As of the end of 2023, the state of Arizona was home to 133 craft breweries, with the highest concentration being in its two most populous cities Phoenix and Tucson. I had a chance to visit both Phoenix and Tucson along with Tombstone in June of 2024, and sipped on a good selection of the Grand Canyon State’s great beer offerings along the way.
Crooked Tooth Brewing Company
Tucson, AZ
Crooked Tooth Brewing is a family-owned brewery located in Tucson’s downtown just off Historic 4th Avenue. I tried their Citra and Simcoe-hopped Congress Unfiltered 5.6% hazy pale ale at the Tiger’s Taproom bar in the historic Hotel Congress, which was refreshing after a day of sightseeing in the desert heat.
Barrio Brewing Company
Tucson, AZ
Also at Tiger’s Taproom, I tried the Tucson Blonde by Barrio Brewing Company, their light and crisp flagship 4.7% blonde ale. Barrio is Arizona’s oldest brewery, opening in 1991, and in 2020 becoming Arizona’s first 100% employee-owned brewery.
On my second day in Tucson, I ended up at the brewery itself, a short drive outside of downtown Tucson, for dinner and a flight. The taproom seemed like a place I would frequent if I lived in Tucson – it was a chill spot to hang out and had live music going when I stopped in. Here are the beers I tried in my flight:
- Taylor Jayne’s Raspberry Ale – 5% sweet, tart and light-bodied raspberry ale that was created to commemorate the birth of the brewmaster’s first daughter in 1992
- Hipsterville Hazy IPA – 6.4% hazy that had a nice tropical hop flavor
- Rae’s Ruby Red IPA – 6% IPA brewed with three types of grapefruit and Citra, Centennial, and Amarillo hops
- Mocha Java Stout – 5.6% coffee stout brewed with espresso beans from local coffee roasters EXO Coffee
Dragoon Brewing Company
Tucson, AZ
Dragoon Brewing is located between downtown Tucson and Saguaro National Park West. It was founded in 2011 by a father-son duo along with a third like-minded brewer. I didn’t get a chance to visit the actual brewery, but with dinner at El Charro Cafe I enjoyed their Cerveza of the Century, a 7% malty Sonoran Amber ale created for the celebration of El Charro’s 100th anniversary.
Tombstone Brewing Company
Tombstone, AZ
Tombstone is a small historic Wild West town with a population of about 1,300, well-known for the shootout at the O.K. Corral as covered in the star-studded western film Tombstone. The town boasts one brewery – Tombstone Brewing Company, founded in 2016, which has since opened two additional locations in Phoenix and Sierra Vista. I stopped in for a flight in the late afternoon after sightseeing all day, and being that it was past tourist season when I visited, I was probably the only tourist in the brewery among a bunch of locals who were shooting at flies with a toy gun. Wild West, you know? It was a fun hangout and I tried a flight of Tombstone’s brews:
- Raspberry Berliner – one of TBC’s core beers, a 5% Berliner Weisse brewed with raspberry for a tart, fruity flavor
- Now That’s What I Call Hops, Vol. 2 – an 8.2% double IPA that is hazy, citrusy and tropical
- American Classics: Red Ale – a 5.5% toasty and smooth American Amber ale with notes of caramel
- Tripel – a 9% Belgian Tripel characteristic of the Trappist style with a sweet and balanced malt flavor
The Shop Beer Co.
Tempe, AZ
The Shop Beer Co. is located in Tempe, Arizona, not far from Phoenix attractions and PHX Sky Harbor International Airport. It was founded in 2016 with a focus on creativity and collaboration. I tried one of their beers while at a brewpub in Phoenix with my uncle. I tried Church Music, their 6.7% juicy IPA with tropical notes.
Lake Pleasant Brewing Company
Phoenix, AZ
En route to an evening in with pizza and movies, my uncle and I stopped at Lake Pleasant Brewing Company in North Phoenix to get some to-go brews. Upon recommendation from a local perusing the beer fridge, I chose the Sidewinder IPA, a 6.8% American IPA hopped with Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe, and Strata for a crisp and piney finish.
Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.
Gilbert, AZ
Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. first opened in 2013 in Gilbert, and now also have a location in downtown Phoenix a short walk from the Convention Center. They have a strong focus on using local ingredients and putting the least amount of strain on the greater Phoenix area’s already distressed water system.
While I was staying in downtown Phoenix to work a convention, I happened to hit a milestone birthday, and spent my big 3-0 sipping brews in the downtown taproom and beer garden. Not a bad birthday! I started with a flight because everything sounded so interesting and I couldn’t decide:
- Don’t F#%k It Up – a light and refreshing 5.5% blonde ale with honey
- Arizona Pinstripes – a 6.6% hazy IPA brewed in collaboration with River Outdoors to celebrate overlanding, with a New Zealand hop variety called Riwaka along with Cashmere and Mosaic hops
- Cactus Juice – a tart and fruity 4.5% sour ale made with prickly pear juice and hibiscus tea
- Blackberry Piquette – a funky and tart 5.4% barrel-aged blackberry saison
Post-flight, I ordered a pint of Sonoran Prince, a 6.1% peach sour aged in French oak foeders. Delish! I ended the night with the photogenic beer below that I snapped a picture of but failed to log on Untappd, so I can’t remember which one it was, but it must’ve been good!
Grand Canyon Brewing Company
Williams, AZ
At my hotel bar one night, I ordered Grand Canyon Brewing’s Prickly Pear Wheat, a 4.9% American Wheat Ale with added flavor of prickly pear. Grand Canyon Brewing started in 2007 in Williams and has since grown to include a distillery and three additional brewery locations in Flagstaff, Page, and Kingman.
Four Peaks Brewing
Tempe, AZ
With a delightful dinner at Hanny’s restaurant in downtown Phoenix, I enjoyed a bottled brew from Four Peaks Brewing, located nearby in Tempe. It was their Peach Ale, a 4.5% golden ale that is easy to drink and packed with peachy flavor.
I covered a lot of ground in my June trip, but can’t wait to return to Arizona in a few months to check out some more great AZ brews!
C to Shining C 
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