11/17/17 Dillinger Brewing Co. 3895 N. Oracle Road, Tucson, AZ 85705 phone: 520-207-2312   website: DillingerBrewing.com
Hours: M-TH: 2PM-9PM, F: 2PM-11PM, S: 11AM-11PM, SU: 11AM-9PM

Experience before you go . . .

Alright I was having withdrawal symptoms, not the shakes an alcoholic gets, far from that but the sadness an adventurist gets when its been too long since his last adventure. Kinda like the adrenaline junkie looking for the next bungee jump or bull run. It had been a couple, three weeks since we visited Goldwater Brewing in Scottsdale which had been a lot of fun but the Hoppin Brewery Tour once again was calling my name. So I tricked my wife Kat into joining me. "Kat, I need to run across town to pick up some irrigation parts, do you want to join me and maybe we can stop somewhere for lunch?" An hour later with Irrigation parts in hand, "Can you believe this Kat, Dillinger Brewing Co, a brewery I've been wanting to tour is right around the corner." "We got to go!" Kat looks at me and says, "How convenient!" Kat is actually a real trooper and for being a wine lover it's great that she humors me and joins me on so many tours.....married life is grand!!

Dillinger Brewing Company was a little tough to find. We were parked in front of the building with the address right there but all we could see was a USA Pawn Shop. I thought for a minute that that would be an interesting mix, buying a fake Rolex while enjoying your favorite IPA....love it! But I got out of the car and walked and lo and behold down the right side of the building there were many retail/industrial store fronts and on the very, very end, loud and proud was Dillinger Brewing Co. After the patented front sign selfie we hit the door. To my left and staring right at me was a life sized cardboard cutout of John Herbert Dillinger. Kinda scruffy looking guy small in stature but big in all things criminal. Tucson is Dillinger town, back in 1934 Dillinger and his gang were captured in Tucson and discovered in his two large suit cases was their arsenal and $23,816 in cash. Once I paid my respects to the cardboard guy, I got a chance to refocus and look around. We have production at 9:00 to 12:00 and the bar at 2:00, high tops and tables at 3:00 with an open air industrial garage door which was open at the time....does anybody know what time it is? The space was nicely laid out, just the right size with a open, friendly feel. Kat and I shuffled to our right towards the bar and got comfy on a couple bar stools right on the end. Aaron, behind the bar greets us with a smile and a warm welcome. I introduce myself as Clyde, the Hoppin brewery tour guy, hand Aaron a card and do my 5 second elevator pitch and Bing, bang, boom....the Hoppin Brewery Tour strikes again!

Aaron sets me up with a 4 sample flight with a good mix of the Dillinger brand. Starting with the Serrano Seduction - Chile pepper infused American Wheat (5.2%, 20 IBU) brewed with Mexico Serrano peppers & New Mexico hatch green chilies, this brew gives you all the flavor with none of the heat. Next in line we had Certified CPA - Citra Hopped Pale Ale (5.4%, 44 IBU)....very nice. Coming up next we had the Ghost Ride the IPA - West Coast IPA (5.9%, 72 IBU) Simcoe & Citra hops make up this west coast style IPA, hazy in color and grape fruity in taste. Bringing up the rear and just released we had the Hedonism - Ruby Port Wine Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout (11.4%, 72 IBU) medium-bodied, fruity, tart and the taste I love....toasty!!

Aaron tells us the Dillinger Brewing story of opening 8 months ago. Three University of Arizona buds doing some home brew one night, not sure if an ample amount of sampling was going on but Boom, Bang, Bing...lets open up a brewery. You got to love the entrepreneurial spirit and energy these three twenty-something young men have got. Asked how they were doing, "We deliver out of our car to 50+ bar/restaurants and with a smile on Arron's face...we've paid all of our bills"!! To my right sits Anthony, who knows Aaron from college, he's from the Phoenix area and he sells large submersible pumps. You can tell that Anthony is digging Aaron's brewery swag and wants nothing but success for the three. Behind the bar is a catch all cork board which on the bottom right now proudly displays the Hoppin Brewery Tour Card but also has a picture of the three in college dressed up as the characters in the Cult Classic Napoleon Dynamite....."Vote for Pedro"!

Well I got to tell ya, my vote goes to Dillinger Brewing!! All the luck in the world to you guys, work hard, appreciate your customers and as you know....always paid your bills.

Until next time and remember.........

Go get'cha one!!