Nestled within the world’s largest Ponderosa pine forest on historic Route 66 in the shadow of the San Francisco Peaks lies quaint, inviting Flagstaff. This rail- and-lumber borne City of Seven Wonders is home to a wealth of draws for outdoor enthusiasts (skiing, hiking, biking), multifarious Native American tribal influences, a solid music scene and one of Arizona’s most enduring craft-brewing communities. It currently boasts eight brewery-owned venues, almost all of which are located within walking distance in or near downtown, making for an easy day of suds sampling. Whether heading to the Grand Canyon, taking a side trip from Sedona or a Cactus League spring training excursion, Flagstaff is worth sipping in year-round. Just grab a brewery trail passport and map online and be on your way.
The Burlington North Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway runs through Flagstaff, mirroring Route 66 and separating downtown and northerly residential communities from the city’s Southside neighborhood and Northern Arizona University (NAU). Here, we use those train tracks to divide Flagstaff’s local breweries into two distinct groups.
NORTH OF THE TRACKS
Dark Sky Brewing
117 N. Beaver Street, A
Named for Flagstaff’s status as the world’s first international dark sky city, Dark Sky Brewing (or “DSB” to locals) is far and away the city’s most adventurous fermentation operation. With IPAs of every ilk, pastry stouts and a variety of crushable lagers, they clearly understand trends. But unlike fad fermenters, they don’t let them dictate everything they’re doing. DSB’s brew crew dips their toes into seemingly every style, often adding tweaks via mixed-fermentation and barrel-aging (including wine, spirit and hot sauce barrels). That experimentation has helped make Dark Sky a hot spot among locals, leading ownership to expand, adding a restaurant with elevated pub grub from Atmosphere Kitchen (smashburgers, sammies, Sonoran “rippers” and starters with creative house-made sauces) and an outdoor beer garden guarded by a towering skeleton named “Tiny”. That two-year-old spot is directly next door to Dark Sky’s original brewery and taproom, which remains in operation with Neapolitan-style pizzas from another Flagstaff fave, Pizzicletta.
Since opening in 2014, this beer lab of sorts has churned out more than 1,000 different creations and regularly releases as many as three new beers a week. DSB’s brew crew takes big swings and that daring pays off in beers like DSB’s rotating line of bourbon barrel-aged Cielo Oscuro imperial stouts infused with items like Chinese cinnamon, Brazilian coffee, cassia bark, chipotle and guajillo peppers. Ditto whimsical creations like an autumnal pumpkin milkshake IPA named Weedy’s Rad Idea, a ruddy foeder-aged Baltic porter with notes of leather and baker’s chocolate dubbed Snow Fever, and a mixed-fermentation sour ale hopped with locally procured Neomexicanus varietals called Garden Variety.
But it’s not all esoterica. DSB brews more straightforward styles, including a wide variety of West Coast IPAs, highlighted by always-on Westie, which comes on strong with a lemon-candy nose, followed by citrus and subtle cattiness on the palate. Irish stouts don’t get dryer or more traditional than the aptly named Straight Up, while a blonde stout called Wide Awake delivers roasty aromas akin to that of a French press. And don’t discount the simple charm of a house helles lager named for the owners’ dearly departed pet husky, Sequoia. It’s but one sign of a deep love for canines that carries over to events like puppy yoga, releases for beers raising funds for dog-rescue organizations, and Dark Sky’s annual anniversary soiree, “Woofstock”.
Flagstaff Brewing
16 W. Historic Route 66
Affectionately known as “Flag Brew,” the city’s namesake brewery has been open since 1994. In many ways, walking in feels like being transported to the nineties, when microbreweries were on the rise behind finite selections of largely English- and German-influenced beers. Seven house taps are installed in a bar area outfitted in wood and augmented by fun bric-a-brac, including a pirate flag, canoe and stickers, stickers everywhere. It’s old school—even kitschy—and built to last.
Crafted by a former regular who fell in love with beer at the pub he now supplies, Flag Brew’s beers are a blend of venerable mainstays and new creations. The former includes a biscuity ESB and the malted-milk-chocolaty Blackbird Porter. Those are offset by Germanic and new American styles, such as Ba-Dunkel-Dunk, a dunkelweizen that bursts with banana and clove, and is perfect for Flagstaff’s cold-weather months, and FBC Kölsch, an everyday drinker well known among locals. And though Southwest IPA is Flag Brew’s answer to West Coast IPA fans, its Pacific Northwest pine-and-grapefruit hop profile will speak mostly to those who prefer hoppy beers from yesteryear.
Even with an extensive floor plan that includes a main dining room and bar, backroom and outdoor patio, Flag Brew packs them in, especially on weekends when live music is offered. Still, it maintains the type of easygoing, lived-in atmosphere both in- and out-of-towners can appreciate over stick-to-your-ribs fare, including burgers, wings, poutine and bagna calda (buttery garlic confit).
Wanderlust Brewing
1519 N. Main Street, #102
Inspired by Old World brewing traditions, this 12-year-old interest is an outlier in every sense of the word. While all of Flagstaff’s other breweries operate public venues in or near the downtown core, Wanderlust’s brewery and tasting room is in an industrial complex two miles east in the Sunnyside neighborhood (for which its house golden ale is named). Further differentiating the operation is a tap list stocked with Belgian-inspired beers and more obscure styles, including barrel-aged sours.
Wanderlust’s liquid calling card is 928 Local, a farmhouse ale anointed with the Flagstaff terroir care of a native strain of yeast, one of three isolated from the brewery’s spontaneous fermentation R&D projects. With earthy, honey-like sweetness and inherent citrus flavor, the base beer is reminiscent of a Belgian tripel, with the yeast adding a slightly tangy ranginess. (Definitely try the blueberry-infused version if it’s on tap.) It’s a Flagstaff original. So, too, are the dry, malt-driven Vermillion Red IPA, and Pan American Stout, a well-balanced oatmeal stout that delivers savory notes from Mexican vanilla beans.
Packed with Sunnyside locals, Wanderlust is a great spot to visit on the way to or from hiking at Sunset Crater Volcano (where Neil Armstrong and other NASA astronauts learned to drive lunar vehicles) or exploring Native American ruins at the Wupatki or Walnut Canyon national monuments.
SOUTH OF THE TRACKS
Mother Road Brewing
7 S. Mikes Pike St.
Over the past 13 years, Mother Road, which shares Route 66’s historic nickname, has grown into Flagstaff’s biggest (and Arizona’s third-largest) beer company. In 2018, primary production was transferred from a humble Southside space to a full-fledged manufacturing facility several miles east. Since the move, the original location (which still houses a small-batch system) has evolved into a full-fledged restaurant offering food from Sidecar Grill, a from-scratch, zero-waste kitchen that’s an offshoot of beloved local institution, Satchmo’s. Inventive tacos, tostadas, salads and bowls are based around a bevy of choose-your-own proteins that includes achiote chicken, blackened fish and cherrywood-smoked brisket. Oh…and there’s also beer!
Given its ubiquity and quality reputation, Mother Road’s Tower Station IPA qualifies as Flagstaff’s liquid mascot. Leaning heavily on Citra hops (including Cryo Citra), it has bright citrus and tropical character with just enough bitterness to balance everything out. And it’s spawned offspring, with a version brewed with blood orange and grapefruit called Roadside Grove sharing portfolio space with a 9.1% (alcohol-by-volume) “Turbo” iteration infused with mango. On the lighter side, Daily Driver juicy pale ale, packs a mimosa-like punch so orangey its almost pulpy thanks to a bill of Citra, Motueka and Cashmere hops, while brand extension Double 6 Beer is a sterling example of how a craft brewery can improve on the oft-flabby and unnoteworthy style that is the American light lager.
Giving back to the community has been a cornerstone of Mother Road’s business plan since day one. To that end, the company brews beers that raise funds and awareness for organizations such as the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Lowell Observatory and the 158th Infantry Regiment (AKA: the “Bushmasters”).
Beaver Street Brewery
11 S. Beaver St., #1
Flagstaff’s first-ever brewpub keeps chugging along more than 30 years after opening directly south of Route 66. Featuring a railway station thematic and clear views of both the brewery and kitchen, Beaver Street is open and welcoming. Enjoy a few pints and some people-watching at the main bar, set your sights on a hearty meal in the main dining room or head next door for beer and billiards at Brews and Cues. Either way, you’ll get a taste of the business that not only helped enhance the then-underdeveloped Southside but also built a foundation for the city’s now vibrant brewing scene.
Beaver Street has won more Great American Beer Festival (GABF) and World Beer Cup (WBC) medals than any other Flagstaff brewery. Railhead Red, an old-school amber with flavors of dark toffee and toasted pine nuts, won gold at GABF in 2009 and silvers at WBC in 2010 and 2014, while semisweet chocolatiness and delicate tinges of anise and blueberry helped R&R Oatmeal Stout nab GABF gold in 2015. Impressive even without hardware is Midnight IPA, a black IPA that presents as dark chocolate with minty evergreen notes, and Lager Del Sol, a Mexican-inspired brew that’s one of the brewpub’s best-sellers.
Beaver Street’s success was enough to inspire the family that owns it to open a second brewpub two blocks away called Lumberyard Brewing. Though its offshoot’s brewing capabilities are greater, Beaver Street still brews a healthy supply of small-batch creations for both venues, some of which are sold exclusively at Lumberyard.
Lumberyard Brewing
5 S. San Francisco St.
Though Beaver Street’s hipper, more modern sibling, Lumberyard has a decade of history as a spot popular among locals, including students of nearby NAU. Much of that youthful clientele is drawn by a bustling bar, live music and a menu blending fun fusion (Irish egg rolls, hummus Reuben, Vietnamese burger) with barbecue platters and classics such as wings and nachos. It’s a versatile spot and a far cry from the eyesore of a building it replaced.
In renovating an old lumber facility in severe disrepair, ownership configured the space to house a 20-barrel brewhouse with room for multiple 80-barrel fermenters, with the intention to package and distribute beers beyond its brewpubs. Now, Lumberyard’s canned offerings are available throughout Arizona, the most popular of which is Hazy Angel IPA. Citra and El Dorado hops combine with a soft, almost dairy-like creaminess to make for a drinking experience akin to an Orange Julius. A more recent, on-trend addition to the packaged portfolio is the clean, crisp First Light Lager, which joins flagship Flagstaff IPA. That piney, spicy IPA took GABF silver in 2009 and 2012, and a bronze medal at both the GABF and WBC in 2010.
Awards from Lumberyard and Beaver Street share space on the wall behind a bar constructed of reclaimed wood and metal from the building’s old roof. The sidebar is often busy, but additional space is available on a fire-pit-equipped patio looking out onto busy railroad tracks, the Flagstaff Visitor Center and the silhouette of downtown’s historic buildings against the San Francisco Peaks.
Historic Brewing
110 S. San Francisco Street
It’s ironic given its moniker, but with current-day tastes and youthful enthusiasm, Historic Brewing is one of Flagstaff’s most modern beermaking interests. Birthed in 2013 in an industrial park in the city’s eastern expanses, it was less than two years before public demand encouraged ownership to construct a bar and restaurant in downtown’s Southside. As with Historic’s brewing program, its kitchen utilizes local ingredients for its burgers, sandwiches, mac and beer cheese, and assorted bar snacks.
Historic’s core offerings are augmented by small-batch creations from a three-barrel pilot system. The company’s most well-known beer is Piehole Porter, a delicately sweet, all-natural cherry-vanilla porter, multiple versions of which are released during the holidays (pumpkin spice, chocolate-vanilla), but Blue & Gold, a cold IPA developed in collaboration with NAU, is quickly becoming a calling card among Lumberjacks. On the tarter side, a salt-and-lime Gose called Salt River took gold in the Fruit Beer category at GABF in 2019, and modern (read: less bitter) IPAs Spare Moment and Cashmere Cutie are emblematic of a shift away from high-IBU bitter-bombs as is a Strata-hopped India pale lager called Lost in the Stratasphere packed with bold flavors of pineapple, grapefruit zest and cantaloupe.
Several years back, Historic’s liquid assets were expanded to include cocktails as well as beer-tails made with house beers. One such concoction incorporates a Piehole Porter reduction into an Old Fashioned for a deeper, more complex tipple. Bottoms up!
Grand Canyon Brewing & Distillery
1800 S. Milton Road
The newest entrant to the Flagstaff suds scene is no stranger to Arizona’s brewing industry. Grand Canyon Brewing was established by a U.S. Navy veteran-turned-restaurateur in nearby Williams in 2007. It has since grown to include four locations positioned around its namesake wonder of the world. That includes its Flagstaff location, which opened in 2019 and is equipped with an R&D brewery, barrel-aging cellar and a kitchen putting out assorted fried delights (pickles, cheese curds, avocado, prickly pear) along with salads, flatbreads, burgers and a bevy of composed desserts.
Grand Canyon’s ample manufacturing capabilities allow it to focus on a septet of core beers, including its classic English-style amber ale, which is biscuity with a buoyancy on the palate, and Hop Canyon, an IPA with a mango bouquet and a lemon-pith finish. On the other end of the spectrum is a popular American wheat ale incorporating prickly pear. That indigenous fruit lends an accentuating sweetness and finishing funk to this dry, Cascade-hopped everyday refresher, as well as a year-round fruited IPA.
Following the addition of a distilling operation in 2019, Grand Canyon has grown into one of Arizona’s largest firewater forgers, producing rum, gin, whiskey and vodkas (straight, prickly pear, orange blossom). Cocktails made using that spirited stock can be ordered alongside beers and are best enjoyed in a side room with pool tables, shuffleboard, foosball, live music and comedy shows.
BEER-CENTRIC EVENTS
Arizona Beer Week (February 13-23)
Various Locations
This statewide celebration of #AZBeer spans 10 days starting the first weekend of February, bringing about events, deals and promotions at breweries throughout the Grand Canyon State.
Flagstaff Hullabaloo (June)
Wheeler Park, 212 W. Aspen Ave.
This two-day summer festival brings together music, art, food and local beer in a family-friendly environment while raising funds for various Flagstaff charity initiatives.
Flagstaff Oktoberfest Festival (October)
Wheeler Park, 212 W. Aspen Ave. (pictured above)
Each fall, Flagstaff channels the spirit of Deutschland with lederhosen, dirndls, polka music, brat-eating contests, stein-holding competitions and, of course, plenty of beer.
Flagstaff Brewhaha (January)
The Orpheum Theater, 15 W. Aspen St.
This annual tradition is held at Flagstaff’s premier music venue with live acts, beers and beverages from 50 local and regional producers, plus a people’s choice award for the best of show.
SUGGESTED LODGING
Residence Inn by Marriott (pictured)
100 N. Humphreys St.
Dark Sky Brewing’s back patio abuts the parking lot and the hotel just is a short walk from five breweries and brewpubs as well as craft-beer spots like Hops on Birch, a bar replete with Arizona beers and imports from exotic locales like San Diego.
Country Inn & Suites by Radisson
224 S Mikes Pike St.
DoubleTree by Hilton
1175 W. Rte 66
Little America Hotel
2515 E. Butler Ave.
Hotel Monte Vista
100 N. San Francisco St.
Motel DuBeau
19 W. Phoenix Ave.
Sonesta ES Suites
1400 N. Country Club Dr.