Stoutmeister went back to Arizona for a little post-state high school basketball tournament vacation. He earned it.

The possibility of a third-round NCAA Tournament game between New Mexico and Arizona does not excite some of us. OK, probably just me, since that pits my hometown team versus my alma mater, meaning I have to choose between my two favorite squads. Plenty have asked which one will I root for, but at this point it is hard to say. I want the Lobos to reach the Sweet 16 finally, while the Cats have just been frustrating me pretty much since they started Pac-12 play. So I could say go UNM, but damn it, I went to Arizona, and the night the Cats won the national title (I was but a mere freshman in 1997) was still one of the craziest in my life. Ugh, dilemmas.

At the very least, dilemmas in terms of beer are easier to sort out. I have been spending the weekend back in Tucson, Albuquerque’s sister city to the southwest, checking out breweries, spending time with old friends (though in such a short visit, I missed more people than I actually saw), and watching a whole lot of basketball. And hockey. My friend Will rivals Brandon and I in terms of hockey fanaticism.

Before I head up to Phoenix today (Monday), I figured I should share some of my beer experiences here, considering we have all pretty much been on vacation and there has been no new content on this site since E-Rock put up The Week Ahead in Beer seven days ago.

I only hit two breweries this time around in Tucson. It was retro night on Friday, my arrival day, with trips to Frog & Firkin to watch the game, followed by mellowing out at Danny’s Baboquivari Lounge, a classic Tucson dive bar. At least Danny’s had Mudshark (Lake Havasu City) Brewing’s Scorpion Amber on tap. Anytime you get to try a new beer is nice; avoiding having to actually go to Lake Havasu is even nicer. The Scorpion was a bit of a bitter amber, nothing like say, the Rio Chama at Chama River. It was far from undrinkable, it was just different than what I’ve come to expect from most ambers.

Anyway, Saturday was beer day, so I set off in the afternoon to visit one of Tucson’s newest establishments, Dragoon Brewing. It is a small place, not terribly easy to find, but it is definitely worth checking out. Dragoon is located off W. Grant Road (one of Tucson’s major east-west arteries). If you take Grant west of I-10, go past Dragoon Road itself (there’s no light, just one of those flashing crosswalk signals) and cross over an arroyo bridge, take the first left immediately after that. Drive straight ahead (south) past the first warehouse building and then take a left (east) behind the second building. Dragoon is located in the first part of the warehouse directly on your left. It might not look like much, but once inside you find yourself in an immaculate little brewpub.

Dragoon is a small operation, so they tend to run through a lot of specialty/seasonal beers while only keeping a few regulars on tap. Upon my visit, there were an impressive selection of seven brews on tap: Stronghold Session Ale, E. River Collaboration Saison, St. Pat’s Stout, Scout Porter, Biere del Bac, Dragoon IPA, and Ryelander. For just $7, I purchased a sampler of all seven. These are not tiny little samples, either, but rather enough beer (roughly three ounces, by my guess) to help you properly experience each style.

The Stronghold was a baseline beer, offering up a decent mix of mild hops and malts. It is colored like a brown ale, but lighter in texture/mouthfeel than, say, Il Vicino’s Slowdown Brown. Despite its darker complexion, this is a good starter beer, much like golden ales/pilsners/kolsches tend to be at most breweries. The Saison was what one would expect, extremely sweet at the outset, but it mellows after a few sips. It’s not my personal favorite among beer genres, but I guess I’m either getting more used to it, or Dragoon was just good at creating a sweet-but-not-too-sweet Saison that anyone can handle.

The St. Pat’s Stout was an obvious seasonal. That’s a shame, because it was the best of the bunch and should be on tap at all times. It is a dry stout, with mild hints of the roasted malts, but not too smoky. It manages to be both a stout that is strong in flavor, yet light in mouthfeel. It does not have the thickness you would experience in many stouts. I did not mind this at all, though some hardcore stout drinkers might find it a tad light. But hey, that’s Arizona, where just about all the beer is geared to be enjoyed even when it the temperature hits thermonuclear outside.

Now if it’s smoked flavor you’re looking for, grab the Scout Porter before it runs out. This is a roasted little beast, also light in texture, but boy oh boy does that charred element grab you at the front of the palate. It is essentially the opposite of the Saison, but much like its opposite it mellows as you drink it. The Biere del Bac, a powerful (9.3 percent ABV) Belgian quad, also offers up an almost totally different profile. This beer has the thickest mouthfeel; it is sweet, but not at the level of the Saison. In many ways I would label this one dangerous, since you could drink it for a while and not realize the alcohol content. One pint only, please.

For the hopheads out there, Arizona is seen as a step below New Mexico in what it usually offers up. Dragoon is seeking to change that perception, unleashing a hyper-hopped IPA and the beastly Ryelander. The IPA has a strong hop profile with a smooth, clean finish. It definitely owes its origins/inspiration to one of the bigger Southern California microbreweries, like Stone or Green Flash. The Ryelander is another ABV monster (9.2), with a strong rye backbone that tackles the back of your palate and wrestles it to the ground. The rye is by far the dominant flavor, but it never comes across as overwhelming, at least not for a seasoned beer drinker. For rookies and college kids, stick to the lighter fare.

Overall, I would rate Dragoon as one of the best breweries in Arizona. It may not be on the level of La Cumbre or Marble, but if this is the direction Arizona beers are headed in, it won’t be long before they start to catch up.

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Though I was somewhat short on time, I had to make a return trip this year to Borderlands Brewing. Located in construction-saturated downtown Tucson, specifically near the corner of Toole Ave. and Sixth Ave., this warehouse-based brewery has expanded its production and increased its taproom hours since I visited a year ago. Back then, there were only one or two beers on tap at a time, so when I saw they were now open more than two days a week and they had multiple beers available, a return trip seemed in order.

Borderlands is another brewery that may not look like much from the outside, but on the inside it is a charming location. The newer, bigger fermenting tanks are obvious on the way in, as is the new beer menu hanging above the live bar. With two of my college friends in tow, but time running somewhat short, I only got to indulge in one beer, the Noche Dulce Vanilla Porter. People hyped this one to me last year as Borderlands’ best, but sadly it was not on tap at the brewery in 2012. What a difference a year makes, as this time around it was available.

The Noche Dulce is a powerful beer, full of strong vanilla flavors with a roasted porter backbone. It is not overwhelmingly sweet; this is not a “dessert beer” like some might assume. It weighs in at 7.1-percent ABV, so it is not for the faint of heart, either. It has a hefty texture as one might expect from a strong porter, something out of the norm for most of the lighter fare in Arizona. The Noche Dulce may not be a big seller when it’s the temperature of Mercury outside, but in the fall-winter-spring months (AKA the best time to visit Arizona), it is perfect. Kudos to Borderlands on this beer, and to their expanded production and brewery hours.

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Well, I am headed up to Phoenix today, first to be a fan and check off the last spring training stadium on my list (Phoenix Municipal for A’s-Mariners), then to do some actual non-beer-review work on Tuesday at Camelback Ranch, when I get to meet the future Albuquerque Isotopes at Dodgers camp. In between those visits, I hope to stop by the brand-new North Mountain Brewing in Phoenix (it’s the first brewery close to the house of a friend I’m staying with). Before I return to ABQ on Wednesday, I might revisit SanTan Brewing in Chandler, or perhaps seek out another of the newcomers to the Maricopa County scene, like Fate Brewing in Scottsdale or Desert Eagle Brewing in Mesa. Ah, vacations. They’re even better with beer and baseball.

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister