The Tucson area is getting a new batch of breweries this year, each one with a distinct flavor.
Catalina Brewing Co.
When doors opened at the end of Arizona Beer Week on Feb. 20, Catalina Brewing Co. became the first brewery to open in the Tucson area this year, and the only one in Marana. Managing partner Brian Vance says the locals have poured in to support them.
So has the biking community, of which both owners are active members. In addition to being avid cyclists, Vance is a past president of the Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists, and co-owner Hank Rowe is the current vice president. Without mountain biking, there would probably be no Catalina Brewing Co.
“Hank and I basically met over mountain biking around 10 years ago,” says Vance. Rowe is a retired teacher, and Vance says all the beer names come from things related to either biking or teaching. The 0200 IPA, for example, is an homage to the night the brewery was born.
“Seven years ago, we’re sitting around the campfire at the Epic Rides 24-hour race around 2 a.m. drinking his homebrew, and I said, ‘Man, this is the best IPA I’ve ever had.’” Vance says. Rowe confessed that he’d always wanted to open a brewery, and Vance thought “I could probably help with that, I’ve got lots of management experience.” Thus, the Catalina Brewing Company was born.
Staying true to their roots, the brewery at 6918 N. Camino Martin offers indoor bicycle parking and a dollar off the first beer for those who ride into the shop.
Crooked Tooth Brewing Co.
Having cleared zoning requirements to turn the old Charlie’s Auto Repair shop at 228 E. Sixth St. into a 2,400-square-foot microbrewery just last month, owners Ben and Julie Vernon and Armando and JoDee Basurto hope to open this summer with a 10-barrel system.
Among the things Ben Vernon says will set their place apart is a 1,400-square-foot patio as well as art and decor largely made by local artists and friends. “It’s gonna be a sweet spot,” he says.
And, of course, there’s the beers. One offering will be the Dwarvish Ale, which Vernon says “is kind of what I feel like dwarves drink.
“You know, you’re living in Middle Earth, you got this gnarly beer, and big muscles, and you work with hammers and nails all day. It’s a dark red ale that’s high in alcohol, malty, oaky finish, earthy hops, nice white head. I’ve turned a lot of hop-heads on to drinking this,” Vernon says, including his wife and business partner Julie.
Green Feet Brewing
For Scott Petersen and Jen Reynard, who plan to open Green Feet Brewing in the 44th Street and Dodge Boulevard area, brewing has always been personal. On Monday, they were granted approval from the health department and hope to begin brewing this spring.
After working as a flight engineer on combat rescue helicopters, Petersen came off active duty in 1997 and was stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. He met Tucson native Reynard around 1999, and they started going to regular happy hours with friends.
They say beer was a big part of their courtship, and Peterson, then a homebrewer for about five years, began to think seriously about opening a brewery while in Afghanistan in 2012.
“I mean, there’s no beer over there so you might as well think about it,” Petersen says. “So when I got back I floated the idea to Jen, and I thought she was going to tell me I was crazy but she was on board immediately.”
“I always joke and tell people it was the only way I could get my garage back,” says Reynard.
Now retired from the Air Force Reserve, Petersen still leans on his squadron to develop his recipes.
“My squadron mates are some great guinea pigs. Even though they’re getting free samples of beer, they’re very direct in what they like or don’t like, so I don’t feel like they only drink it because they’re my friends,” he says.
Opening with their three-barrel system will allow Green Feet to remain nimble and responsive to the feedback they get from their clientele.
“We have a good following with the military crowd, and that has helped us kind of tune in to a lot of styles that they’re really into, like a hefeweizen,” says Reynard. “Military people travel and so they’re into different things. I’d say we pay attention to what people are talking about.”
BlackRock Brewers
Chuck Boyer and Tony Williams hope to open BlackRock Brewers early this fall in the 22nd Street and Pantano Road area.
They incorporated as a business in 2013 and began looking for investors. In February 2014, they launched a Kickstarter campaign seeking $20,000 that was unsuccessful. In May, they lowered their goal and tried again, this time raising a little more than $5,000 which allowed them to get their pilot brewing system going.
“We’re homebrewers so we brew every chance we get,” Williams says.
“But we probably churn out 10 times the amount of your average homebrewers,” says Boyer, a self-described computer geek.
Boyer estimates they produce 30 to 40 gallons a month, most of which they give away as investment samples, or drink with family and friends at get-togethers or to refine recipes.
Button Brew House
Erika and Todd Button started tightening their belts once they got serious about opening a brewery around the end of 2013.
“This is a labor of love. Our lifestyle has been quite different, but we’re looking forward to getting through this and sharing our passion with others and being a part of the community,” says Todd, who also works at Tucson Hop Shop, 3230 N. Dodge Blvd., and Arizona Beer House, 150 S. Kolb Road. “In a nutshell, it’s basically everything we have, every resource and then some. We’re going all in on this.”
The couple hope to open on Twin Peaks Road just west of Interstate 10 around the end of this year. For now, they are focused on securing a lease. Once that’s done, they’ll get into licensing and buying equipment.
“We’ve been educating ourselves and raising money for the last couple years now, and the question we asked ourselves when we got into the (Arizona Craft Brewers) Guild was, ‘What would you do different?’” Erika says.
So, leaning on Todd’s entrepreneurial background, they decided to save more money and open with a bigger system than most. When the Buttons open their brewery, it will be with a 10-barrel system.
“I’m telling you it’s my passion. We wanted to do it the right way, and we’re doing something because we love it and we think we can have a really positive impact on the community.” Todd says.
Flux
Tucson natives Michael Figueira and Andrew Schlicker met as coworkers at Tap and Bottle, 403 N. Sixth Ave.
“I had been planning to do a brewery for a long time, and I always talked about it,” Figueira says. “(Andrew) asked me one day, ‘Have you ever considered a partner?’ And I said, ‘Not really, but with you, absolutely.’”
Figueira says Tap and Bottle co-owner Rebecca Safford helped the guys set up an LLC in late 2014. They then built a website and tried to generate buzz by brewing with other establishments all over town.
“We decided to become Tucson’s gypsy brewers,” says Figueira. “It’s been a lot of fun just going from brewery to brewery and making our beer.”
Collaboration has been key for Figueira and Schlicker, who will launch a Kickstarter campaign seeking $20,000 at Tap and Bottle on April 7. The party will feature at least four collaboration brews, one each with Borderlands Brewing Co., Public Brewhouse, 1912 Brewing and Iron John’s. Details had not been finalized at print time but will be posted on the Facebook pages of Tap and Bottle and Flux Brewing Company.
By the end of this year, they hope to be part of a beer district that’s developing in the area of Sixth Avenue and Sixth Street downtown.
