Dragoon Brewing Company, 1859 W Grant Rd #111, Tucson, AZ 85745.   phone: (520)329-3606   website: DragoonBrewing.com
Taproom Hours: Wednesday (3-10 pm) | Thursday (3-10 pm) | Friday (3-10 pm) | Saturday (12-10 pm) | Sunday (12-5 pm)

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

"Excuse me, sir, Dragoon Brewing guy, excuse me", my wife Kat says. "SIR"! He turns around and says "Yes, hi". Leaving from our Costco shopping spree we see a younger guy outside in front of us walking fast with a black Dragoon Brewing Company satchel. Doing what I do best, got to talk to the brew guy. I hand him a HoppinBreweryTour.com promotion card and quickly tell him our story. "Cool, very cool, I like your card"! I tell the Dragoon guy that I saw his 4-pack in the Costco beer aisle and it said "locally brewed".

So this is how Dragoon Brewing Company became our second stop on this beautiful sunny day in Tucson, Arizona. Beer drinking buddy Brad and his wife Lynda were only visiting for a couple days so we had to put a little hop in our tour and get'er done!!

Well as usual we only had to do one u-turn, two head scratches and an "Excuse me sir, do you know where Dragoon Brewery is"? "As a matter of fact I do", with a smirk on his face, "You drive down there and it's on the left". Boom, Dragoon (just like saying that word, especially after boom), semi industrial park setting and since Brad and I have done a few of these, we feel right at home. Chic - industrial is what I thought as the four of us walked in. Huge black and white mountain range mural to the left which we come to find out are the Dragoon Mountains. This mountain range is located south of Tucson close to the Mexican border and obviously what this brewery is named after. Straight ahead you get a glimpse of the fermentation tanks and to the right a very large, and very cool L-shaped bar with 4 stools just waiting for us. So we take a stool and get settled in.

Tall ceiling, warm lighting and a very nice feel with about 10 beer drinking patrons spread out between the bar and some high tops enjoying the Dragoon. The four of us pass around the "approval" head nod, accompanied with the "nice place" smile and we begin to focus on the beer. Kat and Lynda, being light beer girls, order pints of the recent release Saison Blue - Southwest Farmhouse Ale, (7.5%, 33 IBU) brewed with malted barley, blue corn and blue agave nectar, dry hopped with American & European hops for a herbal and floral finish...very unique and refreshing! I buckled my seat belt and prepared for my beer flight.....starting with Dragoon IPA, (7.3%, 83 IBU) deep gold in color, featuring a dank, herbal, citrusy hop aroma supported by a sparse malt backbone, next was the Unihopper w/ Equinox, (5.6%, 33 IBU), followed by the ladies' favorite Saison Blue, and ending with the Barrel-aged Biere Del Bac, (10.1%, 32 IBU) deep reddish amber in color, with the aroma of dried fruit, caramel and a hint of peppery alcohol.

Over walks Stout, as Dragoon's website says....."Stout makes sure the rest of the staff eats their greens, stays hydrated and plays the lottery on the reg. He is the lord of the taproom, so be nice." And thats exactly what Stout was to us, very nice, concerned about his customers and with a lot of useful information. Stout, you made our trip to Dragoon fun and memorable......hope you win the Powerball Lotto!!

I know I've mentioned this before in some earlier brewery reviews, but Brad and I are extroverts. Me a little bit more than Brad and Brad would say I'm a lot more, but that's neither here nor there (something my dad would say). But when Brad and I are together and on the Hoppin' Brewery Tour, magic happens! We're handing out cards, introducing ourselves, engaging in conversation, asking questions, taking pictures, saving cats out of trees......lol, no cats allowed in breweries. I call it, shaking it up! Brad calls it, stirring the pot! Whatever you call it, it's a lot of fun and it's crazy! At Dragoon, a couple middle aged guys come in, one in a business suit and the other business causal. Picking up a Dragoon IPA Growler (a 64 oz. reusable jug of beer) and they're paying at the high tech iPad mounted on 360' swivel base check out center which I'm right next to. "How you guys doing"? "Picking up an afternoon growler"? Come to find out they're faculty, administrators, something associated with Arizona State University, ASU up in Tempe, Arizona. Jim and Scott, great guys, full of life talking to a couple older dudes in a brewery on a beautiful afternoon.....got to luv it!!

Our trip to Dragoon Brewing Company was a great experience! Thanks to our buddy Stout, the Tempe guys, the great beers and the fabulous taproom.....If I were you, I'd stop in and check out Dragoon Brewery. And tell Stout that Brad and Clyde sent ya!

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

Go get'cha one!!