The Downtown Tucson area is loaded with amazing craft beweries and taprooms. The historic buildings are a wonderful setting to enjoy a fresh pint of local beer. Beyond the busy city center, a spattering of wonderful beer and cider houses serve the locals of the area. With a phenomenal diversity of places to visit, Tucson has become one of AZ’s best beer cities. Here are some of the top taprooms to visit around the Old Pueblo.
Barrio Brewing
Barrio Brewing is a Tucson beer institution that has made its name known throughout the state and who has been recornized with a silver medal at GABF. Barrio makes a wide assortment of brews like the light, tried-and-true Barrio Blonde which is a perfect introduction to craft beer for newcomers and is a trusted favorite served at many local restaurants. On the darker and heavier end of the beer spectrum, Nolan’s Porter is a rich and complex beer that was made to celebrate the birth of the Brewmaster’s son. The pub component is a large space bedecked with TV’s with a variety of sports playing around a large and welcoming bar with friendly and skilled bartenders. They also offer a full menu that ranges from a tasty Spinach and Artichoke Dip to a hearty and filling Southwest Chicken Panini. Barrio is positioned just south of the main downtown Tucson strip and is located very close to Moto Sonora, which is also well worth a visit.
Borderlands
Another titan of the Arizona craft beer scene, Borderlands Brewing Company occupies a stunning brick building, just on the north side of the heart of downtown Tucson. The taproom is decorated with local artists’ work on the walls with very rustic metal and wood aesthetics. Above the bar are hand drawn, colorful plaques for each beer on tap and a refrigerator keeps cool a selection of frosty cans to take-home. Out front is another brick seating area with views of the towering buildings downtown. Their taproom is located right next to the live music venue 191 Toole. Borderlands is a staple of the Tucson beer scene and is a great place to spend some time escaping the heat with some cold, tasty, local beers.
MotoSonora
Moto Sonora is what happens when you mix a craft brewery with a beautiful vintage bike collection. It’s nestled in a largely industrial district, but is still close enough to downtown to be considered “downtown.” The food truck out front has a tasty spread which compliment the beers on offer. The beers are made in house and are stellar. MotoSonora is absolutely worth navigating the oddball Tucson streets to have a tasty beer on the patio while the puppies play in the dog run with some excellent murals as a backdrop. Be sure to take a mixed 6-pack home with you!
Bawker Bawker
Cider houses are the diamonds in the rough in the midst of the the recent craft beer renaissance. Bawker Bawker is a diamond among the diamonds with their myriad of magnificent ciders made with some locally grown and harvested ingredients. Along side a rotating flavor of the month, there is an assortment of classics, but the real stand out is the frozen apple cider. The frozen apple is always available, but there are occasional other flavors such as Orange Dream. Bawker Bawker is on a busy corner of Historic 4th Ave along side some of the greats of the Tucson food and beer scene. The inside is very welcoming with a long, high bar, some booths, and some excellent window seats that let you people watch while you have a flight of made-on-site ciders.
Harbottle
A bit off the beaten path, Harbottle brings some hoppiness to the southeast side. Nestled in a small shopping center just down the street from the Tanque Verde Swapmeet, it’s a great starting or ending place for a city wide beer crawl. The taproom is aesthetically pleasing, with succulents on every table, and a very eye catching accent wall festooned with comfortable leather chairs and Del Bac whiskey barrel tables. Harbottle also has a rotating art exhibition that is well worth checking out. The brews on tap are expertly poured and have catchy, memorable names like Snow Shoes and Cucumber Derby. The taproom has outdoor seating as well that is lovely when its not 150 degrees outside. Harboottle is a worthy addition to the Tucson brewery scene and well worth the small sojourn.
Tap & Bottle
Tap & Bottle is referred to as “neutral ground” for brewers and distillers in Tucson. They are an aggregator of an incredibly eclectic collection of brews, ciders, and all manner of alcoholic expressions. Their bottleshop is overflowing with canned selections that can be enjoyed on-premise or packed up and taken home. The atmoshpere, paired with the food trucks out front several nights a week, make Tap & Bottle an essential stop for any Tucson fermented beverage fans. If you happen to fall in love with a Tucson brew they have on tap, chances are you are within walking distance of the source.
Crooked Tooth
Crooked Tooth occupies a nice niche in the Tucson beer scene. They offer a wide selection of flavors and styles of beer, ranging from traditional IPA’s to the quirkily named Laser Sound Waves Sour that will satiate just about anyone’s pallet, be they beer snobs or someone who thinks PBR is the pinnacle of beer brewing potential. Crooked Tooth offers flights served on a skateboard which is a very gnarly way to get a taste for their wares. They do ask that you keep the boards on the table and to not ride off on them. Located just around the corner from Tap & Bottle and The Royal Room, Crooked Tooth makes a great stop on a bar hopping trip or a just place to settle at a table and open a tab.
Arizona Beer House
The east side of Tucson is slowly growing its collection of fine brew-related establishments like Harbottle and Black Rock Brewery, but before those spots pulled their first wort from the mash Arizona Beer House was serving as a meeting place for beers from all over the state. Opened in 2015, Arizona Beer House has become a mainstay in the Tucson craft beer scene, hosting all the local greats as well as guests from other parts of the state. The taproom has a great ambiance that is helped by live music, food trucks, and lovely guests. Regardless of what part of town or state you’re in, making a stop at Arizona Beer House should be on your itinerary.