Back to Fremont Street for more craft beer!

Well, I'll tell you one thing for free. When I posted this on
Twitter and asked, "Guys, drink holders at urinals: Yay or
Nay?" it certainly brought out some spirited discussion.
About two-thirds said, "Good idea" but the third against
it were pretty vocal about the sanctity of their beers in an
unsanitary area. Personally, I'm all for it. But I'm weird.

(Yeah, this one's the beer blog that's been around forever - or at least since June 2013. Gets confusing, eh? Well, for you, maybe. I know which is which. But it's about beers around Fremont Street in Downtown Vegas so there's a duel component at work here. You get beer. You get Vegas. But you don't get showgirls. That'd be too much for one blog.)

Okay, a lot of my beer blogs start off strong... and then go down the crapper. So this time, I figured I'd just start in the crapper. Literally.

You see, almost every single washroom I've ever used in Vegas has those little metal flat stands where you can rest your beer while you, y'know, get rid of the beer before it. Beer goes in, beer goes out. It's a story as old as time.

So I took a picture and threw it out there on Twitter, asking: "Beer or drink holders right there at the urinal: Yay or Nay?" The thing is I'm not sure I've ever seen this in Canada. Actually, I'm pretty sure I haven't. We just find some precarious perch for it or leave it where it was before entering.

About two-thirds of the respondents enthusiastically said, "Great idea!" having the platform for your beer at the urinal but a few added a reason I hadn't even considered.

This is Pete, originally from New York, serving me
up a big 32-ouncer of Bell's Brewing (Kalamazoo,
Michigan) Two-Hearted Ale, long considered one
of America's best IPAs, at the Prohibition Bar in
the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino on Fremont
Street. I'll be staying there on the March Break. As
you can see, the bar has some Rat Pack history...

That was the possibility of someone dropping a roofie or a goofball into your drink if left unattended outside the washroom. True, true... that makes you somewhat susceptible to robbery or a good old-fashioned mugging within about 15 minutes.

A couple of the nay-sayers suggested that you down any drink before entering the lavatory. Well, take a look at that beer up top. That's a 32-ounce Stone IPA that I got at The Longbar in The D. If I had to go for a whiz at this point, does it really look like I could finish that first? Among the many activities I enjoy in Vegas, pissing my pants doesn't make the list. We've all heard the stories of folks wearing Depends at their slot-machines because they don't want to leave it for a natural bodily function and miss the big payoff.

But there were other nay-sayers that offered even stronger reasons - the issue of what's actually floating around in the air within the washroom. Noted Ron Gold, "Food or beverage should never enter a washroom - there's aerosolized fecal matter in the air." So, basically, Ron's saying every washroom we walk into is quite literally a flying shit-storm. Giraffeturd agreed: "Once you consider the plumes of spraying and splashing urine that is really going on in there, there's no way I'm taking a drink in there."

In the end, it was S. Andrews who perhaps offered up the smartest compromise.

This is JJ at Banger Brewing offering me up my beloved
El Heffe Hefeweizen wheat ale. The brewery and I have
long been debating how hot this beer actually is on my
Twitter posts. I maintain that, yes, this is a very spicy-hot
wheat. The brewery maintains I'm just a gigantic wuss.

Bring it in with you, he said, but "one hand over the beer to limit any presumed nasty germs from getting to your drink. When finished, wash hands and continue. (It's) not safe to leave on the table/bar so yeah, the beer shelf."

But I had to laugh. A simple post like this and it sparked such vigorous debate. Perhaps the motto the city should have gone with is: What happens in Vegas... becomes a focal point for intense scrutiny on Twitter. So, anyway, that's how I start my beer blogs. I wonder how the other beer writers start theirs? I'll have to read one someday, I guess.

Okay, let's move along from the exit strategy of everyone's beer and get into the actual matter of my beer intake on Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas during my Birthday Week trip earlier this month.

Let's start with Banger Brewing right on Fremont Street simply because the brewery and I have an ongoing Twitter debate. That is simply this: How hot is their El Heffe Hefeweizen? Now when my buddy, Mark, and I visited the brewery on February 9 to film one of his Pennys4Vegas travel vlogs (see You-Tube), we both drank it. That surprised me.

Not the first time I've mentioned this gang in my beer
blog when I visit Fremont Street and likely won't be the
last. I'm a pretty big fan. Though not a huge place, their
selection is pretty impressive and their styles diverse.

You see, Mark likes his macro beers, such as Bud or Corona in Vegas and Labatt Blue up in Canada. This was his first foray into craft beers. Quite probably his last, as well, but I was there first-hand to see him do it, all for the sake of a different and fun new angle for his vlog. Because of Mark's Groupon coupon, the brewery gave us a paddle consisting of four shooters, all four ounces, and four more full-size 16 ounce pints. It think it was $26 all-in. One helluva deal. But then Banger is one helluva solid brewery so...

But back to that El Heffe dispute. You see, it's brewed with jalapenos, serranos, habaneros and, I believe, both red and green bell peppers. I maintain it's a pretty hot and spicy beer.

Banger good-naturedly disagrees: "It's not even spicy. Not even a little bit. The peppers are fire-roasted, leaving little heat behind. You're one of those who think ketchup is spicy, aren't you?" Hey now, I'll have you know I ask for the hot salsa in my burritos! That said, skinny, white suburban folks from Canada like myself don't really know the hot stuff. My co-worker's family hails from Sri Lanka and he maintains that in food, his level of hot and my level of hot are pretty far separated.

This would be Daniel at the Whiskey Licker Up Bar, serving
me a Saint Archer Hazy IPA. I watched the Whiskey Licker
Up Bar at Binion's Casino being built when I first visited
Downtown Vegas last September and it was completed by the
time I returned in November. It has a killer craft beer menu.
But I didn't visit the place for the first time until I came
down to Fremont Street for Birthday Week 2020. Cool spot.

So here's my compromise, Banger, because Canadians are all about getting along. That is the hottest wheat ale I've ever had. Truce?

So anyway, on our Banger Paddle with the four separate four ounce shooters was the El Heffe, their Morning Joe Kolsch, their Coppertail Marzen and their DTB Brown Ale. I gave Mark the Morning Joe, figuring a lagered-ale might be his kettle of fish. He made a funny face after that first sip so I suggested he take the El Heffe and I'd drink the Morning Joe. I knew why as soon as I tried it. Strong coffee back-flavour. Turns out Mark doesn't drink coffee. No problem. I drink exactly two liquids and coffee's the other. I loved this one and I'm that beer lover who finds most Kolschs as boring as hell. When a brewery tells me they're releasing a Kolsch, I'm like, "Hey, good for you. (*Polite pause*) So what else you got?" Mark saw the two darker ones - the Coppertail and DTB - and backed away (no surprise) so I had both. They were damn solid brews and both completely on point, style-wise.

However, I just noticed on their on-line menu that they also have a Morning Joseph Imperial Kolsch now. It's 9%. Yeah, count me in when I return for March Break. Screw morning coffee. Gimme that Morning Joseph, instead! Now, that's a Kolsch!

Here's the outside view of the Whiskey Licker Up Bar at Binion's
on Fremont Street. Okay, so the 360-degree bar may not be quite
a unique design in Vegas (you will notice many bars in the middle
of a casino are circular - I have a whole theory about this) but this
one moves! It takes about 20 minutes to do a full revolution. So I
don't think motion sickness is ever going to really come into play.

That said, it's possible this beer will remind me of two of my four greatest fears. Now I don't share this with everyone because it's very personal you have to understand. But they are: 1) Running out of beer. 2) Running out of coffee. 3) Running out of toilet paper. And 4) Running. This beer could actually unearth some scary stuff on a deep internal level. If, y'know, I had any of that in me. So, yeah... I'm good.

Okay, let's shift off Fremont Street and take a five minute walk down a side-street over to my home for Birthday Week, the Downtown Grand Hotel and Casino so we can check out the beer action there.

Not only would I highly recommend the Downtown Grand (truly a fantastic place and experience there) but if you like your craft beer, oh yeah, they have a couple of treats on tap for traveling strangers. I was barely through the door when I was checking out the taps at the casino. I was pretty pumped to see the distinctive tap handle for Doghead Fish 60 Minute IPA. While nearly all I know prefer their 90 Minute IPA, I am a hold-out for the 60 Minute.

Toby was working the bar at Freedom Beat restaurant
and by the first night, knew my name. I felt like Norm
on Cheers. "Don!!!" This was during one of their 2 to 5
in the morning Happy Hours where pints dropped from
$8 to $4. (Appetizers also half off.) Their OTHER Happy
Hour was from 2 to 5 in the afternoon. I think they may
have been a bit surprised to see me at nearly ALL the
Happy Hours during my one week stay. What can I say?

In fact, it was in Vegas that I finally got to try them side-by-side. There was a Walgreen's on the strip with a walk-in beer fridge. It had both so I picked up a sixer of each, wandered back to the nearby New York New York Casino, sat down at a slot and tried them both at the same time. With its pine richness and solid malt backbone, I can certainly see why most prefer the 90 Minute but there's something about the fruit punchiness of the 60 Minute that made me give it the edge. Doesn't matter - they're both fantastic.

But as I spotted that 60 Minute tap handle at the Downtown Grand casino bar, the bartender, noticing my excitement, pointed to their restaurant, Freedom Beat, and said, "An even better selection in there for a guy like you." No kidding. As well as the 60 Minute IPA, they also had the Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing IPA. So in one bar, I had premium east coast style and west coast traditional IPAs.

But wait! There's more! Freedom Beat also had a Peanut Butter Stout on tap from Mother Earth Brewing (Vista, California) called Sin Tax Imperial Peanut Butter Stout. Holy Godiva, this was some tasty. While I was sitting there, I found out on Google that not only does this 8.1% bad boy use peanut butter but also chocolate malts, chocolate wheat (that's a thing?) and brown sugar. Small wonder it tasted so great with all that!

When the amenable young man suggested a fridge for my room, I really
figured I didn't want to let him down, given his kindness, so I started
stocking it. On my first trip to Downtown Vegas-Fremont Street back in
September, I quickly found a souvenir shop with an amazing selection of
craft beer in its fridges because, well... of course, I did. I had already had
the New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Juicy Haze IPA in November for the
first time but the 9% Sierra Nevada Fantastic Haze Imperial IPA was a
new one for me! Geezuz, lemme tell ya, that was one juicy AF fridge!!!

Fun side-story from my first night there. I landed at about noon on February 9th and then went to Banger Brewing that night with Mark for his vlog. Went back to Downtown Grand after that and straight to my room because I'd been up since 5 am Toronto time. But after a power nap, I woke up at 3 am, dragged a brush through the mop I call hair and scooted straight back downstairs for Happy Hour at Freedom Beat.

I was just relaxing in the casino, chilling, listening to the sounds of slot play and cheering at the crap table (which I love) when at about 4:15 am, the supremely-familiar opening instrumental of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" started to play. You could hear a pin drop because that song is a timeless rock anthem to many.

When our Vegas friends, Kaylene and Nick, of Sin City
Nerds fame (both on Twitter and YouTube) posted a
picture of Nick laying all model-like in front of a Vegas
fountain (forget which), Kaylene decided perhaps we
needed a calendar of Vegas men in front of statues. Hog
of Hogand2cent instantly decided mine had to be this
one, the replica of Manneken Pis from Brussels, Belgium.
Now in actual fact, Manneken Pils literally translates to
"little pissing man." The one in front of The D is actually
bigger than the original which is 24 inches high. And if
that doesn't bring this blog full circle, what else could??
Starts with beer stands at urinals, ends with this. Noice.

As the singing began, right along with Steve Perry, two ladies at the craps tables started singing loudly (and very well, I might hasten to add), "Just a small town girl..." and simply kept going along with it. By the time, it got to "Just a city boy..." about a half dozen more, myself included, jumped in to join the Sing-Along-With-Steve Show. Within seconds, more than half the place was singing the song. Granted, as I said, it's a smaller casino and it was 4:15 in the morning but that meant about 25 of us, all joined in harmony. Locked into the moment. At the end, we all clapped, laughed and hooted a little.

Yeah, I suppose this could have happened anywhere. But for that night, it didn't. It happened in Vegas. When people ask me, "Why always Vegas?" it's because of this! That's why Vegas! If you think about it, our inner child is actually the oldest part of us all and in Vegas, we all remember how to play again. And for that one Journey song, strangers from across the world shared the sandbox beautifully. That's why Vegas!

Okay, done with beer but not quite done with Vegas. Months ago, Hog and 2 cent were on a podcast with Chris from Faces And Aces LV. This week, Vegas Podtoons recreated that interview in cartoon form and I... was... dying! As well, my man, Mark had a one-on-one with Jonathan Jossel, CEO of the Plaza and it was a beauty! So click here for: Back Alley Chicken With Hog and 2cent and click here for: Plaza Walk-Thru With JJ Both are well-worth a watch. Okay, Scooby Doo Gang, that's it, that's all and I am outta here. And remember: That's why Vegas! Peace out.

Vlogs with Pennys4Vegas and Downtown Grand

Long before it became Oscar's Steakhouse (named after three-term Las
Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman), this second floor pool (circa 1970-ish) at
the Plaza was your best view of Fremont Street towards the east. This
was well before the Fremont Street Experience where three-to-four city
blocks are now enclosed under a spectacular canopy that runs the length
which is traffic-closed (except at north-south road crossings) and now all
pedestrian and performer-friendly. I so love these vintage Vegas photos.  

This is the blog that's NOT my beer blog, the award-winning Brew Ha Ha. I only call it award-winning because did you know you can walk into a trophy store and they'll put whatever you want on a trophy? Seriously, whatever you tell them. You should see all the shit where I'm, like, the absolute best - sports, writing, drinking! Anyway, this is my people, places and things blog. Today, it's a place. My favourite place. The City of Las Vegas.

Okay, when I landed in Las Vegas' McCarran Airport on February 9 at roughly noon (their time), it marked my 16th trip to Vegas.

Trip #17 is coming next month, Trip #18 is booked for May. I promised myself that Trip #20 would be done in 2020. I don't gamble much but I have many friends who do - both low-rollers and high-rollers - and I am willing to bet (okay, a wager here and there) that they will find some sort of gambling significance in that whole "20 in 2020" sequence. Just sayin'...

With seven months left to play with after May, well, let's just say that's pretty do-able. In fact, I mean, we're talking Vegas so wouldn't Trip #21 make even more sense? (Shut up. Just agree. I know 2021 actually makes more sense for Trip 21. But six trips in one year? Epic!)

Just a couple of Canadians dudes drinking craft beer at Banger Brewing
on my first night there. Now Mark's a macro drinker so normally, this
would not be in his wheelhouse but he had a Group-On for Banger and
that made it more up his alley. To truth to tell, we did find him a few that
he quite enjoyed. But Mark's strength is he will always find Bud for $1.

But let's get back to Trip 16 - that February 9 to 16 trip - for a couple of reasons. One, it's now my third-annual Birthday Week in Vegas. 2018 was at the Excalibur. 2019 was at The LINQ. Both of those are located on the main Las Vegas Strip. And this year, it was at the Downtown Grand, just steps off Fremont Street in grand old Downtown Vegas. That choice was made, based on a video by British Vegas vlogger named Matt Bridger. Much more on the Downtown Grand and Grandmaster Bridger in a moment or two. (You see that clever wordplay there? No? Good for you because it wasn't even remotely clever.)

But Night One would prove to be an interesting one, involving the consumption of beer.

Banger Brewing was the place that took Mark's
craft beer virginity. But he was game to try some
new beers and, man, we found some stuff he did
enjoy. That said, Mark will always be a macro dude
at heart. I always say, "Drink the ones you like."

And while that would seem to be a "Well, duh!" statement whereas Vegas is concerned, there was a twist. A fairly significant one, I would say. My Canadian buddy, Mark, better known on social media as @pennys4vegas, was meeting me at well-known Fremont Street craft beer brewery/bar Banger Brewing.

So what? Well, here's the thing. One, we had never met in person. And two, Mark is a macro drinker. In Canada, he loves his Labatt Blue, which was my mainstay beverage for decades before I got into craft beer. In Vegas, this man has a nose for finding Bud at a buck a bottle in countless places. He's like a Buck Bud Bloodhound. (Seriously, try saying that three times fast.)

But Mark's whole gig is "Doing Vegas As Cheaply As Possible" and given the rise in his YouTube subscribers, there are a lot of people who would like to do exactly that - the Vegas thing for less dough. So I would say he's onto something good here. The whole point of being on YouTube is creating something people want to watch. He has. Mark can correct me if I'm wrong but when I started following last Summer, I think he had maybe 300 subscribers. He just hit 1,600. That's a helluva jump in a very short time. (I'll do the Math for you - that's over 500 per cent.)

I'm not trying to speak on Mark's behalf but I know THIS is his idea
of a night of drinking in Vegas!! From the back moving forward, that
would be Mark, notorious Vegas bad boy Anastas617, who also has a
YouTube vlog (search anastas617) and finally, a very funny couple,
Tamara (rhymes with camera) and Gord, who you can also find on
YouTube on vegasbestideas. On Twitter, just add @. Okay, so I think
ALL of them posted this night on YouTube. They were all at Stage
Door Casino in Vegas drinking $1 Bud's and man, that night looked
crazy. When ol' Anastas gets all, umm "unfiltered", it gets very funny.

Now since this is NOT the beer blog, I'll tell you what Mark and I drank both at Banger Brewing and Chicago Brewing in 4 Queen's Hotel and Casino in my next beer one, as well as what I drank flying solo.

But I appreciate what Mark did for me that night and lemme tell you why. If your whole gig is "doing Vegas as thriftily as possible," then craft beer does not come into play. It simply costs too much. Because we were meeting for the first time, he stepped way out of his comfort zone, just to be a good buddy. Yeah, there was a Group-On coupon involved but still, that's just a good deal for craft beer. Not a good deal for regular beer drinkers at all.

This dude tried all sorts of new and crazy tasting beers when, dammit, you knew all he wanted was a Bud. And Mark, I'll tell you this for free. The first time I tried an India Pale Ale, many years before I dove into craft beer and was a Blue drinker, would you like to know what my reaction was? Unfiltered, like Anastas does? "This doesn't even taste like fahkin beer."

So I get it. So thanks, brother, for hanging in there. I think you got a pretty decent (and certainly very different) vlog out of it so, hey, that's okay. Given the reaction to that vlog, well, a healthy handful of viewers seemed to quite like it. You can never tell, eh?

Being part of a vlog was a chance to get some interaction from viewers and while you always hope people aren't dicks, we all know the reality of the Internet anonymity.

I absolutely cannot say enough positive things about the Downtown
Grand. I enjoyed my experience there so much. Because it's a little
smaller than some places in Downtown Vegas, there is an air of, well,
familiarity to it. The bartenders knew what I wanted to drink, all the
front desk knew my name and even though I make zero demands as
a traveler, they busted their butts to make sure I was as happy as I
could possibly be. They have the "hospitality" thing nailed down.

People can be assholes... just because they can be. None of us knows who Bob6969 really is. But (unless Mark removed their comments), none were. In fact, they were kinda cheerleaders for the whole thing and man, that's cool.

In fact, some British dude named james82 kind of nailed it. He said, "Felt like I was listening in to two blokes enjoying a chat and a few beers. Nice change to see a relaxed vlog." And the thing is, having been there first-person, that's exactly how it felt. We just met, Mark was way outside his comfort zone beer-wise and yet, even when I watched it, it felt like we had known each other for 25 years or something. Taping that vlog with Mark felt like the most natural thing in the world to me. And that, my friends, is the power of these YouTube Vegas vlogs. I hide in the shadows of words though I do clearly identify myself. They, on the other hand, are front and centre, talking to you personally. I think that takes guts.

And you know what? Next time we meet in Vegas, I'll spend some time drinking Bud with him. I'm no beer snob. If it has water, hops, barley malts and yeast involved in the brewing process, dammit, I'll do it. Might not enjoy it as much as my favourite craft brews but I owe him. He did it for me. And, of course, I'll link to his vlog at the end of this. I think his one with me was just north of 800 views. Sounds good but Mark can easily get 1,500 views just on a simple room walk-through so that's his real audience.

Okay, so right now, the Downtown Grand Hotel and Casino has these
two towers. I stayed on the 19th floor in the one on the left. As well, they
have a third tower under construction and slated to be up and open by, I
believe, this November. That's the casino on the bottom right, but up on
its roof is their pool. Great set-up. Not the biggest casino in Downtown
Vegas but I loved it in there. Granted, two separate Happy Hours had a
lot to do with that. Half priced draft and appetizers at Freedom Beat 2 to
5 pm and again at 2 to 5 am. They got to know me pretty damn well... 

Okay, time to talk about the Downtown Grand Hotel and Casino, which is basically about three minutes off Fremont Street. Now I can't remember if I booked my Birthday Week there before or after I saw a video from famed British Vegas Vlogger Matt Bridger. Because he had some pretty high praise for the hotel, I suspect probably the latter. It doesn't really matter either way because it was everything he said and more. As well, he has since filmed a separate walk-through of the Downtown Grand, which I'll attach at the end.

This has a much smaller casino than the other hotels on Fremont Street but not being much of a gambler, I was fine with that. It was the little extras that I loved here. A super-friendly young man at the check-in front desk instantly offered me a room fridge, to which I happily said, "Ummm, okay..."

Though I am keenly aware there is an ongoing legal
dispute between the Downtown Grand and its bar
tenants, Hogs & Heifers Saloon (long story short,
the hotel would prefer them to vacate because of
excessive rowdiness and fighting), I saw my one
opportunity to go into the infamous biker bar, so
I took it and had a blast in there one day. Fun!!

Let me tell you why this is relevant. My buddy, Mark, from up top there, needs a room fridge to store his diabetes meds. So, too, does 2cent, the female half of Vegas vloggers, Hogand2cent. (We all love 2cent. Hog is on more of a day-to-day assessment basis. Kidding, of course, we love him, too, and their vlogs are a riot.) If a room does not have a fridge, the hotels will send one up to you on request. Seriously, it's a given. People need fridges for any number of reasons, the most important being medical. One of the four hotels Mark stayed at this time, the MGM Grand, told him that's no longer their policy. If he wanted a fridge, it had to be rented at $35/night. Mark posted that on Twitter and a huge number of us went ballistic. Eventually, they relented for his second night (he was only there for two) but I mean, come on, customer service, people. Places that ignore how they appear on social media do so at their own risk these days.

Did I use my fridge? Hell yeah, I got some of my medicine in there immediately - a six-pack of New Belgium Juicy Haze IPA and another sixer of Sierra Nevada Fantastic Haze Imperial IPA. And it is medicinal. Those meds cure the shit out of sobriety.

Now I'll get back to the Downtown Grand in a second because it's such a great spot but part of their complex is a Hogs & Heifers Saloon. Now, of course, because their clientele leans towards the motorcycle crowd, I guess their reputation isn't what you'd call sterling.

This is Emily, my server at Hogs & Heifers. Now
I almost always get a picture of anyone - male or
female - serving me to post on Twitter. There are
exactly two poses - big smiles or goofiness. Until
I asked Emily to pose, I didn't realize there was a
third option. This might be my new favourite...

So, anyway, there's a ongoing legal dispute between the Downtown Grand and Hogs & Heifers Saloon for reasons you probably guess - rowdiness, fighting, the usual stuff. But I do know this. When the evening hours roll around, this saloon brings in bouncers that look like NFL linemen. I'll also say this from my many years on this mudball, I've known a lot of bikers over the years and frankly, I prefer them by far (very, very far) to many of the judgmental "Christians" I've known during the same time period. Truth.

And while I will sidestep this legal dispute altogether, I knew I had to go into Hogs & Heifers at least once in case they, well, vacated in the future. I know of them all too well but have never seen one. So I did. During the daylight hours, of course. Their craft beer selection was limited, of course, but they had Lagunitas IPA, which now being owned by Heineken, is half craft-half not. Good enough for me in a gin-joint like this.

And man, what a blast! I was there for a few hours, just soaking in the environment. Think the Coyote Ugly bar at New York New York Hotel and Casino but with a much rougher edge. The waitresses will happily and freely insult you and to quote that great philosopher Mr T, I pity dah fool brazenly stupid enough to come onto one. She'd probably kick the shit out of you herself and then toss the bloody, pulpy remains to a bouncer to finish off the job. Of course, I loved it there. Every Vegas trip seems some degree of rowdy fun. Just a bit of crazy.

Okay, the Freedom Beat bar-restaurant at the
Downtown Grand has TWO Happy Hours. It's
from 2 to 5 in the afternoon and again at 2 to 5
in the morning. I was there for a week. I think I
made 12 of a potential 14 Happy Hours. What?
I mean, $4 pints of great craft beer? Of course!

So I had to go there! Simply because they may not be in that location some day soon. The one thing I have noticed about Las Vegas is it's a constantly evolving place. Nothing lasts forever. My first trip was July 2007. It already looks like a completely different place now. I suspect other Vegas lovers will agree.

Okay, back to the Downtown Grand. This is certainly a smaller casino than most I've seen in Vegas. Again, I'm not much of a gambler but when I watched a Matt Bridger video (two, actually) on the place, it seems to have many of the slots he prefers and what I have learned from all these Vegas vlogs is the right slots are key.

I mean, I'll throw in $20 here and there to kill time but I have no idea if what I'm seeing is good or bad. Slot machine screens that look like a dog's breakfast to me all of sudden have all these connecting lines that add up to some coin. And I have no idea how. It's a little like watching Figure Skating at the Olympics. You see someone do all the spins and you think, "Wow, that's pretty impressive." Suddenly, the announcer comes on and says, "Oh, I doubt she'll recover from that critical faux pas." And you're like, "I don't get this at all." That's me and slot machines. I'm just there to drink good beers, enjoy the environment and escape reality, if even for a week. But yeah, I'll throw $20 in a machine.

This is Samantha. I forget where she was from (Rhode Island?) but I was
sitting at an adjacent machine. Okay, this is the second time this has
happened to me in Vegas. She wasn't having much luck with her slot. It
had a spinning bonus half-circle at the top if that helps the slot players I
know. But the second I plunked my scrawny ass at my slot just to have a
smoke and check Twitter near her, she hit a bonus round. And it kept
going. As I was saying, well, good luck to you, she answered, "Can you
stay? Drink service will bring you a beer very soon." Turns out that she
just kept hitting bonuses with me nearby, chatting. Her (roughly) $150
went up to - not kidding - $2,160.10. This was at the Downtown Grand
and I guess she thought I was good luck? It was less than five minutes.

That said, if it gets up to $50, I'm cashing the hell out. I measure my wins in potential vacation beers, fast food and little else.

But that brings us to the drink service at the Downtown Grand. I would just be at a machine, having a smoke, checking out Twitter and drinking a beer and - no joke - every five minutes, some nice young lady was by, asking how my drink was doing. At first, I said, no, all good here. Because really, unless you're gambling, you shouldn't accept drink service. About halfway through the week, it dawned on me that I could make this a win-win. So one day, I said, sure, I'll have a Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA and minutes later, she showed up with one. She got $5 tip every single time and I got a beer. Then my drink service got even better! Because it's a smaller casino, the ladies serving were there that much faster. I forgot to ask their names - there was just a few different ones through the week - but one made me laugh when she asked if I was a big Canadian musician.

Rubie at the Freedom Beat bar-restaurant in the
Downtown Grand Hotel and Casino was the one
who had to break the news to me. I had drank all
the Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing IPA. No big
deal. They still had their Dogfish Head 60 Minute
IPA so I was good. Then I tapped that out, just as
more Hazy Little Thing showed up. It was all cool.

No musical talent whatsoever but maybe the bigger "tips" and the long hair, I guess. But they were all super sweet, friendly and very efficient. That's one of the bigger complaints I see from the gambling community - drink service. Go to the Downtown Grand. It'll have a slot or craps table you're happy with and seriously, a drink service second-to-none in probably all of Vegas. Sometimes, smaller is better.

Which brings me to Freedom Beat, their restaurant-bar. You'll read more about this place in my next beer one because besides both an east and west coast IPA, they also had a Peanut Butter Stout that was pretty much craft beer porn.

Okay, from 2 to 5 in the afternoon and again, 2 to 5 in the wee hours, ALL beers and appetizers were half-price. So $8 pints suddenly became $4 pints. They got to know me VERY well. I ate there, I drank there. I can live off appetizers. Yeah, sure, I went onto Fremont during the day and night. But I always came back. The staff was outstanding, most of them remembered me instantly. (Again, probably the hair.) But Matt Bridger was right. The Downtown Grand is fantastic. I will absolutely be back in the late Summer or early Autumn. But what a great guest experience. Back with the beer blog! Oh, here's Pennys4Vegas vlog about our Banger Brewing fun right here: Pennys Does Craft Beer! And here's Matt Bridger's Walk-Through so you can see where I stayed: Matt Goes Downtown Grand. His history at the beginning is awesome!

Why was Vegas important on March Break?

After 13 straight trips to the Las Vegas strip, I've only been to Downtown
Vegas (the Fremont Street Experience) for the past two visits in September
and November. So I'm still exploring it all. Lots of cool stuff in all of the
casinos-resorts so far but none moreso than the Golden Gate Hotel and
Casino. The history alone at this particular establishment is so amazing.

(This is the blog that has literally nothing to do with beer and everything to do with the people, places and things in my life. Does beer ever enter the picture in this space? Well, yeah, it's still me, after all...)

I literally had my finger on the button ready to push it back in December.

A mid-January 2020 Las Vegas week-long vacation, flight out of Toronto and back, one week at Hotel Apache attached to the back of Binion's Casino all set up through an online travel website. The cost? It was $611, all-in. I mean, how do you say no to that?

But I hesitated. I figured it would be best to first bounce it off the senior full-timer, who does all the scheduling. We're in retail where January is notoriously slow so I knew that wouldn't be an issue. But it's best to make sure he doesn't also have plans because one of us should really be there. That said, I suspect you could plunk down a traffic pylon to replace me. Unlike me, at least you could shift it out of the way.

So I simply left the tab open, knowing that if I wanted, I could simply refresh it later and carry on. This was, I think, mid-December or so, meaning I still have plenty of time left. Looking back, I'm seriously glad I had the moment of hesitation.

Hog has left me with very explicit instructions for my
February trip. Find this water fountain, built in 1906,
somewhere in Downtown Vegas. The date alone tells
me it's gotta be at the Golden Gate. But I still have to
find it! This would be 2cent classing up the picture...

You see, by the time I returned to my laptop, good friends that I haven't met yet are Vegas vloggers and they were mulling over a Sin City vacation during a different time period. March Break. I'll explain why in a minute. Okay, whole new ball game. You see, I already have my annual Birthday Week in Vegas booked - seven days at the Downtown Grand for February 9 to 16.

I don't get fresh vacation days until May 1st but after the birthday booking, that still left me with eight or so days of play-time before then. I mean, I've already booked the Plaza for May 3 to 10. (I'm obviously quick to dip into a fresh batch of vakay!) So do I take January trip at $611, the cheapest week I've ever seen? Or do I go March Break for about a grand so I can finally meet these Vegas Twitter folks who I watch regularly on their You-Tube vlogs? Cash-wise, the January option would seem to be the gimme, the smarter choice. Because, well, $400 cheaper. That's more than a few 32-ounce plastic pails of Stone Brewing IPAs, my traditional beverage of choice in Downtown Las Vegas on Fremont Street. But no one has ever accused me of being smart. (Seriously? Not one person? Come on!) I deleted the January trip tab and started hunting for March. Found one quickly and I was thrilled to see the Golden Gate was the cheapest.

Ah, the Million Dollar Pile at Binion's Casino on Fremont
Street in Las Vegas. Here, Hog and 2cent pose for their free
picture with the pile of dough. Originally created in the late
1950s, the first pile included very rare $10,000 bills. But
that display disappeared in 2000. However, it returned as
an attraction in February 2008 and here's the break-down
of that $1 million pile: $270,000 in $100 bills, $688,000 in
$20 bills and $42,000 in $1 bills. Hey, I'd pose with the $1's.

You see, when I was in Downtown Vegas back in November, I really loved staying at The D Hotel and Casino. Believe me, in the wee hours when I didn't want to wander too far from my room, the Longbar saw a lot of me and I would say it's easily - and I mean, hands-down - the best casino bar downtown. But the place I explored the most was the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino. Tons of history here and I'm a pretty curious guy when it comes to history. I have no idea where this interest was during high school. But since that was the late 1970s, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume the devil's lettuce came into play.

So why my sudden eagerness to visit on March Break? Well, some of the vloggers I follow are teachers or within the education system and that's the week they have off. Oddly, Canada's March Break coincides with America's, which honestly surprised me. I mean, our Thanksgivings are a frikkin month apart. And I wants to meet these people because when I get home after work, it's not unusual for me to tumble down the Vegas Vlogger Rabbit Hole. Seriously, I'll sit down at my laptop at 5:30 pm and next thing I know, it's well past midnight and I haven't accomplished a single thing. Other than really enjoy a crap-ton of Vegas vlogs.

This would be Mike Palm (@mikepalmcirca) doing his college football
predictions when I stayed at The D in November. Normally, his usual
partner on this show is Derek Stevens, the owner of The D, the Golden
Gate and the opening-in-2020 Circa Hotel and Casino on Fremont St.
The new one is going to tower over the Fremont Street Experience and
long-time Vegas lovers are already salivating. It was about five floors
when I visited in September. It more than doubled that by November.

But I feel like I somehow know these people well after watching so much of their You-Tube footage. Let's start with Hog and 2cent, the crazy-fun couple from cozy, heavily Spanish-influenced El Paso, Texas. They were the first Vegas vlog I started watching and this was when they had maybe 300 subscribers. I knew both were teachers but I had no idea at what level. I started watching them last Summer and now just months later, they're closing in on 1,500.

Well, turns out Hog is a high school Science teacher. And 2cent, who I had pegged as a History teacher, is, in fact, a Special Education teacher. As the father of a Special Needs son, without even knowing that, I had a feeling there was something about her that, well, set her apart in a great way. And there it was. Blackjack, Jackpot, All-In... call it what you will.

And Hog, well, he just plain cracks me up because, well, he reminds me of someone.

A friend of Mark's drew this caricature of him for his
website and actually captured him very well. But I had to
laugh when one friend looked at it and said, "You look
like you're on a mission from God," a reference to the film
The Blues Brothers. Actually, yeah, I can kinda see that...

Can't remember who. (*Looks in mirror*) Oh right, THAT idiot. But one time, a bunch of us were bantering away on Twitter and I reminded him, "Don't forget to get 2cent (such-and-such) because she likes it." Can't remember what. It was a small thing I'd picked up from one of their videos. With that, Hog replied that he was going to make me his "marriage coach." I laughed and suggested, as a twice-divorced man, I might not be ideal. But he countered quickly, "Between the two of us, we could maybe make one good husband!" It's funny because both of us have the attention spans of gnats ("Squirrel!") but perhaps he's right. If he remembers some stuff and I remember some other stuff - together, we might just be enough to make ONE decent guy. (Poor 2cent.)

Now when you're watching You-Tube, to the right, they suggest other videos "recommended for you" that are similar in scope and subject matter. Hog and 2cent videos then led me to fellow Canadian Mark Anderson's Vegas vlog called Penny4Vegas. Interestingly enough, it was originally called Vegas4Pennys but either Twitter or You-Tube made him change it.

Okay, I am seriously pumped to meet Mark Anderson this
weekend because I'll be joining him on tours of the local
craft beer scene on Fremont Street in Downtown Vegas. We
have plans to visit Banger Brewing, shown here, Chicago
Brewing in Binion's Casino and the Triple-7 Microbrew in
Main Street Hotel and Casino. Actually, knowing I love my
craft beer, Hog and 2cent directed me to the Triple-7 on my
last visit and man, that place is fantastic! Great call there!

No matter. But Mark was also planning a March Break visit because his wife, Liz, (@buffetprincess) gets the week off as she is in Early Childhood Education. While that trip is still in the maybe-maybe not zone, I am pumped because I will be meeting Mark in Downtown Vegas in a couple of days. So Mark's deal is he visits Vegas as thriftily as possible, using coupons, Groupons, online apps and what-have-you. His low-roller ways, of course, leads to some good-natured teasing on the part of others (and, on occasion, nastier pointless comments from asshole trolls) but Mark shrugs it off because well, that's his jam. You dig it or you don't. No one is forcing people to watch anything. Thankfully so, because when I meet him, I wanna know every single cost-cutting measure he has. I'm that sucker paying full-freight every time I go to Vegas and man, I would love to save some money. Those 32-ounce plastic cups of Stone IPA I drink down there aren't cheap so I'd like to know how to shave off costs in other avenues - hotels, airfare, meals and the like. Because I'm sure not budging on my beer.

But one night when we were all - once again - yacking away on Twitter, Mark asked me what breweries I visited when I went to Fremont. Well, there's Banger Brewing right on Fremont and Triple 7 Microbrew in the Main Street Hotel and Casino, I told him. Why?

I seriously love this old-school shot of the Plaza Hotel and Casino. I'm
gonna guess, based on the cars, this photo was taken in the mid-1970s
but there's Vegas Vic on the left and a slightly-obscured Vegas Vickie on
the right. However, when I go in May, the Plaza will see this Canadian as
a guest for the first time. However, I'll be doing my first group pull here
this coming Monday. Not much of a gambler so I'll need help with that.

I mean, Mark's a two-for-one Bud drinker, not a craft beer guy. Well, then he starts posting all these coupons and deal he has for both places, as well as Chicago Brewing in Binion's Casino. I've never been to Chicago Brewing simply because each time I've passed it, there's been a line-up. Well, I wouldn't wait in a line-up to see that whackjob "Kick Me In The Nuts For $5" guy on Fremont take a steel-toed shot to the nards so I can guarantee you, I won't line up for beer.

But all of a sudden, Mark's posting all these "$50 off" and "Two For One" and other coupons for these breweries that I love down there. And I got like seriously excited. I mean, these were discounts on my beloved craft beers. And I was even more excited that Bud-swilling Mark was willing to go to these places and vlog on them.

I think that these upcoming craft brewery vlogs could prove to be big hits for Mark because you're combined two different elements - craft breweries specifically and Downtown Vegas in general. Both subjects have a huge core audience. Of course, Mark is hoping that I'll take lead on these to a certain degree because it is unfamiliar turf for him. So, hopefully I'll be there to identify the difference in beer styles, the actual brewing process and any other general beer elements a viewing audience might like to know.

I think the backdrop of these front-lit vats at Triple 7 Microbrew at the
Main Street Hotel and Casino would make an excellent visual for a vlog
but hey, maybe my bias is showing. Ooops, I said that wrong. Mark and I
are Canadian so lemme try again. Maybe my bias is showing, EH? Good.

But the thing is, when Mark and I were discussing these various craft brewery coupons on Twitter, other Vegas travelers who love their craft brews were jumping into the conversation, offering up the beers they had enjoyed, asking about other Vegas craft breweries, such as Sin City, Tenaya Creek and Able Baker Brewing, the latter two of which I hope to visit during one of these early 2020 trips to Downtown Vegas as I've had tons of Sin City beers over the years on the Vegas Strip. Great place!

Anyways, hanging with Mark for an afternoon of craft breweries and then catching with him and a huge crew on Monday night (I land Sunday at noon) for a group pull at Plaza Hotel and Casino. Pray for me. I'm not much of a gambler. That said, I can push a damn button.

Like I said, a recommendation from Hog and 2cent, who
know well my love of excellent craft beer. Their Carlsbad
IPA was a top-flight west coaster and I also tried their High
Roller Gold, a blonde ale, simply because Hog loved it. It
was bang-on for the style profile. But they have a Black IPA
there right now and I made them promise there would be
some left when I visit this Sunday. They told me I was good. 

It'd be great if we won some big cash on a slot machine called Sharknado but I'm not too concerned either way. Win or lose, I'm still way closer to being a millionaire than Bill Gates is.

Anyway, Mark's vlogs lead me to a trio of British Vegas vloggers - first, Ben Heath, then Nicky Furmage and finally Matt Bridger. I booked my room at the Downtown Grand this upcoming Birthday Week on the strength of one of Matt's vlogs some time back. I'll be looking at this British Power Trio soon enough in this space, as well as two more American couples, Dave and Michelle out of Ohio, better known as We Work To Visit Vegas and younger, newer vlogging couple, Sin City Nerds, aka Kaylene and Nick out of the Seattle area. Everyone gets their turn. They do it on video. I write because I'm too damn lazy to vlog. But before I go, both Mark and Hog and 2cent recently posted vlogs that kinda veered away from the usual slots fun of Vegas. Hog and 2cent interviewed the owner of the Speakeasy Barbership at the El Cortez Hotel and Casino while Mark was given a walk-through at Ellis Island Hotel and Casino by Christina Ellis herself! So here they are, first up is: Hog and 2cent's close shave! followed by Mark's adventure: Christina gives the big tour! Watch them, have a little Vegas fun and remember, we go to Vegas because when stacked next to Vegas, everywhere else sucks ass. Peace out, homeys!