Upcoming Beer Festivals

Spring is just around the corner and so are several of Southern Nevada’s beer festivals and fun events, so time to mark your calendars and save the dates. You can thank me later.

On Sunday, Feb. 16, Eataly Las Vegas at Park MGM will host its first ever Italian Street Food & Beer Fest, a pairing of traditional Italian street foods such as arancini, meatballs and pizza alla pala with a selection of beers from breweries including the Italian Baladin, Menabrea, Moretti and Peroni; and US breweries Dogfish Head and Goose Island. Seven pairing stations will be set up within the marketplace, and your ticket will get you an all-inclusive wristband for two hours of unlimited tastings of the pairings. Tickets are $60 for pre-sale and $70 the day of; time slots are 4-6 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. To purchase tickets visit Eataly.com/LasVegasEvents

This year is Leap Year and what better way to celebrate the special day that only comes once every four years than by attending the Beer Zombies Craft Beer Festival. Unlike Leap Year, this fest happens annually, and this year the 4th annual fest on Feb. 29 will again be held at the SkinnyFats location at 6261 Dean Martin Dr. There will be more than 100 breweries pouring, including several locals (such as Able Baker, Astronomy, Hop Nuts and CraftHaus) and the likes of Stillwater, Pizza Port, Prairie and Mason Ale Works. Part of the fest is the Day After Share on March 1—a bottle share, which this year takes place at Able Baker Brewing from noon-3 p.m., during which attendees are encouraged to bring beers from their personal collections to crack open and share and meet-and-greet with visiting brewers. General admission tickets are $50 for unlimited pours from 3-7 p.m. and tickets to the Day After Share are $10. Unfortunately, VIP is already sold out, but those lucky enough to have already snagged one will be enjoying early entry at 2, access to a VIP lounge, VIP-only beers, food provided by SkinnyFats and entry to the Day After Share. For more info, the list of breweries and to purchase tickets visit https://bit.ly/384A1Pw

On March 28 from 1-7 p.m. the 8th Annual Boulder City Beerfest will again be held at Wilbur Square Park in the heart of the historic city. The park is located just two blocks from Boulder Dam Brewing, which is where you can buy tickets in advance (they are also being sold at Khoury’s). The only beerfest currently held in Boulder City, it will have more than 36 brewery tents pouring more than 100 beers, live music, food for purchase from 10 food trucks, “beer centric” specialty vendors, homebrewing demonstrations and the brewers games hosted by the Nevada Beer Lovers. Unlike most beer fests, this one is child and pet-friendly, as long as accompanied by their parents and kept on a tight leash! VIP tickets are $45 in advance for early entry at 1 p.m., and general admission is $35 in advance for entry at 3 p.m. These tickets will be available online at the discounted price until March 21. For more info, a list of breweries or to purchase tickets, visit bouldercitybeerfest.com.

The 10th annual Motley Brews Great Vegas Festival of Beer will again be held at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center at 200 S 3rd St. on April 3 and 4. It is expected to draw 10,000 attendees over the two days and is Nevada’s largest craft beer festival in terms of amount of beers poured, offering tastings of more than 400 craft beers from more than 100 breweries. The Friday night event, the Mad Craft Experience from 7-10 p.m., will feature beer and cocktails paired with culinary creations from more than 30 chefs, mixologists and breweries. The next day, The Great Vegas Grand Tasting will be held from 3-7 p.m. with early entry at 2 p.m. Ticket prices vary. For more info and to purchase tickets visit greatvegasbeer.com. Buy your tickets early, as prices increase closer to the festival dates.

The family-owned and -operated Lovelady Brewing will commemorate its 4th anniversary on April 11 from noon-11 p.m. with all day special pricing on beers, live music, and some special beers, including a doppelbock and an imperial red. Lovelady is located at 20 S. Water St. in Downtown Henderson. 

The next Big Dog’s Brewing quarterly beerfest will be its 11th Annual Peace Love Hoppy-ness, held in the outdoor area of the Draft House at Rancho and Craig in northwest Las Vegas on April 25 from 3-9 p.m. As always, more than 40 local, regional and international beers will be poured, including several from the host brewery. As this is a celebration of bold, hoppy beers with several IPAs and double IPAs, all hophounds should make plans to attend. There’s no admission for the fest, but tasting packages are available. For more info, to view the beer lineup and to purchase tasting packages visit www.bigdogsbrews.com/festivals/plh.

As always, great beer happens in Vegas!