Toast the Rebels with UNLV’s new official beer

CraftHaus Brewery announced a new partnership with UNLV that includes the brewing of Rebel Spirit, a golden ale that will be released on Feb. 25. Crafthaus owners Wyndee and Dave Forrest, as well as the head brewer Cameron Fisher, are all UNLV alums.

“The journey has come full circle with learning the skills to prepare us to run our own business, to now operating CraftHaus Brewery for the last seven years. It’s now time for us to give back to our University,” Wyndee Forrest said in a news release.

The 5.0 ABV ale is described as having a “smooth, crisp finish” and will be brewed year round. It will be available at all games held at Thomas & Mack, at both Crafthaus taproom locations in Henderson and downtown, and in four packs of 16 ounce cans.

The new beer is just once piece of the partnership between the university and the brewery.

A portion of the proceeds from the beer’s sales will be donated to the university, and the brewery will also serve as a working lab for UNLV’s hospitality students to get hands-on experience at running a brewery, from the beer brewing process and sensory analysis to the ins and outs of operating a service industry-based business.

“This partnership with CraftHaus Brewery underscores the college’s focus on practical learning and our growing emphasis on beverage operations,” Dean of the UNLV Harrah College of Hospitality Stowe Shoemaker said. “The fact that our CraftHaus partners—as UNLV alums—are investing in the next generation of industry leaders really shows our students what the Rebel Spirit is all about.”

The can art for Rebel Spirit, created by Victoria Hart from Pink Kitty Creative, is a nod to UNLV’s campus, with inspiration from the hospitality college’s new building, Hospitality Hall, and the iconic Flashlight sculpture that has been on the university’s campus for more than 40 years.

Contact Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.