Your Next Night Out Should Be an Epic Bar Crawl of Downtown Las Vegas’s Best Breweries

Follow this turn-by-turn guide to explore the burgeoning Brewery Row in the Las Vegas Arts District

The “18b” Las Vegas Arts District was formed in 1998 to promote artistic endeavors of all forms. Over the past decade, the 18-block initiative has welcomed another medium — the craft of brewing beer — which helped grow the district into a burgeoning beer lover’s paradise, beginning with the opening of Hop Nuts in 2015 and the recent 2024 debut of Cin Cin Brewhouse and Seafood Bar. This do-it-yourself tour along a quarter-mile stretch of Main Street with stops on Third Street and Casino Center Boulevard encompasses visits to the five breweries and two brewery taprooms in the bustling Las Vegas Arts District.

5 p.m. Start at Able Baker Brewing Co.

Start at Wyoming Avenue and Main Street on the southern end of the Arts District. The Able Baker Brewing Co. founders are history buffs, so they named the brewery after the first two atomic bombs detonated at the Nevada Test Site: “Able” and “Baker.” This wonderland of a brewery is renowned for having one of the largest tap selections (31) of its beers in town, covering a wide range of beer styles. Two of its most popular beers are the malty Atomic Duck IPA and roasty and strong Honey Dip Imperial Stout.

Make sure to get some food to help get through the remaining breweries and taprooms. Arts District Kitchen, situated within the brewery taproom, serves crowdpleasers like pork belly tacos and a burger with onions, cheese, and fry sauce meant to satisfying any post-pint hunger.

5:45 p.m. Cross the Street to Nevada Brew Works and HUDL Brewing Company

To find Nevada Brew Works, head north two blocks to the corner of Imperial Avenue and Main Street and look for the logoed silo. This family-owned business offers several smooth true-to-style beers like a golden blonde ale, a refreshing lightly hopped brew, and the Ariana Rye, a well-balanced lightly hopped rye pale ale. For the latter, a portion of proceeds is donated to a local charity on behalf of the Ariana Rye Foundation. The brewery also doubles as a bourbon bar, with nearly 100 quality pours, including E. H. Taylor Rye and a Buffalo Trace barrel exclusive to Nevada Brew Works. If still hungry, take advantage of the brick oven pizzas with 11 different pies (try the Windy City with Italian beef, hot giardiniera, and cheese). Enjoy the food and drinks on the dog-friendly patio facing Main Street.

After exiting, make a right and walk two doors down to HUDL. Head brewer Joe Cuozzo always has a few high gravity malty brews, like his 10 percent ABV 2024 Great American Beer Festival gold medal award-winner, Soul of a Star wheat wine, brewed with 50 percent red wheat. Also try several lighter selections such as Super Mini American lager and the low-carb Scorched Meadows hazy IPA. For some excellent barbecue, next-door neighbor SoulBelly will deliver directly to the taproom or the shared patio.

6:45 p.m. Walk Three Blocks to Las Vegas Brewing Company

At this point, it should be easy to walk off some of the brews. Head north on Main Street to Colorado Avenue, make a right, continue three blocks to Third Street, and hang a left to find the newly opened taproom of Las Vegas Brewing Company decked out with old-style Vegas decor featuring cool mini neon replicas of Vegas Vic and Vegas Vickie. The beer is brewed in northwest Las Vegas, and this taproom is equipped with 24 lines of beers crafted by brewers Amanda Koeller and Becca Halpin. Their core brews cover a range of styles from the mild Vegas light lager to the roasty and toasty Nitro 1677 Irish stout. A kitchen turns out a limited but potent menu of pub food — smash burgers, house-made kettle chips, and beer cheese fondue.

7:30 p.m. Continue North to CraftHaus Arts District

After getting back on Third Street, head north to California Avenue, turn left, and walk a half block past Casino Center to the CraftHaus Arts District taproom. The taproom, which has 24 draft handles, pours beers brewed at its Henderson brewery, including two that are available year-round: Evocation, a Belgian-style saison with citrus and pepper notes, and the 2024 GABF gold medal-winner Czech Plz, a snappy and thirst-quenching unfiltered Czech pilsner. Like in Henderson, there are cuckoo clocks and a lime green color scheme, but there are some unique differences in Arts District, like a beautiful mural of a classic Vegas showgirl. Snack on the menu of European sausages, cheese, and charcuterie boards.

8:15 p.m. Get Back on Main Street and Walk to Hop Nuts

Exiting the taproom, turn left to head half a block to Main Street and then turn right. Half a block down on the west side of the street is Hop Nuts, the first brewery to open in the Arts District where it helped launch the area’s beer renaissance in 2015. 20 taps include two year-round gems: Harry Porter, a full-bodied robust porter with rich chocolate and roast character notes; and Green Mamba, a West Coast-style double IPA with loads of kettle hops and a healthy dry hop that logs in at more than 100 IBUs (international bittering units). As 100 represents the most human taste buds can detect, this beer is considered a bitter hop monster.

9 p.m. Make a Final Stop at Cin Cin Brewhouse & Seafood Bar

The final stop is a quarter-mile jaunt on Main Street heading north of Charleston, across from the English Hotel. As the name suggests, the Cin Cin Brewhouse and Seafood Bar is just as much a restaurant as a brewery. Seafood offerings include ceviche, crudo, sashimi, oysters on the half-shell, sushi rolls, grilled fish, shrimp, calamari, and mussels. Brewmaster Cisco Talley designed the beers to complement the food. As such, the 20 taps are mainly smooth and easy drinking, such as Lemon Drop Blonde, an American golden ale; Oyster Stout, an oatmeal stout brewed with whole oysters in the boil for a malty finish with just a touch of salinity; and British Bitter on nitro, an English special bitter pale ale, which, despite the misleading style name, is mildly hopped, creamy, and soft.

Throw back a pint with a spread of poke nachos, baked clams, and shishito peppers for the table to cap off a long afternoon of exploring the heart of Vegas’ craft beer scene.