January brings brand-new beer news to the forefront, with openings and new brews alike
Enjoy the new year’s beer news and have a wonderful 2024!
Voodoo Brewing Now Open
Voodoo Brewing Company has been three years in the making, and December 8th marked its opening day.
Beer is not brewed here, but there are plenty of the renowned Pennsylvania-based brewery on tap and in cans. Located at 1415 S Commerce St tucked away behind some other retail buildings, it’s just south of Imperial and has its own lot with free parking, a rarity in the Arts District. The building it’s situated in was built in the 1930s and over the years has been used for various industrial businesses.
Franchise owner Alison Wainwright made sure to incorporate some of the original fixtures into the rebuild, including keeping an original window and repurposing the wood from the roof for the inside ceiling. Décor elements include old skateboards on the walls and fashioned into table supports, Voodoo Brewing can art wrapped around trash cans and on walls, a vintage Mortal Kombat video game and a garage door that opens when weather permits.
There’s plenty more in an outdoor patio with ample seating, games, a small stage for live entertainment and events, quirky spaceship, mannequins and bright and colorful murals painted by local artists that match the aesthetic of the area.
Originally from Massachusetts, during COVID Wainwright stumbled across Voodoo Brewing and was impressed with the branding and after making a trip to the brewery and trying the beer decided it would do well in Las Vegas. 10 taps pour Voodoo beer, with the best sellers so far being Good Vibes West Coast IPA and Lacto Kooler, a fruited sour Berliner Weisse. During my visit I especially enjoyed the Voodoo Love Child, a Belgian Tripel style aged on cherries, raspberries and passion fruit; and Where Our Secrets Go, a full-bodied imperial stout with plenty of roasted goodness.
Voodoo Brewing is open Monday 3 to 10 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday noon to 2 a.m. To view the current tap list, click here.
Beer News and Events
CraftHaus Brewery will host the 10th annual Comrade Day, its annual celebration of its Russian Imperial Stout, on February 10 at the brewery in Henderson.
This year the theme is a camping trip through the woods, with an opportunity to experience a “spiked” beer from a Bierstachelen — a traditional German hot fire poker plunged into the beer. There will be three seatings, and the cost for general admission is $42 per person, which includes two hours seated at a table, tasting flight of four Comrade imperial stout variants and a keeper gold logo glass. You can also add a food pairing from Chef Darnell of Dazzling Bistro for $30. For more info, available seating times and to purchase tickets, visit https://ComradeDay2024.eventbrite.com
In case you had your calendar marked for the annual Big Dog’s Winterfest, which has traditionally taken place in January, you’ll need to wait a bit longer for their next beerfest.
The brewery is transitioning to two on-site festivals per year and will be adding additional events in 2025 when their front plaza/patio expansion is expected to be completed. COO Robert Snyder tells me the plan is to have the Peace Love and Hoppiness in the spring and DOGtoberfest in the fall plus a full schedule of smaller plaza events throughout the year. Saturday, April 20 is tentatively set for the next on-site festival event, which will also serve as an unofficial kickoff to the Craft Brewers Conference activities.
Tenaya Creek/Beer Zombies Update
Last month I reported on the sale of Tenaya Creek to Beer Zombies and laid out details of what’s involved. Evidently new owner Chris Jacobs doesn’t believe in wasting any time, for the expansion is already complete. There were several rumors about what the new name would be, but Chris tells me it will simply be Beer Zombies but the Tenaya Creek beers will still be brewed onsite at the brewery on Bonanza Rd.
Brewer Changes
Ashley Navarrete, HUDL’s first female brewer who was the first to be featured in my Women Who Brew Las Vegas series, has moved a few blocks down the street to take a brewer position at Able Baker.
This move opened up a spot for Megan Hanley at HUDL. Megan is not new to professional brewing, as she was a shift brewer at Kelly Brewing Co. in Morgan Hill, CA prior to moving to Las Vegas.
More Restaurants and Bars Supporting Local Beer
In the past I’ve given shoutouts to Rebellion Pizza and Yardbird for devoting their entire beer list to those brewed locally. Now it’s time to recognize three more establishments doing the same:
· The F Bar at Fergusons Downtown at 1028 Fremont St. offers a 100% local selection with two drafts and 11 in cans with breweries represented including Able Baker, Astronomy, Big Dog’s, CraftHaus, HUDL, Lovelady, Revision and Tenaya Creek. Click here to view the current lineup.
· The newly-opened Half Bird Chicken & Beer in Henderson at Sunridge Heights and Horizon Ridge has a self-serve draft beer wall that is 100% local with HUDL Cockfight Pils and High Hatter Hefe on Pineapple, Able Baker El Pato Loco Mexican Lager, Neon Desert Heaven in Helles, Beer Zombies Boomstick Blonde Ale, IMBĪB Custom Brews Black Currant & Cherry Sour Berliner Weisse, Revision Vegas as Fuck IPA and Tenaya Creek Gypsy Fade IPA. What’s cool about the beer wall is the drafts are priced by the ounce and if you so desire you can have a sip of each one before investing in a full pour. To view the current tap list, click here.
· Fine Company in Downtown Summerlin has not only launched a new dinner menu but devotes all of its beer selection to local, with the current list including Beer Zombies Boomstick Blonde Ale, Big Dog’s Las Vegas Craft Lager, Bad Beat High Society Pilsner, Las Vegas Brewing IPA and CraftHaus Wundernutz Imperial Brown Ale.
If you know of a restaurant or bar that is doing the same, fill me in by emailing me at LVBobB@cox.net and I’ll investigate and mention it in this column next month.
What’s Pouring in January
Brewmaster Casey Jacobson at Triple 7 Restaurant and Brewery will have a Scotch Ale on the Brewmaster Special Reserve tap handle. It has aromatics of fresh-baked bread and raisins and flavors of caramel and burnt sugar sweetness carry through to the finish. Casey suggests it will pair well with steaks and burgers or dessert.
Big Dog’s Brewing will have Sour Hound Peach Sour Ale—soured by a bioengineered yeast strain called Sourvisiae with a tart and tangy flavor balanced with sweetness from the peaches; and Harley’s Blackheart Cold IPA—featuring a blend of Wyerman Pale Ale and Pilsner malts and flaked maize and a generous amount Nelson, Cryo Simcoe and Cryo Citra hops fermented with a lager yeast strain at a temperature a bit elevated from what a lager would traditionally be fermented at.
