Chris V.
Yelp
So far, 1 for 1.
Aces & Ales is a bar that's surprisingly close to my "Northern" Henderson home, enjoying its own home alone in a small lot just off Nellis about half a mile from Boulder Highway. At first glance, it doesn't look like anything special inside, but a wall of tap handles from depleted kegs and the updated draft list itself (also available on their web site), which is chock full o' interesting craft beers.
Happy Hour was just the right opportunity for me to show up. It's 4-6pm and midnight-2am daily, except for Sundays (when it's all day). Draft beers, wine glasses, and cocktails are $2 off, as are appetizers. Also, pizzas are 1/2 off at this time.
I've been exploring the world of craft beers for a while, and Aces & Ales has reportedly been one of the best if not the very best bars for that sort of thing in town. I finally showed up so that I could try my beloved Canadian Breakfast Stout ($8 happy hour, $10 regularly for the 8 oz pour), aka CBS. It's a pricey limited-release bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout by Founders Brewing Co which I'd completely enjoyed before at a different bar. This time, the coffee was far more prominent in the flavor profile compared to the expected maple and vanilla flavors, so I didn't quite love it as much as my first time, but I appreciate that Aces & Ales was offering this particular beer on draft.
Next, I picked up a glass of the Modern Times's Mega Blazing World ($5 HH, $7 normal for a pint), having not tried this "imperial" version yet of one of my favorite San Diego brewery's amber ales. This one barely had the typical amber-ness because of hoppy flavors filling the palate before and after it had warmed up. I liked it though, and it didn't taste very bitter at all.
At this point, I wanted to order Black Market's French Toast Vibes, but the bartender asked me if I wanted a small taster instead, perhaps thinking that I hadn't liked my 2nd beer's flavors because I'd slowed my drinking pace so much (no ma'am; I was feeling the alcohol). I accepted the offer and got to sip on a surprisingly cinnamon-y and syrupy stout, which I'm sure I would have enjoyed had I ordered the full 11 oz pour ($6 HH, $8 normal).
Instead of that, I picked another option, which was North Park's Mocha Massage ($7 HH, $9 normal for a 11 oz pour). This is my first taste of another San Diego brewery, one which a beer-loving San Diego friend had lauded before but not been able to fit in my hectic day trips yet. It's also marked on the menu as an "exclusive," which the 'tender said was because it's not distributed through normal channels in the Las Vegas area. Instead, someone had driven there, gotten special permission, and "imported" it. Anyway, the Mocha Massage is easily a top 2 if not favorite coffee stout for me, with huge coffee flavor in every sip but low bitterness.
I almost let the occasion pass without ordering any food, but with the $2 discount for appetizers, one of the two Devil's Eggs variants ($4 HH, $6 normally) sounded too good to pass up. It's four pieces of what appeared to be large eggs (maybe jumbo?) and this recipe was topped with smoked salmon and flavored with dill, oil, and lemon. The eggs were delicious and not overcooked, the smoked salmon was as delicious as my drunken palate could have appreciated, and the other flavors were balanced. I was very happy that I changed my mind.
Aces & Ales simply rocks (including the music, which was heavy on alternative rock with some classics thrown in). I haven't seen much more from a bar than a wide variety of rotating craft beers, good food (well, at least the one item), regular check-ins by bartenders, and relative proximity to home. and the weekday happy hour visit was a lovely time. I will be back again for their happy hour and/or Sunday all-day happy hours.
