In this episode I sit down with owners Matt and Greg and their brewer Colby. We talk about opening a place where they would want to go, making the type of beer they want to drink and attracting the type of people they would want to hang out with. So far so good. Enjoy the show!
When Rob from North Mountain Brewing Company toured Europe as a young man it showed how that beer can be really good. That trip and his desire to do something different has inspired him to create certain styles that not many breweries try to tackle such as Belgian Strong Ales, Belgian Quads, and Saisons. And he nails them. And their food is awesome so so that never hurts. The food is deliberately made with the beer in mind.
Official Tap That AZ Recommendations:
North Mountain Brewing Company: 22 E Dunlap Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85020
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Intro/Outro music is "La Negra Tomasa" by the awesome local Arizona band Fayuca
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Since it opened its doors in 2015 Goldwater Brewing Company has hit the ground running. Spawned from their dads passion for brewing Dillon and Chad McClelland have turned this Scottsdale brewery into the place to be in Old Town Scottsdale. Above ground there is a beautiful taproom and brewery that pumps out more beer than you could ever imagine from the space given. But the real gem is The Goldmine: a former underground shooting range that houses barrels currently aging some future awesomeness ad well as a few Brite Tanks laying horizontally in some of the 75 deep wholes previously used as the firing areas of the shooting range. Yeah, you heard that right. This place is unlike anything you've ever seen and these guys maximize its uniqueness.
These guys are killing it and a recent Bronze metal at the Great American Beer Festival for their Machine Gun Teddy Brown Ale proves it. In this episode I sit down with Dillon, Chad, and assistant brewer Jordan to talk about how their dad influenced their beer styles, how Chad made them better, and how they are able to pump out such great beer in a limited space. Enjoy the show!
AZ Food and Beer - all about Arizona Beer - Official Website
Intro/Outro music is "La Negra Tomasa" by the awesome local Arizona band Fayuca
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Arizona is a food lovers paradise. Everything from authentic Mexican food to some of the best pizza in the country we are so lucky to have so many choices. But sometimes that can be the program. How do you decide when give so many options? Do you want to rely on the opinions of many unqualified people who mainly just use the platform to feel more important than they really are? Yes, I'm talking about Yelp. I think South Park summed that whole thing up pretty well. Enter Valley of the Sun Foodies, a small yet passionate group of people who love supporting the local Arizona foodie scene. They use their Facebook page to promote positive support of the local scene.
When I recorded my very first episode at Mother Road Brewing Company in Flagstaff I met a gentleman by the name of Brian Roper. He was super excited about what I was doing and let me know that he also loves supporting the local scene and told me about a group her just started called Valley of the Sun Foodies. Since then Brian has been an awesome supporter of the podcast and has done a lot to help me make many great connections. It took a little convincing to get him behind the mic but I finally did it! Fellow Valley of the Sun Foodie Tracey joined in as well along with The Classy Alcoholic.
Keep in mind this was the 5th episode I had recorded that day at Mesquite River Brewing Company so it is possible that I was slightly buzzed at this point. Either way, we had a great time. Enjoy the show!
Intro/Outro music is "La Negra Tomasa" by the awesome local Arizona band Fayuca
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This is the 2nd installment of us following Justin on his journey to opening up a brewery here in Arizona.
Grab your favorite local Arizona beer and enjoy the show!
Instagram - @the_alpha_ale
The Global Brew Coalition Facebook Page
Intro/Outro music is "La Negra Tomasa" by an awesome local Arizona band called Fayuca
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In this very NSFW episode I hang out with the legendary and infamous Classy Alcoholic, Arizona beer blogger extraordinaire. Check out his website here
Intro/Outro music is "La Negra Tomasa" by a local Arizona band called Fayuca
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Since my first taste of Railhead Red at Beaver Street Brewery in Flagstaff I was hooked on Arizona craft beer. My wife? I'm still working on her. She has some of her local favorites like Huss Koffee Kolsch, Sonoran Brewing White Chocolate Ale, and Papago Orange Blossom but for the most part she's a work in progress. Don't get me wrong she is progressing at a rapid pace and I'm proud of her progress. But usually our ventures out involve something similar to this “let's go to Brewery X so you can have a couple beers and then we'll go to Restaurant X to get something to eat.” A very reasonable request and a win-win. But I always worried that the beer choice at this so-called "food" place would be, at best, questionable.
Then we found Scottsdale Beer Company. I think the plan was "lets go have a couple beers there and then go eat at the new restaurant that was built in an old horse stable where you pick all your own vegetables from the stem yourself and then have it prepared using only sunlight and wind and then served on an copper hubcap". Hey, I love the new movement of farm-to-table restaurants that use nothing but the best local ingredients. But some go a little overboard. ANYWAYS.....on this day, everything changed. First of all, four words: giant bacon cheddar tots. If you can't tell from this episode I really love these little pieces of heaven. And Doug gave me a little pointer: order them "staff style" which basically means that are threes times as awesome. I don't really remember what was special about them "staff style because I was too busy devouring them. And wings cooked three times (actually four)? Brined, smoked, fried, grilled, and THEN sauced? Hell yeah!
And guess what else they have......BEER! I should say AWESOME beer. Brad is a wizard behind that glass. When I first got there I told him to bring me a couple of his choosing to start off with. Be brought me a sour and a mint saison. Besides horseradish mint is my least favorite flavor and I am not a huge fan of sours (though they are growing on me). I thought "damn it. I should have told him what I wanted." But I'm glad I didn't! Both were fantastic and the mint saison was one of my favorites of all their beers. Go there. Try them all. They always have a huge selection. You won't be disappointed.
My food suggestion: Guess.....GIANT BACON CHEDDAR TOTS STAFF-STYLE!!!
My beer suggestion: Mint Condition Saison
Intro/Outro music is "La Negra Tomasa" by a local Arizona band called Fayuca
Want to show your support and help this show grow? Simply click here, give the show a rating and share some feedback!
The first time I saw Fayuca was at McDowell Mountain Music Festival in 2012. In between shows on the main stage we noticed a flock of people gravitating to the corner of the festival toward the local stage. As we got closer we could feel the energy of the crowd feeding off of this 3 piece band who was just killing it. Fronted by a charismatic singer/guitarist this band instantly won me over.
The 2nd time I saw them was a few years later. By then they had grown to a 5 piece band but that same raw energy existed, and now even more so. They had grown from a raw kick ass local band to this polished amazing band that was on the path to greatness. When I started the Tap That AZ podcast I wanted intro music that meant something to Arizona. I had zero questions about where I wanted to get that music from and luckily lead singer/guitarist/founder Gabo was more than happy to allow me to use their song "La Negra Tomasa" as my theme music.
I've been following Fayuca throughout the years and when I heard they were collaborating with Helio Basin Brewing Company I was ecstatic: my favorite local band (actually one of my favorites period) and one of my favorite breweries working together. Can't beat that. And then when they reached out and asked me to be a part of it? Hell yeah! No brainer!
In this episode we talk with Gabo, his business partner BJ of "Made in Phx" and Helio Basin brewer Dustin to talk about the collaboration and Fayucas upcoming tour in which they'll play 16 shows in 22 days.
On August 24th there will be a launch party for the beer at Helio Basin Brewing Company. In addition to the "Fayuca Rizing Summer Pale Ale" release there will also be live music and awesome merch. Come to the party! It will be awesome.
Enjoy the show!
The Arizona Craft Brewers Guild has been around for nearly 20 years. In a nutshell the organization does all that it can to promote and advance the progress of the Arizona craft beer scene. After talking with Executive Director Rob Fullmer and Communications Manager Paul Rosevear I now realize how much this amazing organization actually does on a daily basis not only for Arizona craft beer but the state of Arizona in general.
Among the many duties of The Guild is to organization and put on some of the best beer festivals in the country right here in our beautiful state. One of these events will be this Saturday, July 29th. Real Wild and Woody is geared to knock your socks off. In a responsible way. I mean, they’re going to have REAL trees there. And it’s inside! This event is going to be awesome: live music, vintage video games, educational stuff, amazing food, and most importantly, amazing beer. I am super bummed that I am not going to be there but make sure you drink some beers in my honor. I'll be having a real tough time staying at a beach house in Maine enjoying some of the best beers the east coast has to offer. Someone has to do it. Taking one for the team. You’re welcome.
From the "Real Wild and Woody" website
Beer aficionados , clear your calendars…the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild will be expanding Real, Wild and Woody Part Tres, a one day only, exclusive indoor craft beer festival designed for those who love the variety and diversity of the Strong Beer Festival, but perhaps crave a more intimate setting. Get ready for more pre and post events, educational seminars and an insiders look at the industry.
Buy Tickets - First 500 people to purchase tickets will receive a special limited edition “30 years of brewing in Arizona” glass.
Intro/Outro music is "La Negra Tomasa" by a local Arizona band called Fayuca
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In this episode I sit down with Jacob and Laura Hansen, owners of Saddle Mountain Brewing Company in Goodyear. A pal of mine Luis Herrera who also happens to be the Beer Ambassador for SMBC even joins us near the end of the episode. Up until they opened up SMBC there were no breweries in Goodyear. With a little tenacity and help from an awesome member of the city council they were finally able to make history. In this episode we talk about their journey and how this city council member now has a beer named after him at the brewery. Enjoy the show!
Intro/Outro music is "La Negra Tomasa" by a local Arizona band called Fayuca
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So apparently people from the Czech Republic drink more beer per capita than any other country in the world. IN. THE. WORLD. Wow, that came out of nowhere. In fact they have claimed that title for 23 years in a row! Czechs drink 142 liters (equal to about 300 pints) per person which makes us Americans look like little girls at a mere 75 liters per person. And apparently it's cheaper to get a beer in the Czech Republic than it is to get a bottle of water so at least they have their priorities straight. On an unrelated note I will be moving to the Czech Republic next week.
Dubina Brewing Company opened in 2013 behind a strong and proud family history of great beer making. In this episode I sit down with Jared Dubina to talk about how his grandfather was a huge influence on his passion to open his own brewery. We talk about how sometimes a little critical feedback can really light your fire to perfect your craft and how local businesses influence and contribute to so much of what they do on a daily basis. Enjoy the show!
Intro/Outro music is "La Negra Tomasa" by Arizona's own Fayuca
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Me: "I'll do #'s 1, 6, 7, 8, and......"
Dude at Crooked Tooth, without hesitation: "3!"
Me: "Huh?"
Dude at Crooked Tooth: "If you like those 4 you'll love #3"
Me: "Well alright, alright"
That was my first interaction with Ben Vernon from Crooked Tooth Brewing Company in Tucson. And you know? #3 was my favorite. I knew right then that Ben was a cool dude who truly cared and knew a lot about beer and how to make his guests feel welcome. In this episode I sit down with Ben and talk about the challenges/joys of transforming an old service shop into a fantastic brewery and whatnot.
A little while back I took a trip down to Tombstone to visit Matt Brown at Tombstone Brewing Company which was a great place making great beer. But I also had a secondary objective that day: get back to Tucson ASAP and grab chimichanga at the place that apparently invented it and just an awesome Mexican food joint in general. The story about the chimichanga is great. But they had me at “fried burrito”. I had even skipped 2nd breakfast to make room for this legendary treasure. So we made the trip back to Tucson and walked into El Charro at around 2:30. “The wait is about 45 minutes”. My heart sank which is probably preferable to what that chimichanga would have done to my heart had we possessed the patience to wait that long. But 45 minutes was much too long for me to wait in my fragile state so we decided to go with Plan B: take the 0.3 mile walk to Borderlands Brewing Company to come up with Plan B.
Borderlands Brewing Company was a really awesome place too. Located in an old brick warehouse right by the railroad tracks this place has character for days and some marvelous beers. The bartender was cool as hell and when we expressed a desire to check another brewery without hesitation she said "Crooked Tooth. You gotta check them out. Cool people making great beer". It was decided: Crooked Tooth would be the next stop. Another 0.3 mile walk (by the way, I was burning WAY more calories than was necessary at this point) and we were there. On the journey over we noticed hoards of people stumbling around the streets and realized we were right in the middle of a pub crawl. Lots of people wandering aimlessly trying to find the next place to find a great craft beer? I can relate to that.
We came around the corner and there is was: another great Tucson brewery in a brick building that looked like it had been there for a hundred years. As soon as we walked in I knew I was going to love this place. Right when you walk in there is an old payphone with vines on it sitting beside an old safe filled with board games. And the place was beautiful inside. Exposed brick everywhere and the huge wooden tables were heavy duty as could be. The place just had a cool vibe to it. And then I saw what they were serving flight tastings in: wooden skateboards with 5 holes in them to hold the tasting glasses. Heck yes! That when I first met Ben (see beginning of this article). I knew right then I had to cool this dude on the show. And he was totally down. Plus their beer is the real deal. Especially the It's Always Sunny in Amarillo (and such a great name).
A few weeks later I was back in Tucson with mics in hand to record this episode. It was on a Saturday before they opened for the day during a "Pints and Poses" thing they do where people come in for an hour of yoga and then have a pint, all for $5. Yoga is just one of the events they are known for. Don’t forget about speed dating, live music, stand up comedy, the list goes on. So in the background of the episode you'll hear the Zenful music of the yoga in the background as Ben tells me the story of Crooked Tooth Brewing Company thus creating "Ben The Beer Zen Master". Has a nice ring to it. Enjoy the show. And go have a beer there. Today.
Intro/Outro music is "La Negra Tomasa" by Arizona's own Fayuca
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