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Verde Brewing Company
We first met Alex Goetting, the owner of Verde Brewing Company, while working on the Man Issue (November 2015). At that time, Alex was brewing out of a small space in a strip mall in Camp Verde. The brewhouse included a tiny taproom that was open limited hours. A lot has changed since then. In February 2015, Alex moved the operation to the historic Boler’s Building on Main Street in Camp Verde, and he opened a brewpub with an emphasis on burgers made from local beef. But it wasn’t long before Verde Brewing Company outgrew that space, too. Alex moved the production of the beer to a 3,000-square-foot warehouse in Camp Verde this winter. The brewpub is still thriving, and the menu has been expanded to include steaks and pork chops. The warehouse space will allow Alex to brew more beer to supply the brewpub. There are plans to open a taproom in the production facility this spring.
“It’s been a fast and crazy experience,” says Alex. “I’m lucky to have family to lean on. Without them, I couldn’t do this.”
To recap our previous profile, Alex graduated from Arizona State University in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in history. He credits his older brother with igniting his interest in microbrews. Alex tapped his first beer in November 2013 and began selling it at The Horn, the now defunct restaurant his family owned. Alex opened his own tasting room in the summer of 2014. Today, Verde Brewing Company has five or six beers on tap at any given time with an additional one to two seasonal brews offered. The brewery doesn’t distribute, which means the only place you can sample Verde Brewing beers is at the brewpub or, coming soon, the production facility. Alex embraces a philosophy he calls “farm to mug,” which means sourcing many of his ingredients locally. The pecans, honey, chiles, juniper berries, prickly pears and occasionally even the hops are grown in the Verde Valley. And the spent grain generated by the brewery? That feeds the beef that is served in the restaurant.
Alex says the brewpub has quickly become a local hangout. “People’s tastes are changing,” he says. “It’s more about the experience of what you’re are drinking and who you are drinking with rather than drinking as a way to get away from your problems. There’s a sense of bonding and camaraderie in a microbrewery.”
WHERE: 325 S. Main St. in Camp Verde; 928-567-7033. Open daily, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (10 p.m., Friday and Saturday).
DRINK: The Off to Jail Pale Ale is Verde Brewing Company’s bestseller among visitors. Locals love the Pecan Dunkelweizen when it’s available.
Wanderlust Brewing Co.
What happens when you become so consumed with your homebrewing hobby that you are throwing parties every weekend just to get rid of your inventory? Obviously you open your own brewery. At least that’s what Nathan Friedman did on Friday the 13th in October 2012 when the doors of Wanderlust Brewing Co. rolled up for the first time. But what makes Nathan’s feat even more noteworthy is that he didn’t quit his day job: He’s a product designer in the medical products division at W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. (Nathan is originally from Indiana, and he has a degree in mechanical engineering.) “We distribute 90 percent of what we make,” says Nathan. “In the beginning, I would take my lunch hour from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and deliver beer to local bars out of the back of my truck.”
The off-the-beaten-path three-barrel brewhouse and taproom was originally open only one day a week. (Don’t let the address fool you: The brewery is tucked away in an industrial park just off Route 66.) Nathan has since hired seven people, including another brewer, Christina Wolfe, and expanded the brewery’s hours. This year, he and Christina will brew between 600 and 700 barrels. The taproom includes seven regular taps and one nitrogen tap. The brewery is known for its two mainstays: the 928 Local farmhouse ale and Chateau Americana Belgian pale ale. For the 928 Local, Nathan uses wild yeast harvested from local apples. It’s his proprietary strain – the yeast is actually stored cryogenically. Nathan says he’s dedicated to Belgian-style ales, especially after traveling extensively throughout Belgium and Germany (his journeys were the inspiration for the name for the brewery). “We put a modern twist on traditional, Old World beer styles,” says Nathan. “Our niche is Belgian- and German-style beers. And our quality assurance is extremely tight. With my process control and engineering background, first and foremost I have a consistency mindset.”
Nathan credits his friend Rob Radford with igniting his passion for brewing. Rob passed away from cancer four months before Wanderlust Brewing Co. opened. A photo of Rob sits at the bar. “He drinks with us every day,” says Nathan.
WHERE: 1519 N. Main St.; 928-351-7952. Open Wednesday through Friday, 4-9 p.m.; Saturday, 2-8 p.m.
DRINK: The 928 Local is flavored with honey from a beekeeper in Flagstaff, which balances the sour and spice from the wild yeast.
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