Supermarket beer and wine samplings

Bartender Elizabeth Montoya filled a growler with local craft beer for Ryan Duffy on Thursday at the e.River Bar inside Whole Foods, 5555 E. River Road. Fry’s Food is applying for sampling privileges on its liquor licenses for five of its stores around Tucson, joining many other supermarkets.

It may come as a surprise that a couple of the venues that are celebrating Arizona Beer Week the hardest this year in Tucson are the national liquor and grocery store chains Total Wine & More and Whole Foods Market.Β 

Whole Foods has more than 12 events planned between its locations at 7133 N. Oracle Road and 5555 E. River Road, including a night out event with Old Bisbee Brewing on Saturday, Feb. 11, at River, a Barrio Brewing tap takeover this Friday, Feb. 10, on Oracle and and 1055 Brewing Company special cask event on Wednesday, Feb. 15.Β 

We are excited for the Who's Your Uncle, Uncle Bear's Brewing event at the River location on Saturday, Feb. 19. The Ahwatukee-based brewery is one of our faves.

Total Wine will host seven events through the week at its 4370 N. Oracle Road and 5870 E. Broadway locations. Among them: A sampling of what Lake Havasu's Mudshark Brewing Co. has to offer at Oracle and a "Meet the brewery" event with Tucson's own Borderlands Brewing Company on Friday, Feb. 17, also at Oracle. Β 


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