Here in Tucson, we’ve got the Tucson Craft Beer Crawl coming up on Saturday, February 25 (tickets are on sale now), but if you’re looking for a prime pregaming session, here’s a fun event for you.
The Arizona Strong Beer Festival is moving to a new location for 2023. The annual event will take place Saturday, Feb. 18 from 11:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, 7555 N. Pima Road in Scottsdale.
“The Strong Beer Festival is about bringing people together to make a cultural statement about craft beer and why we love it,” said Rob Fullmer, Executive Director of the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild. “Get your pretzel necklaces ready and join us for a beer-filled afternoon at Salt River Fields.”
Nearly 10,000 attendees are expected to enjoy samples from their favorite breweries, taste test new beers, and enjoy a fun day with family and friends. The annual event is for ages 21 and up.
Craft brews from more than 130 different breweries from all over Arizona and across the country will be on tap to sample during the event. Tucson breweries include 1912 Brewing Company, Barrio Brewing Company, Crooked Tooth Brewing Company, Dillinger Brewing Company, FireTruck Brewing Company, and MotoSonora Brewing Company.
Participating Arizona Breweries
- 12 West Brewing
- 1912 Brewing Company
- Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company
- B.R.I.
- Bad Booch
- Barrio Brewing Company
- Below the Rim Meadery
- Bone Haus Brewing
- Crooked Tooth Brewing Company
- Desert Monks Brewing Company
- Dillinger Brewing Company
- Fate Brewing Company
- Fire and Fury Brewing Company
- FireTruck Brewing Company
- Flying Basset Brewing
- Four Peaks Brewing Company
- Front Pourch Brewing
- Goldwater Brewing Company
- Grand Avenue Brewing
- Greenwood Brewing
- HELLUVA Brewing Company
- Historic Brewing Company
- Hundred Mile Brewing
- Huss Brewing
- Kitsune Brewing Company
- Lake Pleasant Brewing Company
- LazyG Brewhouse
- Loco Patron Mexican Brewery
- LOOK Brewing Company
- Lumberyard Brewing Company
- Mother Road Brewing Company
- MotoSonora Brewing Company
- O.H.S.O. Brewery + Distillery
- Old Ellsworth Brewing Company
- Oro Brewing Company
- Patent 139 Brewing Company
- Pedal Haus Brewery
- Peoria Artisan Brewery
- PHX Beer Company
- Pinetop Brewing Company
- Prison Hill Brewing Company
- Rickety Cricket Brewing
- Roses by the Stairs Brewing
- Saddle Mountain Brewing Company
- SanTan Brewing + Spirits
- Simple Machine Brewing
- Six Byrd Cider
- Smelter Town Brewery
- State 48 Brewery
- Steel Cactus Brewing
- Superstition Meadery
- TCBC Beer (Transplant City Beer Company)
- THAT Brewery
- The Brewery at Tirrito Farm
- The Grand Canyon Brewing + Distillery Company
- The Perch
- The Shop Beer Company
- Throne Brewing
- Tombstone Brewing Company
- Uncle Bear’s Brewery
- Walter Station Brewery
- Wanderlust Brewing Company
- WCKD Brewery
- Wren House Brewing
Participating Out-of-State Breweries
- 4Noses Brewing Company
- Odd13 Brewing Company
- Alaskan Brewing Company
- Alesmith Brewing
- Almanac Beer Company
- Athletic Brewing Company
- Avery Brewing
- Baja Brewing Company
- Beachwood Brewing & Blendery
- BeatBox Beverages
- Belching Beaver
- Big Sky Brewing
- Brewdog
- Brooklyn Brewery
- Chapman Crafted Beer
- Claremont Craft Ales
- Clubtails, BuzzTea
- Connecticut Valley Brewing Company
- Copa Di Vino
- Coronado Brewing Company
- Crescent Crown Distributing
- D&V International
- Deschutes Brewery and Boneyard Brewery
- DESTIHL Brewery
- Drake’s brewing
- Duvel USA
- Ecliptic Brewing
- Founders Brewing Company
- Great Divide Brewing Company
- Hofbrau Munchen
- Holidaily Brewing Company
- Hop Valley Brewing
- Hoplark
- J Wakefield Brewing
- Jiant
- JuneShine
- Karl Strauss Brewing Company
- La Cumbre Brewing Company
- Lagunitas Brewing Company
- Lexington Brewing & Distilling Company
- Mark Anthony Brands
- Mason Ale Works/Castellum Ciders
- Mother Earth Brew Company
- New Belgium Brewing Company
- New Motion Beverages and Embolden Beer Company
- North Coast Brewing Company
- Oskar Blues Brewery
- Paperback Brewing Company
- Pariah Brewing Company
- Patco Brands
- Pipeworks Brewing Company
- Plant Botanical
- Prairie Artisan Ales
- Redstone Meadery
- Revision Brewing
- Schilling Cider
- Second Chance Beer Company
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
- Ska Brewing Company
- Sleepy Dog Brewing
- Spoetzl Brewery—Shiner Beers
- SweetWater Brewing Company
- Telluride Brewing Company
- The Beast Unleashed
- The Bruery
- Thorn Brewing Company
- Two Brothers Brewing Company
- Two Pitchers Brewing Company
- Waterbird Spirits
- Wild Tonic
- Wings & Arrow
Arizona Strong Beer Festival Tickets
General Admission tickets start at $70 and allow entry into the festival at 1 p.m.
A limited number of VIP tickets that provide entry to the event 90 minutes early, at 11:30 a.m., are available for $90. The VIP tickets also provide attendees with extra tasting samples, express entry on Saturday, and access to a VIP area with shade, tables, and VIP-only restrooms.
In addition, VIP ticketholders will be able to pick up their wristbands Friday at the Pepsi Party Deck at Salt River Fields and enjoy a $4 can of beer while watching a live MLB4 Collegiate Baseball Tournament game.
The 2022 event will also feature a limited supply of Super VIP tickets, which include everything that comes with the VIP admission plus a special edition swag item and admission to an exclusive Sunday Brewers’ Brunch Reception. Super VIP tickets are $110.
The Arizona Strong Beer Festival is happening at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, 7555 N. Pima Road in Scottsdale. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit strongbeerfest.com.
About the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild
The Arizona Strong Beer Festival is the largest of more than one hundred events planned throughout the state in celebration of the 12th Annual Arizona Beer Week, which runs from Thursday, February 16 – Sunday, February 26.
The Arizona Craft Brewers Guild was established in 1998 and represents nearly 100 breweries, breweries in the planning stages, craft beer bars, partners, and distributors across the state of Arizona. The Guild promotes the craft brewing industry in Arizona by providing educational opportunities to brewers, distributors, and consumers and promotes quality craft beers and the responsible consumption of those products.
For more information, visit chooseazbrews.com.
Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
