July was just crazy hot. In Albuquerque, and all over the Southwest. I must have been out of my mind to continue the summer road tripping.

I love Las Vegas. I mean, I really must, because I go there two to three times a year. But, sometimes it’s nice to feel less “Vegas-y” when you are there and get a little break from the madness. There are ways to feel more like a local and it is not hard to do as soon as you venture just a little off of the Strip or Fremont Street.

A new way to escape while in Vegas is just a short Uber or Lyft ride from downtown; or, about a 15-minute (boring) walk if it’s not too hot. Late last year, arguably the best-known brewery in Vegas, Tenaya Creek, moved into a new spot on Bonanza Road. The contemporary digs are spacious and beautiful. Our beerista was awesome, too. You seriously have to love sitting at a bar and hearing stories from a local bartender about what happens in Vegas that doesn’t always stay in Vegas.

Because there are still not many local breweries in the area, I am thrilled that I can get to another Vegas brewery that moved closer to the action. Their old place was so far out, I never made it over there. Take note, however, that there is no kitchen, so you will need to find food elsewhere.

As far as the beer goes, if it’s on tap I can recommend the Local 702 Pale Ale (5.2% ABV) and the God of Thunder Baltic Porter (9% ABV). You can definitely add Tenaya Creek to your best (beer) bets in Vegas.

On the road out of town, heading towards Arizona from Vegas, a good place to stop for lunch is Boulder Dam Brewing Company in Boulder City. Without this stop, I never would have known that Boulder City has such a quaint central area! We ate some tasty burgers alongside Hell’s Hole Hefeweisen (4.8% ABV).

One of our favorite small towns with a big beer scene is Flagstaff. That scene just got even better with the addition of Historic Brewing’s new Barrel and Bottle House on San Francisco Street in downtown. The new space has an open concept, but a cozy and functional feel, and is just a great place to hang out and have some beer. I feel like I have been ordering beer sample flights for decades now — well, maybe I have — and I still get a huge kick out of unique presentations of samplers. The ones at Historic, made from carved-out hardback books, are my favorite of the summer (see photo). The “book titles” are funny, too, and it’s a game in its own right to see who gets what book.

Finally, with a similarly small, but happening beer town vibe, you can always count on Durango. At the beginning of July, Durango’s oldest (and reportedly Colorado’s third-oldest) brewery, Durango Brewing Company, reopened after being closed for nearly a year. In my opinion, it is a vast improvement and worth checking out. The beer quality has improved to some degree as well, although super hopheads may not find the most prominent hop profiles up to snuff. The patio space is awesome; and while the location remains the same, the building was completely remodeled. I sampled just about everything they had to get a feel for the “new” brewery. It’s all about taking one for the team, you know.

So goes the summer of ’16. Now it’s time for football, which, of course, just means more beer.

Cheers!

— AmyO