Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. is hosting the Terroir Festival, a one-of-a-kind celebration featuring 20 brewers and winemakers who have created their own beer and wine hybrid, this Saturday, November 4 from 2-6 p.m. Each brewery and winery will use grapes located within 100 miles of their facility, so each beverage will provide extraordinary flavors and aromas from around the country.
Terroir is the way environmental elements like climate, sunlight and soil can give wine grapes their flavor. Zach Fowle, Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.’s head of marketing, says there’s significant overlap in the flavor and creation process of beer and wine.
“Both beverages are made by fermenting sugar-rich liquids with alcohol-producing yeast,” Fowle says. “The difference is primarily in the sugar sources. Wine gets its sugar from grapes, while beer gets its sugar from malted grains.”
The Terroir Festival is all about combining these sources of sweetness to create a special and balanced beer and wine beverage. This 50/50 blend of beer yeast and the yeast found naturally in grapes creates a beautifully crafted concoction that allows beer and wine lovers to enjoy the best of both beverages. Fowle says Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. created two beers for the event. One is made with Counoise grapes from Page Springs Cellars in Cornville and has notes of strawberry and white peppercorn. The other is made with Malbec grapes from Carlson Creek Winery in Willcox, and has a beautiful blackberry jam aroma.
This event was created by Firestone Walker Brewing Co. in 2019 and has only taken place at Firestone Walker in Paso Robles, California and Alesong Brewing & Blending in Eugene, Oregon. Fowle says Arizona Wilderness volunteered to put Arizona on the Terrior Festival map.
“During last year’s event in Oregon, it was decided that the Terroir Fest should become a traveling event hosted in different locations by the founding breweries,” Fowle says. “We were the first to raise our hands, and the rest of the breweries were fully on board after hearing they’d be getting to visit Arizona in November.”
Both guests and renowned brewers and winemakers get to revel in Arizona’s exquisite fall weather with sunshine and mild temperatures, perfect for sipping on exclusive beers and enjoying the scenery of the community gardens at Agritopia Farm in Gilbert.
Fowle says there are a few aspects of this event that Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. is looking forward to.
“The brewers and winemakers we invited this year are the best in the country at creating these unique, almost mystical liquids with a distinct sense of place, so we’re really looking forward to spending time with them and learning from them,” Fowle says. “We also can’t wait to introduce attendees to beers unlike anything they’ve experienced before in a venue that couldn’t be more perfect.”
Tickets are still available for anyone 21 and up. There are three packages available from $15 for designated drivers to $90 for general admission to $115 for VIP. In addition to unique beverages, there will also be food trucks and live music. Learn more about the event and purchase tickets here.
