The city’s otherworldliness helps explain the often-quoted slogan of Silver Gulch, the region’s oldest brewery: “Fairbanks, where the people are unusual and the beer is unusually good.”

Fairbanksans are also unusually hospitable, which is fortunate for tourists mystified by the quirks of subzero extremes and miniscule daylight spans. Locals seem to revel in taking visitors under their flannel-clad wings and patiently explaining the wondrous ways in which the laws of physics manifest differently in the Golden Heart City.

“Oh yeah, when you leave your car parked in 20 below zero, the air inside the tires compresses and the rubber hardens on the flat side,” I overheard a cheery auto rental clerk explain to a confused customer. “We call it ‘square tire.’ That’s why your drive might start off kind of bumpy, but the tires round off when they warm up a bit. You’ll get used to it.”

(MORE: Breweries with Hotels, Inns, Campgrounds and More)

Other wintry adaptations include the ubiquitous electric prongs on the front of people’s bumpers, which serve as a not-so-subtle reminder that things are just different this far north. The plugs hook up to widely available outlets around town in order to keep the car’s engine block toasty and operational.

For beer lovers, perhaps the most practical advent of all is the repurposed coozie, which acts as a pint mini-parka to ensure beer does not freeze while enjoying it outside near the glow of a patio “pallet bonfire.” The locals are really enthusiastic about pallet bonfires, and since so much materia prima gets shipped to Alaska, pallets are never in short supply.

But the main winter peculiarity people from all over the world come to experience in Fairbanks is the inky black skies spontaneously erupting into dazzling, undulating curtains of colorful light. The aurora borealis is the obvious star of the show in these parts, and since the city provides access to many recreational amenities well within the auroral oval, it has become one of the world’s prime northern lights viewing locations.

Hunting Aurora Borealis in Fairbanks

If seeing the aurora borealis is on your bucket list, you are in good company. It has been at the top of many people’s bucket lists since before there were bucket lists, or even buckets.

Ancient Algonquin indigenous people of North America believed the auroras were the light given off from the flames of a fire kindled by Nanabozho, their creator. Early Chinese cultures also turned to the power of story to explain this celestial phenomenon; their aurora lore likely gave birth to some of the mythical imagery we now associate with dragons. There are even legends falsely attributed to foreign tourists; the most popular being that some cultures believe conceiving a child underneath the auroras imparts special wisdom to the child. That belief is not prevalently held by any culture, but just in case, if the yurt’s a rockin’… don’t come a knockin’. Do stay in an ultra-cozy yurt, if you can, though. Staying in glamping yurts is an extraordinary way to chase the auroras, even if you do not plan on conceiving children in the near future.

Besides a cosmopolitan gathering of visitors, what should craft beer lovers expect to encounter while aurora hunting in Fairbanks?

(VISIT: Craft Breweries on U.S. Islands)

A Lively Fairbanks Craft Brewery Scene

At first, worldly beer enthusiasts might be surprised by Alaska’s legal restrictions on the local craft beer scene. The tight regulations are designed to ensure that breweries are primarily manufacturing businesses instead of retailers, which is why under a brewer’s license, taprooms are limited to serving 36-ounces of beer per customer per day and must close by 8 p.m. However, that does not mean beer lovers have to forego having a delicious craft beer in hand when aurora searching into the wee hours; enjoying to-go growlers or crowlers from the comfort of one’s yurt, cabin, or lodge is very much a legal part of the brewing landscape in Alaska.

Other mainstays of breweries in other parts of the United States, however, such as live bands, games, big screens, and late-night closures, are not a legal given in Fairbanks’ taprooms, but this is far from being a shortcoming. Stripped of modern inconveniences and distractions, patrons are left to engage in the throwback exercise of socializing with friends and strangers without artificial diversions.

And socialize they do!

Even though Fairbanks’ craft breweries are the northernmost breweries in the country, they remain lively gathering places for both locals and tourists throughout the winter months. It is common to see food trucks serving up hot fare in frigid temperatures and beer enthusiasts enjoying their beers on outdoor patios, even when temperatures dip far below what most of us warmer-blooded weaklings would consider “patio weather.”

As for the brewing standards in this city of only 31,000, the people-to-beer ratio is through the roof, so your chances of encountering high-quality beer are all but guaranteed, and unlike the auroras, clear skies are not required.

America’s Northernmost Brewery

Silver Gulch Brewery is the northernmost brewery in America. It is about 12 miles north of Fairbanks in the town of Fox, Alaska, which is just a few degrees shy of being within the Arctic Circle. Its distance from city light pollution makes it an ideal spot for aurora hunters to enjoy a gourmet meal and craft beer while keeping an eye out for any sign of the auroras.

Some local delicacies you will find here include the moose barbecue bacon burger, blackened Alaskan halibut and a dozen craft beers on tap. The brewery’s most popular beer is the Old 55 Pale Ale, a citric, malty delight brewed with American malt and Pacific Northwest hops.

This Fairbanks brewery stays open past the typical 8 p.m. closing time for taprooms, so aurora chasers can keep sipping well into aurora prime viewing time. If really lucky, the auroras can be viewed from the windows or decks on a clear night.

(MORE: Remarkable Brewery Taprooms)

HooDoo Brewing’s ‘4-Ounce Bounce’

As the first brewery within Fairbanks’ city limits, HooDoo Brewing is quickly becoming part of local Fairbanks folklore. Since HooDoo Brewing‘s owner, Bobby Wilken, is committed to preventing a single drop of customers’ daily craft beer legal entitlement from being squandered on technicalities, a quirky 4-ounce pour glass is used to bridge the gap between pint glasses.

“We’re legally capped at 36 ounces, but it’s funny that our 4-ounce glass has sort of become part of the culture here in Fairbanks,” says Wilken. “We think of ourselves here as a large home brewery serving high-quality beer to our friends, which means we want to be as generous as possible within the legal limits, and that means we don’t do semi-filled pint glasses. We are the only brewery in town to provide two 16-ounce pours in a glass designed to accommodate a true 16-ounces with head and a real 4-ounce pour with head.”

If you see someone holding the small glass, it is a likely sign that they are about to wrap up their beer drinking. Locals call the tiny pour the “4-ounce bounce,” “penalty shot,'” and the cheekier ones refer to it as “the happy ending.”

The selection of beer on tap changes frequently and Wilken is always tweaking his recipes so they stay fresh. If you are fortunate enough to be in town when the pumpkin spice beer is available, it is pretty much a delicious pumpkin pie slice in a glass. Also, the surprisingly tasty Roasted Garlic Stout is so much more than most of us ever thought a beer could be.

This Fairbanks craft brewery is a perfect place to meet locals. If you decide to keep the calories in check while vacationing, there is a running group that meets here every Thursday at 6 p.m. to start their weekly 5k run. Yes, even in winter.

The Solstice and Smoky Beers at Black Spruce Brewing Company

Something that becomes immediately apparent when exploring Fairbanks and interacting with locals is that everyone seems to be hyperaware of how many minutes of daylight were lost or gained on any given day and how far in the future or past the solstices and equinoxes are from the present. You get the sense it must be what it would have been like to hang out with Mayans or Incas. This helps explain Black Spruce Brewing Company‘s origin story.

The brewery was opened on the winter solstice of 2018–which, for those of us who cannot tell an equinox from a musk ox, happens on December 21. That was six months after co-owners Stephanie Haskins and Carey Fristoe tied the knot on the summer solstice of the same year. So if you are in town for any solstice, there will definitely be an anniversary party at Black Spruce Brewing Company.

A unique aspect of Black Spruce Brewing Company is that it is a “dry brewery,” which sounds like a contradiction in terms but essentially means that it is not connected to the municipal water system.

“In Alaska, we have to be especially aware of our environmental impact and in operating a brewery we have special circumstances that make us extra cautious of wasting valuable resources like water and electricity,” says Haskins. “At the brewery, our municipal water gets delivered to us in big trucks, which sounds like an extra hurdle but we’ve managed and it has made us more aware of how much water we use.”

As for what is brewed with all that Alaskan water, Fristoe early on noticed that locals tend to appreciate smoky flavors more than tourists, so several of their beers honor that homegrown taste.

“Here in Fairbanks, smoky flavors aren’t at all exotic because we’re used to eating smoked foods, like salmon,” Fristoe says. “We sometimes have to convince tourists to give smoky beers a try, but we never have to sell it much to a local.”

For some of that local smoky flavor, try the PM 2.5 Rauchweiss, which is a smoked hefeweizen, and then ask about the name to get a very interesting story about the clash between nature and man.

If you are visiting at the beginning of any month, Fairbanks hosts a monthly First Friday Art Walk in which Black Spruce Brewing Company participates by showcasing local artists’ work. A portion of all art sales goes to non-profit organizations, including the Fairbanks Rescue Mission, Fairbanks Animal Shelter and the Fairbanks Arts Association.

(EPIC ROAD TRIP: New England Breweries Off the Beaten Path)

Fairbanks Brewery Keeps the Dive in ‘Dive Bar’

Midnite Mine Brewing Company has been open for less than a year in the city’s revitalized downtown. This newest Fairbanks craft brewery is the brainchild of Talon Mensik and his family. His grandparents bought the building in 2017 to take over the bar downstairs, while Mensik opted for launching his nanobrewery and taproom upstairs.

As a perennial watering hole, the old Midnite Mine bar catered to the clientele of the 1970s waning gold rush as well as the pipeline workers and coal miners that followed. Later, the bar served as a popular community gathering spot. Locals were happy to see it infused with new energy and a slightly new look under new ownership.

“We’re protective of our dive bars in Fairbanks and this is basically a home brewery on not-so-powerful-steroids tucked away into one of Fairbanks well-known dive bars,” says Mensik.

The relaxed vibe comes with some pretty amusing trappings, like rumors of a resident dog named Cleo being able to pick up customers’ beer money and tips and deliver them to the register. “Cleo is like a friendly strip club bouncer,” laughs Mensik. “She takes pride in nudging people to tip.”

Patrons are able to sample not just the craft beers Mensik is cranking out on the one-barrel operation, but also other Alaskan brewers’ creations. He says they do not offer growlers because “our beer is way too precious to sell in those quantities.” Instead, they have some options of pre-filled 16-ounce crowlers available.

Parting Tips on Aurora Hunting

It is important to keep in mind that the northern lights are unpredictable and can appear any time during the night, or not at all. Generally, the best time to try to catch glimpses of the auroras is from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. from August to April. Many hotels offer “aurora call” options, so the front desk can call your room if the auroras appear while you are sleeping off a night of brewery exploration. The duration of the auroras is also unpredictable, they can last just a few moments or long enough to give you time to drive away from light pollution for a better view.

Thankfully, there are so many amazing activities in the Fairbanks region besides aurora hunting, that even if the auroras do not cooperate during your visit, you can leave with amazing memories of exotic adventures. There are so many to list! There’s dog mushing, ice fishing, snowmobiling (called “snow machining” in these parts), yoga with reindeer. If you head to the nearby Chena Hot Springs Resort, you can have a martini served up in a hand-sculpted ice glass at the ice museum and memorialize your time in the Last Frontier with a selfie of your elaborately frozen hairstyle.

With or without auroras, you will be in a stunningly beautiful region of the world, so sit back, take a long sip of your delicious Fairbanks craft beer and, once in a while, ease off from desperately scanning the gorgeous heavens in order to appreciate the remarkable wonders beneath it.

The post Aurora Hunting and Craft Beering in Fairbanks, Alaska appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

Relocating to a forlorn part of the city was a significant risk. The craft beer craze was still years away, and the idea of a brewery being an engine of economic development was a relatively untested model in most U.S. cities.

“We thought this was Milwaukee’s year, and we were really excited.” – Russ Klisch

The brewery, now a local landmark, has helped the neighborhood become a vibrant city district. The on-site tour usually welcomes more than 80,000 guests on an annual basis, making it one of the most marketable brewery tours in the country. Production capacity in the last couple of years has risen to more than 45,000 barrels of beer per year.

Up until a few months ago, the hardships and uncertainty of building a world-class brewery seemed like a distant memory.

“We thought this was Milwaukee’s year, and we were really excited,” says Russ Klisch. “We were supposed to have the Democratic National Convention and the Ryder Cup, besides festivals like Summerfest and the State Fair. We were looking forward to being in the spotlight all summer. We even had the Milwaukee Bucks looking like they were going to win the NBA Championship.”

As the weather began to warm up, 2020 was shaping up to be a great year.

“Tomorrow’s gonna be awesome,” read a March 11th tweet from Lakefront Brewery, posted with a flyer for their Belgian Quad release party.

That same day, news began to circulate that the World Health Organization had declared COVID-19 a pandemic.

Just 26 hours later, Lakefront Brewery tweeted that it would be closed until further notice.

“It all happened really quickly, and we reacted fast because we had to,” says Russ. “We have a big place here, so I knew closing might be necessary after I read a report that was forwarded to me that talked about other cities and the steep rise in cases there. There wasn’t too much information about it, but for me, I didn’t want to wait for other people to tell us to close to do the right thing.”

Doing the Right Thing 

Since closing its restaurant and tour to the public, the brewery has adapted its business to a post-quarantine existence. Part of this new normal involves launching public awareness initiatives.

“The closest thing to royalty Milwaukee ever had has been beer barons, so everybody is used to looking up to breweries,” says Russ. “Breweries are an obvious part of the community, and that’s why it is important when we have social issues like this virus come up that we brewery owners do things that are good for the neighborhood.” One of these good deeds involved giving away beer and steins to 3,000 healthcare workers during Milwaukee Day in April.

Russ is quick to admit that even after retooling the brewery, the situation is far from optimal. Then again, he reasons that having some pieces of the business functioning is better than a complete shutdown. “We’re doing curbside delivery of beer, which was complicated to get started because our laws weren’t set up for this kind of crisis,” says Russ. “The restaurant is only for carryout right now, but the limited menu is really popular and has been selling out. We also talked about having a virtual tour with our guides, but it’s like doing stand-up comedy without an audience. It’s just not the same.”

However, Lakefront has been producing another type of digital content during the pandemic: how-to videos. The first installment features executive chef Kristin Hueneke demonstrating techniques for baking Lakefront Lager Bread. “People are looking for things to do at home, right now,” says Russ. “These videos give them some fun ideas, and it also reminds them that our product is still around.”

Other challenges include dealing with perishability issues, supply chain setbacks, and maintaining equipment that does not hold up well when in states of disuse.

In terms of what the future holds, Russ continues to be optimistic. “I plan to still be here months from now and reopening is probably not going to be like the end of Prohibition, where all of a sudden things open up and everyone flocks to the bars,” he says, “but when the time comes, we will be here in whatever way we can be.”

Undoubtedly, the Three Stooges will be there, too, and maybe not wearing masks.

The post Lakefront Brewery’s Big Year, Interrupted appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

Meet some of the urban visionaries behind the renaissance through craft beer. Their stories feature bootstrappers refusing to leave their hollowed out neighborhoods during economic exoduses and prodigal sons and daughters who did leave home only to be drawn back by a sense of familial loyalty. Then there are the tales of urban frontiersmen and frontierswomen attracted by the promise of new beginnings in unlikely places.

Attracting People and Businesses to Reverse Pittsburgh’s Decline

Technically, Grist House Brewery is not in Pittsburgh–it is located in the town of Millvale across the Allegheny River, but the town suffered through the same troubles of the industrial decline that hit Pittsburgh.

“This town was hit with a one-two punch because after the steel mills closed down and people started leaving, there was a huge flood in 2004 that devastated this whole area,” says Eaton. “It cleared out a lot of the little businesses barely surviving and scared people away.” Eaton sees his brewery’s role in the community is to be a beacon for revival.

“Breweries can really change the face of a town like this and attract people and businesses who wouldn’t normally come here,” says Eaton. “We’re helping other businesses thrive. We’ve seen flower shops, tea shops and restaurants open up because together we are more visible and can attract more people.”

The biggest problem when first opening the brewery almost a decade ago had nothing to do with blight.

“Educating consumers about craft beer and what kind of business we were was actually the hardest part,” says Eaton. “We had people coming in for shots and Miller High Life and asking us what kind of bar we were if we didn’t serve those things.”

(READ: How Long is My Crowler Good?)

East End Brewing: Keg Marks the Spot

Scott Smith, founder of East End Brewing, did not care that the neighborhood where he was locating his one-man brewing operation 15 years ago was in a part of town many people in Pittsburgh did not find inviting.

“The Homewood neighborhood would primarily be known to many people in Pittsburgh as a call-out on the evening news about a crime or nefarious activity going on,” says Smith. “But none of that mattered to me because my original vision was just me in a warehouse making beer and delivering to bars and restaurants around town and Pittsburgh is a small city anyway and I had grown up not far from that area.”

When Smith discovered he could fill growlers, he began opening his doors to customers a few times a week, but his concern for becoming a target of property crime prevented him from putting up a permanent sign.

“We had a lot of nefarious activity on our block so I would just put up a hand-written sign that I would tape to the side of the door and we would put a keg out on the sidewalk,” says Smith. “Sometimes it would take people hours to find us; this was before everyone had GPS on their phones. Also, that keg was stolen twice and somehow magically came back to us.”

Serving beer to-go turned out to be a huge growth engine for the microbrewery and gradually things in the neighborhood began to change.

“Simply by putting new faces there, people coming to that street for a good reason, we saw a lot of that nefarious activity go away,” says Smith. “One of our customers was a beekeeper and he moved into a space across the street and then other businesses started coming in, too.”

Recently, Smith launched a campaign to create a beer named after each one of Pittsburgh’s 90 neighborhoods.

“Pittsburgh is our home and it feels weird to me that there are aspects of it that are completely foreign to me,” says Smith. “It’s a great opportunity for me personally and for our customers to explore and engage in parts of the city that are not as popular, or a little more forgotten, than other areas and connect with the people who live in those neighborhoods.

East End Brewing now has two pubs and taproom locations with actual signs, but putting a keg out to signify hours of operation is a tradition they still uphold.

The Cleveland Entrepreneur: Sam McNulty

Irony is not lost on Sam McNulty when people refer to his collection of small businesses as a small empire. For the last two decades, the entrepreneur has been busy building restaurants, brewpubs and bars in Ohio City, a deindustrialized neighborhood in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.

Born to a first-generation American father and a refugee mother, McNulty says the thing he is most grateful for in life is his hardships growing up.

“I think one of the worst forms of child abuse is to give your kids everything they could possibly want,” reflects McNulty.

As one of seven siblings, McNulty began his entrepreneurial path early out of economic necessity. As a child he became the family barber (he still cuts his own hair) and started delivering newspapers at the age of 11; a job he held until turning 21.

“My parents were both social workers, which isn’t exactly the best-paid job in the world, so I pitched in and learned a lot about business in the process,” he says.

McNulty credits his parents for his work ethic.

“My parents came here and even though to other Americans it might have looked like an undesirable place, to my parents it seemed like a paradise of opportunities,” says McNulty. “I think my parents’ story is the story of Cleveland’s revival because people like them moved here when others, the people who could have helped solve our problems by building new economies, were abandoning us in droves. Maybe that was a sort of weeding out process. Maybe we’re rebounding now because we were left with a good stock of people and good people moving in.”

Ohio City is also near and dear to McNulty’s heart for personal reasons outside of business. It is the neighborhood where his parents were swindled out of their first home after the house they were originally renting was demolished to make way for an overpass. A man in charge of negotiating the purchase of an Ohio City building for a group of families absconded with all their savings.

McNulty says those experiences taught him to always be on the lookout for the little guy and try to find ways to help them move forward.

(TRAVEL: Find U.S. Breweries)

Pretentious Barrel House Seeks to Provide Value to Columbus

As a transplant from California and the founder of Pretentious Barrel House, one of only a handful of Latino-owned breweries in Ohio, Joshua Martinez says he has gotten quite comfortable with not always fitting in.

“I don’t know why brewers are mostly white guys with beards,” Martinez says, laughing. “I’m not a white guy and I don’t have a beard, but one of my employees is a white guy with a beard and people always ask him how he founded the brewery.”

Although it has been more than a year since Martinez opened Pretentious Barrel House in a predominantly black neighborhood embedded in a former railroad hub, he says he struggles to define his business’s role in his community.

“We want to drive more commerce this way but not the gentrification type,” says Martinez. “How do we prevent that. How do we keep the neighborhood with its same personality?”

Part of Martinez’ strategy has been to find ways in which the brewery can serve the needs of the community.

“If you go to a fast-food restaurant here, there are people having meetings and although we might not yet be able to contribute money, we can contribute space for people from the neighborhood without asking anything in return,” says Martinez. “We are also going to host our first neighborhood cookout. We are working really hard to provide value here by reaching out in the most genuine way. The last thing we want to do is be patronizing or disingenuous with our intent.”

Although neighborhood pedestrian traffic to the brewery has increased as the weather gets warmer, Martinez admits most of his clientele is still coming from other parts of the city.

“There’s a motorcycle club across the street from us and it’s interesting because our customers are typically a lot more pale-faced than our neighbors,” chuckles Martinez. “When our customers show up and ask us if their car is safe here, we tell them, ‘Yes! Those guys across the street are riding $50,000 motorcycles, they don’t care about your Honda Civic.’ It’s actually an extremely safe area and we’ve never had any problems.”

As a “sours only” brewery, Martinez knows that regardless of location, his brewery was always destined to stand out, and he is okay with that.

Atwater Brewery Celebrates Detroit’s “Grit”

Mark Rieth, owner of Atwater Brewery, has staked his claim to brewing greatness on the belief that Detroiters are a special breed of people.

“We celebrate Detroit’s grit,” says Rieth. “Part of our logo is a blue-collar worker raising a pint of beer after a hard day’s work with a hard hat on and our main slogan is ‘Born in Detroit, raised everywhere’ because if you are from Detroit, no matter where you are, you’ll always have Detroit in your backbone.”

In its 22 years of operation, Atwater Brewery is now the fourth largest brewery in Michigan, but its path was not without challenges. Rieth, a Detroit native, returned to his hometown to invest in the brewery after stints in California, Massachusetts and Arizona working as an automotive industry professional.

“Detroit’s obviously been through a lot: prohibition, riots, bankruptcy and the automotive crisis,” says Rieth, “but the difference between people who invest here and those who don’t is that we can see past those downtrodden parts and look at the bones of it all and see that it’s solid.”

The automotive and manufacturing industry built a sophisticated infrastructure network of canals, rail lines and roads Rieth believes can be the foundation for a new and improved version of Detroit.

“Things are bad until they’re not,” says Rieth. “When we first opened there were tumbleweeds going down the street. Our population is now about 700,000 people and at our high point we had about 2 million. Things go up, things go down, but we have a good base for continued growth.”

On the topic of why craft beer has been a catalyst for so many of the positive changes, Rieth has a simple answer: “Beer is a vehicle for conversation and bringing communities together and that’s what Detroit needed and continues to need. We’ve learned from our mistakes and people who are here feel empowered by creating something together.”

(READ: Trendy Rosé Beers Reach New Drinkers)

Witnessing Detroit’s Revival Through the Lens of Beer

Steve Johnson very literally wrote the book on Detroit’s brewing scene: “Detroit Beer: A History of Brewing in the Motor City.” Since 2009, Johnson has been leading bus and walking group tours to Detroit breweries and more recently he has added boats and bicycles to his offerings of tour vessels. Johnson also runs a monthly podcast featuring interviews with local brewers called Beer Tour Guy.

“I work with all the breweries in downtown Detroit and I know most of their stories,” says Johnson. “I work with the new guys and the ones that have been here for a while and I would say the more established breweries definitely have more of that revival theme to their stories because they were here when things were really bad.”

Johnson says some of the first breweries to begin popping up in the early 90s, as a result of state alcohol law changes, had to contend with prostitution and drug dealing happening right outside their doors.

“Now that’s gotten cleaned up but people still remember how bad the economy got and people getting laid off during the bailout and the Chrysler bankruptcy,” recalls Johnson. “Some of those people decided to start their own businesses and slowly Detroit’s economy has become less tied to the big three automakers. That’s a good thing.”

Milwaukee’s “Native Son” Brewers

In the former industrial hub of old Milwaukee in the Menomonee River Valley, Andy Gehl’s Third Space Brewing hides in plain sight under an overpass in a refurbished tin stamping factory that had been part of the humming manufacturing district since the early 1900s.

Gehl and his business partner are part of the boomerang brand of brewers who left their depopulating cities in search of greener pastures only to realize that in the brewing business, there is such a thing as a homecourt advantage.

“The people of Milwaukee want to support a native son and for us, it’s become sort of a selling point,” says Gehl. “Our customers find out we’re originally from Milwaukee and it really matters to them.”

Locating a beer manufacturing business in an area that was always built to be a manufacturing hub has also been a marketing boon.

“You’re seeing people elsewhere trying to recreate what we have here naturally and authentically,” says Gehl. “We’re in an old factory building with that industrial vibe with Cream City bricks and you see people trying to manufacture that by scuffing up their cement floor to make it look like it had forklift track marks on it. That’s fake and people sense that.”

However, Gehl admits that the windfalls that come from locating in a less-than-desirable area have been more incidental than purposeful.

“Before we moved in nobody came around here unless they were coming to drag race, but us moving in wasn’t necessarily some part of a master plan,” recalls Gehl. “It was affordable and met our needs.”

(READ: Breweries with Hotels, Inns, Camping and More)

Reviving Milwaukee’s Industrial Beer Town Legacy

In 1999 Tim Eichinger and his wife, Toni, moved to a Wisconsin village named Pembine. There, they built a log house cabin and planned to raise their son (and his 23 sled dogs) in bucolic bliss.

However, soon they began homebrewing, which led to a business idea that upended their pastoral existence. Within a year they were getting delivery requests from Milwaukee bars and restaurants wanting to serve their beers.

“I was driving once a week in a van delivering beer kegs and cases and at some point, it just made more sense to relocate to Milwaukee,” says Tim.

Tim and Toni found a decaying 1920s automotive repair shop building and bought to house Black Husky Brewing it after realizing their budget would not allow for many other options.

“We wanted something we could buy, not rent,” says Tim. “Also, as a brewer I wanted to make sure I had a high ceiling, big doors, and garage entryway we could open. We wanted to have a small outdoor spot, also, and then a taproom. The building we were buying had all those things.”

It also had a ton of industrial litter strewn all over most of the space.

“For us it was seeing past the broken down cars and boarded up windows and seeing the potential of the space,” says Tim. “Sure, the building was in terrible shape and not in a trendy neighborhood, but it had what we needed: affordability.”

Tim says he is proud to own a brewery in a neighborhood attached to Milwaukee’s beer town legacy.

“Beer built Milwaukee and our neighborhood, River West, is where a lot of the people who actually worked in the breweries lived,” says Tim. “People from the suburbs see this neighborhood now and think that it’s a high crime area, but people in nearby neighborhoods think this is an eclectic, bohemian area with lots of neat things to do. I guess the suburbs probably have their own breweries.”

Coming together for food and drinks is a form of ceremony that humans have observed since time immemorial. From pharaohs to paupers, and Dionysus to Homer Simpson, beer has been celebrated as civilizations rise and fall through history.

Today, brewers are at the forefront of a movement to humbly learn from our country’s mistakes. They are not simply skirting around blight and urban decay, but instead, they are embracing a proud history of resourcefulness. They are, in very literal terms, building solutions on top of rubble.

Although it would be tempting to frame their stories in terms of fatalistic David and Goliath pessimism, most would be quick to point out that in that story, David won.

The post Rust Belt Breweries Create Pint Glass Half-Full Optimism appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

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But just because you don’t have to venture far for a good pint of beer, doesn’t mean you should stick to the usual haunts. The world is filled with awe-inspiring spectacles and many of those wonderlands are near amazing breweries. So why not set out on an adventure?

Once in a while, it’s a good idea for beer enthusiasts to trade musings on yeast cultures for human cultures.

World Heritage around the Corner

The Gyza Pyramids in Egypt, Machu Picchu in Peru and the Taj Mahal in India have one obvious thing in common. They are breathtaking destinations prominently featured on most bucket lists of must-see wonders. Long before the word “listicle” existed, these places were part of another collection of marvels: The World Heritage Sites Program.

(More: 10 Beertography Tips from the Pros)

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNSESCO) was first established in 1972 through the World Heritage Convention. It merged international efforts to safeguard the planet’s cultural and natural treasures. Although many of the World Heritage Sites might seem like places Indiana Jones might visit, not all of them require journeys to far-flung destinations. In fact, some don’t even require a passport, because 23 World Heritage Sites are right here in the United States.

The following seven cultural World Heritage Sites in the United States are a comfortable drive away from awesome craft beer. Enrich your mind and palate in one go.

Chaco Culture — New Mexico

This ancient site, frequently compared to Machu Picchu, didn’t begin to reveal its mysteries until the late 19th century. That’s when a group of Smithsonian scholars began researching at the site. There is still a lot to learn about the ancestors of the Puebloan and Hopi cultures, who left behind ceremonial squares, storage facilities and multistoried buildings dating back to 850 A.D.

The impressive sandstone complexes still standing were the largest buildings in North America until the 19th century. It’s puzzling why the people constructed a city set in complex celestial patterns tracking the sun and moon, only to abandon the settlement 300 years later.

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The closest modern amenities are in the Farmington region on the New Mexican side of the Four Corners area. If, instead, you opt to camp at Chaco Culture National Historical Park, you will be in for quite a treat on nights the clouds cooperate. In 2016, Chaco was designated as an International Dark Sky Park for its “exceptional quality of starry nights” with no light pollution getting in the way of your view.

Nearby Brewery

Three Rivers Eatery and Brewery in Farmington, New Mexico, has five year-round beers on tap. They rotate the other seven taps periodically, typically changing out one or two beers a week. Dana Guttormsen, manager at Three Rivers, says that after having worked at most restaurants in town, he thinks this brewery and restaurant has some of the best beer and food in the region. “Our most popular beer is the Three RB IPA,” Guttormsen says. “The drunken steak is also amazing. It’s a marinated hanger steak, lean cut of meat, which is surprisingly tender and flavorful.”

If you want to venture out of town and support a new brewery, the nearby town of Aztec, New Mexico, has recently welcomed 550 Brewing Company to the community.

Independence Hall — Philadelphia

Construction of the Pennsylvania State House began in 1732, long before the events that would take place within its walls would earn it the loftier name of Independence Hall. It might not be an ancient crib of civilization, but it is recognized as the birthplace of the United States.

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On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed in the Assembly Room within Independence Hall. Although years later a legend would surface that the Liberty Bell was rung on that day — that never happened. If the Liberty Bell did in fact make any sound at all to commemorate the occasion, which is still in dispute, it would not have been until four days later when the Declaration of Independence was read out loud in what is now known as Independence Square.

Eleven years after the Declaration of Independence was signed, the Assembly Room was once again used during the Constitutional Convention, when the Constitution of the United States was drafted and signed.

The Liberty Bell, Assembly Room and Independence Square can be visited at Independence National Historical Park. Tickets to Independence Hall are free to everyone, and from the sound of it, “everyone” includes more than mere mortals. The rumor is that the ghosts of Benjamin Franklin and Benedict Arnold roam the halls.

Nearby Brewery

Independence Hall is within the Historic District of Downtown Philadelphia. That means there are many options for watering holes, including hidden speakeasies. For craft brewery selections, 2nd Story Brewing Company serves up a delicious Declaration IPA and a traditional Fritzie’s Lager as a tip of the hat to Philly being the purported first place in America where lagers were brewed. There are also plenty of guest taps to help history buffs wind down after a full day of soaking up the past. As for food, it makes a mean burger with a robust tomato jam and many of the ingredients in the kitchen are farm-to-table.

Mesa Verde National Park — Montezuma County, Colorado

These ancient sandstone homes carved into cliffs contains some of the best preserved material culture of the Ancestral Puebloans. The settlement was populated for about 700 years, and like the people of Chaco, at some point the residents abandoned the area. With more than 5,000 pre-Columbian man-made constructions, it’s the largest archeological site in the United States.

The park is huge, with more than 40 miles of road. So be sure to stop by the Orientation Center to get, well, oriented. The facility functions as a research and storage facility housing more than 3 million objects, including baskets, sandals, tools and jewelry. You will also learn how architecture and geology helps keep homes cool, even in the peak of summer.

Nearby Brewery

The towns of Cortez and Mancos Colorado serve as gateway towns for the Mesa Verde National Park. Even though these towns have a combined population of approximately 10,000, they both provide excellent craft beer options.

In Cortez, the WildEdge Brewing Collective keeps things animated by featuring live music, trivia nights and communal yoga sessions. They are also into keeping things local by partnering with businesses from the area to create special events and beers, such as The Wildmaker Coffee Stout, which is a collaboration with The Pie Maker Bakery. Its delicious soft pretzel pairs nicely with a choice of one of the 10 beers on tap.

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In Mancos, the very welcoming Mancos Brewing Company is also an excellent mom-and-pop choice, before or after you head to explore the Ancestral Puebloans ruins. This nanobrewery sells bottled beer you can take with you on your cliff-dwelling adventures. In fact, they have a Cliff Dweller Red Ale that might inspire you to better commune with nature.

Monticello and the University of Virginia at Charlottesville – Virginia

The University of Virginia at Charlottesville was designed by Thomas Jefferson. His vision was to integrate all facets of academia into one cohesive community. There are tours available for seeing the facilities, and visitors can also stroll the idyllic campus on their own. Don’t miss the Rotunda, which was modeled after the Pantheon. And also be sure to drop by Monticello, Jefferson’s plantation home.

Nearby Brewery

The craft beer options are definitely not limited in this college town. Less than half a mile away on West Main Street, the Hardywood Pilot Brewery and Taproom offers free pretzels on Thursdays to accompany its on-site brewed beers. During the summer, the bright, open seating area is a great place to rest after a day of historical exploration. Some board games are also available. If you end up homesick on your visit, try Mamaw’s Mean Cobbler, a peach tripel.

Champion Brewing Company also serves up delicious craft beer near campus. Its popular Missile IPA can be savored in-house or taken on the go. An onsite packaging facility cranks out plenty of portable brews. The relaxed setting is a nice place to enjoy dinner seven days a week and lunch on the weekends.

San Antonio Missions — San Antonio, Texas

The cultural melting pot effect is in full display at the San Antonio Missions, the newest World Heritage Site in the United States. One can see architectural and decorative elements from both indigenous and Spanish cultures. It is a complex of churches, granaries and residences that made up the frontier of New Spain in the 18th century.

The four southernmost missions are clustered near the river, although at their furthest points they are still 8 miles apart. There are buses, bike-share stations, guided tours and trails to help get you from one mission to another. Non-motorized watercraft are also permitted on the river, but not the entire stretch is connected, so plan accordingly.

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The Alamo is the most famous of the missions in the park and usually the most crowded. So you might want to allow for a full day for a visit. Here you will learn about some of the events that led to the taming of the Old West. Before Texas was annexed by the United States as part of a treaty that ended the Mexican-American War, the Alamo played a crucial role in a battle. Mexican forces were trying to squash the revolution within its rogue territory, the Republic of Texas.

Thirty years after “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” debuted, one of the most common questions guides still get is whether the Alamo has a basement. The answer is: Yes! The Alamo does indeed have a basement.

Nearby Brewery

The Freetail Brewing Company‘s taproom is walking distance from the San Antonio River Walk’s cluster of missions. Although no food is served inside the taproom, there are usually food truck options available on weekends. Be sure to check out the awesome interior murals done by local artist Bruce Peña. The brewery’s flagship seasonal is La Muerta Imperial Stout, which is usually available in the fall.

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Since you are in the Alamo City, why not drop by Alamo Beer Company? This large beer hall has been around since 2014. There are plenty of outdoor seating areas to enjoy the southern sunshine and huge windows let visitors take a peek into production.

Statue of Liberty — New York City

Everyone knows that the copper statue, built by Gustave Eiffel, was a gift from France in 1884. However, a lesser known piece of trivia has to do with the installation of the statue atop the enormous pedestal on which the Statue of Liberty now stands.

The Panic of 1873 drained the economy, and construction of monuments, including the statue and the Washington Monument, stalled. After the statue was brought in 350 pieces from France to New York, the fragments sat while fundraising efforts floundered.

Newspaper editor Joseph Pulitzer promised to publish the names of every person who contributed to erect the statue. In just five months, 120,000 donors ponied up enough to have the statue assembled atop an enormous pedestal. Eighty percent of the total was given in increments of less than a dollar.

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There are only two ways to get to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. One way is to take a ferry from the New Jersey side at Liberty State Park and the other is to board a boat from Battery Park in Lower Manhattan.

Nearby Brewery

On the New Jersey side, about 2 miles from Liberty State Park, Departed Soles Brewing serves up 100 percent gluten-free options along with its more traditional beers. This downtown Jersey City taproom has easy mass transit access. So leave the car behind and experience the Hudson River sites on foot. Its most popular gluten-free beer is the GoodbIPA Four My Homie, a brew heavy on the citrus and floral notes. The location is pet friendly and although no food is served, outside food can be brought in.

Taos Pueblo — Taos, NM

This ancient village is estimated to be more than 1,000 years old. Unlike many other World Heritage Sites, these adobe homes are still inhabited by an indigenous people with traditional festivals, culinary customs and religious rites. Although the Pueblo welcomes visitors, please be respectful and refrain from photographing people without their permission.

Tiwa is the native language spoken at the Pueblo, although English and Spanish are also widely used.

At sunset or sunrise, you can see why Spanish colonizers mistook these Pueblos for the mythological golden cities of Cibola. When the setting sun’s light hits the mud walls, they glow in amber hues, almost as if gilded.

Although it might look like the homes within the five-story complex are connected with internal doors, they are not. In fact, the external doors and windows did not come until later. Originally, the entrances were located on tops of the roofs.

The word “Taos” is used locally to refer to several different communities. So if you’re asking for directions to the World Heritage Site, specify that you want to go to the Pueblo, otherwise you might end up at the Taos Ski Valley.

Nearby Brewery

Taos Mesa Brewing has been serving up amazing craft beer and food at its “Mother Ship” location for six years and it opened a second taproom in downtown Taos two years ago. The Mother Ship is near the famous Taos Gorge Bridge and a colony of earthships, funky homes made out of recycled materials and natural resources. The adjacent compound of restored vintage airstreams is a new lodging establishment known as the Hotel Luna Mystica. If you’re in town for one of the music festivals at Taos Mesa Brewing, it’s a unique overnight experience.

A very low key alternative to Taos Mesa Brewing is Eske’s Brew Pub, which serves up six small-batch beers and a few other local brews in a cozy adobe building near the Historic Plaza. Because this is New Mexico, some of the dishes are typically served with green chile. Just be sure to ask about the spiciness level before trying to scarf down the hot stuff.

Additional Exploration

If you are looking for even more cultural World Heritage Sites in the United States, visit the Cahokia Mounds Historic Site near St. Louis, Missouri; Monumental Earthworks Poverty Point in Louisiana and La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Sites in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The post Where Craft Beer and History Meet: Breweries Near World Heritage Sites appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

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While getting a taste of historical hardships and charms, contemporary road warriors are paying their respects to The Main Street of America in their own modern ways. They snap selfies in front of vintage buildings and ghost towns. They buy kitschy memorabilia at roadside stands using Apple Pay and Android Pay. Also, they now count on a new set of attractions that have only recently begun popping up on Pinterest boards and blog listicles: craft breweries along Route 66.

It should come as no surprise that the craft beer revolution has made it to The Mother Road. Brewing and drinking craft beer is about being open to new experiences and honoring artistry over efficiency; elbow grease and gumption over automation and industrialization. Route 66 was once about all those things, too, and it continues to be a symbol of American boldness and ingenuity.

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So this summer, pay tribute to one of America’s most famous streets by answering the call of the open road with this Epic Route 66 Craft Brewery Road Trip and get caught up in the throwback wonders of the pre-digital age. While you’re at it, bring a few empty growlers, because “filling stations” have taken on a new meaning.

A Snapshot of Route 66

For nearly a century, Route 66 has inspired intrepid adventurers and down-on-their-luck wanderers to hit the road. First came the Dust Bowl escapees in search of a better life out West. Then, World War II soldiers and factory workers plied the patchwork of Main Streets, state roads and rural trails linking Chicago to Los Angeles. Finally, postwar suburbanites and road warriors packed into shiny cars and beat-up jalopies alike to get their “kicks on 66.”

The cottage industry of roadside attractions that sprang up to cash in on the motorized travel craze gave way to some of the country’s most peculiar landmarks. Many of these marvels still stand, scattered along the roughly 2,400 miles of route between the Great Lakes and Pacific Ocean. Their decades-old patina makes them even more delightfully tacky today than when they were first erected. Included in these notable sights are the world’s (former) largest rocking chair, the leaning water tower of Texas and Cadillac Ranch, to name a few.

The Mother Road withstood periods of war, economic depression and civil unrest, but it could not survive America’s obsession with prioritizing efficiency over leisure. In 1956, around the time we had finally accepted that bemoaning “Are we there, yet?” was an American rite of passage, an initiative to hack the Main Street of America to pieces was launched.

Over the next three decades, straight lines of asphalt were dynamited through the desert bluffs that had for decades been gently hugged by curvy, meandering detours. Four-lane asphalt flyovers replaced beautiful arching bridges. Entire towns were bypassed by the Interstate system and left to shrivel up and die like discarded hops plucked from the vine.

Route 66 gave rise to the concept of the “road trip,” forever etching itself on the country’s soul and topography, but all good things come to an end. On June 27, 1985, Route 66 was decommissioned.

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On the Road Again

Today, Route 66 is more a concept than an actual road. A new generation’s social media feeds showcase stylized images of the cultural artifacts the motorway left behind. To the thousands of travelers from all over the world who choose to travel what is left of Route 66, the road is so much greater than the sum of its many shattered parts. It is a journey that reinforces the notion that the path of least resistance is nowhere near as interesting as the road less traveled.

However, if the prospect of being in a wheeled metal cage for days-on-end is not your cup of tea (or pint of beer), several of the breweries mentioned in this article can be visited on day-trips or urban excursions near airports and car rental facilities. This is not a comprehensive list by any means, so remember to keep your eyes peeled and your mind open. That’s the way the greats who have come before you did it best.

Also, remember that all masterful works tend to have many iterations, and Route 66 is no exception. There are many “original” Route 66s, known as “alignments.” So as you’re exploring craft breweries along the route, if you come into a town with Route 66 signs that seem to have been designed by the Mad Hatter, do not fret. Just pick the direction that makes most sense to you and go with the flow. As writer Erol Ozan puts it, “Some beautiful paths can’t be discovered without getting lost.”

(READ: 50 Fastest Growing U.S. Craft Brewers)

Illinois

Illinois marks the beginning and the end of Route 66. For those heading west, Route 66 starts in downtown Chicago and veers south. The famous “Route 66 Begin” sign is near the intersection of East Adam Street and South Michigan Avenue, although an older sign can also be found one block west on South Wabash Avenue. If you are coming the other way, you will know you have reached the end of the road when you see the “Route 66 End” sign on East Jackson Boulevard and South Michigan Avenue.

Chicago – Plenty of craft brewing happens in the unofficial capital of the Midwest, and you could spend months exploring Chicago’s many brewpubs. Narrow down the field so you can get your road trip started by focusing on the many breweries near or within “The Loop” (Chicago’s downtown area).

Motor Row Brewing is an excellent drinking hole to gather inspiration for your journey. The craft brewery is part of a historic building in Chicago’s original car dealership district. Here, you will find beer themes harkening back to the four-wheeled beauties that used to cruise the Mother Road. Their New Phenix, named after an early 1900s vehicle, is an unfiltered lager with a hint of rye. For a darker, roasted malt flavor, give the Fleetwood Black lager a try. Drag Race, a New England-style double IPA, has a bold flavor that is probably best avoided by uninitiated beer drinkers.

Other breweries near or within The Loop include Gino’s Brewpub, which opened in 2017 and serves up the famous Chicago-style pizza of the iconic Gino’s East. Rock Bottom Brewing, Birreria at Eataly, Cruz Blanca and Haymarket Pub and Brewing are other breweries within two miles of where Route 66 begins and ends.

Romeoville – Metal-Monkey Brewing currently cranks out as much beer as its three-barrel system will allow, but the goal is to eventually grow to a 10-barrel operation. Try their Funky Mucker Stout, because now that you are an adult, you do not have to justify to anyone why you eat things that taste like a chocolate peanut butter sandwich.

Joliet – MyGrain Brewing Company has been open for less than a year, but it has already become a popular landmark along Route 66. Located in the historic Union Station building, patrons are encouraged to laze around and watch trains zip by while sipping on one of the 15 craft beers on tap. The new downtown train station, adjacent to MyGrain Brewing Company, opened in April and serves the Metra line along the Heritage Corridor.

Bolingbrook – Gordon Biersch Brewery became the Rock Bottom Restaurant in January. They still brew beer and it is still well worth the short, 1.5 mile detour from Route 66. The brewpub aims to have beers on tap that craft beer lovers would enjoy, and they also stock beer for new converts that are easing into the bolder flavors. Their honey lavender lager is suitable for cocktail drinkers, while their Belgian Triceratops caters to those wanting an oversized Belgian-style tripel. Its hints of cardamom, orange peel, coriander and goji berries will leave your taste buds delightfully confused.

Normal – Just minutes away from Historic U.S. Route 66 is DESTIHL Brewery. This 47,000 sq. ft. building features 37,000 sq. ft. of production brewery space, including a 60 BBL conventional brewhouse, 240 BBL sour kettle brewhouse & a 10 BBL pilot brewhouse. The Beer Hall features an exclusive menu of bold pub fare 30 taps with many selections from DESTIHL’s Wild Sour Series, barrel-aged Saint Dekkera® Reserve sours as well as other wood-aged beers, classic styles and exciting seasonals.

Springfield – Obed and Isaac’s Brewing is located in a historic building not far from Abraham Lincoln’s home. While enjoying a game of bocce ball, do try the Mother Road Route 66 APA, a hoppy beer with hints of grapefruit.

Edwardsville – Recess Brewing is your last chance for a craft beer along Illinois’ stretch of Route 66. This school-themed brewery features a bar, tabletops and signage made from reclaimed barn wood dating back to the Civil War. This is America and you are on America’s Main Street, so it makes sense that this brewery is also launching their own version of a Mother Road APA.

(VISIT: Find a U.S. Brewery)

Missouri

Now that you are in the Show Me State, you are definitely on a more east/west trajectory. After crossing the mighty Mississippi River, you will be heading into the heart of the Ozarks. This is a relatively large stretch of Route 66, but it is sparsely populated except for a couple of cities and towns. Springfield and St. Louis are definitely the brewing hot spots of this section of the route.

St. Louis – Urban Chestnut Brewing features a communal beer hall so you can easily make new friends on the road. Sustainability reigns supreme here, and the brewery is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certified, zero-waste facility. This location in the up-and-coming Grove neighborhood hosts events, festivals and concerts.

Springfield – Lost Signal Brewing is in an old radio station along Route 66 in downtown Springfield. Since the owners have taken care to preserve as much of the original building as possible, the radio tower still looms large over the brewery and its bright lights at night act as a beacon for the thirsty. There is a large patio where kids and pets can run free. Mothers Brewing Company is also in downtown Springfield and offers free tours of their brewery every Saturday. There is live music on Fridays and Saturdays. Although they do not sell food at the brewery, food trucks frequently park nearby, so you do not have to go hungry while sampling one of their 21 beers on tap. While in the area, you can also check out Springfield Brewing Company, which has been making craft beer in Springfield since 1997.

About a half mile from Route 66, located in a 1924 converted gas station, White River Brewing features many nods to life along the Missouri River. They also host live local music on weekends.

Kirkwood – Although travelers many times opt to skip this Route 66 alignment, the prospect of spending time at the Frank Lloyd Wright house in Ebsworth Park and Kirkwood Station Brewing Company might sweeten the deal. The family-oriented brewery is located in downtown Kirkwood and has 12 craft beers on tap.

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Kansas

The 13-mile stretch of Route 66 in Kansas is the shortest of the eight states the road traverses. Although there are no breweries in the area, that could change very soon. Joel Stewart has been homebrewing for 20 years and he is determined to open the Jolly Fox Brewery in the town of Pittsburg, Kansas, just 10 miles from Route 66. “My dream is to open this little brewery that seats about 75 people,” says Stewart. “Nothing extravagant, just good beer and some food. I want local vendors to make the hamburger buns and a local butcher to provide the meat.” Stewart says he has been raising funds and educating himself on the permitting process of opening a brewery for two years. He is optimistic that his little brewery will be up and running sometime this year.

Oklahoma

In his famed novel, “The Grapes of Wrath,” John Steinbeck wrote about the hardships endured by those fleeing Oklahoma’s Dust Bowl on Route 66, and until recently, Oklahoma craft beer-lovers also had it pretty rough. Unlike other Route 66 states, which have less-restrictive alcohol laws, Oklahoma is on the opposite end of the spectrum. Prior to 2010, homebrewing was illegal here and up until two years ago, taprooms were not allowed to serve full-strength beer directly to consumers. Things are changing in the Sooner State, though. Right now breweries can have their taprooms open until 9 p.m. and as of October of this year, they will be allowed to remain open until midnight. So help usher in a new era of craft beer appreciation in Oklahoma and visit some of these brewing pioneers.

Tulsa – Eric Marshall owns Marshall Brewing, just a half-mile away from Route 66. This decade-old brewery, housed inside a former warehouse, is expanding. Marshall says that after the news spread about the alcohol law changes, he became a whole lot more optimistic about his business. Patrons can expect a new beer garden soon. The flagship beer here is the Atlas East Coast-style IPA.

Renaissance Brewing is just one block south of Route 66 in a quickly changing part of town. The Mother Road Market, Tulsa’s first food hall, is slated to open this summer across the street. Also, you will soon be able to stay in the brewery, since the owner is currently working on two bed and breakfast apartments to rent out above the taproom. Try the Saison 66 and 66 Chevel, which will debut in late-summer.

Edmond – The best seller at Battered Boar Brewing, along Route 66, is the Coconut Cream Stout. Owner Mike Sandefur says he loves operating a small brewery serving beers with big flavors. Housed in an industrial park, this taproom has a selection of 14 beers. For those of you collecting stories on the road, be sure to ask how this brewery got its name. The harrowing tale involves a fearless dog, a 475-pound Russian boar, a knife and the brawny stuffed swine that now hangs above the bar.

Oklahoma City – Route 66 skirts Oklahoma City on the north side of town, so finding breweries here can be tough without a detour toward downtown. The 9-year-old Coop Ale Works is one of the oldest and largest breweries in town. In addition to serving the local public, they distribute their beers in Texas, Kansas, Arkansas and Nebraska. Free tours are offered on Saturdays at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. When the weather is nice, the outdoor patio in the back of the brewery is open to the public, and if you are lucky, you might get to see a blacksmith demonstration taking place.

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Texas

Things are definitely bigger in Texas, but Route 66 only goes through the panhandle. Be sure to drop by Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo and also snap a selfie at the route’s midpoint in Adrian, Texas. The inspiration for the Flo character in Disney’s Cars came from the lady who ran the Midpoint Café there.

Amarillo – Long before crossing any state lines into the Lone Star State, you will begin to see huge billboards advertising a “free 72-ounce steak” at The Big Texan in Amarillo. If you are not a vegetarian, that will be a hard lure to resist. If the idea of a giant portion of cow on your plate is not for you, The Big Texan now serves up craft beer as well – but unlike the 72-ounce steak, you do not get it for free if you finish it in under an hour.

The Long Wooden Spoon is Amarillo’s first standalone commercial brewery. The family-owned and operated taproom is lively and crowded on weekends, so arrive early. The vibe attracts locals and tourists, so expect to quickly make friends here. Food trucks usually park outside, and a limited food menu is also sometimes available at the bar. They have a gift shop open every day except Sunday and Monday.

New Mexico

Albuquerque –Two Route 66 alignments intersect in the center of this beer mecca. The older alignment curves northward toward Santa Fe, the oldest state capital in the country, while the newer alignment cuts straight across the state from east to west. If short on time, head straight to Albuquerque and take the one-hour highway drive to Santa Fe instead of the more scenic alignment that goes through the mountains. If you are tired of driving, a train known as the Railrunner runs daily between Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

Fun fact: believe it or not, the huge, steep hill just south of Santa Fe, known locally as La Bajada (Spanish for “The Descent”), used to be even steeper and scarier during Route 66’s heyday. The black-and-white pictures of cars caravanning down La Bajada are actually cars ascending in reverse because the sharp incline would not allow gravity-fed tanks to pump fuel to the engine when attempting the ascent head-on.

Santa Fe – With so much art and history to take in, you will definitely need to recharge. Brewery patios are a big deal in New Mexico and with 280 days of sunshine per year, you will very likely get a chance to enjoy the weather outside in the spring, summer and fall.

Head to Santa Fe Brewing, the oldest brewery in the state. This brewery is constantly pushing boundaries while also respecting tradition. Their well-known staple beers, like Happy Camper IPA, are always on tap along with innovative creations that rotate throughout the year. They have multiple taprooms throughout the state, so if you cannot make it to ones in Santa Fe, try the one located inside a shipping container in Albuquerque. Also remember, New Mexicans do not really do subtlety when it comes to food and drinks, so expect tooth-enamel melting flavors if you are with a local. The wonderfully potent 7K IPA feels like inhaling a bouquet of hops.

All of the serving staff at Second Street Brewery are Cicerone® Certified, so if you need some guidance, they will be more than capable of helping you out. As one of the veteran breweries in the state, Second Street has three taprooms throughout the capital city, one of them right next to the train station at the Santa Fe Railyard District. If you want a more local vibe, the Rufina taproom might be more your taste.

Rowley Farmhouse Ales is a brewery and farm-to-table restaurant. Their specialty is sour ales, but they also have a wide selection of craft beers from other breweries in New Mexico.

Albuquerque – Breweries in the Duke City are scattered throughout town, but many are right on Route 66. In the Nob Hill District, Kellys Brew Pub is likely the most Route 66-centric of the breweries in town. Located in a converted gas station and car dealership, complete with vintage gas pumps and large garage doors, this 19-year-old brewery has been serving up craft beer long before Walter White made Albuquerque a household name.

A few blocks down the road you’ll find Tractor Brewing Company and Bosque Brewing Company, both within walking distance from the University of New Mexico campus and the neon Route 66 signs.

In downtown Albuquerque, where Route 66 intersects itself, you will find plenty of breweries on or near the alignments. Duel Brewing, Boese Brothers, Sidetrack Brewing and Marble Brewery are all walking distance from downtown. Also, a brewery tour of the area is available aboard a 14-passenger bicycle called the Duke City Pedaler.

Grants – The Route 66 Junkyard Brewery has fought hard for their right to call themselves by their chosen name. Shortly after opening, they were sued by a European company who owns the trademark for Route 66 beer in the United States. Drop by to support an American little guy trying to stick it to the man.

Arizona

The Grand Canyon State offers stunning, sweeping vistas of the kind of scenery most people have only seen on Wile E. Coyote cartoons. Besides the mining towns and wigwams, there is plenty of natural beauty to take in. Petrified Forest National Park is the only park in the National Park system that is crossed by Route 66. Although most people think of deserts as being flat and hot, the deserts in the Southwest are flanked by high alpine forests, so be ready for drastic temperature drops as you climb in altitude.

Flagstaff – This small, mountain college town is the gateway to the Grand Canyon. Its charming downtown area is filled with rustic restaurants, shops and a whole lot of breweries considering the town’s size.

Beaver Street Brewery and Lumberyard Brewing are owned and operated by an intergenerational family of brewers. Beaver Street was the first brewery to arrive in town back in 1994. Lumberyard Brewing opened eight years ago. Both are already Flagstaff mainstays.

Dark Sky Brewing celebrates Flagstaff being officially designated as the first International Dark Sky City. Tacos and burritos are available by the Merge food truck parked in their outdoor patio.

Flagstaff Brewing Company is right on Route 66 and shares a patio with the Flagstaff Coffee Company, which is owned by the same proprietor. You can fill a growler or try a beer flight at Historic Brewing Company, which has a dozen principle beers that they serve up along with their rotational Pilot Series and specialty barrel-aged brews.

(READ: Can Craft Brewers Save the Verde River?)

No other brewery does more to honor Route 66 than Mother Road. Every beer is themed after a Route 66 landmark, lights are made out of folded maps, and even their fermentation tanks carry the names of defunct car companies. Their beer is so popular in town that demand was outstripping supply, so they opened a new location in February 2018. While at either taproom, see if you can taste the Munich malt difference — it is used in every beer.

Wanderlust Brewing is also right off Route 66. If you drop by, be sure to try their 928 Local farmhouse ale. They fill 32-ounce and 64-ounce growlers using their counter-pressure filling station so your beers taste the way they are supposed to taste when you pop the lid off at your next stop.

Williams – On your way to the Grand Canyon, you can drop by the Grand Canyon Brewery and stock up not just on craft beer but on craft distilled spirits as well. The brewery and restaurant began distilling earlier this year.

Kingman – It is hard to imagine Flagstaff not providing more than enough breweries to explore along Arizona’s stretch of Route 66, but if you need another pit stop before California, Black Bridge Brewery in downtown Kingman is there to serve you. They also serve cold-tap coffee and ginger beer.

California

This is it! The end of the road. The desolate landscape near the California-Arizona border will begin to give way to denser populations and greener pastures as you near the coast. Also, there will gradually be more and more breweries to explore. Remember that you will ultimately be entering one of the most congested metropolises in the country, so plan accordingly.

Rancho Cucamonga – The first brewery you are likely to encounter on Route 66 is Hamilton Family Brewery. To make sure that you understand that this is a family-friendly environment, they have juice boxes available for kids.

Upland – Last Name Brewing has a beer garden with picnic tables and shade to block the sizzling California sun. Best of all, they are open seven days a week. Rescue Brewing and Rok House Brewing are also good options, unless you arrive on Monday and Tuesday, since both breweries are closed those days.

(MAP: Craft Breweries Near Major League Baseball Stadiums)

The home stretch – More than 2,400 miles from Route 66’s start in Chicago, you are nearing Santa Monica. There is a brewery in Azusa called Congregation Ales, another in Monrovia called Hop Secret Brewing Company. Mt. Lowe Brewing Company in Arcadia is your last chance to grab a pint of craft beer before entering the promised land.

Santa Monica – It’s over! You made it! Time to celebrate at Santa Monica Brew Works. Everything about this brewpub screams California. It is warm out here, so lighten things up with their 310 Blonde Ale. If you have leftover growlers from your trip, you might not be able to fill them here. California has laws on the books about growlers needing to be unbranded in order to be filled. That’s okay though – you are less than two miles to the beautiful Santa Monica Pier, where Route 66 ends, so no need to stockpile anymore. Sit back, soak in some sun, and relax. You earned it!

The post Epic Route 66 Craft Brewery Road Trip appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

However, today’s modern iteration of craft brews as a conduit to rant on social media about mouthfeel, nonics and “Vinnie nails” can make it seem like good beer has been entirely co-opted by beer literati, leaving the rest of us Joe Swiggers, who can’t tell a Brettanomyces from a brontosaurus, to twiddle our thumbs on the sidelines.

To bring back beer traditions and culture to “the people,” several innovative brewers in Colorado have taken it upon themselves to scour time and geography. Some are looking toward antiquity for inspiration while others are stepping no further than grandma’s pantry.

(READ: American Pale Ale is the Style that Changed Everything)

Brewer Borrows from His Mexican Heritage

“I want to create beer that isn’t intimidating and to have Mexican cuisine and culture influence our beers,” says Javier Pérez, founder of Cheluna Brewing Company in Aurora, Colorado. “My wife and I want beer to be like food; before food becomes a gourmet, high-end dish served and priced to pay off someone’s culinary school loans, it’s first about common people creating amazing meals in grandma’s kitchen, and we want our beer to be about celebrating those common people coming together. I love that I can walk into our brewery and it feels like it’s my living room filled with friends.”

While Pérez revels in the Mexicanism of Cheluna, he also welcomes American sensibilities to play a role in how his beers are marketed, especially to Hispanic people. Despite Mexico’s cultural wealth, the country of 125 million inhabitants has at times struggled to craft inclusive messages in its pop culture. La India María, a famous indigenous television character whose buffoonery in Mexican slapstick comedies has been the topic of social justice grievances in many a collegiate theses, is just one example of mainstream disaffection toward ethnic minorities. Pérez says he wants to develop an IPA rendition paying tribute to Mexican indigenous women instead of mocking them.

“I want to make an IPA that’s really, really hoppy and call it La India Pale Ale, but our logo for it would be a Zapotec tribal woman, maybe with a rifle or something, so we don’t think of La India as an ignorant, barefoot person, but as a warrior who is intelligent and strong.”

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Some of the many nods to Mexican culture and cuisine served up at Cheluna include a mezcal barrel-aged blackberry imperial stout, a German-style witbier with habanero and chile (reminiscent of a popular street food treat in Mexico), a tamarind gose, and a porter infused with cacao, vanilla and toasted coconut. The Rozha hibiscus lager, the brewery’s most visually striking beverage, is Cheluna’s take on agua de Jamaica, a refreshing hibiscus tea sold in street stalls throughout all of Mexico.

If you visit this colorful taproom in Aurora, you can also expect to be served complimentary peanuts with lime and chile, Mexican style. Prepackaged bags of these delicious snacks are also available for purchase, in case you want to continue the fiesta at home.

Another brewery dabbling with Mexican ingredients is the Epic Brewing Company. In August, Epic and Mexico City’s Casa Cervecera Cru Cru brewed a beer together as part of an 18-brewery binational endeavor spearheaded by the Brewers Association (publishers of CraftBeer.com), ACERMEX (Mexican Craft Beer Association), and the USDA office in Mexico City.

“It was a really good experience,” says Matthew Allred, communications director at Epic. “The head brewers from Cru Cru and Epic got together stateside to make Chapuline Gose, a gose seasoned with crickets and an interesting critter called an agave worm.”

(VISIT: Find a U.S. Brewery)

Although the ingredients might sound exotic, the flavor profile of the beer keeps with how a more conventional gose would taste.

“The crickets mostly contribute in color and add a bit of earthiness and smokiness,” Allred says. “The agave worm salt does add a bit of a spicy punch, but overall, it tastes like a gose.”

The beer goes on sale at the end of November.

Recreating Ancient Beer Recipes

Not many breweries can boast about having an in-house “beer archeologist,” so Avery Brewing’s Travis Rupp takes his title seriously. He says the position came about as a fusion of his two professions: researching and developing beer for Avery and teaching archaeology and ancient history at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

“When I was working in the taproom as a bartender, a bunch of employees asked if they could come to one of my lectures to listen in,” Rupp recalls. “Once a month, I would go buy a selection of beer that was BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) true-to-style, then I would give a lecture about the beer style and history. Once I moved into production, I started to put together more formal presentations at the production meetings.”

In his research, Rupp discovered there were large gaps in the documentation of certain beers in history, so he set out to find out everything he could about those beers. Not satisfied with knowledge unapplied, he decided to recreate the beers as best he could in the modern age, which led to the production of his line of beers, Ales of Antiquity.

(READ: Women’s Evolving Contributions to Beer)

The series focuses primarily on what common people drank, not royalty. It includes an ancient Mycenaean-inspired beer from 1600-1100 BC brewed with 6-row barley, einkorn wheat, acorn flour, figs, and elderberries. There’s also a ninth-century Viking beer brewed with Scandinavian malt, juniper berries, juniper branches, and baker’s yeast.

The painstaking process for creating these beers has had some significant and at times hilarious missteps. Pachamama, a corn beer intended to replicate ancient Peruvian chicha had to be adapted to contemporary times after a bout with historical accuracy proved that sometimes the past is best left in the past.

In the original Chancay culture of the 1000-1400 A.D. period, chicha was produced by chewing a combination of corn, quinoa and beans and spitting the pulp into a mash so the saliva enzymes could stimulate natural fermentation. When Rupp enlisted the staff of Avery to chomp and spit corn into mash, the whole process took so long that the whole mixture solidified into a rock-hard mass that jammed the system. Rupp now uses an extract to simulate the effects of saliva.

Live and learn!

Brewers Pull Inspiration from Their Culture

There are other newcomers to Colorado’s beer scene hoping to focus on heritage ingredients and processes. Judd Belstock, one of the founders of Denver’s upcoming Dos Luces Brewery, says his brewery will be about reimagining beer.

“The core idea of what we’re trying to do is to create a world where what we think of beer isn’t limited to barley, hops, yeast and water,” Belstock says. The brewery, slated to open in the spring of 2018, will specialize in chicha and pulque, the traditional Mexican drink made from the sap of the maguey plant (an agave variety).

Like Rupp, Belstock will use purchased enzymes to ferment the chicha as opposed to trying to do it with saliva.

“I have no interest in doing 500-pound batches through chewing corn,” Belstock chuckles.

(LEARN: Beer 101 Online Course)

Although he is adapting the recipe a bit for the modern age, he stresses that the ingredients will be sourced either from their indigenous origins or from local suppliers.

“I want to honor the cultures from which I’m borrowing,” he says. “But also, if you think about what inspires craft brewers in general, if you look back five- or six-thousand years ago, it’s making use of the local ingredients and technologies at hand.”

His pulque offerings will be hybridized with corn.

“Sour beer junkies will immediately recognize pulque’s flavor profile as familiar,” says Belstock. “Pulque is pretty easy to explain to people, I just say it’s basically a beer made out of mezcal.”

Also opening in Denver in the spring of 2018 is Jade Mountain (current proposed site is on 1925 South Rosemary St., Suite D), a brewery that originated in Asia when Sean Guerrero and his wife, Jojo, moved their family from Denver to Huzhou, China.

“Surprisingly, there’s not much to opening up a brewery in China,” Guerrero says. “There is no licensing required, so I rented a small tea house, remodeled it and turned it into a small brewhouse.”

(READ: Brewery Accepting Your Old T-Shirts from Former Craft Breweries)

Guerrero, who was born and raised in Denver, says he is proud to share part of his adopted culture with his fellow American beer drinkers.

“I felt a little bit lost with my own culture because I’m Hispanic but my parents and grandparents never spoke Spanish,” Guerrero says. “So when I met my wife and traveled throughout China, I got assimilated into what they were doing. Now I’m fluent in Chinese, my kids are half Chinese and the whole experience gave me more of an identity than I had before, so I hope to share some of that through beer.”

Many of the ingredients will be imported directly from China with some guidance from Guerrero’s wife.

“My wife helps me understand each ingredient,” Guerrero says. “She’s a scientist at the University of Denver so she is good with helping with different yeasts and she’s also great with pairing various flavors.”

Some of the more exotic elements found in the beers served at Jade Mountain will include bamboo leaves and shoots, hawthorn berries, jasmine, osmanthus flowers and other herbs and sweet woods Guerrero says he cannot name in English.

So what is next stage in the evolution of beer?

“The future has yet to be written,” says Steve Kurowski, director of operation at the Colorado’s Brewers Guild. “It’s impossible to predict how these creative minds are going to innovate this classic historic liquid.”

The post Colorado Brewers Pour Over Heritage and History to Honor Cultural Traditions appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

Brewing in an Old Fishing Town

Mill Whistle Brewing is Carteret County’s first brewery, and it opened its doors in 2016 on April Fool’s Day.

When Tom and Barb Backman decided to turn Tom’s 20-year brewing hobby into a business, they knew that representing Beaufort’s historical connection to the Crystal Coast would have to be an essential part of their business plan.

“We’ve basically always been an ocean fishing town,” says Tom. “The old mills around here milled wood for ships, and this brewery’s located on the site of a mill that belonged to the family of my business partner, Bob Safrit. When I asked him what he most remembered about the mill before it closed in the 1970s, he immediately mentioned the whistle, and after he told me the story of how the whole town heard it daily for 125 years, I knew that was the theme we should work with.”

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It’s Beer:45 in Beaufort

The Safrit family had loaned the whistle to the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, and once they recovered it, it was positioned outside the nanobrewery and taproom.

“We started blowing the steam whistle at 4:45 p.m. daily, like the old tradition, and the community response was overwhelming,” says Tom. “Soon everyone started using the expression ‘Beer:45 in Beaufort.’ That whistle became such a popular attraction that we worried someone might steal it. So we had craftsmen who work on steam engines in Cass, North Carolina, make us a replica that we put outside and we moved the original inside.”

Both the original and replica whistles are fully operational. Tom says visitors are sometimes allowed to blow the outside whistle via a red button installed in the taproom’s closet.

Other nods to local history spruce up the nanobrewery’s 25-person capacity taproom and 40-person beer garden. Old black-and-white photos of the mill and its stacks billowing out dark smoke can be found in the restrooms. The tap handles are stylized reproductions of the original whistle handle. Paneling within the taproom is made out of reclaimed wood from the local area.

(VISIT: Find a U.S. Craft Brewery)

Beer Names Reflect Local Folklore

The one-barrel nanobrewery counts on solar energy to brew 31-gallon batches of 25 different beers, including wheat beers, pale ales, IPAs, and six sours. All beer names incorporate local folklore.

The Girl in the Rum Barrel Stout is named after the town’s most celebrated child; a young girl who tragically died at sea in the 18th century while on a trip with her father. The grief-stricken seafarer, hell-bent on fulfilling his promise to his wife to bring back their child no matter what, packed her tiny body in a rum keg so she would stay preserved for the weeks it would take to arrive home. Today, her grave, marked simply as “Little Girl in a Keg of Rum” in the Old Burying Grounds a mile away from the taproom, is adorned with frequent offerings made by tourists and locals alike.

But this stout, more than its name, is steeped in local flavor… literally. The spicy cedar notes come from wood that was used when building the taproom.

“I take cubes of the same reclaimed wood we used to make the bar, soak them in rum for a couple of weeks, and then add them to the fermenter to give the stout that spiced rum flavor,” says Tom.

Crystal Coast inhabitants have always been fond of their local spirits, both the alcoholic and otherworldly kind, and now they can add craft beer to their impressive list of artisan offerings.

The post It’s Beer:45 in Beaufort, One of North Carolina’s Oldest Towns appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

It Started with a Magazine Article

In 1993, Dick and Jean Wilson read a magazine article about a new trend called “brewpubs.” They started thinking the business concept might be something their daughter, Winnie Hanseth, and her husband, Evan, could launch in their Northern Arizona hometown.

At the time, there were no breweries in Flagstaff, approximately 500 breweries in the entire country, and craft beer made up less than one percent volume share of the entire US market. (By contrast, today there are half a dozen breweries in downtown Flagstaff and more than 5,300 in the US.)

(VISIT: 2017’s Great American Beer Bars)

“After speaking to my parents about the idea, I started thinking this might be a good way for our family to move back to Flagstaff,” says Winnie. “Evan and I were living in California with our two daughters, who were in first and third grade at the time, and the idea of starting a brewpub sounded exciting, but we didn’t know anything about brewing. Evan had studied mechanical engineering and I had studied computer programming.”

The Hanseths decided to learn more by registering for the Craft Brewers Conference in New Orleans, which took place a few weeks after that initial phone call with Winnie’s parents. At the conference, they networked, learned about brewing and became inspired to sell their house in California to launch a brewpub in Flagstaff.

“It was scary,” says Evan. “But we had an advantage in that our business partners were Winnie’s parents. Plus, they had a guest house for us, so we at least didn’t have to worry about finding a place to live.”

Just days after the Hanseths put their house on the market and arrived in Flagstaff, Evan returned to California to take brewing classes at the University of California, Davis.

“I took my camping equipment and camped in my house while I made some last minute repairs and then I camped at a KOA Campground while I took brewing classes,” Evan recalls.

They invested the entire funds from the house sale, along with a business loan from Winnie’s parents, into a small commercial property (formerly a grocery store) in an undeveloped part of downtown Flagstaff. The equipment manufacturers installing the 10-barrel system provided two-weeks of training, brewing the first 10 batches of beer alongside the Hanseths.

(LEARN: CraftBeer.com’s Big List of Beer Schools)

Less than a year later, Beaver Street Brewery was fully functioning as the first brewpub in Flagstaff.

The Hanseths quickly began to integrate their skills in mechanical engineering and computer programming into their new careers. Evan learned to use his experience with equipment testing to improve the technical aspects of brewing, while Winnie eased into her role as the accountant.

“We had a lot to learn,” says Winnie. “But you just gotta jump in and hire the right people. My go-to strategy is always to empower your people.”

Growing Up at Beaver Street Brewing

Over the last two decades, the Hanseths have celebrated important family milestones at the brewpub. Kelly, the younger of the two daughters, recalls coming to the restaurant and helping out when not in school. She remembers building snowmen and igloos in the beer garden on snow days.

“I even had my seventh birthday party at the restaurant right before we officially opened,” says Kelly. “That was how we first got to test the wood-fired oven.”

On another birthday, she remembers having to ride her birthday gift, a new bicycle, inside the banquet room, since the streets outside were frozen.

After working at the brewery during high school, Kelly moved away to college. She intended to major in architectural engineering at California Polytechnic State University. But there was too much brewing in her genes, and she felt the pull to the same path as her parents.

A New Brewpub, A New Generation

Kelly’s choice to work in beer had perfect timing: Her parents were working to open a second brewery. 

“We knew we made good beer, but we only had the capacity to sell in-house,” says Winnie. “After seeing what Oskar Blues was doing with canning, we wanted to produce quantities large enough that we could sell throughout the state, so when the opportunity to renovate the old Halstead Lumberyard building came up, we jumped on it.”

In 2009, Kelly was nearing graduation and development of her parents’ new 20-barrel brewhouse, Lumberyard Brewing Co., was well underway. She had changed her major to business management and, like her parents 16 years earlier, was looking forward to moving from California to Flagstaff.

“I didn’t have a plan after college,” Kelly says. “I was panicking and then with the opening of Lumberyard, I thought, ‘Well, I do have a job waiting for me in Arizona.’”

Kelly moved back to Flagstaff and now manages the Lumberyard Brewing Co.. The brewery counts on 40- and 80-barrel fermenters to churn out enough beer for canning and statewide distribution.

When it comes to her own path into the brewing world, Kelly says those initial architectural engineering classes she took in college have come in handy.

“Composition and design are universal,” she says. “I have used my computer experience with graphic design to come up with ads and some of the labels on the cans. Plus, I grew up in a brewery. This is what I do.”

The post Beaver Street Brewing, Where Beer is the Family Business appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

With a setting this striking, it makes sense Albuquerqueans (Burqueños, if you’re in the know) would also have a flair for the dramatic.

(MORE: 10 April Fool’s Day Pranks from Breweries)

“Albuquerque is a place of bold people, colors and flavors,” says Jesse Herron, a local entrepreneur whose company, Albuquerque Tourism & Sightseeing Factory, offers various city tours, including a craft beer excursion aboard a 14-passenger bicycle. “We like our food spicy and flavorful, and so it’s obvious for our craft beers to reflect our bold character.”

However, that boldness is not always on showy display. Hidden within former warehouses along defunct railroad spurs and retired machinery, edgy breweries share real estate with maker spaces in the industrial neighborhood of Wells Park, which abuts downtown and the city’s original settlement, Old Town.

“Downtown and Old Town get all the attention from tourists,” says Herron. “But Wells Park’s breweries capture the understated spirit of today’s Albuquerque.”

Here’s our walkable guide to Wells Park’s breweries.

Bow and Arrow Brewing Company

Bow and Arrow opened its doors in February 2016 after years of planning.

“I had to jump through extra zoning hoops to locate here,” says Shyla Sheppard, owner and CEO. “I was committed, though, because it was also an investment in my own neighborhood.”

Built in the former Chaparral Electrical Warehouse, the award-winning architectural design elements of this brewery and taproom meld the industrial vibe of the neighborhood with the earthy tones and textures of the Southwest.

Upon entering, you walk through a short corridor with a series of windows into the brewery that progressively widen as you near the cavernous tasting room. “We’ve created a sense of anticipation with those glimpses into production because we want to foster appreciation for our craft,” says Sheppard.

During happy hour (Monday-Thursday, 3-6 p.m.), the suit-and-tie crowd from nearby downtown can be found mingling at the long tables underneath rustic chandeliers. There is also an upstairs area, complete with a kitchen, available for private parties. Throughout the building, Native American themed art is displayed. The brewery’s logo itself is part hop cone, part arrowhead.

The nods to indigenous elements do not end with décor. A glance at the menu reveals names like Sun Dagger Belgian-style Saison and Hoka Hey India Pale Ale, “hoka hey” being a Hidatsa indigenous expression that translates to “get ready.” For some homegrown flavor, try the Flint & Grit English Mild Hybrid, an English ale hybridized with local roasted blue corn. There is also a kombucha/lager blend for unconventional palates.

(MAP: Find a Brewery)

Tractor Brewing Company

From Bow and Arrow, walk south on Sixth St. two blocks. Turn east on Haines Ave toward Fourth St. Head south on Fourth St. for half a block. Tractor Brewing Company is on the left.

This brewery began in 1999 in the nearby town of Los Lunas and relocated its entire 15-barrel operation, vintage tractors and all, to a vacant furniture showroom in Wells Park in 2014, after negotiations fell through to secure the then-empty site on which Rio Bravo Brewing Company now sits.

The brewery is well known for its support of local arts organizations through its Beers for a Better Burque Program. Regular community events here include live music, poetry slams, open mic nights, movie nights and Art Fight, which is a live art competition. The monthly rotating artwork on the walls is from local artists and it is worth noting the brewery does not collect a commission from art sales.

“Community is a strong component of everything we do,” says Tim Torres, quality assurance manager. “Even our relationship with the food trucks is part of that. We get to solely focus on what we do best, brewing and serving beer, and they provide delicious food to our customers.”

As for the 24 beers on tap, Torres is especially proud of the Pilsner #15 and Milk Mustachio Stout, which he says is “full of flavor and character and people really like the visual density when we put it on nitro.”

A barrel-aged sour debuts in spring.

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Rio Bravo Brewing Company

From Tractor, head two blocks east on Hannet Ave. to Second St. then head two blocks north. Rio Bravo Brewing Company is on the right.

Established in 2015 in a former Firestone Tires plant on a sprawling 14,000 sq. ft. site, almost half of this brewery and taproom is outdoor patio space. On warm days, the beer garden is bustling with people, but things get significantly sparser when temperatures drop.

The owners, Randy and Denise Baker, are serious about their motto: “Live Bold.” From the tournament-size shuffleboard to the enormous fans above the bar, nothing about this place is small.

“With the jelly jar lighting and rolled trusses, this place feels like a huge Post-World War II bunker and it’s definitely way bigger than we planned, but it works,” says Randy.

Going big was not without challenges. “We tried for days to scrape off all the old, green paint from the floors and finally gave up,” says Randy. “But people always compliment the green floors now. It also got us to recycle some green tables that a local restaurant, Dion’s Pizza, was getting rid of.”

Expect to find strong flavors on tap. The Level 3 is a nuke-strength hoppy IPA (7.5% ABV, 110 IBU) and the Grab ‘Em by the Putin Russian Imperial Stout boasts a sensational 13.5% ABV. For the less brawny, the Randy Shandy hits the spot. Also worth a taste is the popular Piñon Coffee Porter, a collaboration with the New Mexico Piñon Coffee Company.

(MORE: Estimated Blood Alcohol Content Calculator)

Dialogue Brewing

From Rio Bravo Brewing, Dialogue Brewing is a two-block straight shot south on First St. Created by artists, film-makers and restaurateurs, this six-month-old brewery and taproom is part Burning Man dreamscape, part industrial minimalist experiment.

Virtually everything under this 1920s warehouse’s bowstring roof is handcrafted to be greater than the sum of its parts. White birch and bamboo elements contrast against metal panels, light projection mapping and local artists’ works. Even the bar stools are distinctive, created through CNC machining, which is a process that combines computers and woodworking.

Despite modern conveniences like USB charging outlets, you will not find a single television screen.

“We left TVs out and created this cool community space so people socialize,” says Ian Graham, head brewer. “We’ve even had lyra hoop and aerial silk performances because these days it’s not enough to just make good beer, you also have to look good doing it.”

Efficient use of the small footprint was imperative. The seven-barrel system’s fermenters create a wall that separates the production area from the taproom. Outside, a small patio is decked out with six towering rebar “tree” sculptures that also provide group seating. The sculptures weigh more than 7,000 lbs. and were buried eight feet into the ground to structurally support the 40 feet that jut out aboveground. Plans are in place to add plants to the tops of the sculptures to complement the $8,000 worth of exotic and native species currently planted.

The place is a feast for the eyes. “There’s even a hidden sculpture of the Sandia Mountains underneath the bar,” says Graham. “Basically, our staff put their hearts and souls into every detail of this place. They’re amazing and everyone is Cicerone Certified so they can educate our customers.”

Of the 12 beers on tap, sours and German-style lagers are the specialties of the house. The Belgian Citrus IPA was the runner-up in the Specialty Category of the National IPA Challenge.

“It’s expensive to produce that style because the hops come in at the end so we have to use more, but it’s worth it,” says Graham.

(MORE: What is Craft Beer?)

Marble Brewery

From Dialogue, walk south on First St. five blocks to reach Marble Brewery. This is the oldest brewery in the neighborhood, and it is a badge of honor for locals to say they knew Marble “before it was cool.” It has won at least nine GABF medals since 2011.

The small, original taproom, rumored to have been behind the city’s first food truck/brewery collaborative model, has been completely gutted and now sports a rooftop deck, outdoor stage, heated patio and the Abuelo Goyo mural by Nuezz, which is likely the most Instagrammed wall in town.

On a hot summer evening, it is common to see a line of hipsters, baby boomers and multi-generational families eagerly waiting to get inside. The incongruous crowd of people is at the heart of Marble’s success; it is truly a brewery for everyone.

So grab a beer, they are all good here, and end your brewery tour where this neighborhood’s brewing history began.

The post A Beer Lover’s Guide to Albuquerque’s Wells Park Breweries appeared first on CraftBeer.com.