I know these threads get done a lot so many thanks to any that have the time to reply. My wife and will be staying at the Venetian from 10/6 - 10/11 for our 20 year anniversary. During that time we are going to do some touristy stuff (see some shows, walk the strip, ect...) but I had some questions about some of the stuff not exactly on the strip. Hoffbrauhaus - worth a visit? Wife probably won't enjoy the beer here. Goose island Pub (Hard Rock Casino) Saw mention of possibly getting Bourbon County variants here. Would be in the area if we go to Hoffbrau. Website only lists regular BCBS. Waste of time? Freemont Street. - Banger Brewing worth a visit? anyone else? Total Wine South Strip - How big of a pita is this going to be to get here from the Venetian? Whole foods is nearby. We are thinking about hitting these 2 places up right away to stock up on water and beer. Better options? Recommendations for beer/entertainment? (wife wants to stay as close to the strip as possible) Thanks and Cheers BA!
I can comment on a few of those things. The Hofbrauhaus is surprisingly legit in terms of the beer and the look of the place. I've been to the real one dozens of times and the one in LV actually looks and feels pretty damn similar. The beer is very close as well. The food...not as much so. In some ways it's better, but it's not super authentic. The GI pub had 2 BA beers when I was last there. Once was BCBS, but the other was another beer I wasn't familiar with. They also had several non-flagship items like Sophie/Matilda/etc. I liked Banger, but I've heard some locals don't. I guess we'll see if anyone else comments.
Take the Double Deuce bus downtown to hit Banger, 777, and Chicago Brewing's cigar pub at Four Queens. And definitely hit Ellis Island for so-so brews (but cheap and free if you're playing) and GREAT bbq. Cheaper if you join the free slot club and another discount if you play $5. It's a few blocks West of the Strip behind Bally's on Koval. Too bad you're not there around the holidays; their Holiday Nog is awesome.
Banger is ok. You’re better off hitting Able Baker that just opened in downtown. Probably 10-15 min Uber from Venetian. Unless they tapped out these kegs, a number of big stouts and barrel aged things on tap. They opened last week and are open everyday at noon. Also walkable from there is Hop Nuts which is best brewery for hazies in Vegas. Tap list might be a bit soft right now so check online as they’ve been focused on opening their summerlin location that just did their grand opening. You could hit Banger and pop over to these too they’re pretty close. Tenaya Creek also close by which while their core beers aren’t great they typically have a good guest tap list. Again check online to see current. Total Wine / Whole Foods south of strip is at Town Square. It’s probably a 15 min Uber. Total Wine is fine, just be careful of bottle dates. I wouldn’t buy an ipa from there. Stouts, sours, barley wines, sure. Whole Foods the selection is average. Slightly above a standard grocery store although they do have a bar inside with about 20 craft beer taps. Decent stuff typically, likely better than you will find on Strip.
Yes, Ellis Island. We always go there for the bbq. Beers are definitely so-so but the bbq is great, more than my fat ass can eat, and cheap (pass on the corn on the cob that comes with it, however). We'll be put again early December so we'll be there again...and the Holiday Nog will be out then.
I'm a heavy Vegas veteran with family I visit a few times a year (over 400 days in Vegas). Here are my suggestions/answers: 1. Hofbrauhaus is not worth the trip IMO. Expensive, food is not that great, beers overpriced and decent but there are better options in Vegas where both you and your wife will be happy. 2. Goose Island - Outside of Black Friday, they may have a special every once and awhile, but beyond standard BCBS and a few of their sours, it's not worth the trip unless you don't have access in Minnesota and really want to have / try a few of these pours. The room itself is nice, but unlike most breweries, smoking is permitted and most people there are smoking / playing video poker. 3. Fremont Street - I am ranking my favorite downtown breweries below: 1. Tenaya Creek - less than a mile from Fremont Street. They are the best brewer in the Vegas Valley, and have several good / great pours across various styles. Their brewpub is very comfortable, they have food trucks or you can bring in food if you are looking to eat and drink. They also have a very good tap list with regional West Coast brewers you will be hard pressed to find elsewhere in Vegas (Modern Times, Avery, AleSmith). The staff is awesome and it's a great place to chill in Vegas without smoking/gambling. 2. HopNuts - Mostly known for their NEIPAs, they also have decent stouts and other varieties. The space is laid back, crew there is chill as well, they also have guest taps but not as extensive as Tenaya Creek. If you and or your wife are big NEIPA folks, you definitely want to hit HopNuts. 3. Banger Brewing - They also do well across several varieties, their tap room is most convenient to Fremont Street (right on it). I like their Morning Joe (Coffee flavored Kolsch) and El Heffe (Jalepeno Hefeweizen). Honorable mention: Atomic Lounge's Beer List has declined over the past couple of years, but is worth checking out if you are spending a night or two downtown. Main Street Station's 777 Brewing is better than Ellis Island's, but not worth a special trip unless you also want to gamble while drinking, sit at the Boar's Head Bar and enjoy good Video Poker (Full Pay JOB) and comped pours, their Hefe is typically their best regular beer, there others range from mediocre to OK, sometimes you find a decent pour. I also have to check out Able Baker based on the recommendation above. 4. Total Wine typically has the broadest selection in the valley, we usually hit the Summerlin Location. Khourey's in Henderson has very good regional / Nevada craft options and also has several taps with good/great options in store. Worth checking out if you have a car. Also, a poster here recently opened Beer Zombies, also in Summerlin, I definately want to check out during my next trip in December. In summary, if you don't have a car, uber or take the Strip bus downtown for one or two nights to hit the great downtown breweries. If you have a car, venture to the beer shops mentioned above. Tenaya Ave Aces and Ales is also worth checking out for their extensive beer menu (Nellis is more of a dive). Henederson also has a few great breweries if you have a car and an afternoon, Lovelady and Astronomy Aleworks are my two favorites. Good luck and hope you have a great trip!
We are definitely setting aside a day for downtown / Freemont St. Probably take the SDX, I hear it's quicker? We have Total Wine up here in MN and I know what you mean by check the dates. Looks like Hoffbrau and Goose Island are moving to the lower end of the to do list. I had Beer Zombies on my list but they must have been much closer to the strip than they are now. Would love to hit places like Tenya, Hop Nuts, and Able Baker but it seems like they are little more out of the way. We might still get to them if we have the time. Thanks to everyone for the helpful replies! Cheers BA!
It's sometimes forgotten, but I really like the beers at 777. It's like drinking in a time machine set to 2005. The beers are all pretty elite as long as you keep that in mind.
Forgot about Tacos and Beer. Decent prices, good food, and good beer list. Went there for first time in late June; we'll be back in December. Agree with Domingo on 777 downtown. And IF their Cherry Stout is on..... YUM. They had a Mango Heffeweizen on in late June that was QUITE delicious. Vegas might not be Beer Heaven, but it's far from a beer wasteland anymore.
I finally have some time to drop an update. We had an amazing time in Vegas. Walked the strip, saw some shows, rode the High roller, ext... We did stop at total wine and found some local beers, mostly lovelady. We really like the paleo porter. We stopped at 4 breweries: Banger, Tenaya Creek, Hop Nuts, and Able Baker. Banger: Banger-1 Banger-2 We stopped in while walking Freemont St. We only had 4 beers between us. All were Banger brewed. The Morning Joe has an amazing smell, tastes pretty good too. El Heffe was good. I wanted a lot more hot pepper, you kind of only get a hint (Morning Joe on left, El Heffe on right in pic). The bacon honey jalapeno popcorn appetizer was crack. We almost went back for more. We were in a hurry to squeeze everything in, looking back now we had plenty of time to stay longer. Wish we would have tried more beers. Tenaya Creek: TenayaCreek-1 TenayaCreek-2 TenayaCreek-3 1st of three breweries we hit this day. Good number of in house and guest taps. Good variety of brews. Had a few pours and a flight, as well as a couple guest taps. Missed out on God of Thunder by 1 month . Very enjoyable visit. Hop Nuts. HopNuts-1 HopNuts-2 Second stop. I had the neipa and black lager, wife had both of the sour knights and the Modern Times. I Missed the Harry Porter here too . Nothing wrong with the beer but this was our least favorite stop by far. We would still come back if were in Vegas again. Able Baker: AbleBaker-1 AbleBaker-2 AbleBaker-3 Last stop. Walked here from Hop Nuts. Like Tenaya, great list of in house and guest taps. Good variety as well. Once again, a few taps and a flight. Everything we had was good. What set this brewery apart from the rest that we visited was that they had a kitchen! We shared a very good burger and fries here along with our beers. Hoping to be back in Vegas in a few years to stop by some more local breweries, we had a great time! Cheers BA!
Thanks for your extensive review. Glad you and your wife had a great time on your anniversary. I’ll be sure to hit AbleBaker on my December 6-25th, part 1 of 2 snowbird trip! Also glad you enjoyed you enjoyed may favorite two pours at Banger, and your Tenaya visit. HopNuts can be hit or miss, they don’t have the broad range of offerings Lovelady or Tenaya catalog, they mainly focus on NEIPAs with a few stouts. Their Pilsner is ok.
Be sure to hit Ellis Island; not for their beer but for their bbq...and their Holiday Nog. We're out first week of December and plan on getting several bottles of that...it's that good!
