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Mother Road Brewing Co.
It’s 3 p.m. on a Wednesday afternoon, and the courtyard at Mother Road Brewing Co. is filled with beer drinkers, a couple of dogs, a few toddlers and mounds of snow. Not even cold weather or, well, work is going to get in the way of this brewery’s diehard fans. It’s the perfect illustration of owners Michael and Alissa Marquess’ “third space” concept. “A third space isn’t your home or work but the heart of the community,” Alissa says. “It’s the reason why you live someplace. It’s where you gather with your friends. Maybe you do some business. Mostly, you come to have fun.”
Michael and Alissa are Northern Arizona University graduates (Alissa was born and raised in Sedona). Michael was a homebrewer for years before opening the brewery – he even brewed beer for the couple’s 2001 wedding. They opened the brewery in November 2011. “We were on a road trip, and we were trying to figure out a way to live our credo, which is ‘finding joy in the adventure,’” says Alissa. “Our passions were hospitality, craft beer, Route 66 and Arizona. So we combined all four and opened Mother Road.”
The 15-barrel brewhouse and taproom are located in a 3,000-square-foot building that was built in 1926 as a commercial launderer. (Bonus: The excellent Pizzicletta pizzeria is located next door and happily delivers.) Mother Road distributes its beers in kegs, bottles and cans across Arizona and New Mexico with plans to eventually distribute all along Route 66. This year, Alissa says Mother Road will brew 4,000 barrels of beer. You’ll find seven beers on tap in the taproom, including Alissa’s favorite, the Tower Station IPA. Released in September, the citrus-forward beer was just named one of the top 250 new beers in the U.S. by BeerAdvocate. Stop by on Fridays to try to brewery’s cask-conditioned beers, and keep an eye out for community events such as Black Cat Adoption Day. So how does Alissa classify the brewery’s style of beer?
“We brew clean, delicious beers,” she says. “We brew beers that are well made. Take our Gold Road Kolsch Style Ale. You can’t hide flaws in a Kolsch beer – you taste all the flavors. Mother Road beers showcase quality and strong technique.”
WHERE: 7 South Mikes Pike St. in Flagstaff; 928-774-9139. Open Monday through Friday, 2-9 p.m. (10 p.m., Friday); Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 9 p.m.
DRINK: Thirty-three percent of all Mother Road beer sold in Arizona in 2015 was the Tower Station IPA. Enough said.
THAT Brewery
Beer aficionados will tell you that the best taprooms are often the hardest to find – the supersecret locations tucked away in nondescript industrial parks with rollup doors and concrete-block walls. If you agree, THAT Brewery is the ultimate find. It’s in the back of an industrial park in Cottonwood, far from the hustle and bustle of Old Town. The 5,000-square-foot warehouse serves as THAT’s production facility and taproom. It opened in August 2014.
THAT’s brewpub is located in the blink-and-you-will-miss-it town of Pine. Owners Steve and Tamara Morken fled the traffic of Phoenix for the forests of the White Mountains and opened a restaurant in Pine in 2004. In 2012, they added the brewery component. (Like most brewery owners, Steve started out as a homebrewer.) Pine boasts a seven-barrel brewhouse, and when the Morkens distribution plans outgrew the space, they moved the bulk of their production to Cottonwood.
The taproom in Cottonwood features 10 to 12 beers including the brewery’s six mainstays. It cans and kegs the Arizona Trail Ale and Roadrash IPA, the brewery’s two best-sellers. In the coming months, it will also begin to distribute its Strawberry Blonde. Joey Steiner, the brewery’s “lord of the yeast” (read head brewer) says THAT brews classic beers. “You can sit down and drink several of our beers – they don’t have a real high-alcohol content,” he says. “They are big in flavor, well-balanced and easy drinking.”
Last year, THAT brewed 1,200 barrels, and this year they expect to double that number. You’ll find the beers in Arizona restaurants, grocery stores and specialty markets. While the Cottonwood location doesn’t offer food, beer lovers are encouraged to bring in food from home or order out for delivery. Tamara says it’s not unusual to see a potluck happening at the tables. There are board games lying around; corn hole games; foosball; live music on the weekends; happy hour every day (4-6 p.m.) and all day Sunday; and a monthly Brews and Brushes class where $40 gets you two beers, snacks and a painting lesson (you leave with your painting). Check the brewery’s website for details. The brewery is also dog friendly.
WHERE: 300 E. Cherry St. in Cottonwood; 928-202-3013. Open Monday through Thursday, 4-8 p.m.; Friday, 2-9 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 7 p.m.
DRINK: Cottonwood locals like the Arizona Trail Ale (5 percent of proceeds benefit the Arizona Trail Association) while Pine people prefer the Strawberry Blonde.
