Local Breweries Win Medals at Great American Beer Festival
The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) convened in Denver Oct. 10-11, the 40th year of the competition. 7,267 beers from 1,300+ breweries and cideries from 49 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico were entered with 336 medals being awarded to 243 breweries and cideries—making it the largest professional beer competition in the US. Two of our local breweries—Big Dog’s and Able Baker—and one with local ties—Silver Reef—brought home medals.
Big Dog’s earned gold with its Tripel Dog Dare in the Belgian-Style Tripel category. Amazingly, Big Dog’s also took silver for this same beer at last year’s GABF as well as gold at last year’s World Beer Cup, so definitely quite an accomplishment to win multiple medals for the same beer. Director of Brewing Operations Dave Pascual, who I dub the “Michael Phelps of Nevada brewers,” has the distinction of having garnered more major medal wins than any other brewer in the history of Nevada, with this new medal being his 16th GABF (he also has won 4 World Beer Cup awards). This win is also Big Dog’s 18th GABF medal. Speaking of the win Dave said, “We’ll always appreciate being recognized by the judges, who are fellow brewers and industry professionals, for all the hard work and dedication we put into every glass. It’s always an honor to represent the Big Dog’s family and our Las Vegas community on one of the biggest stages in craft beer. I know how difficult it is to win at GABF, with so many incredible breweries and beers out there, so hopefully we can keep this going.”
Able Baker brought home the bronze medal for its Waddle in the Juicy/Hazy Pale Ale category. Director of Brewing Operations Matt Marino said, “We are excited about it! About three years ago I told (Head Brewer) Burke I was not happy with Waddle and asked him to completely overhaul the recipe from the ground up. After three years of steady tinkering and improvements, the only thing that remains from the original beer is the name. Malts, yeast, hops and techniques have entirely changed, and this medal validates that he nailed it!”
St. George, Utah’s Silver Reef Brewing (which brews the beers for Las Vegas’ Ellis Island) scored a GABF medal for the second year in a row, taking bronze for its Day Drink Believer in the Bock category. Head Brewer Eddie Leal said, “We have been lucky to keep the streak alive. It’s always an honor to walk away with some hardware from this prestigious competition. I was really stoked that we took a bronze for our Helles Bock. It was the first time I have entered this beer into a competition. Now it’s off to the World Beer Cup next!”
EVENTS
Big Dog’s Brewing — November 5
Big Dog’s Brewing will host Whiskey & War Stories, an event combining the release of its War Dog IPA with a Horse Soldier Bourbon tasting and storytelling.
Held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the taproom, the event will feature a talk by Mark Nutsh, U.S. Army Green Beret Commander of ODA 595 from Horse Soldier Bourbon, who led the team of Green Berets that entered Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks with a bold insertion on horseback. There will also be samples of three Double Gold award-winning whiskeys from Horse Soldier Bourbon.
Early Bird Tickets start at $85 (plus tax) and include Mark Nutsh’s presentation, bourbon tasting, appetizer pairing, Big Dog’s Brew and a signed bottle of Horse Soldier chosen at checkout. For more info and to purchase tickets, click here.
Tenaya Creek — November 13
Tenaya Creek, one of Las Vegas’ oldest local breweries, will commemorate its 27th anniversary.
The day will coincide with Friday the 13th, which is apropos as in recent years Tenaya merged with the macabre-themed Zombie Brewing. The event will be free to attend and there will be new beer releases, a local collab or two and live music. It will also be the yearly release of God of Thunder, Tenaya Creek’s fan favorite Baltic Porter.
Mission Control — November 14
Mission Control, the craft beer and cocktail bar at Tenaya and Craig, will host a brewery tap takeover with beers from Big Dog’s Brewing in conjunction with the Desert Dogs pro lacrosse team. The takeover will begin at 3 p.m. and the Big Dog’s Brew Team will be onsite. A portion of the sales will go towards the Majestic Animal Park, a non-profit foundation that helps pet owners afford critical and life-saving veterinary care. As is the common practice at these tastings, there will be giveaways all day long including Desert Dogs tickets.
Brew Festivus Beer Fest — December 5
The Nevada Craft Brewers Association (NCBA) will provide an opportunity to taste more than 30 beers from several Nevada breweries at its 5th annual Brew Festivus.
Held from noon-4 p.m. at Big Dog’s Brewing at Rancho and Craig, the unlimited sampling will include rare and specialty styles, exclusive one-off collaborations and holiday-inspired beers and hard cider. Bring your four-legged beer buddy in festive gear to enjoy the fun photo opportunity provided by Michael’s Angel Paws. The pet- and family-friendly event will also include a live DJ and several local vendors.
General admission tickets are $45 for admission at 1 p.m. and unlimited beer sampling; and VIP are $50 through November 15 ($60 if purchased after) for early admission at noon, a custom logo tasting glass, a food ticket and VIP community seating on Big Dog’s patio.
Proceeds benefit the Nevada Craft Brewers Association and Michael’s Angel Paws, a local non-profit that provides dog training programs for service and therapy dogs.
For a list of breweries pouring beer and to purchase tickets, click here.
Beer Zombies — December 11
December 11th is the Beer Zombies 13th anniversary. There will be a big party free to attend, featuring a 13-brewery collab beer and a full 13-brewery tap takeover from Beer Zombies Owner Chris Jacobs’ friends from around the USA.
595 Craft and Kitchen Southern Highlands Location Opening This Month
As reported in this column last month, many beer fans, myself included, have been anxiously awaiting the opening of a second location of 595 Craft and Kitchen, an establishment which I consider to be one of our city’s top craft beer bars. At long last the wait is coming to an end, as the new location at 10670 Southern Highlands Parkway, Suite 102 (just south of Cactus) will be open in late November. I promise to check it out and give a full reporting in this column next month.
Local Brewer Spotlight: Burke Levien
In this monthly feature, we spotlight our local head brewers. This month we learn all about Able Baker Head Brewer Burke Levien.
When asked where he grew up, Burke Levien says, “Pretty much everywhere.” The 35-year-old was born in Yakima, Washington and lived in Montana, Idaho and Arizona before moving to Las Vegas in 2017 to be with his girlfriend (now wife) Nikki.
He got into craft beer while living in Lake Havasu as his friend Daniel got him to try different beers. His aha craft beer moment was when he had Concrete Jungle, an Imperial Stout from Dark Sky Brewing in Flagstaff.
Before coming to Las Vegas, he had worked as an RV mechanic and his first job in Las Vegas as a lift kit installer just happened to be down the street from Bad Beat’s original location in the Henderson Booze District, so he began visiting the brewery. At this time, he realized he was tired of working as a mechanic and the physical toll it was taking on his body and decided to pursue a job in the brewing industry. He began applying at Bad Beat and on the third try was hired to work the canning line. He eventually learned other aspects of the brewing trade from then head brewer Weston Barkley, one of our community’s best brewers. While Burke was there, two of the brewery’s beers were his creations: a blueberry lemon sour and an orange juice, pineapple and cranberry sour.
When Weston left in the summer of 2021 Burke took a job at Able Baker working the canning line, cleaning tanks, dry hopping beers and getting equipment operational. Fortunately, skills he learned as an RV mechanic transitioned to working in the brewing world. Less than a year later he was training to brew under another of our city’s top brewers: Matt Marino, and in late 2022 Matt turned him loose to take over brewing and creating his own recipes. His hard work was rewarded on his birthday on January 22, 2024, when he was promoted to Head Brewer.
When asked what his favorite beer styles to drink are he says West Coast IPA and lagers because he respects the style as, “It’s easy to make a bad lager because you can’t hide flaws.” To brew he prefers West Coast IPAs, Stouts (“because I love the taste of the wort and to see how it translates to the finished beer”) and Hazy IPA (“it showcases hops and I like the challenge as I am a bit of a perfectionist”).
Make your way to Able Baker to try some of his upcoming new releases. They include the Balloons & Unicorns, a rotating Hazy hopped with Citra and the New Zealand hops Motueka, Nelson Sauvin and Turkey’s Pick; and Winging It, a rotating West Coast IPA hopped with Mosaic, Cascade and Citra.
Local Brewery Champion of the Month: Finney’s Crafthouse
In this recurring feature we spotlight establishments that appreciate our local breweries enough to devote a large portion of their beer selection to beer made in Nevada.
Finney’s Crafthouse recently opened in Downtown Summerlin, marking the SoCal chain’s 17th and first outside of the Golden State. The establishment is known for its support of local beer, and this new location is no different. The majority of the beers pouring during my visit last month were brewed locally, including Able Baker Atomic Duck, El Pato Loco, and Honey Dip Imperial Stout; Beer Zombies Zombie Duck Hunter and Rotating Sour; Big Dog’s Black Lab Stout and Dirty Dog IPA; CraftHaus Sumo Stomp, Cuckoo Dark Lager and Tropical Forrest Hazy IPA; Evolve Fresh Jealousy IPA; Las Vegas Brewing Hyper Glow Hazy IPA; Lovelady Hopatomic Imperial IPA; Mojave Punk Lemonade Cider; and Tenaya Creek Aviators Blonde.
Finney’s is set in the former space of Wolfgang Puck Players Locker and has a comfortable feel with rustic century-old red brick walls and reclaimed wood panels; a large US flag; large windows delivering natural light; an outdoor patio equipped with misters and heaters; 20 HDTVs across the dining room, bar and patio; and a neon sign spelling out “Craft Beer Spoken Here.” The scratch kitchen puts out 21 appetizers across several cuisine styles including Coconut Shrimp, Cheesesteak Eggrolls, Buffalo Cauliflower, Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice and Nashville Chicken Sliders all priced from $11to $17.
Triple 7 Brewpub 30th Anniversary
One of Las Vegas’ oldest breweries is turning 30 this month. Triple 7 Restaurant and Microbrewery debuted on November 22, 1996, when Main Street Station Casino was acquired and reopened by Boyd Gaming after a major renovation, which included the opening of Triple 7, only the third brewpub to open in Las Vegas. To celebrate the landmark birthday, during the entire month of November pints of Brewmaster Tom Harwood’s High Roller Golden Ale will be only $3. Tom is also bringing back the Black Cherry Porter, which earned two GABF medals. In addition, the Old School Smash Burger of the Month will be available for $7.77. It’s worth noting that the brewpub has a new executive chef, Jonathan Manglicmot, who has extensive fine dining experience. He’s already incorporating some of the beer’s byproducts into his recipes, repurposing the spent grain by completely drying it out and grinding it into flour for use in the Apple Crumble Skillet dessert.
I must mention that my first ever published beer article was about this brewpub. It was titled “Drink Beer and Pee on the Berlin Wall” (something I’ve been doing in the men’s restroom for the past 30 years) and ran in the Nov./Dec. 1998 issue of Celebrator Beer News. So, there’s a special place in my heart for this longtime local brewery. Next time you make it in to Triple 7 be sure to check out the new West Coast Pilsner tap handle honoring Tom Harwood with his likeness.
Patrick Tofte Now A Zombie
Last month I reported on the disappointing news of the closing of North 5th, with its last day of service being Nov. 21. Now some good news I can report is North 5th’s extremely talented Head Brewer Patrick Tofte will continue to share his brewing talents with us, as he’s been hired by Beer Zombies.
As always, great beer happens in Vegas!
- Hero image © Adobe Stock AI – licensed for editorial use and edited by A.D. Cook
- 595 New Location Sign pic courtesy of 595
- Big Dog’s GABF pic by Brewer’s Association
- Burke Levian pic by David Canela
- Finney’s bar pic by Chris Summers
- GABF 2026 Silver Reef pic by Brewer’s Association
- Patrick Tofte pic courtesy of Patrick Tofte
- Tom Harwood tap handle pic by Bob Barnes
- Able Baker Matt Marino and Burke Levian pic by David Canela
- All other photos and graphics are the copyright of their respective owners
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
- More info
Bob Barnes began his food and beverage writing career in 1998 as Regional Correspondent for Celebrator Beer News and wrote the Nevada Beer Nuggets column from 1998 to 2019. He was Editorial Director of The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional from 2012-2021 and has covered Las Vegas for Gayot since 2010. He now writes the weekly Las Vegas Dining and Entertainment News column for FoodAndLoathing.Vegas, a monthly dining news column for The Vegas Voice, continues to contribute to Gayot, writing the Gayot Las Vegas Restaurant News and beer and spirit reviews. In addition to posting on ADCook.com, the Las Vegas Brewing News also posts on San Diego Beer News (sandiegobeer.news) and porchdrinking.com.
