Craft beer was on display and a couple of Tucson breweries won big at the third annual Arizona Craft Beer Awards.
Barrio Brewing Company was the biggest winner of the night — snagging “Brewery of the Year” — at the Craft Beer Awards presented by PHOENIX magazine.
Barrio Brewing, which is the oldest brewery in Arizona, won “Brewery of the Year” for earning the most points in the competition. Its Mexican Lager won a gold, Ruby Red Grapefruit IPA earned silver, and Rojo and Barrio Blonde each took a bronze medal.
“We are stoked to be taking these awards home to Tucson,” the Barrio Brewing team shared. “Thank you, Arizona craft beer lovers!”
Local beermakers, Dragoon Brewing Company, won a gold medal for their Öhaygrrl sour.
“PHOENIX magazine would like to give a special thanks to the Arizona Craft Brewer’s Guild for its work to grow the awards competition and gathering the entries. We had 35 judges pour through 225 entries from 53 breweries. Beers were sorted into 19 categories, ranging from seven to 21 entries per category.”
In total, nine medals were given to Southern Arizona breweries, including The Brewery at Tirrito Farm in Willcox — they won gold for their Cerveza Cobre in the German Vienna/Marzen/Dark Lager category.
Other Tucson/Southern Arizona winners:
- Dragoon Amber by Dragoon Brewing earned a bronze medal
- Hefeweizen by The Brewery at Tirrito Farm earned a silver medal
- Victory or Death IPA by MotoSonora Brewing earned a silver medal
Check out our interactive guide to local breweries in Tucson!
Arizona Craft Beer Awards Festival
Saturday, October 19
Centerpoint Plaza, 660 S. Mill Ave. (Tempe)
Next, PHOENIX magazine is teaming up with the Arizona Craft Brewer’s Guild for the Arizona Craft Beer Awards Festival on Saturday, October 19. It’s a celebration of the awards that were given out, bringing the beer community together so folks can taste the beers for themselves.
This Year’s Participating Breweries:
- Arizona Wilderness Brewing
- Barrio Brewing
- Bone Haus Brewing
- Chestnut Sports Club
- College Street Brewhouse
- Desert Monks Brewing
- Dragoon Brewing
- Four Peaks Brewing
- Front Pourch Brewing
- Grand Avenue Brewing
- Greenwood Brewing
- Hundred Mile Brewing
- Huss Brewing
- Mother Road Brewing
- Mudshark Brewery
- O.H.S.O Brewery + Distillery
- Old Ellsworth Brewing
- Oro Brewing
- Pedal Haus Brewery
- Perch Brewery
- Phantom Fox Beer Co.
- PHX Beer Co
- Pinnacle Brewing
- Saddle Mountain Brewing
- SanTan Brewing
- Simple Machine Brewing
- The Shop Beer Co
- Walter Station Brewery
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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.
