Las Vegas will sell you a drink at any time of day, but for most of the 20th century, it couldn’t brew one. Commercial craft brewing was effectively dormant statewide from 1957 until 1993, when the Nevada Legislature finally created the brewpub license that made the industry economically viable again. 

Even now, 98% of beer sold in Southern Nevada comes from somewhere else—a wild stat for a city where the party never ends. But despite the challenges of pandemic policies and shifting consumer demographics, the Valley now has more breweries than ever before. Locals are even asking for Nevada-made brews by name.

So, are we living in a legitimate brewing city?

A brief brewstory

The story of brewing in the Silver State is one of persistence. Great Basin Brewing Company—credited as the first modern brewery anywhere in Nevada—emerged in Sparks in 1993 after founders Tom and Bonda Young successfully lobbied state policymakers to establish specific brewpub licenses. 

With those floodgates opened, Vegas echoed a familiar trend in that most of its earliest breweries were tied to casinos. Southern Nevada’s first microbrewery launched in 1993 as Holy Cow Casino and Brewery before moving and rebranding itself as Big Dog’s Brewing Company a decade later. This Wild West era also saw Triple 7 open at Main Street Station in 1996 and the establishment of Ellis Island Brewery in its namesake casino in 1998. 

The turn of the century saw breweries branching out beyond casinos, starting with Tenaya Creek Brewery in 1999 and Chicago Brewing Company in 2000. More joined the fold ahead of the Great Recession, which ushered in some closures just before the craft beer boom took hold nationally.

According to the Brewers Association, the number of craft breweries in Nevada has grown from just 18 in 2011 to at least 50 today. In that same period, the number of national operations increased from 2,252 to close to 10,000.

A major local barrier fell in 2014, when CraftHaus founders Wyndee and Dave Forrest helped convince the City of Henderson to reduce its brewpub license fee from $60,000 to $10,000.

Kyle Dolder, a former medical device sales professional who founded Las Vegas Brewing Company (LVBC) with his wife Jamie in 2023, credits that effort as a crucial step forward. 

“From the beginning, [the industry] was heavily restricted based on some of the laws that were in place in the City of Las Vegas,” he says. “Henderson really started adopting and accepting craft beer in a way that could allow breweries to start, and that’s why you saw the early adopters of the craft movement down there.”

Lawmakers pressed on to incrementally reshape the brewery landscape before and after the pandemic. Passed in 2017, Assembly Bill 431 included significant updates to brewpub regulations and notably increased the annual production cap from 15,000 to 40,000 barrels. 

The City of Las Vegas made its move in May 2023 when the City Council approved a temporary waiver of certain alcoholic beverage license charges within an area it designated as “Brewery Row.” Encompassing a 1.6-mile stretch along Main Street in the Arts District, the zone is now home to at least a dozen distinct brewery branches and craft beer bars, including a second LVBC location that opened last spring. 

“That was probably the biggest change that I’ve seen since I’ve been here,” Dolder says. “It helped valleywide, and you’re even seeing tap rooms from those breweries that started in Henderson moving to the Arts District as well.”

Today, the Valley’s brewery count is approaching 30, with the vast majority of them coming in as a direct result of all that bureaucratic tinkering. Other newer additions include the opening of North Las Vegas’ first brewery, North 5th Brewing, in 2021, followed by Cin-Cin Brewhouse & Seafood Bar in the Arts District in 2024, Evolve Brewing by Aces & Ales at The Bend in 2025 and Brewery Row’s Modest Brewing Company in January.

Setting up shop

It takes years of preparation to even begin brewing your own commercial products. Able Baker Brewing founder Randy Rohde got an initial taste when he and his friends started dabbling in hobby brewing off stovetops and in garages more than a decade ago. He became proficient enough to start contract brewing under the now-defunct Joseph James Brewing Co. in 2016. 

“I just jumped off the cliff, basically. I decided to quit my job bartending at the Wynn, and my wife was working there as well. She supported us, and I didn’t get paid for almost four years,” Rohde says. “It was very rough for a long time, and the contract brew set up was not profitable at all. But then we started getting our name out there.”

Three years later, in April 2019, Able Baker moved into its first brick-and-mortar space in the Arts District. Since then, its atomic theme and diverse tap list has been popular enough to warrant a second location in Centennial Hills set to open this spring. The existing headquarters and brewery includes 31 taps, 85 seats and 22 employees, while the sister space—dubbed the Bomb Shelter—will feature 26 taps, 255 seats and add 45 to the payroll to help bolster its new kitchen offerings. 

Chris Jacobs of Beer Zombies is another former Strip bartender who took the plunge after realizing his side hobby—sharing his art and images of beers he liked on his original Beer Zombies Instagram account—had enough of a following in 2013 to eventually support a full-fledged brewery. 

“It all started with me coming home after work, having a beer, doodling, drawing, taking pictures and posting them for the world to see,” Jacobs says. “I came up with a cool logo that resonated with a lot of people, and from there, we started doing merchandise and traveling around doing events. That led into collaboration brewing, where I would go to other breweries and we would make beer together.”

Beer Zombies opened its first taproom and bottle shop off Warm Springs Road in 2019 and then expanded to Downtown Summerlin and Boulder City in 2021 and 2022, respectively. While the Summerlin taproom closed its doors last year due to leasing challenges, Jacobs already had plenty on his plate after acquiring Tenaya Creek and its Downtown building on West Bonanza Road in 2023. 

“We worked it out that if I were to buy the property and the equipment that I would also continue the legacy of Tenaya Creek—taking it and pushing it into a newer era,” Jacobs says. “Over the last two years, I’ve done a full rebrand. We went from 12-ounce cans to 16-ounce and rebranded the packaging to a very Nevada-specific theme.”

He moved Beer Zombies’ headquarters there the following year. With both brands under one roof, Jacobs took on another creative challenge in finding a way to keep both in their own lanes.

“It was actually harder to rebrand Tenaya Creek, because anything that you see in Beer Zombies, that’s just me, that’s in my head. I didn’t want this to feel like it’s Beer Zombies part two. So, not only do we have two completely separate styles and brands, we also have two distributors,” Jacobs says. “It’s a lot of moving parts, but it does make it feel like it’s two different breweries living under the same roof. It doesn’t cross over. There’s not a style that we’re not doing and that lives within both of those brands.”

Between both operations, Jacobs says they produce an average of 15 new varieties each month—or approximately 157 in 2025.

Growth by the growler 

Over in Henderson’s Water Street District, Mojave Brewing Company and Lovelady Brewing Company took advantage of the city’s business-friendly outlook to carve out their own regional followings a bit further from the urban core.

Lovelady has become known for local themed brews like its 9th Island Pineapple Sour, as well as its emphasis on sustainability. One block over at Mojave, founder John Griffith opted to differentiate his business by also operating as a cidery—an inspiration driven by the fact that his wife, Kristi, has celiac disease, as cider is gluten-free. It remains the only cidery in Nevada. 

Ever since opening in 2020, Griffith has remained a regular behind the bar, serving locals who all affectionately refer to him as “Griff.” On a sunny day filled with couples playing Connect Four, several good dogs and a squad of retirees plotting their move over Pilsners, the Michigan native and former schoolteacher discussed his journey and the tradeoffs brewery owners have to make to succeed. 

“I got to the point where running the business was becoming a full-time job. Even though I love making beer and still get to get my hands dirty from time to time, I knew that I either had to commit fully to being the head brewer or I really had to be the owner,” Griffith says. “The choice was obvious.”

He hired longtime local brewer Andy Kohon to take the reins in late 2022. And while Las Vegas hasn’t yet developed a signature style of beer, Griffith says bold experimentation is the key to getting there.

“When I get a chance to travel, I always drink the beer where I’m at to get a feel for what’s going on. That way, I’m not just taking ideas from our little pond here, but from the greater ocean of ideas,” he says. 

Jacobs seconds this tip, adding that the Valley’s status as a growing and largely transient community helps bring fresh perspectives into the mix. 

“People tend to brew within their own boundaries, but if you have people that are bringing stuff in that you’ve never seen, all of a sudden, it’s going to start elevating everything,” Jacobs says. 

For Jacobs, the most successful Nevada breweries over the next decade will also be the ones that embrace distributing outside state borders. 

“Luckily for us, that was already something that I’ve been working on since day one, and we’re now distributed in 32 states and 20 countries. Vegas is such a destination, so now you’re making fans that are eventually going to come here. It kind of keeps this whole cycle going,” he says.

A hoppy ending?

“Growth took place largely between 2013 and 2021. Since then, we have seen some balancing,” Griffith explains. 

Lately, the buzz has been around Gen Z’s habit of drinking less than older generations. Some speculate that it’s played a role in softening the craft beer market and contributing to decreased alcohol sales in general, but it’s likely just one of several economic factors. 

It comes at a time when numerous owners and brewers say the local scene is still 10 to 15 years behind other developed Western metros like LA, San Diego, Denver, Seattle or Portland—or as Griffith says, “areas where you can throw a rock and hit the door of a brewery.”

Beer Zombies head brewer Weston Barkley doesn’t buy it. 

“I’ve been hearing that now for 13 years, and I’m like, are we 23 behind? I don’t feel like we’re ever hitting that leap forward,” he says. “Craft beer has always been very distinct and aggressive, and we need to find new ways to dig into that and evolve.”

So, is Las Vegas beer legit yet? It depends on who you ask—and maybe also who’s pouring.

“What do you do when the industry that you’re in is on a downward slope? You can either double down on what you’re doing, or you can try to find out what the next step is,” Jacobs says. “I think the next evolution is learning that you need to do more than just open the door and pour beer. … You’re not just a brewery; you’re an entertainment company, a social gathering spot and community hub.”

That ethos has arguably fueled the Valley’s accelerating brewing culture just as much as the changing regulations have.

“We can’t predict how tourism is going to go, and so the craft brewing scene in Las Vegas lives and dies by our local community,” Griffith says. “To see the friendships made across the bar and the first dates that have turned into weddings is everything that I could have hoped for here. It’s not always about money, right? This is a labor of love, and to have a community that loves us back just means the world to us.” 

Your Las Vegas brewery and taproom checklist

Able Baker Brewing 1510 S. Main St. #120, 702-479-6355, ablebakerbrewing.com. Sunday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Bad Beat Brewing 1421 S Main St., 725-205-3623, badbeatbrewing.com. Sunday-Wednesday, noon-8 p.m.; Thursday, noon-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, noon-midnight.

Beer Zombies 831 W. Bonanza Road, 702-362-7335. 567 Nevada Way, Boulder City, 702-293-0148. Hours vary by location, thebeerzombies.com.

Big Dog’s Brewing Company 4543 N Rancho Dr, 702-645-1404, bigdogsbrews.com. Daily, 24 hours.

Boulder Dam Brewing Co. 453 Nevada Way, Boulder City, 702-243-2739, boulderdambrewing.com. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday,11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Chicago Brewing Company 2201 S. Fort Apache Road, 702-254-3333, chicagobrewinglv.com. Daily, 24 hours.

Cin-Cin Brewhouse & Seafood Bar 914 S. Main St., 702-909-0906, cincinbrewerylv.com. Monday-Thursday, 2-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, noon-1 a.m.; Sunday, noon-10 p.m.

CraftHaus Brewery 7350 Eastgate Road #110, 702-462-5934. 197 E. California Ave. #130, 702-888-1026. Hours vary by location, crafthausbrewery.com.

Ellis Island Brewery Ellis Island Casino, 4178 Koval Lane, 702-733-8901, ellisislandcasino.com. Daily, 24 hours.

Evolve Brewing The Bend, 8680 W. Sunset Road #E-100, 725-735-5663, evolvebrew.com. Monday-Tuesday, 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.; Wednesday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

Hop Nuts Brewing 1120 S. Main St. #150, 702-816-5371, hopnutsbrewing.com. Monday-Thursday, noon-11 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-1 a.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Las Vegas Brewing Company 3101 N. Tenaya Way, 702-333-4858. 1226 S. 3rd St. #180, 702-982-0022. Hours vary by location, lvbrewco.com.

Lovelady Brewing Company

20 S. Water St., 702-564-3030, loveladybrewing.com. Monday, 2-8 p.m.; Tuesday-Thursday, 1-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, noon-11 p.m.; Sunday, noon-8 p.m.

Modest Brewing Company 918 S. Main St. # 150, 725-263-0113, modestbrewco.com. Daily, noon-10 p.m.

Mojave Brewing Company 107 S. Water St. #100, 725-204-1387, mojavebeer.com. Monday-Thursday, 2-9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, noon-10 p.m.; Sunday, noon-7 p.m.

Neon Desert Brewing 7380 Eastgate Road #110, 702-281-3735, neondesertbrewing.com. Monday-Thursday, 4-10 p.m.; Friday, 2-10 p.m.; Saturday, noon-10 p.m.; Sunday, noon-8 p.m.

Nevada Brew Works 1327 S. Main St. #160, 702-664-1500. 820 S. Rampart Blvd. #110, 725-205-4022. Hours vary by location, nevadabrewworks.com.

North 5th Brewing Co. 60 W. Mayflower Ave., 702-992-3772, north5thbrewingco.com. Tuesday-Thursday, 4-10 p.m.; Friday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Tenaya Creek Brewery 831 W. Bonanza Road, 702-362-7335, tenayacreekbrewing.com. Sunday-Monday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-midnight.

Triple 7 Restaurant & Microbrewery Main Street Station Casino, 200 N. Main St., 702-387-1896, mainstreet.boydgaming.com. Monday-Thursday, 4-9 p.m.; Friday, 4 p.m.-midnight; Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-midnight.

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