The local beer and brewing scene continued to grow and evolve despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic. How did that happen?

Adam Metcalf, director of operations at Aces and Ales: “It did, which is not very odd once you think about it. With people moving their whole lives into their homes, it really turned focus to their local lives. It opened up space and time to think and spend their time in the way they wanted. What it quickly turned to was people supporting their local community and businesses. It was incredible to see the public showing their support—something that all of the smaller breweries and businesses desperately needed. At Aces and Ales … it gave us the time to look inward and improve our facilities, our steps of service, and our back of house operations. Though the average guest might not notice all of these changes, they have certainly improved our overall experience delivery.”

David Pascual, head brewer and director of operations at Big Dog’s: “Early in the pandemic, we were fortunate to be open for curbside pickup, as we are a food manufacturer not only in our pub, but in the brewery. As the pandemic continued, we had to have great relationships with our suppliers and our eyes and ears open to the current events that would affect our supply chains. Through all this, we still had to provide beer to the public, so while our production beers took a hit, it gave us some creative freedom to produce fun and specialty type beers to help entice our regulars and even new customers to want to come by and support us. I can’t understate the local support we received during all of this; it is something we will always remember.”

Wyndee Forrest, president at Nevada Craft Brewer’s Association and owner at CraftHaus Brewery: “The craft beer industry is built around community. Our fans know our stories, they engage with us on a personal level, they want to hear the process behind the creation of beer, we celebrate the wins with them and mourn the losses together. People really looked at how they could support one another during the pandemic and how their purchases could have the most positive impact.”

The return of the Great Vegas Festival is a great way to reconnect with the brewing community. How important are events like this in establishing a sort of beer identity for the city?

Michael Shetler, craft beer business development manager at BreakThru Beverage: “Festivals are often maligned as just a big party. My response to that, especially if you have ever attended a virtual beer festival or tasting, is what’s wrong with that? Sometimes the best way to appreciate beer is to do it with hundreds of other people in a fun environment where you aren’t overanalyzing, you’re just enjoying it. As far as establishing a beer identity for Las Vegas, festivals are important [for] bringing people together to appreciate a wide range of available beers in the city and [connecting] people to local breweries they may not have visited before.”

Brian Chapin, founder at Motley Brews and Great Vegas Festival: “Ten years ago we were one of the few companies producing local events because we thought there was a lot of opportunity to get together with friends and develop that identity on a small level. Now there are all kinds of people doing [beer] and culinary events. The goal of [Great Vegas] remains to offer a place that you can kind of come home to, to come together with your friends, try local food and local beer, and all the people serving it are super cool and unpretentious and want to feel like you do.”

Pascual: “It is a collective effort for us to establish that [identity]. We are only as strong as our weakest link. I think that keeps a lot of the local breweries on our toes. The local beer industry has taken leaps and bounds in recent years but there are many other beverages that people have access to in this town, so for us to continue establishing ourselves, we have to continuously provide quality and innovation.”

Some local breweries shifted to more package sales instead of draft during the shutdowns. Are businesses continuing to adapt and change now that COVID seems to be subsiding?

Forrest: “Packaging beer is an extremely cost-intensive process. If a small brewery does not own their own canning line, they must hire a mobile canning service. Lead times and cost of all packaging materials skyrocketed. This led to what has been coined as the ‘Candemic.’ The advantage that most craft breweries have is we are small enough to pivot quickly. For instance, CraftHaus changed its entire business model overnight by creating a digital platform to order our products for curbside to go. Now, craft breweries are ensuring they will never be in that situation again by stocking enough raw material and packaging materials to sustain their business for at least a quarter.”

Shetler: “The shutdowns forced some breweries who didn’t have a big stake in off-premise [packaged beer sales] to adapt, and I think that will strengthen their business models moving forward. I think everyone learned that having all of your eggs in one basket is a risky proposition.”

There are more great beer spots in Strip casino resorts these days, including many that offer local brews. How important is that potential exposure for the local scene in general?

Forrest: “Breaking through the gatekeepers of the Strip is a daunting task. However, there has been a shift in carrying more locally produced beers because the Strip is demanding it. Whether it be the tourist who wants to have something they cannot get at home, the executive chef who is mindful of their menu and offering a quality-driven product alongside their thoughtful dishes, or distributors having a full range of local beers to represent, the shift is happening.”

Metcalf: “Many of these casinos don’t have the draft systems in place to service the guests playing on the casino floors. Therefore, they need local craft that is in cans and bottles to offer to the guests. Restaurants and bars within the casinos have steadily increased their local selections and I am confident that will only continue to grow. People want to try local beers when they are on vacation, they don’t always want the same stuff they can get at home.”

Pascual: “With the millions of people that visit here, it’s pertinent that visitors imbibe our brews and see our tap handles and packaged beer. Seeing what is going on in other craft beer markets has also helped create a want here in Las Vegas. People tend to want to know about or indulge in things that are sourced or made locally. Once people try our beers, I’m sure that they can see the quality we bring to the table.”

What does Las Vegas need to level up and be mentioned among other great American beer cities?

Shetler: “The local brewery scene needs to continue to evolve and grow with an uncompromising commitment to beer quality. Also, I am perplexed why a city with so much culinary richness doesn’t embrace beer as much as it should. We need more restaurants offering interesting beer lists. That has been a void long before the pandemic. Lastly, Las Vegas needs to develop an annual organized, coordinated Beer Week similar to Philly or San Francisco.”

Forrest: “Las Vegas is home to national and global award-winning breweries. We don’t need to mimic any other beer-centric city because we are uniquely Las Vegas. Nevada’s antiquated laws that apply to our businesses stifle growth, so the Nevada Craft Brewers Association is poised to affect change to benefit our industry. If independent breweries are strangled out of the market, particularly the Strip and now sporting venues, they will never get to the point of being able to compete with larger, regional and national brands. If we want to change how our industry can advance, we have to be that change.”

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