Sentinel Peak Brewing, 4746 E. Grant Rd, Tucson, AZ 85712.   phone: 520-777-9456   website: SentinelpeakBrewing.com
Taproom Hours: Tuesday – Thursday 11am – 9pm | Friday & Saturday 11am-10:30pm | Sunday 11am-8pm.

Experience before you go.........

Well it was only a matter of time before the Hoppin' Brewery Tour ventured outside the great state of Illinois. Arizona is the place you ought to be, so Brad & Clyde loaded up the truck and they traveled to Too Sunny. Tucson, that is, breweries and more breweries!

The day started out sunny and stayed sunny........on average the sun shines 286 days per year in Tucson compared to 84 in Chicago.....bring it on!! Now with two brewery stops planned and our wives joining us we needed to fuel up so BoBo's Restaurant it was.......home made just like momma used to make without all the questions. A huge apple, banana pancake to die for and biscuits and gravy to solve all the worlds problems, did I mention gravy, I think I did! If you travel to Tucson, BoBo's is a definite stop you don't want to miss!

Leaving BoBo's in a zen state food coma we needed a little time and some walking before we began the brewery tours. So we chose the Tucson Gem Show which is a humungous annual event in Tucson and people come from all over the world. All I can say is, "I've never seen a crystal the size of 1964 VW Bug"! Gems, natural stones, bling....anything you image in this genre was front and center. Obliviously, I can't do the show justice and oh yeah, we're on a brewery tour but after 30 minutes my head was about ready to pop off! Brad and I both looked at each other, we glance at the ladies trying on their third set of earrings, did someone say beer!!

A little walk to the car, another hop, skip and a jump and there it is: Sentinel Peak Brewing Company. Sentinel is located right off of Grant which is a major street that runs east/west, just a little south of the Tucson foothills. There's outdoor seating available which is where Kat and Lynda decide that's where they're sitting and we get the approval nod because they both know Brad and I love sitting at the bar. As we walk into Sentinel, it really has a great feel, tall ceiling, bright and cheery. Tall fermentation tanks to the left and long bar to the right. I'm immediately pulled to the left towards the tanks where three guys are sitting amongst the tanks looking like they've been brewing, cleaning or organizing. One guy gets up and I introduce myself as Clyde, one of the Hoppin Brewery Tour guys and point over to Brad and say he's the other guy. I hand him a card and explain what we do and how much fun we're having. He enthusiastically introduces himself as Matt and yes he's one of the three owners and a very nice guy I might add. I reframed from going into full tell me about your place mode because he looked busy, but I could tell from his firm handshake and his confidence level that there definitely was a story here.

I moseyed over to the bar where Brad was and our two beautiful wives were sitting and looking over the Beer List board. Melissa, behind the bar greets us with a smile and a warm welcome. Kat and Lynda both order the 1811 - Desert Blonde (5.2%, 29 IBU) one of their flagship beers, light body, easy drinking, great introduction to craft beer. They head out to their table outside. I ask for the flight of 4 and mixed it up starting from right to left with El Munoz - Mexican Light (4.9%, 21 IBU) with a wedge of lime, next up was the Icebreak IPA (6.3%, 82 IBU), followed by the Salida Del Sol - Mexican Amber (5.1%, 21 IBU) also with a wedge of lime and ending with the Dew Point Dunkel - Munich Dunkel (5.7%, 27 IBU). All refined brews but pulling on my heart strings was the Icebreak IPA, mild citrus and grassy hoppiness with drinkable bitterness......ahhhhh! Brad went dark with a pint of the Dew Point Dunkel, dark amber color, roasted chocolate and coffee notes with a medium body.

Now somewhere in this sampling extravaganza I start talking with Sam to my right. Sam's a local guy who has developed a taste for IPA's. Sam has lived in Hawaii, Denver, Phoenix and then back to Tucson. Somewhere in there, there was a girl......there always is! Nice guy, eating his jalapeño poppers with the suggested pairing of the Icebreak IPA.......very nice!!

Melissa checks back, come to find out that she's the manager. Brad asks, "can you tell us the story behind this brewery"? With a smile she says, "it's a great story"! She starts out by telling us that there are three owners, Jeremy, Matt and Taylor. Jeremy was in the United States Air Force stationed in Germany and believe it or not, got use to drinking fabulous beer. Met his wife, not sure if she was Air Force or German descent but they made it back to the states and settled in Tucson. Becomes a firefighter and disappointed with the beer, Jeremy starts home brewing. Happy with his results, Jeremy shares some brews with his fellow firefighters. Well after some more brewing and I'm guessing some more sharing, firefighters Jeremy, Matt and Taylor decide to open a brewery and call it Sentinel Peak Brewing Company. As said on their website.....Tucson's only Midtown Brewpub serving great food, wine, cider, cocktails and a rotating list of craft beers made on site. We are family friendly and provide table side service in a relaxing atmosphere. Weekday lunch, happy hour and date night specials - and a fantastic pet-friendly beer garden outside.

There you have it. The passion and determination to challenge oneself to do something better than the next guy, and in this case it's brew beer! Sentinel Peak Brewing has been open for 3 years and the place has a real spirit and warmth! Good for you guys! Keep protecting the community at the Fire Station and get "Fired Up" for a bright beer brewing future!!

Well until next time, and remember.......

Go get'cha one!!