Full disclosure: The current writer is not by any stretch of the imagination a cicerone (beer sommelier), nor even remotely a brew connoisseur although, as a European, I do know an IPA from a Bud Light and, in an on-tap situation, would opt for a Stella Artois, Kronenbourg 1664, or Hoegaarden (unless in London, where the last time I had a pint of the latter it cost $16 and that was about five years ago!) But neither myself, nor any other LVA staffer has, to-date, sampled the new beers available at the Mirage and ascertaining who brews their IPA has proven to be a lot more complicated than we'd hoped, i.e., we failed.
What we can tell you is that Parlor Lounge was a new addition to property that debuted late November last year, along with the Center Bar, in the spot formerly occupied by the cashier's cage, casino service lounge, and high-limit slot area. Parlor Lounge is an elegant old-school speakeasy-style venue (think: paneled woods, burnished bronze) open from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., Tuesday to Saturday, and is designed to "offer guests an intimate setting to enjoy cocktails and conversation," with live music courtesy of a Steinway Grand Piano.
While, like Center Bar, the new lounge particularly touts its cocktail program, overseen by renowned Chicago mixologist Liz Pierce, there's also a serious craft beer presence with what seem to be several offerings exclusive to the venue. Of these, we were able to find out a little more about their Mango saison, a "saison" being (we learned), a sturdy farmhouse ale that was traditionally brewed in the winter, to be consumed throughout the summer months. According to website beeradvocate.com, "Not so long ago it was close to being an endangered style, but over recent years there's been a massive revival; especially in the US." And this Mirage exclusive has the distinction of being a local brew produced by Henderson's CraftHaus, one of several breweries to have erupted onto the Vegas scene recently on the back of the craft-beer frenzy.
A producer of beers, stouts, and ales, you'll find CraftHaus' products available in numerous venues all over town, on tap and/or in cans, including at select venues at Aria, the Westin, Crystals shopping mall, Mandalay Place, Miracle Mile Shops, Monte Carlo, Cosmopolitan, and of course the Mirage, which is the only place to sample that Mango saison. CraftHaus also offers free tours of the tap room on Sunday afternoons, plus booze yoga!
As to the Mirage IPA, however, which is also an exclusive to Parlor Lounge, our back-and-forth on Twitter suddenly dried up when we asked which brewery produced it (this may have simply been a result of their social media maven having clocked off for the day, or because they really do want to keep it top secret). Hence, we're still in the dark on that one and there's a policy of not putting external calls through to any bar venue, so we weren't able to tap any knowledge at source. However, we bet if you show up and ask the bartender, they'll be more than happy to spill the beans, or rather the hops, if you ask nicely and don't give off any "member-of-the-media" vibe.
As a post-script, allow us to take this opportunity to break the good news that in 2016, the Eating Las Vegas restaurant guide will be making a comeback, having been on forced hiatus for a couple of years following co-author Max Jacobson's tragic accident. Sadly, Max won't be able to participate in the new edition, but his presence will still be felt and while the authors will be keeping the original formula of listing what they collectively deem to be the "Essential 50" Las Vegas restaurants, including their picks for the Top Ten, the "Additional Recommendations" sections in the second half of the book will be much expanded and will feature a whole new list of where to find the Best Brews, so beer lovers (and foodies) stay tuned! The book is in production right now and should be going to press in the near future.
