Phoenix holds a special place in my heart. I used to live there, and I watched the metro area expand & evolve over the years. My love for craft beer started in Phoenix, and PHX’s Sky Harbor International Airport has been one of my most frequent stops over the years.
When you aren’t hiking or complaining about the dry heat in Arizona, the next best thing to do in Phoenix is drink ice cold beer. The next time you find yourself thirsty in PHX, here are some of our favorite breweries to grab beers from in the Valley of the Sun.
Goldwater Brewing Co.
Goldwater Brewing first opened up as a family-owned brewery in 2015. They have now expanded to two locations and can be found on tap at bars & restaurants across the PHX metro area.
The real treasure at Goldwater is the underground Goldmine bar located beneath their Scottsdale tap room. This cozy beer cave provides a standing room only experience and lets lucky visitors sample of Goldwater’s most innovative brews. It was down in this underground room that I discovered my love for Goldwater’s barrel-aged beers. If you find yourself near Scottsdale, you owe it to yourself to check this beer basement out.
COVID-19 update: As of December 2020, both the Scottsdale & Mesa tap rooms are open for business.
Our favorite beer at Goldwater: Goldwater’s Brutus imperial stout (8.5% ABV, 48 IBU) is smooth & bold on its own, but I got to sample a 11.2% ABV variation that was aged for 7 months in port/bourbon barrels during my first visit to Goldwater. It was heavenly.
Full disclosure: I don’t think this beer is still being produced, but it is absolutely worth a mention. For a current release, check out their GO GO Sour Ranger.
Goldwater Brewing Co. Locations
Old Town Scottsdale Tap Room
3608 N. Scottsdale Rd
Scottsdale, AZ
East Mesa Tap Room
5942 E. Longbow Pkwy #105
Mesa, AZ
Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.
Visitors to Arizona Wilderness can expect much more than a no-frills tap room. The food menu is my favorite among PHX’s brewpub scene because they commit to serving Arizona-inspired dishes with local ingredients. Their entire menu is full of delicious options, but my favorite is their poutine dish featuring duck fat fries & locally sourced cheese curds.
This is the perfect place to stop if you are traveling with people who need beverage options beyond beer because their menu features Arizona wine & cocktails with southwestern flair.
COVID-19 update: As of December 2020, both Arizona Wilderness locations are open for business.
Our favorite beer at Arizona Wilderness: Their signature Refuge IPA (6.8% ABV) is an oldie but a goodie. Arizona Wilderness makes plenty of awesome beer, but don’t miss out on this classic.
Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. Locations
Gilbert Brewpub
721 N. Arizona Ave
Gilbert, AZ
Downtown PHX Beer Garden
201 E. Roosevelt St
Phoenix, AZ
Huss Brewing Co.
Huss Brewing Co. is the brainchild of a husband & wife team with decades of brewery experience between the two of them (Leah Huss was the co-owner of the esteemed Papago Brewing). Huss produces iconic examples of classic beer styles.
Founded in 2015, Huss continues to welcome visitors into their modern Phoenix & Tempe taprooms. It should be noted that only the PHX location serves food; the Tempe taproom has no on-site kitchen.
One of my favorite things about Huss is that they decided to carry on the tradition of Papago’s most famous beers now that Papago Brewing is no longer in business. When you pick up a six-pack of Papago Orange Blossom at the store, the team at Huss Brewing is responsible for keeping that beer alive.
COVID-19 update: As of December 2020, all Huss locations are open for business.
Our favorite beer at Huss: Call me basic, but their Koffee Kolsch (4.7% ABC, 16 IBU) is one of my favorite beers of all time. It is light, it is balanced, it is refreshing, and it is delicious at any time of day.
Huss Brewing Co. Locations
Uptown Taproom
100 E. Camelback Rd #160
Phoenix, AZ
Tempe Taproom
1520 W. Mineral Rd #102
Tempe, AZ
Wren House Brewing Co.
Wren House Brewing Co. sits just north of PHX International Airport in an eclectic space that looks more like a coffeehouse than a brewery taproom (and that’s not a bad thing at all!). Wren House is a cult favorite in the PHX because they consistently produce outstanding beer.
Wren House has been winning plenty of awards for its beers in recent years, and a quick glance at Untappd will confirm that they have a ton of fan favorites. They are on the small side, but they may change soon; they recently announced a purchase of a 2nd facility in northern Arizona. Sounds like 2020 wasn’t all bad, eh?
COVID-19 update: As of December 2020, Wren House is offering curbside & to-go orders only.
Our favorite beer at Wren House: The hype is real with Wren House’s Spellbinder New England IPA (6.5% ABV). Their hazy IPA uses locally sourced white wheat and uses a number of hops to create a tropical IPA that is perfect for sipping in the Valley of the Sun.
Wren House Brewing Co. Location
Phoenix Taproom
2125 N. 24th St
Phoenix, AZ
Fate Brewing Company
The name may be a bit confusing, but make no mistake: Fate is back. Originally started in 2012 as Fate Brewing Company, a legal battle with a similarly named (and now defunct) FATE Brewing Company from Colorado led the Arizona-based Fate Brewing Company to rebrand as McFate in 2016. Three years late, the Colorado-based FATE went bust and opened a path to renaming themselves back to the original Fate name.
Fate produces a wide variety of small-batch brews and rotates them often, so visitors can always expect to find new beers every time they visit.
COVID-19 update: As of December 2020, all of Fate’s locations are open for business.
Our favorite beer at Fate Brewing Company: I love a good pastry stout, so this one is a no-brainer for me. McFate’s Candy Bar Milk Stout (6% ABV, 25 IBU) is ridiculously rich, decadently sweet, and right up my alley.
Fate Brewing Company Locations
Tempe Brewery
201 E Southern Ave #111
Tempe, AZ
South Scottsdale Brewery
1312 N. Scottsdale Rd
Scottsdale, AZ
North Scottsdale Pub
7337 E Shea Blvd #105
Scottsdale, AZ
Tombstone Brewing Company
The legendary Tombstone Brewing Company, originally founded in Tombstone, AZ, has opened up a long-awaited Phoenix location. The award-winning brewery is now brewing beers in both cities, and the first beer they brewed in their new PHX facility was a saison.
Tombstone now occupies the building that Helio Basin was previously operating in, so anyone who was familiar with Helio Basin’s setup will find that the only thing that has really changed is the beer menu itself.
The new PHX facility opened up at the end of October 2020, so the TBC team is still settling into their new digs in Phoenix. I expect some awesome stuff to be pumped out of their PHX brewery over the years.
COVID-19 update: As of December 2020, all of Tombstone’s locations are open for business.
Our favorite beer at Tombstone: If you are an IPA fan, you can’t pick wrong here. There are too many to choose from at Tombstone, so come thirsty!
Tombstone Brewing Company Locations
TBC North
3935 E. Thomas Rd
Phoenix, AZ
TBC Tombstone
107 E Toughnut St
Tombstone, AZ
Final Thoughts
There is no shortage of great breweries in the PHX area, and these are but a handful of our favorite options. No matter who brews your beer, you can be confident that the Valley of the Sun offers high-quality beer to quench your thirst in the desert.
I am positive that there are dozens of additional options that are equally deserving of being highlighted. What is your favorite brewery in the Phoenix area? Let us know in the comments below!
