Las Vegas' Original Brewery

big dog's brewing company

learn more about us and our team

about big dog's brewing company

Our first batches of beer started in a modest brewhouse located in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip. Dubbed the name “Holy Cow!” in 1993, it wasn’t until 2003 that we relocated the brewery to its current location just 8 miles northwest of downtown Las Vegas. Today our brewery team works in unison to develop some of the most unique and flavorful beers in Las Vegas. With an emphasis on consistent core brews and exciting seasonal/reserve beers, our brewers continue to put our spin on original, local beer flavor.

The Philosophies

We don’t cut corners.  We don’t skimp on ingredients.  We love hops.  Life’s too short to drink cheap beer.  We get bored easy and try to keep it fresh for ourselves and our guests.  We love to experiment.  We love the local craft beer scene and how much it has changed over the years.  We love dogs.  We love Las Vegas and what it is becoming.  Proud to be Nevadans.  Go Rebels! Go Badgers, too.  Unless, of course, its UNLV vs. Wisconsin… then Go Rebels.  We won’t get upset if you call us Libertarians.  We have a great sense of humor and love a good pun as much as anyone, especially when it comes to naming a new beer.

A Nevada Craft Brewer

Did we mention we love Nevada? This is a state built from the ground floor and is now home to some of the greatest playgrounds in the world. Its people have a love for freedom and, increasingly, a thirst for world-class craft beer. We are extremely proud to be among the first in the modern era to bring locally made craft beer to Nevada in 1993. Up until then, Nevada had been brewery-free since the dark days of Prohibition. It took a while, but Nevada got with the program and is now home to almost 50 breweries that are open or in the planning stages. There is still some work to be done on improving the brewery laws of the state, but that’s another story! We have a kick-ass state guild in the Nevada Craft Brewers Association that is out there promoting and supporting its members and advocating for those more modern beer laws!

our aweseome team

the brewery team

David Pascual, Director of Brewing Operations
Sam McKinney, Brewer
Marcos Lopez, Brewer
Marshall Lytle, Brewer                                            Drew Hendrix, Cellerman                            
Sean McInerney, Brewery Ambassador
Ceci Moggia, Office Manager

the awards

Since our beginnings with Holy Cow! Brewing Company, we have accumulated numerous awards, medals and accolades.

Great american beer festival

  • Big Dog’s Watch Dog Wit (’09 Silver)
  • Alpha Dog, Imperial or Double Red (’08 Silver)
  • Kilt Sniffer Scotch Ale, Strong Scotch Ale (’06 Gold)
  • Holy Cow! Cream Ale, American Lager/Cream (’01 Silver)
  • Black Lab Stout, Specialty Stout (’96 Bronze)
  • Red Hydrant Ale, English-style Brown, (’94 Bronze, ’12 Silver, ’15 Gold)
  • Holy Cow! Original Pale Ale, English-style Pale (’93 Gold)
  • Tripel Dog Dare, Belgian-style Tripel (’16 Bronze. ’17 Gold)
  • Knotty Dog Barley Wine, Barel-Aged Strong Beer (’19 Gold)
  • Willy Big Dog Barrel-Aged Robust Porter, Professional Collaboration (’19 Bronze)
  • And the Award Gose To…, German-style Sour (’19 Bronze)
  • Las Vegas Craft Lager, American-style Lager (’22 Bronze)

World Beer cUP

  • Holy Cow! Pilsner, Bohemian-style Pilsner (’98 Silver)
  • Holy Cow! Cream Ale, American Cream Ale (’00 Silver)
  • Red Hydrant Ale, English-style Brown (’06 & ’10 Gold)
  • Old E, but a Good E, Wood & Barrel-Aged Strong Beer (’23 Bronze)