The Craft Beer Market
CraftHaus Brewery is a Las Vegas based craft brewery that brews UNLV Rebel Spirit. The craft beer market has grown rapidly over the last 40 years after Congress legalized homebrewing in 1978. As a result, this inspired many beer enthusiasts to start their own small breweries. However, today the overall beer market is declining. While many small breweries are still opening, the number of breweries in the United States is trending down. Some industry analysts predict a “beer apocalypse.”
CraftHaus Brewery
Wyndee and Dave Forrest, both UNLV graduates, founded CraftHaus Brewery in 2014 and have been very active in building the craft beer industry in Las Vegas. Today the company has a brewery and taproom in nearby Henderson, Nevada and a taproom in the “Arts District” in Las Vegas which features 25 beers on tap in all popular styles, plus a variety of foods.
CraftHaus Brewery UNLV Rebel Spirit Golden Ale
CraftHaus Brewery introduced UNLV Rebel Spirit Golden Ale in 2022 with a license from the university and a portion of all proceeds going to UNLV, whose team name is “Running Rebels.” There is very little description of the beer beyond “a 5% ABV and smooth, crisp finish.”
As indicated above, Rebel Spirit has a 5% ABV. There is no available information on calories, fat, protein and carbohydrates. It has no rating on Beer Advocate. It has a 3.61 out of 5 rating on Untappd, which says it has a 25 IBU, which seems accurate.
Our Review of UNLV Rebel Spirit Golden Ale
I was at Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club in Las Vegas recently for the third time. The club has mass market beers and a few beers from local Las Vegas breweries. The first two times I chose Able Baker El Pato Loco, a Mexican-style lager that was one of the local beers. It was decent but nothing special. This time I decided to try Rebel Spirit instead.
It was a mistake. While I drank the whole beer and I appreciate the sentiment behind the beer, I did not think it was very good. El Pato Loco was better. I could tell from the first sip that Rebel Spirit tasted like a cheap lager. The next night I visited Jimmy Kimmel’s again and went back to El Pato Loco. I wouldn’t order Rebel Spirit again.
For better beer recommendations, see our review of Franzikaner Weissbier and Dos Topas Lager.
For beer nutritional information of all beers we have reviewed see Beer Nutritional Information.
