AZ Wilderness – Getting All Sea-rious

By now, the philosophy held by the good people over at Arizona Wilderness is well known among the craft beer community. Highlight the beauty and diversity of Arizona through “wilderness inspired ales” and support the local community by sourcing, as much as possible, from local producers.

Over the last four years, it’s easy to see this philosophy is more than just a tag line. The food in the tap room is made with locally sourced produce. The always solid offering of beers on tap, brewed with grains sourced from places like Hayden Flour Mills, or ethically foraged from different places around the state. These all stand as testaments to their values; the literal incarnation of their desire to creatively showcase what Arizona has to offer.

The past four years have also presented numerous opportunities for the Wilderness team to collaborate with several different craft breweries around the world. They’ve worked together with some of the biggest names in the game, such as Jester King, Boulevard, and many others. Each new collaboration is a new opportunity to highlight a piece of Arizona and bring what the state has to offer to a wider audience.

In an impressive catalog of collaborations, the latest release, Dead Sea-rious, feels special. Back in May, the Wilderness Boys, had the opportunity to travel to the country of Jordan and brew with Carakale Brewing Company, the country’s first micro craft brewery. Together, they crafted a Gose style wheat beer and, holding true to their philosophy, added grapefruit and coriander from the Jordanian valley as well as salt from the Dead Sea.

Over the weekend, Dead Sea-rious made its way around the state and I was lucky enough to snag a couple bottles from Wandering Tortoise.

For me, this beer hits everything good about the Gose style. Smooth and clean, up front, with the wheat body giving a proper balance to the light tartness. Then the juice from the grapefruit hits big and the whole thing finishes out with right amount of Gose saltiness.

I really like this beer. I wanted to buy more bottles than I did, but that felt selfish.

Maybe I’m caught up in the story behind this collab and maybe I’m a bit biased going in. I’m willing to admit that. I mean, how freakin’ cool would it be to travel to Jordan let alone collaborate on a delicious brew with salt from the Dead Sea?!

For me, Dead Sea-rious is an excellent example of everything Arizona Wilderness strives to achieve. Adventure and passion in the form of a delicious, wilderness inspired, beer.

If you’re interested in learning more about this collaboration, keep your eyes open for the upcoming documentary about their adventures traveling to the region.

Did you make it to Wandering Tortoise, Tap & Bottle, Park Plaza Liquor & Deli, or any of the other locations which managed to get some bottles? What did you think about this release? Let us know in the comments or on our Facebook page.

Chris Dodson on Instagram
Chris Dodson



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