Beer advocate guide to Las Vegas

I do love the craft beers and I just saw a copy of the BA guide to Las Vegas.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/place/city/35/
Looking forward to Money Plays when I'm at the Gold Coast in 2 weeks

 

Damn! Besides New York New York and the Cosmo, there are none that are near me. The Venetian is a bit of hike for beer. That said, surprised there's such a dearth of craft-beer-serving venues...would image craft would be exploding in Vegas. Glad bloodies and margs never go out of style.

 

You'll get a decent selection of beer in The Pub in Monte Carlo.

https://www.montecarlo.com/en/restaurants/the-pub.html

 

Pub 1842 and TAP at MGM Grand.

 

That list isn't exhaustive and ignores regular casino bars on the Strip mostly. TAG Lounge at Linq casino has a large selection of compable beer (pushing 200 beers) with better VP paytables than most CET properties; this is my 2nd home in Vegas.

The sports book at Cosmo had about a dozen different craft beers compable with play, and Sculpin is available at Venetian and most Cosmo bars. Harrah's main bar has about 20 different taps, and I was able to get a Ballast Point "Victory at Sea" bottle comped last trip. I also saw about 20 beers available near the pool entrance in the Flamingo lobby, and they have VP machines there, so those should be compable too (didn't get around there for a beer).

Bally's should have Lagunitas available at their bars at least (most CET properties have that).

And if you're looking to not gamble for your beer.

Yard House in Linq promenade and the Pub at Monte Carlo have sizeable selections. Beer Park by Budweiser at Paris has some craft, but most of the selection is owned by AB/InBev, meh.

 

The BA list didn't address casino bars, just known and member reviewed bars and restaurants.

I was hoping my post would lead to a nice list of all great beer locations, casinos included.

Here's the latest update on the yard house

http://http://www.brewbound.com/news/2016/yard-house-tap-1600-new-beers?utm_source=Brewbound&utm_campaign=cf0baf6b4f-mailchimp&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6026cb3473-cf0baf6b4f-168952169

 

Didn't InBev just buy a bunch of Craft houses? I know that makes them less "crafty" but I thought they bought at least one decent one, but my memory escapes me at the moment.

 

They went on a buying spree late last year....
This list from CNN ..

The self-proclaimed King of Beers has gone on a shopping spree in the past week, scooping up Arizona's Four Peaks Brewing Company last Friday, the U.K.'s Camden Town Brewery on Monday and Colorado's Breckenridge Brewery on Tuesday.
Once those deals are done, Anhueser-Busch InBev (BUD) will own eight craft breweries. It bought Goose Island back in 2011 and followed that up with the purchases of Blue Point and 10 Barrel last year and Elysian and Golden Road Brewing earlier this year.
The company also owns a nearly 32% stake in publicly traded Craft Brew Alliance (BREW), the parent company of Widmer Brothers Brewing, Redhook Ale Brewery and Kona Brewing Company.

 

Redhook, Blue Point, and Goose I'll take, not a big fan of Kona and Widmer is okay. Smart moves by Bud though I'm curious as to what was the evaluative criteria for their purchases.

 

Hard to say the exact reasons, but I would guess its a combination of geographic desirability, position of the craft brewery in the marketplace, its distribution network. There are so many new craft breweries coming online every week making it difficult to get distribution agreements with wholesalers, then getting tap handles into bars, then getting shelf space in retail stores. My concern about AB Inbev buying up these craft brewers has nothing to do with changing the product, but squeezing out smaller craft breweries downstream in distibution and wholesaling where the rubber meets the road. AB distributors have a license to print money and they have the muscle/power/inertia to get their tap handles into restaurants and brands on the shelf.

Plus look at all the craft beers owned by SAB Miller and how will these be affected with the proposed merger with AB Inbev.

I can't blame these small craft brewers from selling out, its hard to not accept a pile of cash.

 

Growth is in craft, the big guys know that and they're simply being smart. If AB InBev tells Four Peaks to start making Kiltlifter like Bud, we have a problem, Houston. If they let 'em make what they make, it's OK. VW owns Porsche, fer heaven's sake.

 

Ballast Point was started in the back room of a home brew supply store. They sold out late last year to Constellation Brands for $1 billion. Talk about an American success story! Constellation Brands got US distribution rights to Corona when AB-inbev bought the Mexican brewer.