A hand well-played: Bad Beat Brewing owner set to celebrate first year in business

It wasn’t the first time Henderson resident Nathan Hall gambled and went all in.

The former poker player sold his house and rental property and liquidated his bank account in order to open Bad Beat Brewing last summer.

And so far, he’s played his cards right.

The brewery, 7380 Eastgate Road, Suite 110, plans to celebrate its one-year anniversary from 3 p.m. to midnight July 11. The event is set to include food, raffles, games and, of course, beer.

“We will be releasing our Joker Anniversary Ale, which is a strong Belgian pale ale that has been aging in chardonnay barrels from Napa Valley since the beginning of the year,” Hall said. “We’re also releasing our Morning Pay Off imperial breakfast stout that has been aging in one of the Las Vegas Distillery’s Nevada 150 Bourbon barrels and re-releasing our Next Level imperial IPA.”

The brewery regularly serves five beers: Bluffing Isn’t Weisse, a German-style hefeweizen; Ante Up Amber, an amber ale; Ace in the Hole, a basil pale ale; Hoppy Times, an India pale ale; and Gutshot, a dry Irish stout.

In addition, Hall said he plans to rotate a new brew in the taproom about every two months.

“We also distribute 22-ounce bottles to local places places like Whole Foods, Vons, Sprouts, Lee’s (Discount Liquor) and Total Wine (and More),” Hall said. “We’re also hoping to start distributing to Reno soon and out of state, and we’re looking to do smaller format bottles.”

Like many tourists, it was cards that drew the Virginia transplant to Sin City at 21. Beating the odds, Hall played well and decided to move to the valley.

“Although I played cards, I still always had other jobs,” he said. “I was playing eight to 16 hours each time I went out because it takes time to win, but then my daughter was born, so I quit to spend more time with her.”

Hall never considered making beer until a friend said he brewed his first batch, and it was terrible. Wondering if he could do better, Hall ordered a beer kit off Groupon.

“I made my first batch, and it came out OK, so two weeks later, I made another,” Hall said. “A month after that, I built a kegerator and started kegging my beer. It just got out of control from there. I had one garage dedicated to just beer stuff.”

For years, Hall brewed as a hobby and passion, occasionally allowing the public to taste his creations at local showings. He said he didn’t become serious about opening a brewery until he met his head brewer, Weston Barkley, at a homebrew club.

“People are sometimes skeptical of homebrewers, and I think it’s because the craft beer scene in Las Vegas is lagging behind other cities,” Hall said.

While Hall finalized his business plans, neighboring CraftHaus Brewery owners Wyndee and Dave Forrest worked with the city of Henderson to amend the brewpub license and manufacturing zoning to include a taproom. The changes made it easier for Hall to secure a location in the same business complex.

Bad Beat Brewing opened its doors July 11, 2014, and joined the Las Vegas Distillery, Grape Expectations and CraftHaus in Henderson’s Artisan Booze District.

To keep up with demands, Hall placed Barkley in charge of brewing new batches once a tank becomes available, which can be multiple times a week.

“I have no oversight of the recipes, and I don’t interfere with the process of ideas,” Hall said. “If (Barkley) feels like he needs to change something to make the recipes better, he can do it because it’s all in his hands.”

Barkley, who used to brew for Joseph James Brewing Company, said he loves the creative freedom.

“When I turned 21, I had a hankering for beer, and eventually, I knew I wanted to do something with it as a profession,” he said. “I like the freedom (Hall) gives me to design my own beers. This is what I’ve been working toward.”

Although Hall hasn’t played a round of cards in a while, his interest in poker lives on through the naming and labeling of beers.

“ ‘Bad beat’ is a poker term where you’re the underdog, and you go all in with your money, and you end up on top with a hand that shouldn’t have won,” Hall said. “I just feel like it describes us perfectly. We went all in with our money, we didn’t have as much experience, but by the end of the hand, we’ll come out on top.”

Bad Beat Brewing is open from 4:30 to 11 p.m. Thursday, 4:30 to midnight Friday, noon to midnight Saturday, noon to 11 p.m. Sunday and is closed Monday through Wednesday.

Visit badbeatbrewing.com or call 702-463-4199.

To reach Henderson View reporter Caitlyn Belcher, email cbelcher@viewnews.com or call 702-383-0403. Find her on twitter: @caitlynbelcher.