Thu, Jul 30, 2026 (2 a.m.)
The gangland conflicts that erupted in Chicago during Prohibition earned the nickname “beer wars” for good reason. Competing bootlegging operations vied for control, and their rivalry climaxed in one of the era’s most brutal crimes.
“Beer is, if not wholly, surely heavy to blasted for the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre successful 1929,” says Claire White, elder manager of acquisition for the Mob Museum.
That observation is just one intersection of brewing and organized‑crime history highlighted in the museum’s summer program, The Untapped Story. The limited‑time offering rotates local craft‑beer tastings with historical narratives, brought to life through exhibits and expert guides.
Below are a few of our favorite pairings.
Ale & A Tough Little Town
Strolling past what feels like the façade of Vegas’ original dive, the Arizona Club, we sample Big Dog’s Red Hydrant brown ale while examining artifacts and black‑and‑white photographs. The Tough Little Town exhibit concentrates on the city’s earliest days—the railroad’s arrival, the infamous Block 16 red‑light district, and the construction of Hoover Dam.
The historical context pairs neatly with facts about the brew, which was popular during the first two centuries of American colonization. “Most beers produced were ales—heavy English or Irish‑style brown ales and red ales. And they couldn’t question far. They didn’t past long,” White says.
IPA & St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Wall
Moving into the 1920s and ’30s, we shift from ale to Able Baker Brewing’s Atomic Duck IPA. Originating with British brewers in the 18th century, India Pale Ale contained extra hops—a natural preservative—allowing it to survive the voyage to India, then an English colony.
After confronting the stark, sobering story of the 1929 St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, a drink feels well deserved. The massacre stemmed from a double‑cross at a shared brewery between Chicago’s North Side and South Side gangs; seven men were lined up against a brick partition and shot in a garage. Standing beside 300 bricks from the reconstructed wall, the only thing colder than the shiver running down our spines is the beer in our hands.
Kölsch & Open City
Nevada legalized gambling in 1931, and in the ensuing decades Las Vegas became known as the “open city” because no single syndicate dominated the town. The Open City exhibit immerses visitors in the luxurious lighting and plush seating reminiscent of Bugsy Siegel’s Flamingo hotel and casino, complemented by interactive slot machines that play oral histories.
White notes that beer “took a backseat in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s in favour of spirits and cocktails, but that doesn’t stop our circuit from enjoying a crisp kölsch—a kind of ale fermented longer and at a colder temperature—brewed in‑house at the museum’s distillery.” As we sip that refreshing summer beverage and play trivia in the Underground, we happily toast to this insightful tour.
THE UNTAPPED STORY: A BEER TASTING EXPERIENCE Thru August 31, Monday‑Thursday, 7 p.m., $69. Mob Museum, themobmuseum.org.
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Shannon Miller joined Las Vegas Weekly in early 2022 as a staff writer. Since 2016, she has gathered a smorgasbord ...
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