out Dragoon Brewing Company – Tucson Though founder Bruce Greene brewed his first batch of beer in his kitchen in the mid1990s, it wasn’t until he brought on his son, Eric – who graduated from the Beer Judge Certification Program and studied at the American Brewer’s Guild – that Dragoon became a reality. In 2012, the Greenes, along with fellow homebrewer Tristan White, founded Dragoon, a self-distributing, draftonly brewery featuring just two beers. Within five years, Dragoon has grown to 30 different beer varieties, and its IPA is a recent recipient of Food & Wine magazine’s “best IPAs in America.” 1859 W. Grant Road, Tucson; 520.329.3606; www.dragoonbrewing.com.
BREW TO DO
Four places in Arizona where its hip for hops
B
BY ALISON BAILIN BATZ
eer in Arizona is now a $1 billion industry, with more than 100 breweries statewide, and many popping up in just the past five years. Beyond the local favorites, there are some amazingly innovative beer makers in Arizona to consider visiting. And if you can’t get to them in person, each brewery has several options available at Total Wine & More and BevMo! as well as select restaurants across the Valley including Gino’s East, Southern Rail, Salty Sow, Taco Guild, Market Street Kitchen, Tommy Bahama and Carlos O’Brien’s, among others.
Mother Road Brewing Co. – Flagstaff The “Mother Road” was the moniker given to U.S. Highway 66 by Grapes of Wrath author John Steinbeck, as he shared the fictional story of a family who traveled the road in hopes of finding new beginnings. Mother Road Brewing Co. now resides along a portion of this storied road in Flagstaff, standing in homage to the lost highway as well as a symbol of owners Michael and Alissa Marquess’ journey to find their new beginning in the world of craft beer. Their recent success propelled them to open an 8,000-square-foot tasting room in mid-2016, and they expect to produce more than 20,000 barrels this year. 7 S. Mikes Pike St., Flagstaff; 928.774.9139; www.motherroadbeer.com. Oak Creek Brewery – Sedona The Kraus family, who learned how to brew beer in Germany, came to Sedona in 1993 with one dream: to open the area’s first-ever brewery. Opened in 1995, Oak Creek is not only the first brewery in the area, but also Sedona’s only microbrewery. The brewery has garnered national acclaim since 2001, when its amber ale was awarded the Silver Medal by the North American Brewers’ Association, and its nut brown is among Arizonans’ favorite local brews. With the Red Rock mountains as a backdrop, the brewhouse is a top tourist destination for visitors from across the globe as well. 2050 Yavapai Drive, Sedona; 928.204.1300; www.oakcreekbrew.com. Prescott Brewing Company – Prescott As the oldest continuously running brewery in Arizona, Prescott Brewing Company was founded in 1994 and has made a name for itself across the globe, garnering 32 national and international medals and awards for excellence in brewing, including at the North American Brewers Association National Competition, the Great American Beer Festival and the International World Beer Cup. In 2011, the brewery built a new off-site production plant to keep up with consumer demand, and then expanded again in 2015 to offer a slew of new canned beer options across the region. 130 W. Gurley St., Prescott; 928.771.2795; www.prescottbrewingcompany.com.
SO SCOTTSDALE! |
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| JUNE 2017