Nevada Breweries Win Big at Great American Beer Festival
The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) convened in Denver Oct. 10-12, the 38th year of the competition. 8,836 beers from 1,838 breweries from all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico were entered in 102 beer categories (including 170 subcategories) with 326 medals being awarded to 273 breweries—making it the largest professional beer competition in the US.
Nevada fared quite well, winning a record seven medals, surpassing the previous high of six won in 2019 and 2022.
Northern Nevada garnered the lion’s share of Nevada’s medals, earning five, with the remaining two coming from Southern Nevada. Reno’s IMBIB Custom Brews took gold for its Pan Is Alive in the Bock category, Great Basin Brewing silver for Razzle fo’ Shazzle in the Specialty Berliner-Style Weisse category, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery bronze for Oasis Amber in the Scottish-Style Ale category and Schussboom Brewing bronze for Bear Bait in the Fruit Wheat Beer category; and Carson City’s Shoe Tree Brewing took silver for Wicked Shifty in the American Sour Ale category.
Both of the Southern Nevada winning breweries claimed gold. HUDL Brewing earned its gold in the Other Strong Beer category for its Soul of a Star, a 10% ABV wheat wine brewed with 50% red wheat, which allows the rest of the grain bill to shine while still getting all the softer notes of the wheat.
HUDL Head Brewer Joe Cuozzo is no stranger to awards stages, as he medaled at the GABF in 2002, 2004, 2016 and 2021 and earned three World Beer Cup wins in 2004 and 2024. Commenting on this year’s gold medal win he said, “Our (brew) team is as strong as any I’ve been with, and we execute the HUDL brewing process to a T and take pride in having a couple traditional real beer styles with no adjuncts brewed perfectly on tap at all times. We originally brewed this beer for the 2024 World Beer Cup, and although it didn’t medal, it made the final table. This beer is complex enough to last.”
The other local gold medal winner was CraftHaus Brewery, which medaled with its Czech Plz in the Kellerbier or Zwickelbier category. CraftHaus Brewery Co-owner Wyndee Forrest commented on the gold medal: “To be awarded with a Gold Medal for Czech Plz, Czech Pilsner was such an honor. We strive to not only create consistent, quality driven beer but also to make our fans proud to call CraftHaus their own. This win is shared with our community who encourage us to excel every day.”
Wyndee Forrest is also the Nevada Craft Brewers Association President and spoke about the Nevada breweries medals, saying, “We are thrilled to receive a record-breaking number of medals this year from The Great American Beer Festival. We are proud that Nevada beer is establishing itself as a true craft beer destination where our community and visitors can experience the highest quality, hand-crafted beers that call the Silver State its home. Cheers to Nevada beer!”
November Beer Events
Vegas Beer School by SipSavvy Academy LLC is presenting two classes on beer styles at The Silver Stamp (222 E Imperial Ave) this month: November 9—Beer Style Highlight on Monastic Ales and November 16—Stout vs Porter. The 90-minute classes include an introduction to the styles, malt and hop sensory training, on-flavor tasting kit (snacks), flight of beers, BJCP & Cicerone tasting templates and a Q&A session. The cost is $50 (plus $5.20 fee). To purchase tickets to Monastic Ales click here and for Stout vs Porter click here.
Tenaya Creek Brewery will host its 25th anniversary party on November 16. Held at the brewery (831 W Bonanza, AKA Beer Zombies Brewery), the ticketed event includes unlimited pours of 30+ beers (including exclusive event beers), live music and food trucks. General admission for entry at 5 p.m. and a 25th Anniversary 5 oz taster glass are $45 (plus $4.87 fee) and VIP for entry at 4 p.m. and a 25th Anniversary 16 oz glass are $75 (plus $6.88 fee). Tickets will not be sold at the door. To purchase tickets click here.
Aces & Ales Opening Brewery at The Bend
In 2009 bonafide rock star Keri Kelli and co-owner Ryan Johnson opened Aces and Ales in southeast Las Vegas at Nellis and Twain, which at the time was one of only a few craft beer bars in Southern Nevada. It did well enough to open a second location in northwest Las Vegas on Tenaya in 2013, and now its success warrants a third venue, a brewery in the southwest quadrant of the Vegas Valley in The Bend at Sunset and Durango.
The brewery has been in the works since 2019, but the pandemic delayed construction of The Bend. Now the brewery is set to open later this month or possibly in December. The 9,000-square-foot brewery co-branded Aces and Ales and Evolve Brewing will have an open layout with large windows throughout bringing natural light, two lounge areas, a gastropub and 24 taps pouring 12-14 of the brewery’s beers brewed on a 10-barrel system.
I promise more updates once the brewery has opened. For more details, click here to read my Vegas Prime Brewing News column or go to the Aces and Ales website.
New Yard House at Sunset Station
Yard House, a national chain known for its vast tap beer selection, has opened its first location in Henderson, inside Sunset Station Casino. Open daily for lunch, dinner and late-night dining, there are 90+ beers on tap and the food menu offers more than 100 items such as poke nachos, steaks, tacos and pizzas. This marks the fourth Yard House location in Southern Nevada, joining others at Town Square, The LINQ and Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa.
This marks the fourth Yard House location in Southern Nevada, joining others at Town Square, The LINQ and Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa.
- Hero image © Adobe Stock – licensed for editorial and edited by A.D. Cook.
- CraftHaus Head Brewer Cameron Fisher and Brewer Armando Donis by CraftHaus Brewing
- HUDL Head Brewer Joe Cuozzo pic supplied by Joe Cuozzo
- Keri Kelli by K. Baldes
- All other graphics and photos are copyrighted by their respective owners and used with permission.
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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.
