Tap That AZ - The Arizona Craft Beer Podcast

Through my journey of visiting and talking with some of my favorite breweries across the state of Arizona I have learned many things:

• I actually DO like sour beers
• I can drink about 12 tasters and 1 pint during a podcast interview
• I should NOT drink about 12 tasters and 1 pint during a podcast interview
• And finally, opening up a brewery is HARD WORK!

If you are lucky enough to see them in action while you are visiting you can easily see that these guys and girls are busting their butts while at the same time sweating their butts off in their effort to make you the best damn beer you've ever tasted. But making beer is only a small portion of that. First you have to choose a name. Easy enough, right? Not so much. Just ask Steve McFate. Once you have a name then you have to either build or redesign your space to accommodate a commercial brewery. And many of these people are doing the work all themselves. So after working a normal shift at their regular job they are spending hours afterwards putting in the blood and sweat to literally build their dream (listen to the Crooked Tooth episode to hear Ben Vernon talk about this). The list goes on an on. And THEN you get to opening day which in actually when the REAL work begins: staying open and successful. Through this show is have developed the utmost respect for the dudes and dudettes who work so hard to play their part in what I consider one of the coolest sections of society: the craft beer world.

With that said I developed this idea to interview someone through their path toward opening a brewery so that listeners can get an idea of how the whole process works and help this aspiring brewery owner gain a following so that anticipation build and opening day brings a lot of excitement.

Enter Justin Cross. The Man of Many Projects. Fitness Beast. Home Brew Wizard. I initially connected with Justin via his Instagram @the_alpha_ale. Justin allows his followers to see very step of his process and is great at explaining the whole process simply so that anyone can understand. and he makes amazing beer. After hanging out with Justin a few times in the real world I realized that this dude is determined and is working his butt off to make his dream happen. And he is doing it the right way: by being a good person and work to improve the lives of others.

Through this miniseries we are going to follow Justin on his journey toward opening up his brewery. In Part 1 we are going to get a little back history with his experience in the brewing world as well as the "why" behind what he is doing.

Grab your favorite local Arizona craft beer and enjoy the show!

Instagram - @the_alpha_ale

The Global Brew Coalition Facebook Page

Intro/Outro music is "La Negra Tomasa" by a local Arizona band called Fayuca

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In this installment of the podcast I head over to Peoria to hang out with 2 of the owners of Freak'N Brewing Company, Tommy and Rene, along with their sales rep Phil. I taste all of their awesome freak'n beers and we talk about all kinds of freak'n things. Enjoy the show and be sure to share with a friend!

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

Want to show your support and help this show grow? Simply click here, give the show a rating and share some feedback!

The best thing about Whiskey Del Bac from Hamilton Distillers is, well, the taste. So thats a good start right? For those of you who like smokey whiskey this one is a must-try. I guarantee you it's unlike anything you'd tasted before. If you could drink brisket this is what it would taste like. And thats a good thing. In fact just recently Whiskey Del Bac was named one of the top 10 whiskeys in America by Esquire magazine. And it deserves it. Another great thing about it is that you can find it pretty much anywhere but to find out more specifically look here. Next time you're out looking for a high quality whiskey to try this one will be worth every penny.

For this episode I went right to the distillery and got to hang out with the man himself: owner/distiller Stephen Paul. We talked whiskey, tasted whiskey, and had a good old time just hanging out. Stephen is all about creating a great product and his passion for what he does really shined in this episode. Enjoy the show!

Intro/Outro music is "La Negra Tomasa" by a local Arizona band called Fayuca

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I had a great time doing this episode at Richter Aleworks. Brandon, April, and Wes were great hosts and l loved hearing their story and their determination to open this place up. One obstacle after another has hit them but they keep hitting back. In fact, at the release of this episode they should be releasing their first house-made beer. Keep an eye on their Instagram and Facebook pages to keep tabs on that. Either way get on over there. Awesome people with an awesome Arizona beer selection. Once these guys getting rolling on all their own beers I have a feeling there are going to change the game. Enjoy the show!

8279 W. Lake Pleasant Parkway Suites 109-110 Peoria, AZ 85383 Phone: (602) 908-6553 Email: [email protected]

Intro/Outro music is "La Negra Tomasa" by a local Arizona band called Fayuca

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Growing up in a small town in Ohio my experience with beer was nothing like what I have available to me now. To me drinking craft beer meant drinking Killians. That was some off-the-wall behavior back in my day. Pulling into the traditional annual summer Steve Miller Band concert at Starlake Amphitheater my friends and I proudly displayed our coolers full of Natty Light and Buttweiser. Jesus, how did we ever make it out of life alive?!?! Now granted, there is a proper time and place for every beer and what exemplifies a classic tune like "Take the Money & Run" quite like an ice cold Natty Light? Your not rocking out to that with a $15 bottle of Firestone Walker Parabola Imperial Stout. You ever try to beer bong barley wine? Of course you haven't because if you did you wouldn't be alive to read this. Nothing flows through a funnel and tube quite like Busch Light.

Fast forward to late 2007. I had made the 2000 mile trek from my hometown to the big city of Phoenix. New place, fresh start.....let's try a new beer! The local Sprouts had Shiner Bock on sale and it looked cool so what the hell?!?! And I liked it. I knew my days of drinking low grade carbonated urine water were officially over. From there things took off. Within a few months I was an adventure in a new land. And then I had my first true Arizona-brewed beer: Railhead Red from Beaver Street Brewery in Flagstaff (now Red Ale from Lumberyard). I was in love. From that day I have been all about Arizona made beer. Lucky for me the numbers of breweries has doubled since then and no end in sight for that growth. I am excited to see where this journey takes us.

However, I have always wondered how a local brewery around my hometown would go over. Would the locals accept it or soak their torches in MGD and burn the place to the ground? Well, in 2015 three brave souls opened up Birdfish Brewing Company in the small town of Columbiana, Ohio to test that theory out. And it has treated them well. These 3 crazy dudes really do some whacky stuff too. I had a dill pickle gose when I was there and it was surprisingly fantastic. They love to push the envelope and really mix things up.

In this episode I sit with 2 of the 3 owners. I talk with them about the challenges and joys of opening a microbrewery in a place where the craft beer culture barely even existed as well as how their existence is making some positive waves in the local community. I know this is an ARIZONA craft beverage podcast but I think you'll enjoy and appreciate what these guys are doing. And enjoy the Irish background music; I was lucky enough to beer there on St. Patty's Day to enjoy their Irish beers which were phenomenal.

Intro/Outro music is "La Negra Tomasa" by Arizona's own Fayuca

Want to show your support and help this show grow? Simply click here, give the show a rating and share some feedback!

In this episode I get to hang out with Brian Helton. His focus is not to make some crazy concoction or off-the-wall thing but rather to make solid beer. And be able to consistently make it awesome. Time and time again. Well, so far so good Brian.

As of this writing Helton Brewing Company has been opened for just around 1 year and from what they are doing over there they are going to open for a long time. A beautiful brewery and tasting room along with a brand new beer garden make this place on 22nd Street and Indian School a must visit. Oh yeah, they make some awesome waffles and stuff too. Bacon cheddar waffles which are totally my style.

This Saturday May 20th, 2017 Helton is celebrating their 1 year anniversary with a grand old shindig. They are tapping a new Double IPA, will have live music, great food, and lots of other exciting stuff. And of course I'll be there so now you HAVE to come. See you there! Or if you are reading this and listening to the episode at a later date, well you sure did miss one hell of a party. You totally missed out and should regret it forever.

Big thanks to Alexxis Grant for taking all the pictures for this episode. You can follow her photography Instagram page at @timelesspresent

Intro/Outro music is "La Negra Tomasa" by Arizona's own Fayuca

Want to show your support and help this show grow? Simply click here, give the show a rating and share some feedback!

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

Want to show your support and help this show grow? Simply click here, give the show a rating and share some feedback!

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

Want to show your support and help this show grow? Simply click here, give the show a rating and share some feedback!

On the corner of 32nd Street and Shea Boulevard sits a little gem called.....well, 32 Shea. Established in 2011 this place has been changing the face of the neighborhood as well as proving how creativity and hard can break down any barriers of how you view your local espresso bar/café/lounge/drive-thru/Zen space. In this episode I sit down with owner Rebecca Golden to talk about how her vision and determination have turned this Up-Uptown* neighborhood spot into more than just another place to get a chai latte. Or a craft beer. Or bacon-cheddar waffles. Or a glass of wine. Or a Nutella Espresso Martini. Or braised short ribs. You get the point. Seriously, all of that stuff is available there at one time or another during the day. This place rocks.

My wife Jackie and I initially came across 32 Shea one day when we were going to take an early morning trip to Flagstaff. Using trusty ol' Yelp I found this new place close to the highway that allegedly had some pretty awesome coffee options. We found the place in an unassuming parking lot in front of a strip mall and proceeded through the drive-thru. We looked at the menu, pulled up to the window, and began to place our order when the girl at the window said "just so you know our specialty coffee today is a pistachio Nutella latte". I saw the pure joy on Jackie's face and I could tell that she was hooked. And then she actually TASTED it. I immediately heard the classic love song emanating from Jackie's brain ("Just the 2 of us. We can make it if we try. Just the 2 of us. You and I!"). And my vanilla latte had enough kick into it to allow Jackie and I to solve all the world's problems during our 2 hour drive. I knew at that point that I would (happily) be spending lots of money there over the next few years.

Since then 32 Shea has expanded in multiple ways. For starters they are open for 15 hours a day six days out of the week which means you could spend all day there and:

• Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner

• Get a fantastic coffee or tea made with local beans and tea leaves

• Have a glass of wine, craft beer, or specialty cocktail

• Happy hour runs from 6am until 6pm!!!

• They also cater

They have expanded the quaint physical structure into an amazing patio with a Buddhist statue fountain as the centerpiece. This fountain really pulls it all together and creates the ambience that perfectly matches the energy of this place. Trees also fill the patio which create the perfect oasis. Between the trees and the fountain you have no idea you are literally 50 feet from the busy traffic of 32nd Street.

Next time you are around 32nd Street and Shea Boulevard stop by no matter what time of day it is and I bet you find something you like.

* Up-Uptown is a Copyright of Rebecca Golden

Intro/Outro music is "La Negra Tomasa" by Arizona's own Fayuca

Want to show your support and help this show grow? Simply click here, give the show a rating and share some feedback!