Arizona Wilderness Brewing main tasting room and dining area has a long bar, plenty of tables and a large community table in the center of the room. The large TV’s in the corners display images of the real Arizona wilderness, celebrating the love of hiking and outdoors the proprietors embrace.
721 N Arizona Ave, Gilbert, AZ 85233
Our first review of Arizona Wilderness Brewing was in March 2013 just a couple of months after their “Best Brewery in the World” award. At that point things were a bit chaotic. They have since undergone a lot of changes.
Background
Arizona Wilderness Brewing was the first craft brewery in Gilbert, AZ. The company was founded by friends Jonathan Buford, Tim Isaac, and Patrick Ware(the brew master), who started brewing beer in a garage in 2010 and got their business off the ground thanks to successful Kickstarter campaign in 2012. Originally, they were to open in November 2012 and in preparation Buford sold his window-cleaning business. Due to continual roadblocks, they didn’t open until September 2013. All three were living on the edge with bankruptcy not far off. Opening day finally arrived and they offered 5 varieties of beer. Within 6 months RateBeer.com, a craft-beer site, named the ten best new breweries in the world and voted AZW #1. Life changed overnight when legendary brewers from around the world began contacting them and the crowds descended on the startup.
Once the bagel shop next door became available, early in 2015 they expanded production capability and brought in new equipment. A smaller tasting room was created where you can duck into and just get a beer. The sour room is also there. The patio was also expanded for those who enjoy the AZ sun. Another cozy patio, complete with fire pit was later added to the east side of the restaurant.
Experience
The food menu consists of burgers, salads and a few other creations on buns. The cheesy artichoke spinach dip and BBQ chicken quesadilla are favorites of ours. AZW prides itself on the use of locally sourced ingredients for their beers as well as the food offerings.
It’s been fun to watch the evolution of, honestly, Arizona’s finest craft brewery. No one else in the state can rival their barrel program at this point. They make every attempt to offer a full tap with variety, categorized as American Pub Ales, Monastic Series, Farmhouse Saisons, and Brett/Sour Ales. The collabs done with other breweries around the world are typically pretty amazing. We are happy to see more bottles and cans available too. The future for the brewery continues to shine bright as plans are in the works to open another space in the downtown Phoenix area.
There is an InTown Suites right next door. Other breweries in the area are San Tan & The Perch just south on 87.
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