Positive COVID-19 Test Jolts Henderson’s Booze District

Until this weekend, members of Henderson's close-knit community of brewers, distillers, and vintners inside the Booze District just south of Warm Springs Road and east of the 515 started to implement inventive and creative ideas to keep customers and generate extra income during the next few weeks.

On Sunday, poker-themed micro-brewery Bad Beat Brewing announced it was suspending curbside service until further notice, following confirmation a that “neighboring brewery has an employee that tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday.”

The name of the brewery, or the health status of the employee, has currently not been released.

Bad Beat had been earning a buzz for its carefully controlled system allowing customers to drive up, honk their horn, and be greeted by staff dressed in fun costumes to take orders for its to-go “growlers.” Followed by a “sani spritz to each car” and sanitizing the menu after each purchase, all growlers were later washed and sanitized, “inside and out.”

Reminding customers “none of our employees have been symptomatic,” the temporary closure is described as deterrent against future contact, as Bad Beat shares “a big customer base with other craft breweries so we want to be extra cautious.”

Located inside an industrial park at 7330 Eastgate Road, close to the intersection with Warm Springs Road, the district is home to four other boozy outlets.

CraftHaus Brewery already decided to not provide curbside service at its Henderson and Arts District taprooms on March 18 and confidently “look forward to raising a glass to you in T minus 29 and a half days.”

The whisky, vodka, and rum specialists at the Las Vegas Distillery also closed the tasting room, but was ingeniously developing an alcohol-based hand sanitizer for future manufacture.

Vegas Valley Winery, the first and only winery in the region, closed its facility on March 17, with neighborhood veteran Grape Expectations following shortly after.

And reassuring its own customers, Astronomy Aleworks updated its “employees have been safe and remain untouched” by the virus. Aleworks previously announced it planned to begin selling carefully sanitized growlers soon, but have now “decided to wait another week.”

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