Beers on Fremont Street in Vegas

This would 2 cent and Hog of @hogand2cent.
The pair posted this picture on the plane just
before leaving El Paso, Texas for Sin City the
other day. They were heading into town for a
major "group pull" on a slot machine named
Heidi that Hog assures me is a "bitch." It
seems everyone in the group pull has at one
point or another lost money to Heidi. So this
week, they all converged to kick Heidi's ass.

(Okay, so this is the blog that I've been writing for over six years - Brew Ha Ha! - and yeah, it's about beer. Almost always great craft beer but there are exceptions. The other one I just started writing - 61 Turning 16 - is about people, places and things. I guess this one kinda is, too... but with BEER!!!)

Okay, y'all got that? This is the beer blog. So I wanna start today with a little talk about... not drinking.

*Record scratches loudly* Wait. Hold on. Whaaaa...??

So let's explain here. You know how every once in a while you come across someone who says, "You don't need to drink to have fun." Eyes roll. Responses are usually along the lines of "You don't need running shoes to run... but they sure f**king help!" I know this because I am precisely the kind of guy who would say that.

Well, I stand before you today, humbled and ready to state that perhaps that's the wrong mind-set and here's why. I have watched dozens of videos shot in Las Vegas from El Paso, Texas couple, Hog and 2cent. I've talked to them privately. I know their real names, though in this forum, they're always Hog and 2cent. That's their gig. Now the thing about their videos I like best is that they're a couple traversing Las Vegas. To me, that's what makes it relatable. If you can travel happily together, well, you're a stone-cold solid couple. Truth. But they have so much fun in Vegas - well, who doesn't? - that I missed one small thing.

While I totally admire 2cent's dedication, I,
of course, veer in a different direction. I am
down there to find some of the best American
craft beer that's available in Las Vegas. And
I pretty much succeed. And will do so again.

That thing is it turns out 2cent doesn't drink. Well, I mean, of course she drinks. Just not alcohol. She's 11 years sober. Here I had been watching their videos relentlessly and didn't even realize it. I mean, they're having so much fun, you just kinda assume booze is involved. But no. Hog has the odd beer or drink here and there but 2cent keeps it to "mocktails." That's pretty damn impressive. I mean, she's having a blast down there, alcohol-free. And you wouldn't even notice that booze was absent. I didn't.

I promised her I would look for mocktails when I was there in September. Best I found at three separate bars were Virgin Mary's. Boring. Actually, so are Bloody Mary's. Fellow Canadian Vegas lover and vlogger Mark (@pennys4vegas) and I will attest that Bloody Caesars are far superior. Clamato Juice (tomato juice-clam juice, invented in Canada) and vodka! That's a proper mixed drink and as I recall from my macro days, the ultimate Hangover Helper!

Because Mark drinks them so happily and frequently in Vegas, Hog, who knows I drink only beer, challenged me to drink a Bloody Caesar during my September trip.

Okay, because my fellow Canadian Mark
loves his Bloody Caesars, Hog challenged
me to drink one. I haven't had a Caesar in
probably 25 years. But here's Derrick at
the Golden Nugget bar, holding me up that
damn Caesar. And man, he nailed it. That
said, this was like 5 am on Day 5 or so. It's
possible that while I had just woken up, my
taste-buds had not. But damn, it was good!
As a beer drinker, I did this one for Hog...

While I always avoid hard liquor these days (I hate the taste of most of them and the effect of all of them), Hog dared me. So I pretty much had to.

Now I pretty much just sleep in four or five hours shifts in Vegas before I wake up, clean up a bit (shower if necessary) and head right back out. So one morning, I found myself at the bar in the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino, my awesome home-base for the week. It was 5 am. Too early for coffee but also nothing was open (it's all Starbucks in Vegas) so hey, time for that Caesar. One problem. I asked bartender Derrick for Bloody Caesar and he said, "What's that?" Now I know for a fact they're in Vegas because Mark's posted dozens of pics of Caesars so I describe the ingredients. The second I say, okay, clamato juice, vodka... *bam* he knows it exactly. They might have a different name for the drink down there? I'll tell you this for free, Mark. Derrick makes a dynamite Caesar so check it out sometime.

And here's the other thing. I had that Bloody Caesar, two Stone IPA and a New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale - What? I was waiting for Starbucks to open! - and my bill came to just over $20. On the strip, that's $50 easily! This is why Fremont Street is about to see a whole lot more of me! Probably the next 10 trips, to be honest.

But I don't usually sit at bars. I'm usually grabbing beer from a store and roaming the casinos or surroundings (in this case, Fremont Street, which is insanely fun, all within about a three or four block area) to people-watch. So what do you do at a bar when it's 5 am? You talk to the bartender.

Okay, hands down, the most interesting beer on
Fremont Street was at Banger Brewing. Here, we
see Brittany serving me an El Heffe, an American
Wheat Ale... but brewed with jalapeno, serrano,
habanero, green and red peppers. This was the
spiciest wheat ale I've ever had. And fantastic!!!

Okay. So hey, Derrick, what's it like being a bartender in Vegas? He laughed and says, man, you see some crazy shit. Like what, I ask. He stops. I have him now. "Okay, look at that woman at the end of the bar. She's as high as hell. That's why I'm staying down here by you." I look down and see this kinda blonde version of Gwen Stefani but possibly on crack. For about 10 years or so. Even from a distance, yeah, she's a mess. Derrick has left co-worker Bryan to deal with this dumpster fire. I mean, it's Vegas so you're gonna see a few train-wrecks.

So Bryan comes walking back. I ask, how bad is she? Oh, so bad, he laughs. We sorta continue to watch her. She's on her phone at the bar. She wanders away. Ten minutes later, she's back. And then, she walks away. Repeated a half dozen times. I say to Bryan, aren't you worried she'll skip on the bill? (After all, I was running a tab.) "Are you kidding?" he laughs. "I made her pay up front." Not sure what happened to her. At some point, she wandered away to become someone else's problem. And while the crazies are usually a little more colourful in Vegas, at that moment, the same scenario was playing out in bars across North America at different points in time. Vegas is no different. Except you may have to occasionally deal with a drunk and belligerent guy dressed like Elvis. I mean, she was fried... but harmless.

Okay, full props to Ricky, enjoying a beverage at
Binion's street-side bar. I have seen this T-shirt
online but I have never actually seen someone
wearing it. I should have known it'd pop up in
Las Vegas at some point. Surprised it wasn't me.

So I got to watch these bar theatrics unfold in the early hours in the morning simply because Hog challenged me to drink a Bloody Caesar.

But, you know, BEER BLOG!! So let's get busy. Okay, much like the Vegas strip has an established craft brewery in Sin City Brewing, so too does Fremont Street. I was happy to see Banger Brewing was just a 10-minute walk from the Golden Nugget and popped in twice during my stay, both times being served by Brittany. (So you know, she was great, by the way, Banger, very knowledgeable on the product.)

Naturally, I drifted towards their IPAs, first trying their Hazy Smalls New England IPA, goosed by Amarillo and Mosaic hops. It was as juicy AF and an awesome opening statement. On my second visit, I went full west coast with their Tuhop Shakur IPA, 6.6%, loaded with grapefruit and citrus. (You see what Banger Brewing did there - Tupac Shakur, tragically gunned down, was the west coast voice of the deadly East Coast-West Coast Rap Wars in the mid-90s. Also gunned down a few months later, east coaster The Notorious B.I.G. Hazy Smalls is a take-off on his name, aka Biggie Smalls.)

Also on deck at Banger was The Chocolate Thunder Stout. Just 5.5% but loaded with chocolate, coffee and caramel notes. Delicious!

Okay, this was freaky. I mentioned in a previous
blog that Dean here had a funny T-shirt but that I
have no idea what casino on Fremont I had just
wandered into. Hog immediately jumped on to tell
me I was in the Golden Gate. He knew from the
carpet. Again - I repeat - he knew the carpet! I was
blown away. Eventually, Mark came on and said,
"Uhh guys, he's holding a Golden Gate cup." Well,
holy shit, so he is. But Hog got it from the carpet!!

But the one I really wanted to try on behalf of my homebrewing buddies, Graeme and Danny, was their El Heffe Jalapeno Wheat Ale. Graeme and Danny like to spice up their homebrews and this one, well, it pushed all the heat buttons being jacked with jalapeno, serrano, habanero, as well as red and green peppers. The brewery says it adds a "mild heat." Uhhh, a step or two above mild, I would say. But just a fantastic take on an American Wheat. Well done, Banger.

Okay, if you're followed my adventures on the Vegas strip through this blog before, you know I have two go-to's when it comes to IPAs. They would be Stone Brewing's (Escondido, California) IPA, an American classic since they opened in 1996 and the Boston Brewing Company's Samuel Adams New England IPA, a more recent arrival that's been available on my last four trips, dating back to, ummm, late 2018? (What? I like Vegas!) So Stone has my west coast needs covered while Sammy Adams gives me that hazy glory of the east coast. (That's the east coast-west coast feud to which I pay the most attention. Sorry, rappers, I love your music but hey, no fatalities here.)

But, of course, I'm always on the hunt for either Las Vegas or Nevada beer while I'm down there. Stone IPA and Samuel Adams New England IPA is what I drink between local finds. The Yard House, just off the strip, in The LINQ Esplanade, is the best in all of Vegas for that - 180 taps, every beer identified as to where it's brewed.

When I stumbled across this Peace Love & Hoppiness Pale
Ale from Las Vegas' Big Dog's Brewing, I stumbled across a
winner. An easy drinking, west coaster that had a beautiful
citrus aroma that was 6%. Found in a six-pack of 12 ounce
(355 ml) cans at a souvenir store right on Fremont Street.

And believe me when I say, they have tons of Nevada breweries on tap.

So I was thrilled when I found some Big Dog's Brewing on Fremont Street because it's a Vegas brewery. I was on the Vegas strip in May, which is, of course, the trip that first follows my annual Birthday Week Sojourn Into Vegas in February for the past two years. There will be a third Vegas Birthday Week in February 2020. But for those keeping score, this year, Vegas in February, May, September and November.

But back to my May trip, I had found Big Dog's Underbite IPA, as well as their Dirty Dog IPA. There's one of those Liquor Superstores directly across the highway from Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, which is just a monorail ride away from Excalibur Hotel and Casino, where I was staying.

At that same liquor superstore, I also found six-packs of Tenaya Creek Brewing (Las Vegas) Hop Ride IPA, Joseph James Brewing (Henderson, Nevada) Hop Raider IPA and Bad Beat Brewing (Henderson, Nevada) Hoppy Times IPA. So that liquor store served me very well.

Okay, as you can clearly see, there is nothing black about this
Genesee Black. Sight unseen, I had assumed it was a black
lager and told Twitter that with 20 likes, I would down one.
It was a malt liquor. I did not down it. I had two gulps and
then threw it in the trashbin. It was horrific. Really terrible.

But this time in September on Fremont, I found the Big Dog's Brewing Peace Love & Hoppiness Pale Ale, also in a six pack. Great Pale Ale... nice citrus on the nose and tongue, 6%, pretty much everything an out-of-country beer lover could ask for to start his after-coffee and after-breakfast day (okay, Egg McMuffin's - stomach padding.)

That brings me to the Horror Show part of September's trip on Fremont Street - the part known only as the Genesee Black Debacle. While I was in a souvenir store, I saw something called Genesee Black. Now, even as a Canadian, I am familiar with Genesee beer, particularly the famous Genesee Cream Ale, which stretches the boundaries of what is classified as an ale.

It was like $2 for a 24 ounce can so I threw its picture out on Twitter with words to the effect of "20 likes and I'll down this." I had 20 likes in under five minutes and 15 of those were people I did not know. I don't follow them. They don't follow me. I mean, seriously, how did they even see my challenge?

Okay, my Vegas Craft Beer Adventure actually started before I
even got to Vegas. I had a lay-over at the Minneapolis Airport and
saw some great Minnesota breweries on tap at a bar there. I just
posted this picture and next thing I know, one of those brewery
owners was DM-ing me on Twitter, asking if I wanted samples.

Twitter is truly a horrible place filled with horrible people. But I said I would so... Now I assumed that Genesee Black would be either the macro version of Dark Lager or a Cascadian Ale. Ummm, no. It was malt liquor. You know who makes a good malt liquor? No one. Ever. It was horrible, people. I nearly died. That's gasoline, pure and simple. If I had lit a cigarette (and I often do), I would have become a Human Molotov Cocktail. *Boom* Donny bits all over a casino. No one wants to clean up an exploded Canadian. Maple syrup everywhere.

Okay, here's another thing and I kinda loved it. My flight from Toronto to Vegas was not direct (which, duh, I prefer.) I have an early morning lay-over - 8:30 am to 11 am - at the Minneapolis Airport, which was actually really, really nice. Lots of food, lots of bars that were actually open in the morning, unlike Toronto's Pearson Airport, which, what's that phrase again? Oh, right. Blows donkey ass. So anyway, I checked this one bar and man, they had some really great craft beers.

I promised Hog I would visit Atomic Liquors on Fremont Street. And I
did. Except they weren't open until 5 pm and I likely wandered down at
about 2 pm. Not a close walk from the Fremont Street Experience. When
I go back, I am Uber-ing my ass back there. Because I'm just that lazy.

If you look at the above picture, you get my drift. Normally, I would be all over that Mankato Brewing (North Makato, Minnesota) Mad Butcher IPA. I mean, that's totally my wheelhouse. But the Waconia Brewing (Wacona, Minnesota) Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter?? I mean, you pretty much have to go for that if you love a good porter. It was fan-frikkin-tastic. Like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup in a glass. So damn tasty. And I wasn't even in Vegas yet.

But here's the fun part. The owner of Mankato Brewing actually DMs me on Twitter and says, hey, can we send you samples of our product?

Okay, here's that group - or at least some of it - that went to Las Vegas
this past weekend to do a "Group Pull" on a slot machine named Heidi,
who had burned them all. Did they beat Heidi? Well, I tell you what. I'll
post that video here. This is, from left, Cory, Linda, fellow Canadian
Mark, 2 cent and Hog. A few others are missing at this point. But I will
tell you this. Please watch 2cent's turn at Heidi The Bitch very carefully.

Now I'm often told that I'm a "beer influencer" on Twitter. Someone that breweries give free beer to because they know they'll get free publicity. I always respond by saying I have only 1,450 followers on Twitter - actual social media influencers like, say, Kylie Jenner have millions - and that anyone who listens to me has rocks in their head. My "influence" is limited at best. But more honestly, it's negligible. Well, there's your proof. A brewery in North Makato, Minnesota, wanted to send me samples. They don't know @BeerStoreDude or Don Redmond from Adam. I keep telling people that "Breweries do this now!" Of course, Mankato Brewing can't. I live in Canada. You can't ship beer across the border. But terrific offer and, hey, believe me, I wish they could.

This is where I'm lodging in November. I'm headed
to Las Vegas to watch the Toronto Maple Leafs play
the Golden Knights, making it three straight Leafs'
games in Vegas. (Each team has won one game by
identical 6-3 scores.) But home-base this time? Hey,
I'm headed to The D. Heard a lot of good things...

Okay, so a few take-aways from this blog. For all those who think, "I can't go to Vegas because it's nothing but drinking and partying there"? Well, I offer up 2cent from Hog and 2cent, who's 11 years sober, and still has the time of her life every single visit to Vegas. She proves, once and for all... you don't need to drink to have fun.

For all those who think, "Vegas is just too expensive. I can't spend all that money." To you, I offer you Mark, @pennys4vegas. This guy finds coupons, Group-Ons, online gambling sites that are free but get you discounts in Vegas. He goes for next to nothing. Plays penny machines. The whole nine yards. Has a great time. Offers informative videos on doing Vegas cheap. Check him and @hogand2cent out on YouTube.

And finally, for those who are not gambling people, I offer me. We're talking 14 trips and maybe I've dropped $30 or less in slots each of those times. Some trips, I've forgotten to gamble altogether. I just have no real interest. I go to find great craft beer and people-watch others gamble. It's a blast. Especially roulette, which fascinates me.

So what's your excuse? It's a fantastic vacation, no matter what you're into. To me, there's no place like Vegas... any place. It's the best. So here's that group pull video: Watch 2cent's Pull Very Carefully Because... KA-CHING!!!  But Scooby Doo Gang, that's it, that's all and I am outta here. Until next time, I remain...