For a hip, urban vibe, head over to Dark Sky Brewing (DSB) at 117 N. Beaver St. Inventive house brews sport names like “Midnight Drive,” a peanut butter and coffee flavored brown ale, and “Cielo Oscuro,” (“Dark Sky” in Spanish) a beer that celebrates Flagstaff’s First International Dark Sky City designation. DSB limited-edition batches change monthly. Bonus: There’s a pup lounge and food truck in back. Call 928-235-4525 or visit darkskybrewing.com.
From DSB, walk south on Beaver Street, crossing the railroad tracks, to Phoenix Avenue. Go west on Phoenix to Mike’s Pike, and you will be tracing the original route of the Mother Road, John Steinbeck’s pet name for Route 66. Turn left onto Mike’s Pike and go one block to Mother Road Brewing Company. The family friendly taproom is located in the 1920s Milum Building with patio and fire pits. You will discover tasty handcrafted small batches on this lost section of Route 66. Call 928-774-9139 or visit motherroadbeer.com.
Afterward, continue down Mike’s Pike and turn left onto Cottage Avenue. Your next stop is Beaver Street Brewery, a locals’ choice for consistently good food and service since 1994. Great American Beer Festival lauded Beaver Street’s brews with Gold and Silver awards. Our favorite medalist is the Railhead Red, available year-round. Flagstaff’s first brewpub offers lunch, dinner and a beer garden. Call 928-779-0079 or visit beaverstreetbrewery.com.
Next, walk south on Beaver Street to the end of the parking lot. Turn east onto West Cottage Avenue and go two blocks to San Francisco Street. In the southeast corner, you’ll discover Historic Barrel+Bottle House – Flagstaff at 110 S. San Francisco St. With 20 taps flowing, you’ll want to sample the suds by ordering 6-ounce taster glasses one at a time. The tasting room serves bold brews, lunch and dinner. Historic Brewing Company crafts innovative, small-batch beers in their brewery in east Flagstaff. Call 928-774-0454 or visit historicbarrelandbottle.com.
From Historic, walk one and a half blocks north on San Francisco Street to Lumberyard Brewing Company located just south of the tracks. The rail-side brewpub is housed in the last remaining building from Flagstaff’s lumber era. Built in 1890 by the Flagstaff Lumber Company, the structure won a Sustainable Building Award when transformed into today’s brewhaus, a sister to Beaver
Street Brewery. Call 928-779-2739 or visit lumberyardbrewingcompany.com. Then blaze the ale trail to Flagstaff Brewing Company by following San Francisco Street north one block. After crossing Route 66, go left at the sidewalk to 16 E. Route 66. The microbrewery’s brick walls were laid in 1893 when Julius Aubineau, former mayor renowned for first piping water into Flagstaff from the San Francisco Peaks, built the structure. Enjoy lunch, dinner and a full bar. Call 928-773-1442 or visit flagbrew.com.
Flagstaff’s pure mountain water is one of the reasons for the success of these and other local brewmeisters. Find a complete list of Flagstaff breweries at craftbeerflg.com.
THIS MONTH IN FLAGSTAFF
APRIL 6: Slow Art Day; Museum of Northern Arizona; musnaz.org/programs/special-events
APRIL 10: NAU Collegiate Band Concert; Ardrey Auditorium; events.nau.edu/event/nau-collegiate-band-concert-2
APRIL 20: “Empty Spaces,” Pink Floyd Tribute Show; Orpheum Theater, orpheumflagstaff.com
Stacey Wittig is an award-winning travel writer and author located in Flagstaff, Arizona. For more travel & world-wide adventures visit Stacey’s website at unstoppablestaceytravel.com.
