Marana’s craft beer scene isn’t showing signs of slowing down.
Casa Marana Craft Beer + Wine is hosting its grand opening from 7 p.m. – 1 a.m. on Friday, June 22.
“I want to keep it really local-focused,” said Kyle Schwab, owner of Casa Marana. “Just a local vibe. Have it be part of the Marana community. Even our stemware has the Marana [decal]. Try to focus a lot on local beer, [including] beer from around this area.”
In 2015, Schwab helped open Casa Film Bar in Casa Video, which is owned by his mother Gala Mellenberndt-Schwab and his uncle Raymond Mellenberndt. However, Casa Marana is his own project and unaffiliated with Casa Film Bar or Casa Video.
Casa Marana’s 5,000-square-foot space previously housed a location for Miss Saigon. Garage doors face northeast providing ample indirect sunlight during the day, while a combination of recessed lights, track lights, and Edison bulb pendants illuminate the space at night. The garage door area transitions seamlessly from the 3,000-square-foot interior to the 2,000-square-foot patio with string lights at night.
Three televisions mount the walls inside, one hangs outside. Two additional televisions inside display the tap menu. Local artist Modern Aquarian Lettering & Sign Art painted two walls — one wall features a Marana mural with orange, cotton, and wheat accents, while another wall features a cotton plant mural. The seating area by the murals feature warmer lighting, while the refrigerators and bartop are more neutral. The bartop area features outlets and purse hooks.
“My plan is to merge the neighborhood bar with a craft beer bar,” Schwab said. “Somebody from the golf course or neighborhood might not want a triple IPA off the bat, but they can still get something crushable.”
Casa Marana features over 550 bottles and cans, over 50 bottles of wine, 35 draft beers, 3 wine taps, and Yellow Brick Coffee nitro on tap. [POPPED] Artisan Popcorn and pretzels will be available for snacking.
“The way I’m having my taps set up is a little over half being craft-centric like Modern Times, Pueblo Vida, Tombstone,” Schwab said. “A good portion are going to be easy drinking beers like Four Peaks peach ale. We can get that initial craft beer drinking in here and get them towards the craft-centric and exotic styles.”
Food trucks will be at the parking lot on nights Wednesday through Saturday. Menus for neighboring restaurants Nana’s Kitchen, Sushi Cortaro, Native Grill & Wings, and Barro’s Pizza.
Operating hours are 11 a.m. – 1 a.m. daily.
Casa Marana Craft Beer + Wine is located at 8225 N. Courtney Page Way Ste 191. For more information, call (520) 505-4870 or visit casamarana.com. Keep up with Casa Marana Craft Beer + Wine on Facebook.
Article written by:
Jackie Tran
More about JackieJackie Tran is a Tucson-based food writer, photographer, culinary educator, and owner-chef of the now-closed food truck Tran’s Fats. Although he is best known locally for his work for Tucson Foodie, his work has also appeared in publications such as Bon Appétit, National Geographic, and the New York Times.
An adventurous foodie, he enjoys culinary experiences ranging from seasonal omakase to sloppily devouring green chili patty melts in his car afterhours. His favorite foods include aguachile, garlic noodles, and leftover fried chicken illuminated by the fridge light. His favorite drinks include morning micheladas, fireside imperial stouts, candle-lit negroni, and grassy mezcales.
Outside of food, he also loves playing musical instruments, karaoke, Tetris, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and petting Addie’s dog Spaghetti.
If you’d like to stalk him, visit his Instagram @jackie_tran_ or jackietran.com.
