Taste

Booze News & Notes: Mandalay Bay’s beer fest, Big Dog’s launches cans and more

Image
Hop Nuts
Photo: Steve Marcus

Mandalay Bay again puts on a beer weekend this August, this time dubbing the hoppy celebration the Las Vegas Beer & Barrel Project, held at the Strip-side resort August 28-30. Hosted by Mandalay’s director of food & beverage (and Nevada’s first female certified cicerone) Sarah Johnson, the three-day extravaganza features a VIP reception and “pop-up pub experience,” beer-centric seminars with industry types (from Firestone Walker, Ninkasi and more), the main-event Beer and Barrel Festival at Mandalay Beach (featuring a selection of craft beers, beer-barrel stations, spirits and cuisine from Mandalay Bay’s chefs) and a culminating Beer for Breakfast brunch at Hubert Keller’s Fleur, with beer pairings curated by Johnson. Tickets for the Beer and Barrel Festival cost $75, and brew enthusiasts can add an additional $99 for entry to all seminars and $50 for a seat at Beer for Breakfast. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit lvbeerbarrelproject.com.

Hoppy birthday, Bad Beat Brewing! The Henderson Booze District operation celebrates its first 365 days with an Anniversary Party July 12 (3 p.m.-midnight). In addition to its usual tap lineup, the brewery will release its Bourbon Barrel-Aged Morning Pay Off (aged in one of nearby Las Vegas Distillery’s Nevada 150 bourbon barrels), re-release its Next Level imperial IPA and have four cask beers available for revelers to sip and savor. The brew bash is complete with raffles and prizes, grub from a local food truck and, of course, Bad Beat’s eclectic board, card and video game collection – a round of giant Jenga or Cards Against Humanity, anyone?

Looking for a solid beer to pack in the cooler for that next trip to Lake Mead or Mount Charleston? You now have a few more local options to choose from, as Big Dog’s Brewing released its first line of canned brews at its Draft House and with a release party at Khoury’s Fine Wine & Spirits this week. All four beers (Watch Dog Wit, a Belgian wit; Wag the Dog, a session IPA; Las Vegas Lager; and War Dog, a double IPA) are now available at Khoury’s and Total Wine outlets.

One of the city’s long-running open mic nights makes another move at the end of this month. Recently at Downtown’s LGBT Center and Fremont East’s the Beat coffeehouse, the weekly Monday-night Human Experience finds a home in the Arts District at Hop Nuts Brewing beginning July 27. In addition to the spoken word, live music and comedy sets, the event features beats from resident DJs Chyld, Miss Joy and Duwoprose the Vinylist.

Tickets for Motley Brews’ fourth-annual Downtown Brew Festival are now on sale. Again returning to Downtown’s Clark County Amphitheater, this year’s edition features 200-plus beers from more than 60 breweries, with culinary and live-music details being announced in the coming weeks. Tickets range from $30 to $75 and can be purchased at downtownbrewfestival.com.

Speaking of Motley Brews, the local beer event producer is branching outside of the Valley in late August, managing San Diego’s Brew & Food Festival August 29 at the Southern California metropolis’ Waterfront Park. Want to hit the road and show some local support? Tickets range $35-$95 and can be purchased at brewandfoodfest.com.

Tags: Booze, Drink
Share
Top of Story