One Brewery Closing, Two Relocations and a New Brewery Opening
Some bad news, good news and more good news. First the bad news. Last month Astronomy Aleworks closed permanently. A statement on their Facebook page said: “We were denied loans for a second taproom and operating capital to navigate what’s become of the post Covid Las Vegas beer scene. So unfortunately, we are ceasing operations. Our last day in the taproom will be 3/9 (but don’t be shocked if we do a final party on the 16th with the whole booze district… we’re trying and will let you know). I want to thank all of the fabulous supporters we’ve had over the 5.5 years. You made it all worth it.” Owner Matt Brady has always been a class act and one of the biggest supporters of all of our local breweries. Not surprisingly he ended the post with this: “And please, please, please, consider: it’s too late for us but it’s not too late to support everyone else. We aren’t even the first brewery to close in Vegas in 2024…if you don’t support, we won’t be the last.”
Jimmy Doyle at Neon Desert Brewing, Henderson, Nevada, 2024
Now for the good news. As of last month, Neon Desert Brewing finalized the purchase of most of Bad Beat Brewing’s brewing equipment and has taken over Bad Beat’s Henderson Booze District space. A bit of history is in order. After originally opening as District Brewing in the Arts District on Feb. 29, 2020, in 2022, it was rebranded as Neon Desert, and last year the owners sold the brewery. Now, Founder/Brewer Jimmy Doyle is brewing at the new location almost four years to the day when he brewed his first beers at the original location on Main Street. Jimmy says the space will be rebranded with Neon Desert signage but the communal tables and games will remain, and thankfully so are the Bad Beat beertender staff. Jimmy will make good use of the 15-barrel production brewing system and canning line and in addition to brewing his beers will continue to contract brew Sin City Brewing’s amber and pale ale.
When I was there on Feb. 22, they were still in the process of switching out the signage, but a beautiful Neon Desert neon sign was in place inside near the front entrance. Jimmy is continuing to brew his popular Neon Haze, a Hazy IPA, and will always have an American Lager, Munich Helles and a Munich Dunkel pouring. Speaking of the Helles, I’m delighted to see that he still has the 11 Circles of Helles. Made with serrano, jalapeno, habanero, Carolina reaper and ghost peppers, if you can take the heat you can enjoy the fiery hot pepper beer by itself, or toned down with some of the regular Helles, choosing your level from 1 to 11, with 11 being the hottest. Jimmy says the #11 is a nod to Spinal Tap, whose amps went up to 11 to be just a bit louder than 10. I was also very happy to again enjoy the CocoNillaCan, a 10% imperial stout with a clever name for its delicious blending of toasted coconut, Madagascar vanilla beans and pecans. What’s helpful to loyal Bad Beat customers is a comparison sheet detailing the best match of Neon Desert beers to Bad Beat beers, and those in the Bad Beat Mug Club have some time, as it will be honored till the end of July. Currently the taproom opens at 4 on Mon.-Thu., at noon on Sat.-Sun. and at 2 on Fri.
As for Bad Beat Brewing, I spoke with Owner Nathan Hall and got the scoop on their relocation to the Arts District. A full buildout and complete demo are currently underway on the building at 1421 S. Main, with a June opening expected. Nathan cites a 60% increase in his lease as a major reason for making the move. The new location will be between Able Baker and Nevada Brew Works and HUDL, making for an easy walk between the three breweries and Hop Nuts just a few more blocks further. The brewery will be a 10-barrel system with 20 taps pouring most of Bad Beat’s year-round offerings and rotating specialties. They will also continue the tradition of New Beer Fridays, which features a one-off keg. Longtime accomplished brewer Tom Harwood will continue as Head Brewer.
One more update: The former Neon Desert space at 914 S. Main St., which sold last spring and is set to open as Cin-Cin Brewhouse and Seafood Bar helmed by renowned chef Virakone Vongphachanh (“Chef V”), may be opening this month. Neon Desert’s former assistant brewer Cisco Talley will be the head brewer. I promise to provide full details after they open.
Beer Events
Now that we’ve survived winter and the temps are inching up, there is a full slate of beer events to take note of.
Brew’s Best Craft Beer Festival — March 16
New Vista’s 15th annual Brew’s Best Craft Beer Festival, in partnership with Nevada Beverage Company, will be held at The Lawn at Downtown Summerlin from 2-6 p.m. Attendees can expect unlimited sampling of more than 100 beers from local breweries and from across the US. During the event there will be viewing options of live feeds of March Hoops, a variety of backyard games and food for purchase from an array of food trucks. General admission tickets are $50 in advance and $60 at the door and VIP tickets (with early admission at 1 p.m. and access to exclusive additional liquid libations) are $60 in advance and $70 at the door. Proceeds will directly benefit New Vista, Nevada’s leading non-profit supporting individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities providing services, training and housing to people living with IDD in Southern Nevada. This event is 21+. To purchase tickets, click here.
Ace’s & Ales IPA Smackdown – March 15-17
Aces & Ales will host its IPA Smackdown at its Tenaya location on March 15-17. The yearly competition is restricted to IPAs from local breweries and the winning brewery gets the coveted IPA Smackdown belt to keep until next year’s competition and bragging rights for making the best of the most popular craft beer style. In past years this has been a NCAA Sweet 16-style event, with individual matchups and winners advancing, and it still is, but this year it will be a blind tasting to take brand loyalty and hype out of the equation and let the winner be selected solely on taste. This year’s event is also spread out over three days instead of one. On March 17 at 3 p.m. they will stop accepting bracket selections and announce the winner at 4 p.m. Representatives from most, if not all, of the local breweries will be on property throughout the weekend.
Shamrock Shuffle Booze Crawl — March 16
You can start St. Patrick’s Day weekend with the Shamrock Shuffle Booze Crawl at the Henderson Booze District from noon-8 p.m. Check in and start at Vegas Valley Winery and then enjoy a choice of a special holiday offering of a full-sized adult craft libation from each participating Booze District member: Vegas Valley Winery, Crafthaus Brewery, Neon Desert Brewing and Deadwood Meadery. There will be games, photo ops and all kinds of shenanigans included in your $32 ticket. Food trucks will be present at each location offering small bites, entrees and sweets. To purchase tickets, click here.
Half Bird Chicken & Beer Tap Takeover — March 21
Half Bird Chicken & Beer is living up to its name with its self-serve beer taps featuring 100% local beer. It’s also continuing to host monthly tap takeovers. See what happens when a chicken and a duck are in the same room, as the March rendition will feature six taps devoted to beers from Able Baker Brewing from 5-9 p.m. You’ll also be able to talk to the local brewery’s team and grab some swag and prizes.
Lovelady Brewing 8th Anniversary — March 30
Lovelady Brewing will celebrate its 8th anniversary from noon-11 p.m. with a 1980s themed party. During the party they’ll be doing hourly giveaways, playing 1980s music and releasing a very unique beer called “Mix Tape.” Owner/Brewer Richard Lovelady says it’s a malt-based wine cooler with barley and chardonnay grapes fermented with both wine and ale yeasts. It’s fermenting now, and if it does what he hopes, he anticipates it’ll be a light, spritzy, 5% wine-like cooler. If you’re not old enough to remember the 1980s, I can assure you that wine coolers were quite a thing at the time, so this creation definitely fits the theme.
Boulder City Beerfest — March 30
The 10th Annual Boulder City Beerfest will again be held at Wilbur Square Park from 1-7 p.m. in the heart of the historic city. The only beerfest currently held in Boulder City, it will have more than 36 brewery tents pouring more than 100 beers, live music, food for purchase from 12 food trucks, “beer centric” specialty vendors, homebrewing demonstrations and the Brewers Games hosted by the Nevada Beer Lovers. The event is open to the public to visit the vendor tents and food trucks, but you’ll need the official wristband and glass to enjoy unlimited sampling of the beers. VIP tickets are $60 in advance and $80 at the event for early entry at 1 p.m., and general admission is $45 in advance and $60 at the event for entry at 3 p.m. Tickets are available online at the discounted price until March 27. For more info, a list of breweries or to purchase tickets, visit bouldercitybeerfest.com.
Great Vegas Festival of Beer — April 6
The Great Vegas Festival of Beer will celebrate its 12th installment and will be held at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center (200 S 3rd St). General admission runs from 3-7 p.m. and early entry and VIP ticket holders get in at 2. Your ticket will get you unlimited sampling of hundreds of beers from nearly all of our local breweries and several regional breweries, cider and other liquid treats; karaoke; Topgolf’s silent disco; a secret scavenger hunt with prizes; and a curated food selection for purchase from several restaurants and food trucks. In addition to early entry, VIP includes an abundant spread of special pours, cocktails and bites from chefs Brian Howard (Sparrow + Wolf and Half Bird Chicken), Stephen Hopcraft (STK), Heva Clark (Untouchable Taste), Susana Rodriguez (Tacotarian) and Sin City Wise Guys. For more info and to purchase tickets visit greatvegasbeer.com.
What’s Pouring This Month
Richard Lovelady tells me his Lovelady Brewing is pouring Love Juice NEIPA with mango and says they’ll be doing one Love Juice variant per quarter with blueberry, raspberry and lemon versions filling out the year. Also releasing this month is Extraterrestrial Highway, a strong lager collaboration with The Depot in Reno (his cousin is one of the owners).
Mojave Brewing Company has Firewolves, named in honor of a Navy helicopter group that used to pick up Navy Seals. Owner/Brewer John “Griff” Griffith tells me it’s a Belgian Tripel made with Belgian candi sugar with the toastiness of roasted sugar. It’ll be pouring both on draft and on cask.
AREA15 has launched its Signal Lager, a Mexican-style lager created in collaboration with and brewed by Able Baker Brewing. It’s available exclusively at AREA15’s food and beverage destinations, including Oddwood Bar, LIFTOFF Ride and Asylum Bar + Arcade, and is light and crisp showcasing a gentle malt sweetness that is balanced with a delicate touch of hop bitterness, resulting in a clean and refreshing taste.
- Beer Mugs – AdobeStock (licensed)
- Jimmy Doyle at Neon Desert Brewing by A.D. Cook
- Neon Desert Hazy IPA Cans by A.D. Cook
- Nean Desert Brewing Neon Sign by A.D. Cook
- Brew’s Best courtesy of Brew’s Best
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Bob Barnes began his food and beverage writing career in 1998 as Regional Correspondent for Celebrator Beer News and wrote the Nevada Beer Nuggets column from 1998-2019. He was Editorial Director of The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional from 2012-2021 and has covered Las Vegas for Gayot since 2010. He continues to contribute to Gayot, writing the Gayot Las Vegas Restaurant News, features on new restaurants, and beer and spirit reviews. He also writes regularly for Off The Strip, The Vegas Voice, Neon Feast, and Las Vegas Magazine.
