Go Behind the Scenes at the Great Vegas Festival of Beer

The 2014 Great Vegas Festival of Beer, presented by Motley Brews, left its mark on the streets of Downtown’s Fremont East Entertainment District as more than 5,500 festival-goers tapped into their inner craft beer enthusiast on Saturday, April 26. Throughout the event, craft beer fans indulged in the endless flow of unique brews, live entertainment, beer-centric food menus and interactive beer-themed elements.

Oscar B. Goodman, chairman of the Las Vegas Host Committee, and his legendary Las Vegas showgirls welcomed guests as they entered the 2014 GVFB, Nevada’s largest craft beer festival. More than 80 local and regional breweries represented more than 300 different beers, ciders and unique-to-the-festival brews. A sure favorite of the evening was the festival’s official beer, Sweet ‘N Funky Desert Junky, brewed by Joseph James Brewing Company exclusively for the event.

An addition to this year’s festival was an enhanced twist on the craft beer scene through interactive elements designed to bring craft beer to life. The Gastropub showcased the influence beer has on savory treats as local restaurants and food vendors, such as Naked City Pizza, Desnudo Tacos, The Goodwich, Brooklyn Bowl, Stack, Fat Choy, Echo & Rig and Lulu’s Bread and Breakfast, served beer-inspired menus for purchase. Next door, inside Fremont Country Club, festival-goers played life-size beer games like “Bear Pong” and danced to beats of the Silent Disco and had their futures revealed by fortune tellers.

As if the beers lining the streets of downtown weren’t enough, the BrewLogic series located inside Backstage Bar & Billiards offered guests a new taste of craft beer with special tastings and presentations from beer industry professionals. The educational element of the festival opened the doors to new creations and pairings while participants sampled new recipes, learned about the world of sours and acquired a new love for beer, cheese and chocolate.

As the day turned to evening, VIP guests sampled exclusive beer cocktails on the roof of Commonwealth while enjoying delicious small bites specially prepared by La Comida. With the iconic and electric backdrop of downtown, live performances by Las Vegas’ very own Rusty Maples and Los Angeles-based Crash Kings created the perfect energy for the 2014 GVFB.

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