Vegas - Finding Good Beer in a Cultural Desert

In your 20's, Vegas is often a fun a trip - well at least it was back in the 90s (dating myself there, aren't I?). By your 30's roll around, the glamour is gone and Vegas seems jaded, more than a touch trashy and only tolerable for a short weekend, and you will leave with a silent sense of relief of having survived. I am here to tell that Vegas in your 40's is hell on earth. I mean hell on earth. Hot, dry, dusty and chock full of people that you wouldn't want to share an elevator, much less a hotel or an entire weekend. It is also a cultural wasteland where cheap booze and sleaze reigns supreme.

Unfortunately my primary passion, hiking the high deserts of Utah, California and Arizona often routes me through this purgatory.  So this most recent trip, I attempted to rehabilitate Vegas a bit and to seek out a couple of notable beer establishments.  Now full confession here, you will either need a car or be willing (meaning sane enough) to stay off the strip to go to these places. That is a qualifier, but here are three places to go.

North of Las Vegas, the desert begins to take full grip but you can find an oasis to wet your palette up in the Tenaya and Cheyenne intersection.  Your first stop here, should be the Tenaya Creek Brewery.  Here you can sample offerings from Las Vegas's finest micobrewery. For you heavy hitter fans, you can try the Tandem IIPA, God of Thunder (Baltic Porter), and their Imperial Stout offerings.  There are also straight IPA, Red Ale, Lagers and Hefeweizen on tap for those wanting something not so intense. After sampling these beverages you can walk down the street 100 meters (a couple hundred feet) to your next stop. At this point, I would strongly recommend just getting a hotel room at the La Quinta Inn across the street. It is cheap, clean, free parking and convenient, and there is a free Continental breakfast with coffee to nurse your hangover the next morning.

The next stop is Aces and Ales which will offers fifty quality taps, a very good (albeit pricey) bottle list. Cosmetically, the bar is not that much, outside has that strip mall type of feel.  Inside isn't much better, there appears to be 20 seats at the bar and 15 of those are dedicated to those playing video poker at the bar, which is EXACTLY what you came to avoid.  Don't despair, the dark, seedy, sensory depriving interior here is of no consequence to you. They have beer here, and some very good stuff.

The beer menu does rotate constantly, but while I was there it included some pretty awesome stuff including Ballast Point's Sculpin, Sierra Nevada's Hoptimum, some Evil Twin offerings (Ryan and the Beaster Bunny), and some Cigar City collaborations. No junk here, quality beers served is semi-appropriate glassware and economical for Vegas ($6 pours for various pre-determined sizes).  I am fully confident that you will not be disappointed with whatever is on offer.

The food bills itself as gastropub influenced but the think more of "Friday's" than your favorite gastropub. Other minor gripes include having to order your beer by number from your waitress. Do not expect your server to advise, although the one bartender seem spot on all of her summations and advice.

All in all, this place isn't going to blow you away, but the tap list is great, the bottle list is extensive - if you are ready to drop down $45 you can even grab a Firestone Walker 14th Anniversary.  Compared to the swill offered in Vegas, this place is paradise and paired with a Tenaya Creek trip it is worth a trip to the hinterlands.

The last place is near the airport, and I am really saving for those out of town (in a big way) guests like myself. Out on Eastern Avenue off of the I-215, there is a small liquor store, Khoury's Fine Wine and Spirits specializing in fine wine and craft beer.  This little store has 12  great rotating taps, and about 200 bottles of craft beer available as well as a fantastic owner with a knowledgeable staff.  If you are intending to bring beer home, this is a MUST stop. This is really your only stop unless you are headed to a "big box" liquor store to try to score some beer that the locals haven't scoured off.  Khoury has some super quality taps, and on a recent visit I was able to score Squatter's Brew Pub - Outer Darkness, a Tenaya Creek cask, and a Epic Brainless Series. If that does not tempt you, how about a Ballast Point Black IPA, a Hanger 24 offering and an obscure Sierra Nevada release.  You get the point, no standard crap here, good taps and super friendly knowledgeable service.

The tap area is where you can also enjoy a bottle chosen from the cooler is casual and relaxed. Old wine/bourbon casks mixed with long tables serve as your seats/tables and you are likely to strike up a conversation with a beer rep from the area or a fellow craft beer enthusiast even if they have ridiculous calf tattoos and shorts from the 1980's.  It would be relatively pointless for me to list the beers available here since Khoury's runs over his low volume frequently and the beer's constantly rotating. However, on this most recent trip, I picked up some Prairie Artsinal Ales, some Epic "Big Bag Baptist", Joseph James's Fifth Anniversary, a Bruery Tradewind, a Mikkeller Chiptole Porter, and much, much more. And how friendly is Khoury?  I was checking out and he said that I had a great selection of beers to take homes but then showed me that he was unpacking a Dogfish Head American Beauty and offered it to me based on my tastes. Score. Win. Thank you.

Beer Advocate ranks this place this place as World Class, a rating which I think is questionable. It should be excellent, Khoury's primarily a wine guy (look at the space distribution in the store) and the bottle selection is not overwhelming. However, it is excellent (I would kill for a place like this in Vancouver) and what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality and service.  So my advice is to definitely go here, and bring some bubble wrap or thick clothes to wrap your beer bottles in your suitcase. And, oh yeah, get a cab to the airport and enjoy the taps.

Draft Mag 100 Best Beer Bars (2013) - The Pine Box in Seattle

Draft Magazine recently released its 100 best beers in the US list.  Lists are always highly subjective or "crap" as one of my friends opined.  But what lists often give you is new information.  So it is best not to get too upset about the list's inclusions or omissions but to use it as a guide for your own exploration.  I recently found myself down in Seattle for a long weekend and I decided to stop in to at least a couple of the bars on the list.  Full disclosure here, in the past I have found Seattle (and in general the Pac-Northwest as a whole) overrated as a beer scene (both in breweries and bars).  So, I was excited to check out some of the listings in an effort to experience new places and get a fresh perspective.

The Converted Funeral Home Now a Classy Beer Bar

The first stop was the relatively new (opened in 2012) - The Pine Box.  You have to love a bar that has been built in the chapel of an old funeral home.  The results are very good. A big airy feel, with high ceilings, a 2nd floor for dining, and a quirky but very classy vibe to it all.  The bar itself is a long "L" with the bar space wide and roomy.  As an added bonus, the wood for the bar was taken out of the basement of the original funeral home, where its original purpose for shelving for the remains of those that have shuffled off their mortal coil.

The tap menu is 32 quality taps centered on local breweries but also including fine choices from across the US and abroad.  My personal favorite on this day was the wonderful, over the top, Imperial Stout from Dugges Ales in Sweden called (appropriately) Idjit!  Lots of roasted caramel and malts with coffee and chocolate tempered with a bit of vanilla. A real quality sipper for a cold, rainy Seattle day.  The bar staff were very attentive and helpful with assistance in picking beverages. It was obvious that they were beer lovers also and their detailed descriptions were appreciated.

Idiot Drinking Idjit!

The full bar is also well stocked, including some very local distilled spirits available (think local meaning, down the street).  I did not eat here on this day but the menu appeared delightful with fresh pizzas, some small plate options, and a handful of well thought out entrees. 

As stated, lists are always highly subjective.  Is The Pine Box one of the top 100 beer bars in the country?  That can certainly be debated, but it is a very visually cool spot, with quality beer and friendly staff.  That alone should make you stop and check it out while you are in Capitol Hill district of Seattle.  The Pine Box is located at 1600 Melrose Avenue in Seattle, Washington.  Their website is www.pineboxbar.com