Me: "I'll do #'s 1, 6, 7, 8, and......"
Dude at Crooked Tooth, without hesitation: "3!"
Me: "Huh?"
Dude at Crooked Tooth: "If you like those 4 you'll love #3"
Me: "Well alright, alright"
That was my first interaction with Ben Vernon from Crooked Tooth Brewing Company in Tucson. And you know? #3 was my favorite. I knew right then that Ben was a cool dude who truly cared and knew a lot about beer and how to make his guests feel welcome. In this episode I sit down with Ben and talk about the challenges/joys of transforming an old service shop into a fantastic brewery and whatnot.
A little while back I took a trip down to Tombstone to visit Matt Brown at Tombstone Brewing Company which was a great place making great beer. But I also had a secondary objective that day: get back to Tucson ASAP and grab chimichanga at the place that apparently invented it and just an awesome Mexican food joint in general. The story about the chimichanga is great. But they had me at “fried burrito”. I had even skipped 2nd breakfast to make room for this legendary treasure. So we made the trip back to Tucson and walked into El Charro at around 2:30. “The wait is about 45 minutes”. My heart sank which is probably preferable to what that chimichanga would have done to my heart had we possessed the patience to wait that long. But 45 minutes was much too long for me to wait in my fragile state so we decided to go with Plan B: take the 0.3 mile walk to Borderlands Brewing Company to come up with Plan B.
Borderlands Brewing Company was a really awesome place too. Located in an old brick warehouse right by the railroad tracks this place has character for days and some marvelous beers. The bartender was cool as hell and when we expressed a desire to check another brewery without hesitation she said "Crooked Tooth. You gotta check them out. Cool people making great beer". It was decided: Crooked Tooth would be the next stop. Another 0.3 mile walk (by the way, I was burning WAY more calories than was necessary at this point) and we were there. On the journey over we noticed hoards of people stumbling around the streets and realized we were right in the middle of a pub crawl. Lots of people wandering aimlessly trying to find the next place to find a great craft beer? I can relate to that.
We came around the corner and there is was: another great Tucson brewery in a brick building that looked like it had been there for a hundred years. As soon as we walked in I knew I was going to love this place. Right when you walk in there is an old payphone with vines on it sitting beside an old safe filled with board games. And the place was beautiful inside. Exposed brick everywhere and the huge wooden tables were heavy duty as could be. The place just had a cool vibe to it. And then I saw what they were serving flight tastings in: wooden skateboards with 5 holes in them to hold the tasting glasses. Heck yes! That when I first met Ben (see beginning of this article). I knew right then I had to cool this dude on the show. And he was totally down. Plus their beer is the real deal. Especially the It's Always Sunny in Amarillo (and such a great name).
A few weeks later I was back in Tucson with mics in hand to record this episode. It was on a Saturday before they opened for the day during a "Pints and Poses" thing they do where people come in for an hour of yoga and then have a pint, all for $5. Yoga is just one of the events they are known for. Don’t forget about speed dating, live music, stand up comedy, the list goes on. So in the background of the episode you'll hear the Zenful music of the yoga in the background as Ben tells me the story of Crooked Tooth Brewing Company thus creating "Ben The Beer Zen Master". Has a nice ring to it. Enjoy the show. And go have a beer there. Today.
Intro/Outro music is "La Negra Tomasa" by Arizona's own Fayuca
Want to show your support and help this show grow? Simply click here, give the show a rating and share some feedback!
Publish Date: 4/17/2017
Me: "I'll do #'s 1, 6, 7, 8, and......"
Dude at Crooked Tooth, without hesitation: "3!"
Me: "Huh?"
Dude at Crooked Tooth: "If you like those 4 you'll love #3"
Me: "Well alright, alright"
That was my first interaction with Ben Vernon from Crooked Tooth Brewing Company in Tucson. And you know? #3 was my favorite. I knew right then that Ben was a cool dude who truly cared and knew a lot about beer and how to make his guests feel welcome. In this episode I sit down with Ben and talk about the challenges/joys of transforming an old service shop into a fantastic brewery and whatnot.
A little while back I took a trip down to Tombstone to visit Matt Brown at Tombstone Brewing Company which was a great place making great beer. But I also had a secondary objective that day: get back to Tucson ASAP and grab chimichanga at the place that apparently invented it and just an awesome Mexican food joint in general. The story about the chimichanga is great. But they had me at “fried burrito”. I had even skipped 2nd breakfast to make room for this legendary treasure. So we made the trip back to Tucson and walked into El Charro at around 2:30. “The wait is about 45 minutes”. My heart sank which is probably preferable to what that chimichanga would have done to my heart had we possessed the patience to wait that long. But 45 minutes was much too long for me to wait in my fragile state so we decided to go with Plan B: take the 0.3 mile walk to Borderlands Brewing Company to come up with Plan B.
Borderlands Brewing Company was a really awesome place too. Located in an old brick warehouse right by the railroad tracks this place has character for days and some marvelous beers. The bartender was cool as hell and when we expressed a desire to check another brewery without hesitation she said "Crooked Tooth. You gotta check them out. Cool people making great beer". It was decided: Crooked Tooth would be the next stop. Another 0.3 mile walk (by the way, I was burning WAY more calories than was necessary at this point) and we were there. On the journey over we noticed hoards of people stumbling around the streets and realized we were right in the middle of a pub crawl. Lots of people wandering aimlessly trying to find the next place to find a great craft beer? I can relate to that.
We came around the corner and there is was: another great Tucson brewery in a brick building that looked like it had been there for a hundred years. As soon as we walked in I knew I was going to love this place. Right when you walk in there is an old payphone with vines on it sitting beside an old safe filled with board games. And the place was beautiful inside. Exposed brick everywhere and the huge wooden tables were heavy duty as could be. The place just had a cool vibe to it. And then I saw what they were serving flight tastings in: wooden skateboards with 5 holes in them to hold the tasting glasses. Heck yes! That when I first met Ben (see beginning of this article). I knew right then I had to cool this dude on the show. And he was totally down. Plus their beer is the real deal. Especially the It's Always Sunny in Amarillo (and such a great name).
A few weeks later I was back in Tucson with mics in hand to record this episode. It was on a Saturday before they opened for the day during a "Pints and Poses" thing they do where people come in for an hour of yoga and then have a pint, all for $5. Yoga is just one of the events they are known for. Don’t forget about speed dating, live music, stand up comedy, the list goes on. So in the background of the episode you'll hear the Zenful music of the yoga in the background as Ben tells me the story of Crooked Tooth Brewing Company thus creating "Ben The Beer Zen Master". Has a nice ring to it. Enjoy the show. And go have a beer there. Today.
Intro/Outro music is "La Negra Tomasa" by Arizona's own Fayuca
Want to show your support and help this show grow? Simply click here, give the show a rating and share some feedback!
Publish Date: 4/17/2017
When they opened up the first State 48 Brewery location in 2016, the Rana family had already run great family-owned spots for generations. Now, less than 6 years later the brewery has expanded to 6 locations (and soon to be 7…listen in to learn more) and has begun to get their great beer out to the AZ masses. Join in as we explore the journey and family behind one of Arizona’s fastest-growing breweries!
Publish Date: 8/26/2021
In this episode, beer reviewer Marcus Pina, aka Brewery 602, reviews 2 beers:
1) "Wizard of The West", a collaboration between THE Arizona pizza guy Wizard of AZ and The Shop Beer Co. in Tempe 2) "Boeing 717 India Pale Lager" by Flying Basset Brewing in Gilbert.
Shout out to The Hourglass Cats for the sweet tunes for this episode!
Enjoy!
Publish Date: 8/18/2021
In this series presented by The Arizona Beer Book, we will hear the story of over 2 dozen iconic Arizona beers. These conversations were recorded in 2019 during the creation of The Arizona Beer Book for the purpose of research and were never intended to be released. Spiciness of the heat type is not a commonly used term when describing beer. Enter Chiltepin Red from Button Brew House. A tasty red ale with a kick of heat thanks to the addition of Native Sonoran Chiltepin Pepper, this one is a must-try!
Publish Date: 7/30/2021
When Kings Beer & Wine was opened years ago by Mickey Salem it quickly became a destination for any fan of craft beer and solidified its place as a staple in the Arizona craft beer community. In 2020 Kings was purchased by Mark and Sarah Fogleman. Along with the Kings crew, the Foglemans have big dream for their spot located on Thomas & Central in Phoenix. Join in as Mark and resident beer expert Alec Johnson share the vision of Kings and its place in the Arizona beer community!
Publish Date: 7/23/2021
Sometimes having roommates sucks. But sometimes, it's pretty awesome. Borderlands Brewing and Firetruck Brewing in Tucson decided recently that a shared space could pay huge dividends on multiple levels. Thus, the creation of Voltron Brewing, a shared full production facility with a beautiful spacious accompanying taproom. The main purpose of the location is to allow both brands to keep up with the demand for their beers but the vision is much bigger and this team is one to keep an eye on. Enjoy the show!
Publish Date: 7/15/2021
In this episode, beer reviewer Marcus Pina, aka Brewery 602, reviews the "Rebuild The Guild IPA" from Wrenhouse Brewing in Phoenix & "No Trabajes Tanto Amber Lager" from Harbottle Brewing in Tucson.
Also, Tap That AZ Hazy IPA is back but with prickly pear this time! Listen to hear the details of that as well as a week-long 14-year anniversary party for the great folks at Ground Control in Litchfield Park.
Shout out to The Hourglass Cats for the sweet tunes for this episode!
Enjoy!
Publish Date: 7/12/2021
When I first met Josh Archuleta I could tell this dude is driven. We've kept in touch over the past few years and finally earlier this year we were able to work together on Haka Shakalaka Session Hazy IPA. The beer itself had a community element to it in that we gave a percentage of the proceeds to Smokin' Hope who is determined to feed as many hungry people as they can. For Josh and his wife Maria to start Mindful Militia to help bring awareness to mental health & mindfulness it's the perfect fit. Enjoy!
Publish Date: 7/9/2021
It's been too long since I've published an episode so wanted to let you know I'm still here and I will see you all in July. Life is great and I have a lot of great opportunities right now that need a little TLC. Listen in to hear the vision of the show upon return as well as the rest of the exciting stuff we have going on! See you in a few weeks!
Publish Date: 6/24/2021
A podcast that introduces you to all of the amazing people behind the surging Arizona craft beer scene.
