Arizona is hot. That's no secret. So what is the best way to quench your thirst other than endless bottles of water? Craft beer of course! Arizona has more than 70 craft breweries and their brewers are some of the most innovative in the country. You can take an Arizona Brewery Tour of the award-winning spots as well as some up-and-coming stars. ?There's even an Arizona Beer Festival to get them all under one glorious roof. So check out this list of some of Arizona's best breweries and get to drinking.
Arizona Breweries To Grab a Pint
1. Lumberyard Brewing Taproom & Grille
Founded by Winnie and Evan Hanseth, Lumberyard Brewing opened its doors in 2010 in downtown Flagstaff, Arizona. Try the Hazy Angel IPA or the Red Rock Raspberry year-round or a seasonal Oktoberfest while enjoying elevated bar food with friends.
2. Tombstone Brewing Company
Tombstone Brewing Company was founded in 2016 in the town known as "The Town Too Tough to Die." Craft lagers and ales made from out-of-the-ordinary ingredients like the Not So Farro Away made from the ancient grain farro or the cowboy tough 10% ABV All The Hops Triple IPA.
3. Beaver Street Brewery & Whistle Stop Cafe
Flagstaff is home to the Beaver Street Brewery pouring brews like Railroad Red and Conductor IPA. Serving comfort food with a touch of eclectic, order the unami Brussel sprouts, chicken pot pie, or an artichoke topped pizza. Keep the night going at Brews & Cues Brewpub, the pool hall next door.
4. Barrio Brewing
Barrio Brewing Co. is Arizona's first 100% employee-owned and oldest brewery. Opened in 1991, it's been brewing and growing for three decades. After nearly three decades of growth, their beers have reached all corners of the state. Visit the taproom just outside of Downtown Tucson during Happy Hour and get $1 off pints whenever the train passes by!
5. 8-Bit Aleworks
Husband and wife owners, Ryan and Krystina Whitten believe "it's not just a beer, it's a health potion."
The 8-Bit Aleworks in Avondale combines video game nostalgia and solid craft beer. with the powerful flavor of high-quality craft beer. 8-Bit Aleworks microbrewery makes small-batch beers from zippy IPA's to malty chocolatey stouts.
6. Wren House Brewing Co.
The Wren House Brewing Co.'s taproom and patio is the hottest beer geek's hangout in Phoenix. Constantly interpreting classic beer styles with new twists. they say no style is off-limits for them. There's a lottery to join their highly sought-after beer club known as the Saguaro Club, giving access to limited releases.
7. Dragoon Brewing Co.
In a perfect example of quality over quantity, Dragoon Brewing Company only brews four beers year-round. Dragoon IPA, Santa Cruz'r, Refraction, and Dragoon PILS. Everything else they make is a specialty release or one-off batch beer.
The Dragoon Brewing Company opened its taproom in 2011 in Tucson. Just concentrating on good beer and good times, grab your food from one of the food trucks parked outside. And swing back some time for beer yoga. Yes. I said beer and yoga.
8. Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.
In 2013, RateBeer.com named Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. in Gilbert AZ the best new brewery in the world. THE WORLD! Their most popular beer is called Oaked and Ordinary. This English bitter ale is aged with oak staves, giving that woody hearty taste of being in an English pub. Or Arizona Wilderness.
A true craft brewery, you can count on local AZ ingredients being incorporated into every offering.
9. Goldwater Brewing
Brewing for more than 30 years, this family-owned brewery has taprooms in Old Town Scottsdale and East Mesa. But you can also order their cleverly named beers in over one hundred bars. Go ahead and ask for a glass of Sour Prick (made with prickly pear juice) or order a pint of BAR FIGHT! (their Imperial Stout).
10. SanTan Brewing Company
SanTan Brewing Company in downtown Chandler specializes in the kind of beer you expect to find in the Southwest. Brewing since 2007, they offer refreshing IPA's and Hefeweizens, a German-style wheat beer. Citrusy and fruity for the famous dry heat of AZ
Try the Juicy Jack. It's a Hazy IPA with aromas of peach, guava, and tangerine with oats added for a refreshingly full-body brew. Or try Mr. Pineapple, a seasonal pineapple-infused wheat beer. What heat?
11. Huss Brewing Company
Husband and wife team Jeff and Leah Huss have built a small empire of beer. They have three taprooms in Phoenix and one in Tempe, all serving featured year-round brews like Scottsdale Blonde and Papago Cherry Blossom Fruit Beer. But the real rave review beer is the Koffee Kolsch. Cold steeped with caramel and hazelnut freshly roasted coffee beans, pair this beer with Sunday yoga at the brewery.
12. Four Peaks Brewing Company
Four Peaks is Tempe's largest craft beer distributor. Brewing since 1996, they're known for Scottish Ales. Order the malty amber Kilt Lifter or go for the lower calorie version Gilt Lifter.
Make sure to try the WOW brew as well. First, because it's a delicious wheat beer full of sweet orange peels. Secondly, because a percentage of each bottle sold goes to The Joy Bus. This Phoenix-based nonprofit mission "aims to elevate the quality of life for homebound cancer patients through home-cooked meals and friendly conversation."
