For craft beer lovers, Tucson is rapidly becoming the place to be. With the new age of beer upon us, the craft beer scene in Tucson is booming and, over the last few years, breweries have been popping up left and right.
Tucson now hosts over 10 breweries in the metro area. Starting out primarily in the Downtown Tucson area, craft breweries have proven to help restore the excitement of downtown. In the past couple of years, breweries have begun to branch out to establish themselves in other parts of the city as well. The expansion of the craft beer scene here has created a type of beer culture that has built a camaraderie among beer lovers and even among the breweries. The culture and sense of community that these local breweries bring with them plays a major part in the charm of the craft brew scene in Tucson.
Our love for craft beer has led to week long celebrations like Arizona Beer Week, which happens every February. Beer festivals, brewery events, and special beer prices at local Tucson restaurants during these festivities are important for the craft brew scene locally. They emphasize craft beer education and the art of craft brew making, as well give the local breweries a great opportunity to reveal new brews. Events like the Tucson Craft Beer Crawl bring in beer aficionados from all over the country to see what Tucson has to show.
Tucson even offers a two-hour guided bike tour of three of the six downtown breweries including Gentle Ben’s Brewing Co, Ermanos, Pueblo Vida Brewing Co, Tap & Bottle, and Thunder Canyon Brewing Co. The Arizona Party Bike’s Downtown Brewery tour gives riders a history of the breweries and information about their brews. This tour is a fun way for beer lovers to experience Tucson’s craft beer scene.
If you are a craft beer lover and you want to see a list of breweries locally and state-wide, check out the website for the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild. This not-for-profit organization promotes the craft brewing industry in Arizona, representing over 50 breweries state-wide. Their website is the perfect way for craft brew lovers to stay up-to-date on local events and craft beer news. They also feature the Arizona Beer Trail Road Map, a series of “road maps” pinpointing all of the guild breweries of Central, Northern, and Southern Arizona.
While craft beer is thriving here, Tucsonans and tourists alike will tell you that the great thing about the craft beer scene in Tucson is that the vibe here is still very “local.” And this is something that we hope to preserve.
