The Las Vegas brew scene keeps getting better each year so we had to make a return trip to see how things are moving along. We Arrived in Vegas and immediately stopped at a bottle shop to see if we could score some local Nevada and Utah brews. We loaded up the cooler with: Big Dog's Brewing Co. Red Hydrant Brown Ale, CraftHaus Brewery Resinate IPA, Uinta 801 Pilsner, Uinta Cutthoat Pale Ale, Anchor California Lager, Maui Brewing Co. Big Swell IPA, MisDirected IPA, and College Street Brewhouse's Big Blue Bus a Blueberry and Blackberry American Pale Wheat Ale. Follow the links to read more about each.
The next day we headed over to our favorite canyon site, Zion, which could is one of the most beautiful places on earth. And we love it even more knowing there is a brewery right at the entrance to the park. Zion Canyon Brewery is hidden back in Springdale but the tap room can't be missed, on the right-hand side just before you enter the park. We popped in for a 2nd visit after our wonderful experience last year and it didn't let us down. General Manager, Troy Moyers, is doing a great job welcoming the locals, the tourists and the craft brew enthusiasts. The staff are all well knowledged in the beer and the best food pairings. We had the seasonal offerings of Zion Pale Ale, a west coast style pale ale and Red Alter, a hop forward American Red. We obliged the Utah state law which requires we order food with our beer so we had the fresh house baked pretzel which was perfect. A stop at this brew pub could seriously derail your plans of hiking in the canyon. We suggest stopping before and after your hike. The back patio is the perfect place to unwind and watch the long shadows swallow the mountains as the sunsets. Zion Canyon ise only sunset that makes me thirsty every time I think of it.