Don’t let the two beers listed on CraftHaus’ menu fool you. Henderson’s newest brewery has one of the more ambitious beer programs in the Valley.
The brainchild of Dave and Wyndee Forrest, CraftHaus features a duo of core taps—IPA Resinate and Saison Evocation—but will add an ever-expanding, rotating list of beers to its other taps, courtesy of head brewer Steph Cope (the Valley’s only female head brewer, incidentally) along with R&D head brewer Steve Brockman. They're creating small, experimental batches with the facility’s 20-gallon “pilot system.”
When the brewery celebrates its grand opening September 12 and 13, Cope will be pouring a pair of browns, for example. She’s actually got four stashed already, including one made with French oak and whiskey, another with American oak and whiskey, one with cocoa nibs and one with coffee. She’ll soon release a rye IPA, “and from there we’ll get super-creative,” Cope says.
Wyndee says the decision to start with only two signature beers was made early on. “A lot of times breweries will open and give you 12 beers. I’d rather have strong, consistent quality beers that are brewed true to style than a portfolio of eight so-so beers.”
Along with quality, the Forrests stress community in every aspect of their business, from the 2013 Kickstarter campaign (that raised $26,000 in 24 days) to the tap room, where family members, employees and friends volunteered their time and effort to create the décor. Love seats, benches, stools and a traditional Bavarian beer table provide plenty of space for large groups, and eight cuckoo clocks by the bar (one of which was made in Germany) let you know the time in resounding fashion.
To reflect the brewery’s ever-changing menu, the Forrests made a chalkboard wall, and will be inviting local artists to “install” artwork to reflect the newest products. “When we get into packaging, I’d like to turn the artwork into the beer label that coincides with the seasonal release,” Wyndee says.
And the Forrests can’t wait to give back to their supporters. “I think our community is a little bit sick of importing everything,” Wyndee says. “It’s nice for our community to know this comes from our own backyard.”
CraftHaus Brewery 7350 Eastgate Road #110, 702-415-9184. Thursday, 5-10 p.m.; Friday, 5 p.m.-midnight; Saturday, noon-midnight; Sunday, noon-6 p.m.
