Best of Mountain West
Salt Lake, Phoenix, Boise — the inland West has a quieter craft scene than the coasts but real depth in specific cities. Utah's beer laws shaped a unique flavor of low-ABV creativity. Phoenix has reliably good Mexican lagers. Bozeman and Boise round out the trip.
Covers: Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Boise, Bozeman
Brewery
Bottle shop
Beer bar / brewpub
Tap a marker to see the spot
One day
Salt Lake: Templin Family → Squatters → Wasatch.
A weekend
Day 1: SLC. Day 2: drive south to Phoenix (long but doable) for Arizona Wilderness + Wren House. Day 3: Phoenix area or fly home.
Salt Lake City
Templin Family Brewing
Brewery
South Salt Lake · 936 S 300 W, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Utah's most decorated independent. Ferda Pils is a slow-pour pilsner that holds its own with Bierstadt; the wider lager program is reference-quality.
Squatters Pub Brewery
Brewpub / Beer Bar
Downtown · 147 W Broadway, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
SLC's longtime craft pioneer. Hop Rising Double IPA was one of the early modern American DIPAs to come out of the Mountain West. Reliable food.
Phoenix
Arizona Wilderness Brewing
Brewery
Downtown / Gilbert · 201 E Roosevelt St, Phoenix, AZ 85004
Phoenix's most respected craft brewery. Strong IPA and traditional lager program with a serious focus on local Sonoran ingredients.
Wren House Brewing
Brewery
Coronado · 2125 N 24th St, Phoenix, AZ 85008
Phoenix's hazy IPA leader. Tight rotation, fresh-focus, and a small Coronado neighborhood location that feels homegrown.
Park City
Wasatch Brewing
Brewery
Mountain town near SLC · 250 Main St, Park City, UT 84060
Utah's longest-running craft brewery (since 1986). Park City location pairs well with skiing or mountain-town visits. Polygamy Porter is the famously named workhorse.
Tucson
Pueblo Vida Brewing
Brewery
Downtown · 115 E Broadway Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85701
Tucson's craft anchor. Strong IPA program with a desert-Sonoran sensibility. Unfussy taproom, good food collaborations.
Boise
Payette Brewing
Brewery
River District · 733 S Pioneer St, Boise, ID 83702
Boise's craft flagship. Mutton Buster Brown is a Mountain West staple; the small-batch program rotates seasonally. River-adjacent taproom.
Bozeman
Bozeman Brewing
Brewery
Northside · 504 N Broadway Ave, Bozeman, MT 59715
Montana's brewing hub. Bozone Amber is a regional staple; the seasonal program reflects Big Sky brewing tradition.