Your guide to two dozen must-try Arizona breweries from Flagstaff to Phoenix to Tucson
Arizona is home to close to 80 breweries, many of which have earned national and international acclaim and medals over the years.
With all that variety comes the difficult decision of where to raise a pint on a given night. Some breweries focus on sustainability by brewing with recycled water. Others incorporate the native flora into their brews, while some bring European styles to metro Phoenix. The breweries on this list are unique trailblazers or tried-and-true brewers who have brought home medals and beer.
Of all the breweries from Flagstaff to Tucson, these 24 should be on your beer bucket list.
12 West Brewing Co.
Bryan McCormick and Noel Garcia opened 12 West Brewing Co. in Mesa and Gilbert in 2016. Typically, there are between 12 and 15 beers on tap, including IPAs, light and sour beers. The brewery won a gold medal for its Smooth Transitions in the IPA category in the 2023 U.S. Open Beer Championship. Patrons can pick up canned beers at the Mesa location.
Details: 480-508-7018, 12westbrewing.com.
12 W. Main St., Mesa.
3000 East Ray Road, Building 6 suite 110, Gilbert.
OHSO Brewery
OHSO stands for Outrageous Homebrewer’s Social Outpost. It was started by a group of three friends who combined their love of beer, community, biking and dogs into one communal space. Owner, Jon Lane opened the first location in Arcadia and has since expanded to four locations in metro Phoenix as well as a breakfast spot, Little O's. OHSO plans to open a North Central shop that combines OHSO and Little O's.
The brewery took home a silver medal for its Sudoku beer in the Tea Beer category at the 2023 U.S. Open Beer Championship.
Those interested in the brew process can attend a four-hour Brew your Own Beer session for $50. OHSO beers are available at grocery and convenience stores around the valley. Use the website to find the location near you.
Details: ohsobrewery.com.
4900 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. 602-955-0358.
10810 N. Tatum Blvd. #126 Phoenix. 602-900-9003.
335 N. Gilbert Road, No. 102, Gilbert. 602-900-9004.
15681 N. Hayden Road #112, Scottsdale. 480-948-3159.
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Grand Canyon Brewing + Distillery
Grand Canyon Brewing was founded by veteran John Peasley in 2007 in Williams. In 2017, he added a distillery, producing "grain to glass scratch made spirits and whiskeys made using native Arizona ingredients." In 2019, he added a Flagstaff location, in 2022 they opened in Page and in 2023 a taproom opened in Kingman.
The brewery has won numerous awards, including a silver medal for its Prickly Pear Wheat in American Berry/Fruit Beer category and bronze medals for Sacred Saguaro in Vienna-Style Lager and Kachina Throwback in American Wheat categories at the 2023 U.S. Open Beer Championship.
The beers are also sold in Arizona and Nevada. Customers can choose the beer they like online and use the beer tracker to find the closest store.
Details: 800-513-2072, grandcanyonbrewery.com.
301 N. Seventh St., Williams.
1800 S. Milton Road, Flagstaff.
700 N. Navajo Dr., Page.
312 E. Beal St., Page (Kingman Location.)
Huss Brewing Co.
Husband-and-wife owners Jeff and Leah Huss opened their first brewery in Tempe in 2013. Now, they have three locations in metro Phoenix. The two brought back Papago Brewing Co. earlier this year with a taproom located in Mesa.
Huss won bronze for its Papago Blueberry Wheat in the American Berry/ Fruit Beer category at the 2023 U.S. Open Beer Championship.
Huss beer is available at multiple grocery shops in the Valley with a beer finder that shows the closest spots based on zip code.
Details: Three locations around the Valley, hussbrewing.com.
1520 W. Mineral Road, Suite 102, Tempe. 480-264-7611.
100 E. Camelback Road, #160, Phoenix. 602-441-4677.
225 E. Monroe St., Phoenix. 602-607-5370.
Basin + Range
Owners and brewers, Rebecca Caroli and Adam Marshall call Basin+Range "an itinerant brewing project, crafting place-based beers across the Wild West." Drawing on their careers in field biology and archeology, the two use regional ingredients to brew ethnobotanical beers and hop-forward hazy IPAs.
Their In Bloom beer won a silver medal in the Contemporary Gose category at the 2023 Great American Beer Awards. It's brewed with prickly pear, saguaro fruit and fig leaves from a 100-year-old tree.
Find it at the following spots: Voltron Brewing Company, Tap and Bottle, Caps and Corks and AZ Beer House in Tucson plus Kings and Divided Vine in Phoenix.
Details: Tucson. @wildwesternbeer on Instagram.
Wren House Brewing Co.
Wren House is the brainchild of Drew Pool and Bill Hammond who first opened in 2015. In addition to the Phoenix taproom and Prescot brewery and taproom, the pair just added a third taproom in Ahwatukee called Wren Südhalle (South Hall).
Wren House earned two medals at the 2023 Great American Beer Awards for its Hooks & Dun and Blue Quad Roller Skates beers.
Find their packaged beer online and at the Phoenix and Ahwatukee taprooms.
Details: wrenhousebrewing.com.
Phoenix taproom: 2125 N. 24th St., Phoenix. 602-244-9184.
Wren Südhalle: 4025 E. Chandler Blvd., Phoenix.
Wren House Prairie Patio: 6396 Lear Lane, Prescott. 602-244-9184.
State 48 Brewery
Mario Rana opened the first State 48, a 10 barrel brewery, in Surprise in 2016. The website lists close to 40 beers, ranging from IPA to lager to stout and fruit beers. Canned beers are available to order online in 12- and 32-ounce sizes for pickup.
State 48 Brewery of Scottsdale received a gold medal in the Strong Porter category for Baltic Porter at the 2023 World Beer Cup competition.
Details: state48brewery.com.
13823 W Bell Rd, Surprise. 623-584-1095.
6770 N. Sunrise Blvd., Glendale. 623-877-4448.
345 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. 602-254-4848.
2530 Happy Valley Road, Suite 1269, Phoenix. 623-581-7553.
2218 E. Williams Field Road, Gilbert.
15600 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale. 480-659-0048.
Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.
Jonathan Buford and Patrick Ware opened Arizona Wilderness Brewing in 2013, creating brews with locally grown, natural ingredients. "If it's made in Arizona, we use it in our beer," reads the website. Nuts, teas, pine needles, vegetables and fruits grown in Arizona are some of the products Arizona Wilderness Brewing uses. Since opening, the brewery has made 500 beers. Beers are available online.
The brewery won a gold medal at the 2023 Arizona Craft Beer Awards for its West Clear in the West Coast IPA category.
Details: azwbeer.com.
721 N. Arizona Ave., Gilbert. 480-497-2739.
201 E. Roosevelt St., Phoenix. 480-462-1836.
912 N. Colorado St., Gilbert.
Greenwood Brewing Co.
Greenwood was founded by Megan Greenwood in 2017, but didn't officially open until 2020. Her brewery lists eight flagship beers, two seasonal and 20 experimental beers, though not all are always available.
The brewery won a silver for its Greenwood Light Lager, and two bronzes for Herstory Pale Ale and Warrior Hazy IPA from Arizona Craft Beer Awards.
Find Greenwood beers at over 50 grocery stores and over 150 restaurants listed on the website.
Details: 425 E. Roosevelt St., Phoenix. 602-875-8577, greenwoodbrews.com.
Pedal Haus Brewery
Julian Wright opened Pedal Haus, a bike-theme brewery in 2015 in Tempe, adding a second location in Chandler in 2018 and a third in Phoenix in 2021. Find nine regular and three seasonal brews on tap.
Pedal Haus has won multiple awards over the years, most recently a gold medal for Desert Classic Pale Ale, German Style Pilsner and Beach Cruiser Mexican Amber from American Craft Beer Awards 2023.
Details: 730 S. Mill Ave, Tempe. 480-314-2337, pedalhausbrewery.com.
214 E. Roosevelt St., Phoenix. 623-213-8229.
95 W. Boston St., Chandler. 480-656-1639.
SanTan Brewing Co.
Owned by Anthony Canecchia, SanTan Brewing Co. in Chandler is the largest Arizona-owned brewery. SanTan also has a branch at the Sky Harbor Airport. Customers can order canned beers online or use the store finder tab on the website to find nearby shops and restaurants that carry SanTan brews.
SanTan received a silver medal for Mr. Pineapple in the Fruit Wheat category at the 2016 World Beer Cup.
Details: 8 S. San Marcos Place, Chandler. 480-917-8700, santanbrewing.com.
Fate Brewing
Fate Brewing opened its first location in 2012 in Scottsdale followed by a Tempe location in 2019 and one in Phoenix in 2023. The owners also opened a brunch spot called The Eleanor this year in Scottsdale.
Fate offers 20 beers on tap, only two of which are guest beers. Their unique and customer favorite beers, including Candy Bar Milk Stout and Hatch Chille Gatos are sold in cans at the Tempe and Scottsdale locations.
Fate Single Hop Sour won a bronze medal in American Sour Ale category at the Great American Beer Festival 2023 in Colorado.
Details: 1312 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 480-994-1275, fatebrewing.com.
201 E. Southern Ave., Suite 111, Tempe.
4445 N. Seventh St, Phoenix.
Lumberyard Brewing Company
Winne and Evan Hanseth, owners of Beaver Street Brewery, opened Lumberyard in 2010 after rehabilitating the historical Halstead Lumberyard Building, which was built in Flagstaff in the early 1900’s.
The brewery won a silver medal at the 2023 Great American Beer Awards for its Railhead Red in Extra Special Bitter category.
Lumberyard brews three categories of beer: mainstays are on draft and in cans year round, seasonals are just that and limited brews are experiments that appear "every once in a while."
Details: 5 S. San Francisco St., Flagstaff. 928-779-2739, lumberyardbrewingcompany.com.
Tombstone Brewing
Owner Matt Brown and brewer Weedy Weidenthal opened their first location in 2016, adding another location in Phoenix and Sierra Vista. Tombstone offers three core and four seasonal beers.
Aside from its locations, fans can find Tombstone beer at a variety of restaurants listed on the website.
Details: 3935 E. Thomas Road, Phoenix. 602-368-7295, tombstone.beer.
Simple Machine Brewing
Marshall Norris and Matt Wright opened Simple Machine Brewing in 2019. In 2023, Norris joined Frank Trotti to add a second location in Glendale. Simple Machine has 16 beers on tap plus to-go canned beers. The Glendale location sells canned wine-based cocktails as well.
Its Barrel O’ Cherries won a gold medal in Wood Aged category at the 2023 Arizona Craft Beer Awards.
Details: 623-469-9199. simplemachinebrewing.com.
701 W. Deer Valley Road, Phoenix.
5745 W. Glendale Ave., Glendale.
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Beer Research Institute
The Beer Research Institute opened its second location (also Mesa's first arcade bar) in 2022. The 4,000 square-foot space offers 40 arcade games along with B.R.I. craft beers, other Arizona brews, cider, wine and scratch-made food. In addition to games from the '80s and '90s, the arcade bar as 12 pinball machines.
As for beers, find IPA, New England IPA, stout, Belgian Blonde, Vienna lager and sour beer on draft.
BRI won two medals at the 2022 Arizona Craft Beer Awards: silver for Common Good in the Specialty category and bronze for Morning Sex in the Herb/Spice/Coffee category.
Details: 1641 S Stapley Dr., Mesa. 480-892-2020, thebeerresearchinstitute.com.
Dragoon Brewing Co.
The Tucson-based Dragoon Brewing Co. was opened in 2011 by father and son homebrewers Bruce and Eric Greene along with Tristan White. The trio brews 30 beers annually with 11 on tap.
Their Dragoon Pils won them two medals at American Craft Beer Awards: Best in Show and Gold in pilsner and lager category. Customers can purchase canned beer online.
Details: 1859 W. Grant Road #111, Tucson. 520-329-3606, dragoonbrewing.com.
Saddle Mountain Brewing Co.
This 15-barrel brewhouse has been producing award-winning beer since Jacob Hansen opened it in 2014. Its most recent awards won at the 2023 World Beer Cup included a gold medal in the American Wheat Beer category for Taildragger 5G and a silver medal in the Scottish-Style Ale category for Taildragger Clan-Destine.
The brewery has 12 beers on tap.
Details: 15651 W. Roosevelt St., Goodyear. 623-249-5520, saddlemountainbrewing.com.
LazyG Brewhouse
The brewpub was launched by Jim and Jean-Marie Bellington in 2019 in downtown Prescott. The name comes from a trailer park of the same name they purchased in 2007 and have since closed.
LazyG won The Daily Courier's Reader's Choice Awards for Best Brewery in 2021 and 2022.
The brewpub has 23 beers on tap, 12 of its own and the rest a combination of guest beer, cider, mead plus wines on tap.
Details: 220 W. Leroux St., Prescott. 928-445-2994, lazygbrewhouse.com.
Kitsune
Tyler Smith, founder of the first black-owned brewery in Arizona, opened shop in October 2022. The bar's namesake is a mythical fox with multiple tails that is a symbolic protector of the community in Japanese folklore. Smith fell in love with the kitsune concept on a trip to Japan.
The brewery currently has 13 beers on tap, ranging from hazy IPA to stouts, sours and blonde ale. Rotating food trucks provide options to pair with the beer.
Details: 3321 E. Bell Road, Suite B-5, Phoenix. 602-245-8593, kitsunebrewingco.com.
Hundred Mile Brewing Co.
Owner Sue Rigler opened Hundred Mile Brewing Co. in December 2022. Rigler is a hoppy beer fans and has 24 beers on tap in addition to guest beers served at their 10,000 square-foot, 10-barrel brewhouse. It features two bars, an event space and a dog-friendly patio.
All guest beers are sourced from within 100 miles of the brewery, thus the name, which refers to the fact that all its beers are made within 100 miles of the taproom.
Details: 690 N. Scottsdale Road, Tempe. hundredmilebrewing.com.
Barrio Brewing
Established in 1991, Barrio Brewing is the oldest brewery in Arizona. It began as Gentle Bens in Tucson by Dennis and Tauna Arnold. The two changed Gentle Bens to Barrio Brewing in 2008 when they expanded and moved to a larger location in Tucson.
Barrio opened its Phoenix location in 2017. In 2020, the owners sold the business to their employees, making it the first all-employee-owned brewery.
Barrio Rojo, the brewery's Scottish Red Ale won a bronze medal in 2015 GABF and silver in 2016 American Beer Festival Silver.
Details: 5803 S. Sossaman Road #212, Mesa. 480-988-7171, barriobrewingphoenix.com.
Transplant City Brewing Co (TCBC)
TCBC Beer was founded in 2018 by Justin Egbert and Paul Power, friends and transplants from California and Idaho. Locate in Litchfield Park, the brewery has 19 beers on tap with 16 of their own and three guest brews. Beers are only available inhouse.
Details: 103 W. Honeysuckle St., Litchfield Park. 623-535-3911, tcbcbeer.com.
Mother Road Brewing
This Flagstaff brewery, named after US Highway 66, which John Steinbeck called the "Mother Road," is the third largest independent brewery in Arizona. The brewery was opened in 2011 by Michael and Alissa Marquess with one beer and three employees. Now it has five core and five limited release beers.
Their Tower Station IPA won a silver medal at the World Beer Championships.
Order the beers online or use the website to find a store near you.
Details: 7 S. Mikes Pike St., Flagstaff. 928-774-9139, motherroadbeer.com.
Reach the reporter at [email protected]. Follow @banooshahr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 24 Arizona breweries every craft beer lover needs to try
