Big Dog's Draft House

tallmidget

Michigan

3.3/5  rDev -17.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 2 | selection: 4 | food: 2 | $$

Went here for Superbowl 2009, they had some Superbowl specials going on along with a raffle. I sat in the no smoking dining room area. The beer was solid. I had the Hop Harvest Ale IPA which was their seasonal, it was very good and reminded me of fresh Bell's Hopslam. The only problem was that they served it to me in a plastic cup so I asked for a glass and they brought out a frosted one. After not using the frosted mug, when I ordered my next beer the Black Lab Stout and specifically asked for it in a non-frosted glass. They brought it out in a frosted glass along with another one in a plastic cup telling em that the frosted one was a "mistake".

There were a lot of Arizona fans in Big Dog's that night. The food was okay, nothing special. I had some chicken wings and the Filet Mignon sliders, I didn't order them but the food didn't really impress me. Overall the brewery has solid enjoyable beer.

02-16-2009 12:01:25 | More by tallmidget

mjr2377

California

4.45/5  rDev +11.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

This is hands down the best brewery in Las Vegas. The food always pairs well with beer drinking. Light or heavy. I highly recommend the Bratzel Burger and a Dirty Dog IPA. Great cheeseburger, brat, bacon on a pretzel bun. The Dirty Dog is a classic "west coast" IPA.
I have had several other beers there and most of the time I am COMPLETELY satisfied. They usually have great guest taps (Lagunitas, Ballast Point, Stone, Deschutes, etc.) and local breweries (Tenaya Creek, Triple 7s) on tap as well.
When in Vegas this is a MUST visit. I always get 2-3 growlers of their brews to take back to L.A. Love this place. Cheers!

07-12-2012 16:23:02 | More by mjr2377

VegasBill

Nevada

4.13/5  rDev +3.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

I couldn't sleep yesterday morning and at the same time I had an urge for Chicken Fried Steak, and a few pints of course,its Vegas.
So I decided on Big Dog on Rancho. Its been years since I have been here. The atmosphere is like a farmhouse inside and a little like a barn on the outside.Its Vegas so smoking is allowed in the bar but at this hour there were three other customers and none were smoking.
For beer I started with something light,the Leglifter Lite, good lite micro beer, something one could drink a bunch of.Next was the Holy Cow Pale Ale, a very good Pale Ale.
The Chicken Fried Steak was very good but expensive $11. Every 24/7 sports bar in Vegas has this item on the menu and prices range from$5.95 to this price.The menu is sort of Wisconsin based, cheese curds, brats etc.

04-22-2012 21:45:19 | More by VegasBill

sholland119

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +7.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Big thanks to BA Destral for recommending this place. I have never met the guy but his posts about where to go when in Vegas are right on, in my experience.

Big Dog's Draft House was well worth the 20 mile drive from my hotel on the Strip. (Jesus H. Christ is Las Vegas big. 20 miles away and I am still in Las Vegas? I live about 20 miles from Philly and I am not even an adjacent county!). Located off a busy road out at the border of town, Big Dog's has the feel of a family friendly brewpub, much like Victory here in PA.

Well, except for the blight of video poker machines covering the bar. And the smoking, but smoking seems to be encouraged if not required wherever there is gaming here. I made the rare (for me) decision to sit at a table instead of the bar. The atmosphere was much better here.

Tap selection is huge, with about a dozen house beers on, plus about 4 guest taps. The beers were uniformly high quality, with the IPA being the standout for me. I had to drive back to town so I only had a little taste of the barleywine, but that was delicious as well.

Food was good pub grub. The cheese curds were fair representations of ones I have had in the Midwest, though I am no expert. The chicken sandwich was very nice as well.

Service was really good. I liked it here a lot.

HV

06-21-2011 17:51:23 | More by sholland119

IPALOVR

Nevada

4.33/5  rDev +8.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $

I visit Big Dogs about twice a month. The beer selection is always good with usually some good guest taps. Their burgers are very good but the service is slow. I always sit in the restaurant part as the bar part is filled with smoke and I can't stand to eat in a smoke filled place. The restaurant part is family friendly and welcoming for kids. Mine range from 18 months to 16 years and all 3 like Big Dogs food. The wait staff doesn't seem to be very knowledgeable about beer and their beer list is often out of date which is a little irritating.

06-13-2011 16:26:23 | More by IPALOVR

RJLarse

Washington

3.9/5  rDev -2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

I stopped at Big Dog's for lunch and liked the place so much I went back for happy hour.

The place is a spaciousrustic barn style building. The restaurant is clean and smoke free. There is a country/farm/hunting lodge decour. The bar is much darker and smokier. Brewery tanks visible through a glass wall on one end. Seating for about 200 at high tables. Another 40 so at the bar. Gaming machines in the bar top.

Quality is good. BD brews and a few guest taps.

Service was good. Fairly busy at lunch in the restaurant. Not real busy in the bar at Happy Hour.

Selection included 13 BD taps, 6-10 guest taps and 25 micro bottles. There is a small selection of macros. Full bar.

Food is good. There is an extensive lunch annd dinner menu. Pulled pork sliders and slaw were good outstanding. $9.

Value is reasonable. $4.25 a pint. $2 off pints at happy hour 3-6 PM.

Notes: The restaurant and bar are separated. Major differences are smoking and gaming. The place has a Wisconsin connnection. Packer and Badger memorabilia around the place.

06-01-2011 04:26:52 | More by RJLarse

PhageLab

Virginia

3.65/5  rDev -8.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 2.5 | food: 3 | $$

Big Dog's Draft House is an interesting little spot. Large bar, well staffed, knowledgeable bartenders, and some great original brews populate the main area. Some circular tables orbit the main bar area, and to the left you can see the brew house through some large windows. To the right lies the restaurant area, which I never ventured into. Video poker games occupy most of the bar surface, although there is still plenty of room to eat and drink. The food was decent, and moderately priced, but other than their signature brews, don't expect to find many other beers in the selection.

Overall a nice place, I came here often during my stay in Nevada. Don't miss their Stout and Double IPA.

01-05-2011 22:59:44 | More by PhageLab

Hoptoss

Nevada

3.23/5  rDev -18.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $

Average looking bar with a limited beer selection. Showcased their in house brews. Many popular styles were represented. I tried the stout, my wife had the IPA. The prices were really reasonable. Stout was decent, medium bodied, lower alchohol, needed more flavor from specialty grains, very light on the typical toasted barley aspects. IPA was average. Very good deal on the food, we went on a Tue. and they run a BOGO on their burgers, which were good. Can't go wrong with a free entree. Overall a good bar, just needs more of a beer selection outside of their in house beers.

11-20-2010 01:28:21 | More by Hoptoss

DeanMoriarty

California

2.8/5  rDev -29.6%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 2.5 | food: 4 | $$

Living in San Diego, the wife and I visit Vegas at least twice a year and I have always meant to stop in and give this place a try - it's a bit of a trek from the strip so we always end up putting it off. We finally stopped in on our last trip there to have some dinner, drinks and fill a growler for the night.

Upon walking into this place, you're hit with a blast of cigarette smoke (still legal to smoke inside restaurants in Nevada) and sour beer/liquor smell. The place is dim lit and decked out with a ton of wood finish (old time western feel to it). The bar and the restaurant are split up into two sections and we decided to sit in the bar area, which may have been a mistake because there were cigarette smokers in full force - it was pretty intense.

It took a good 20 minutes to even get a drink order in, and then when I did try to order, they were out of the IPA and the Begian Witte (these were the two I came to try) and on a Friday night - what the hell!? I ended up ordering a Tailwagger Wheat that was pretty good and followed that up with a Red Hydrant Ale that was decent but not as good as the Tailwagger.

We both ordered food - veggie burger with fries and man, that was one of the best veggie burgers we'd ever had - no joke! After a meal and a couple beers the smoke and general noise were getting to us, so I asked for the bill and a growler of the Tailwagger and got the hell out of there.

We came back the next day in the hopes of the IPA or the Belgian Witte being back on tap (as they assured us it would be when we ate dinner there the night before) but no luck, so I figured i'd just get the growler filled with the Tailwagger again. Some nasty barmaid smoking a cigarette behind the bar took my growler and without even rinsing it, filled it with the Tailwagger and charged me $1.00 less than the price I paid for it the night before, which is pretty pricey if you ask me. Usually after you buy the growler, the refills are much cheaper - not just a buck cheaper. We left no tip and once again, got the hell out of that place!

Overall, this place is a conflict of interest - you have the locals who could give two sh*ts about craft beer, and then you have the owner who obviously knows his stuff, but has to cater to the locals. I'd like to see this establishment moved nearer or on the strip so it can blossom into what it should be instead of hulled up in a stinky-ass western bar on the outskirts of town.

11-19-2010 19:24:40 | More by DeanMoriarty

Jimm2821

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev -2.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

i had there sampler of beer, wanted to try as many as possible without getting tanked. bought some of there glasses and while waiting for the girl to get them from the back, the bartender asked me what beers i like and gave me 2 free half filled glasses of there ipa's. all in all liked there beer. I didnt like the dog tail wheat beer. but liked there Ipa's and there 38 special, the dog bollucks is a 9% ipa that has great flavor and aroma. If you are a wisconsin fan or a packers fan and live in vegas or out there during football season, you have found a packer backer bar and badger bar.

05-08-2010 17:14:19 | More by Jimm2821