklyn Bowl @ the LINQ Promenade – $$ – Center Strip
Located on the LINQ Promenade just steps away from the High Roller Ferris wheel, Brooklyn Bowl is a ultra-hip upscale bowling alley, a well-loved restaurant by Vegas locals (their Blue Ribbon fried chicken is some of the best in the city), and a concert venue showcasing heavyweight names in reggae, alt-rock, and other lightweight music genres that have rabid followings. But its expansive bar area at the front of the spacious, modern venue also shines as one of the best and most underrated drink stops in Vegas. Their craft beer selection showcases the best of East Coast and West Coast microbrews and rotates frequently and is artfully complemented by their bar food menu which offers high-end creative takes on the classics. Insiders tip: if you’ve got concert tickets, we highly recommend you come for Happy Hour (Mon-Fri, 5-7pm) and then stay for the concert afterward to avoid long waits in line. Except on the 1-2 times a month a major artist drops in for a more intimate show, Brooklyn Bowl is one of the more affordable ways to sip fine craft beer while enjoying live music on the Strip and thus always draws a crowd.
8. Beer Park @ Paris Hotel – $$$ – Center Strip
So much for creative naming. Beer Park is designed with the goal of giving tourists a no-frills slice of Americana, but with all the frills of Vegas, baby, Vegas. The open-air entertainment venue, of which American mega-brand Anheuser-Busch is a strategic investor, puts forth a nostalgia-inducing atmosphere that mixes the feel of a classic baseball stadium with the communal charm of a suburbia park with all of the glorious food and drink favorites each has to offer. Similar to the Vegas Strip itself, this brand-new space was designed to bring people from all over the world together. Inside Beer Park there is a 10,000-square-foot upscale “living room” foyer with parlor-style furniture seating arranged in circles to encourage meeting new people; outside there are Oktoberfest-style communal picnic tables for communal drinking and a grassy lawn to challenge strangers in friendly classic bar games like giant Jenga, Skee-Ball, Pop-A-Shot, darts, and billiards. But on top of all of these perks, Beer Park totally understands – and focuses on – beer as the great global unifier. Their expansive beer menu highlights numerous best-in-breed craft brews along the hoppy-to-sweet spectrum and from all over the planet. Because there’s nothing more American than the beauty of diversity.
9. Pour 24 @ New York New York – $$ – South Strip
In Las Vegas, everyone flocks to the newest and hottest place / person / thing. However, any serious craft beer fan must pause to tip the cap and pay respects to the wise yet aging elder statesman, and Pour 24 in New York New York Hotel & Casino is the cagey veteran with the “When I was your age…” stories. Within the walls of this otherwise nondescript watering hole lie a craft beer drinker’s heaven: there are 24 taps pouring beer 24 hours a day, including at least seven locally sourced suds. In fact, Pour 24 had exotic microbrewery selections on offer way before the craft beer movement started becoming a thing. Nowadays, its simpler ambiance doesn’t hold a candle to larger and more modern bars and taphouses that have sprung up along the Strip; still, Pour 24 is simple, easily accessible, and gives a no-frills craft beer fan exactly what is needed. The bar has a full wraparound counter with wireless phone charging spots and some additional seating by the railing overlooking the NYNY casino floor; it’s the perfect setup for grabbing a brew with buddies (or solo while the wife is shopping), zoning out, and people-watching amidst the Vegas madness. Added perk: Pour 24’s bartenders are longtime locals who are well-known for their super-friendly and helpful demeanor at all hours of the day… which is more incentive for you, dear craft beer lover, to check out their after-hours happy hour which runs from 3-9 AM. Only in Vegas….
10. Yard House @ The LINQ Promenade – $$$ – Center Strip
Yard House – the beer-based restaurant chain born in California – opened its third Las Vegas-area restaurant – and 50th nationwide – in 2014 at The LINQ Promenade. To satisfy the thirst of the many visiting tourists, many of them coming from California for weekend visits, YHLV jumped on the local-brew bandwagon, serving popular Las Vegas craft beers such as Big Dog’s Dirty Dog IPA, Joseph James’ Citra Rye Pale Ale and Craft American Lager, and Tenaya Creek’s Hauling Oats and Hop Ride IPA. You won’t get bored by “local” either: the massive 18,000 square-foot bar and restaurant offers over 160 beers in every style around to appease stout supporters, amber aficionados, lager lovers, and bitterly loyal IPA enthusiasts, as well as a sprawling food menu with more pages than a children’s book. Yard House is the place to indulge and relax with a cold beer after a morning stroll along the Strip and Promenade, as well as the perfect prelude to…. more craft beer next door at Brooklyn Bowl when afternoon turns into evening. In Sin City, there’s no such thing as excess.
Bonus Activity: Big Dog’s Brewing Company Draft House (Off Strip – North Las Vegas)
An up-and-coming Las Vegas beverage brand rapidly gaining national recognition, Big Dog’s Brewing Company has been dedicated to brewing exceptional craft beer since 1993. Its flavorful microbrews, which are handcrafted in small batches and packaged in colorful cans that capture curious eyeballs in the same way those bright Vegas neon signs do, are showing up at every bar and restaurant in the city and you can’t miss them. Our personal favorite is Big Dog’s Red Hydrant Ale; the Black Lab Stout, the Dirty Dog IPA, and the Tailwagger Wheat are excellent as well. If a brewery tour is on your agenda for your next Vegas visit, we recommend a trek to Big Dog’s Draft House, which is a ways up Hwy 95 but worth the drive for farm-style hospitality, a delicious Midwestern-inspired pub food menu, and collegial atmosphere along with great craft beer. And of course, the brewery is dog-friendly so bring along your favorite four-legged friends! (Did you even have to ask?)
OK, so you’ve gotten your craft beer itch scratched early, and for your next chapter in your storybook Vegas weekend you’re ready to let loose on a pulsating dance floor, amirite? What’s the next step??? Line up your party plans in advance and set aside the appropriate budgets (especially if you’re getting nightclub bottle service) using our Discotech app. Available in both the App Store and Google Play and featured on BBC Travel and highly reviewed on Yelp!, Discotech is here to make sure that rising bar buzz of yours carries over into high-energy late-night and next-day adventures. You’ll never need another promoter to get into the top Vegas hip hop nightclubs and pool parties ever again. Cheers lads and lasses!
