On planing this years Las Vegas visit I was determined to only drink beer that I had not yet tried before, with the exception of Bud Light, as that was the best thing we could get by the pool.
Over the course of the week we never went to the same bar twice, we found some amazing places as well as a couple of average watering holes...the latter will not be mentioned.
So below are my recommendations of where to sit, relax and enjoy a cold beer in amongst the madness that is Las Vegas.
Budweiser Beer Park
Situated at the Paris Hotel and Casino with one of the best views on the strip, the Bellagio Fountains, is the Budweiser Beer Park. This outdoor bar is both a bar, restaurant and night club...but we visited just before lunchtime as we were desperate for a cold beer. At this time of day we had the whole place to ourselves, which allowed us to get comfortable at the bar overlooking the dozens of draught beer pumps whilst still enjoying the view of the Bellagio.
As I could not decide on just having a single beer I opted for a Beer Flight (my first of many for the week). The bar was a great place to relax, in a brilliant central location...it was just a little overpriced, for a beer flight, 2x pepsi's and a pint of Bud Light we paid over $40...maybe this was why it was so quiet.
Breckenridge Vanilla Porter: Being a porter this beer had a nice level of sweetness matched with the smooth vanilla flavour. I regret drinking this in the heat of the desert, but I really enjoyed it...maybe better saved until the winter
Goose Island Sofie: This Saison beer was quite light, with a tart almost sour taste overpowering the normal saison fruit/spice mix. Reminded me of a Belgian Pale. It was nice to try something different from Goose Island, but I still prefer their Honkers Ale.
Elysian Space Dust IPA: This ticked the boxes for a general IPA, really hoppy but still refreshing. More of a session beer than the others, if I were to get a pint after the beer flight it would have been this.
Four Peaks Peach Ale: Now, I am not really one for fruit beers...that is usually my wife department, but I thought I would take a risk...wow I loved this! It was light, smooth but with a very subtle peach flavour...not too overpowering, but yet no where near the 'alcopop' taste of some fruit beers.
On this years visit we spent a great amount of time at the Linq Promenade. Just away from the crowds on the strip, this street between the Flamingo and the Linq had a great atmosphere from its mix of bars, restaurants and shops...we visited several times as we became a little hooked on In and Out Burger! At the bottom of the promenade, just before you get to the High Roller is Yardhouse. As we walked in we were worried that this would either be packed wall to wall with party drinkers, or just a generic restaurant...it was neither. Yes, you could grab a booth and order some food but we decided to perch by the bar. I lost count on how many beer taps there were, unlike the small pump clips that we get back in the UK, each pump handle was an over the top logo/promotion for said beer...it looked great! The service at this bar was top notch, with Frank helping recommend what we tried. Only after my beer flight did they inform us that their 'House' beer brewed for them using their own recipe. Similar to Beer Park, I decided on a mix of different types of beer:
Belching Beaver Peanut Butter Latte Milk Stout: I was concerned that the Peanut Butter would overpower this stout, but it was just right alongside the creamy coffee and chocolate flavours. I found it to be a nice level of sweet, compared to other coffee stouts I have had in the past...if this could be bottled and sent to the UK it would be in line to be this years Xmas beer.Tenaya Creek 702 Pale - This American Pale Ale comes from a small microbrewery based in Las Vegas (which is why I gave it a try). With quite a floral, hoppy flavour this is another beer that you could have a session on. I just wish that I had found something a little more adventurous from this brewery.
Pyramid Apricot Ale - Following the epiphany I had at the Beer Park I opted to try an apricot ale, this was a really refreshing summer beer...which is ideal for the weather in Las Vegas. This was more recognisable as a wheat beer than the last fruit beer that I had tried. Great served ice cold.
Yardhouse Belgian Tripel - I had forgotten just how much I loved Belgian beer as I drank this, I usually save strong belgian beer for the winter along with stout and porters. Considering the strength it was really smooth and had just the right level of sweetness for me. I have to say I am sad that I will not find this anywhere else, but it was defiantly worth the flight over!
Banger Brewing
The third of our Beer Flight visits brought us to Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas...this is the place to visit to experience the real Las Vegas away from the polished shine of the Strip. I had heard about this place whilst watching Olly Smith's 'Ale Trail' last year. On the outside it looks just to be a small bar, but as you enter you find giant glass windows opposite exposing their own micro brewery. There was a really great atmosphere in here that you do not find in the UK...and their food is cooked out by the front door by their own street food set up, what a brilliant idea! The staff were really knowledgable and really passionate about what they did, the American level of customer service really is a world above what we have back in the UK. Here I had a sample of their Sinister Whisky Imperial IPA, which tasted just like dropping a dram of whisky into a stout of Belgian dark beer...this had a real kick, but I decided against this for my beer flight as I had to somehow get back to the hotel.
Sandia - To start with I tried their Watermelon Wheat beer - the best fruit beer of the trip. I was not surprised to learn that they add 200 pounds of watermelon into the wheat beer. It was so refreshing and fruity, you kind of forget it is a beer - if I had a pint of this it would have gone down all too quick.
Morning Joe - I was surprised that this was a light beer, as being a Coffee infused beer I had expected a stout...then I noticed it actually said 'kolsch' on the menu. The coffee flavour was very subtle and not made sure that the beer was not too heavy. For me this would not be a session beer, but great if you were to stop for 'just the one'Perfect 10 - as with my other beer flights, I threw an american Pale Ale into the mix (just incase I disliked any of the others) - this smooth ale had all the signs of a general pale ale and really hit the spot.
El Heffe - This was actually the 2nd from the right in the picture, but I wanted to finish my blog on this amazing beer. This is their take on a Hefeweizen (german wheat) beer, I was a bit worried when I read that they added roasted Jalepeno, Serrano, Habanero and Green Peppers into the beer and had expected this to completely blow my head off. I was pleasantly surprised. The beer itself was quite mild and rather smooth, unlike other chilli beers that I have tried this was not just like drinking hot sauce. The taste of Jalepenos had an almost sweet taste to it, whilst leaving a small finish of heat. Alongside from the Yardhouse Tripel, this was my favourite beer of the week. I went back for another pint and matched it perfectly with their Mexican Loaded Fries...this Brewery needs to be top of your list if you are into craft beer and are about to head over the the fabulous Las Vegas
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