Next month, I plan on taking a trip from Michigan to visit my folks in the Tucson area. I've never been there before and look forward to checking out Dragoon and Barrio. I'd like to hit some local bottle shops for some goodies to bring home to Detroit. Not really hunting for any whales, just some good Southwest and West Coast brews that I cant get in Michigan. Any recommendations for huge variety, local bottle shops specifically around the Sahaurita / Green Valley / Tucson area would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!!
Go to Tap & Bottle. They have a good selection (mostly singles) and a great tap selection. No need to bother with anywhere else although some might suggest Plaza Liquors (always found that place overrated).
Tap & Bottle and Plaza are really the only places you need to go, and Tap & Bottle has a great draft list too. Both have tons of singles and knowledgeable staff. I'd strongly recommend Pueblo Vida Brewing over Barrio. Pueblo Vida is just a tasting room downtown, but all of their beers are solid. Barrio is more of a brewpub with a good happy hour but the beer can be hit or miss (but barrel-aged NCAAle is highly recommended if they have it). Also, Dragoon has crowlers available for the majority of their beers, and is a must visit.
Last Christmas I scored some great bottles at Plaza, so I think its worth checking out. But yeah, Tap & Bottle is by far the best. But I'd check Plaza, and maybe even Total Wine as well (might have some out of market stuff you're interested in) PLEASE don't go to Barrio. Its really bad. I don't know why anyone recommends that place - its dirty, it smells bad, and their lines were so dirty when we went that the beers were undrinkable and we had to just walk away from almost full glasses. Go anywhere else.
Thanks so much! I'll definitely be checking out both Tap & Bottle, and Plaza. One more question.... Any recommendations on good Arizona only bottled stuff? We have a ton in Michigan (Oddside, Shorts, Perrin, etc.) and I'd like to get any Arizona only exclusives (shelf turds or not) to bring home. I'll definitely be picking up some of the SW/CA stuff (Lost Abbey, AleSmith, Mendocino, etc.), but would love some AZ exclusives. Thanks!
Thanks man. I've done some research and seems like the general consensus is to stay away from Barrio for the exact same aforementioned reasons. I'll definitely be hitting Pueblo Vida instead.
Dragoon is canning some stuff now. Other than that, there isn't actually a ton of good locally canned/bottled stuff, that I remember. Locals, feel free to correct me, but the local scene has typically been pretty weak.
Plaza used to be the bomb back in the day. They seem to be slacking a bit over the last few years but I still enjoy it for the sake of heritage. I used to go there daily in the 90's while I was in school at the UofA. My classmate Pete worked there for years and hooked me up. 1702 is good as well, but the bottle shop isn't open all the time.
