Barrio Brewing

Barrio Brewing Co. found its first home in 1991 at a little restaurant near the University of Arizona campus popularly known as Gentle Ben’s. When Dennis and Tauna took ownership of the property it was called “Dirtbags West,” though the Arnolds quickly reinstated the original name of the location (circa 1971) and added “Brewing Company” to the title. They installed fermentation tanks and started their entire operation with three ales — the Tucson Blonde, Red Cat Amber, and Copperhead Pale Ale — all of which are still brewed today, though they’ve also added a number of other styles to that repertoire, including three specialty craft beers named for each of their three children. When brewing operations outgrew their original home at Gentle Ben’s in 2006, the Arnold’s relocated to a former WWII quonset-hut-turned-warehouse about two miles south near Downtown Tucson, which they dubbed “Barrio”. Today, the offerings of Barrio Brewing Co. include two Great American Beer Fest Medal Winners (Bronze for the Barrio Rojo in 2015 & Gold for Nolan’s Porter in 2008) as well as the longest continually-brewed beer in the State of Arizona—the Barrio Blonde. Now Barrio Blonde, Rojo, and Blanco cans can be found in markets across the state of Arizona, and the entire catalog can be sampled on draft from Tucson to Flagstaff. ******100% EMPLOYEE-OWNED****** In 2020 Barrio Brewing Co. became Arizona's first 100% Employee-Owned brewery. Our move to an ESOP company is entirely a thank you to our wonderful staff who have helped us grow over the years. Over the past three decades we have increased our footprint across Arizona and grown our family along the way. Many of our employees have been around for a decade or more of our journey! Now we are proud to pass our blessings on to those that helped us get here!