This Week in Beer Buzz: Iron John’s, Pueblo Vida, 1702, & More

Pueblo Vida’s Lauren Gariepy with flight and Hefeweizen in foreground.

Iron John’s Brewing, whose artisan brews are available in limited release batches in 750ml, swing-top bottles, celebrated their first anniversary. They’ll release their San Patricio Irish Oatmeal Stout – an easy drinking stout finished with oak spirals soaked in Greyhound Irish Whiskey – Thursday, March 12, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. Iron John’s mostly seasonal and specialty beers can be found at Plaza Liquors, Tap & Bottle, Pizzeria Bianco, and Good Oak Bar.

Tucson Girls Pint Out toured one of Tucson’s newest breweries last week, Pueblo Vida. The ladies of craft beer, along with a few gentlemen, toured the facility after savoring a choice of a pint or flight. The tasting room was filled with GPO veterans and newbies. The ladies discovered that it’s important to sample more of Pueblo Vida’s delicious line up of brews than just your favorite categories. Capable of surprising you with phenomenal beers in categories you didn’t think you liked, the smooth and quaffable Bavarian Hefeweizen – with delicious hints of banana – made a hef lover out of this stout and sour beer geek.

On Sunday, women around the world joined more than a hundred breweries to brew a beer for International Women’s Day. Borderlands Brewing partnered with Tucson Girls Pint Out and the Pink Boots Society to brew an Irish red session ale. Look for this brew in late March. A portion of the proceeds will go to The Pink Boots Society, which funds scholarships for female brewsters and grants for women selected for brewing internships.

Sales of Girls Pint Stout, a recent collaboration brew from Tucson Girls Pint Out and Barrio Brewing, raised $3,725 for Wings For Women, a local non-profit working to provide a safe and positive environment for homeless and impoverished women and children. Score a glass of Girls Pint Stout (a Russian Imperial Stout) while you can at Whole Foods Market Oracle, where their Bar 77 just tapped one of the last known kegs of this special brew. It’s only $5 for a 13oz pour – what could be better than sipping an imperial stout while shopping for groceries? Also, Bar 77 fills growlers if you decide that 13oz just isn’t enough.

Craft Beer Events, March 11 – 17:

• March 11, 7pm: Borderlands Brewing hosts the next edition of  “Space Drafts! Exoplanets – Finding Life in the Galaxy”, Wednesday, March 11 at 7pm. Rob Zellem from the UA Department of Planetary Sciences/Lunar and Planetary Laboratory will be talking about his work finding extra solar planets. Craft beer, pizza, and rocket scientists. What more could you want on a Wednesday?!
• March 11, 7pm: Visit 1702 for an Odell Brewing Co. tap takeover from 7-9pm, Wednesday, March 11 for a selection their delicious Colorado beers and to score some cool brewery swag!
• March 12, 5pm: Tap & Bottle is hosting a celebration of Goose Island 312 Wheat on 3/12 at 5pm! This event also features Goose Island’s Ogden Belgian Tripel, Bourbon County Stout Vanilla Rye, and Illinois IPA.