Tag: veteran owned business

Earn Your Booze & Grand Canyon Brewing team up for new beer

Come January just as we’re hoping to maintain our New Year’s resolutions two locally and veteran owned business are encouraging us to do that. And it includes drinking a new beer from Grand Canyon Brewing & Distillery. The Williams brewery is teaming up with Earn Your Booze combining beer and fitness to release Dead Hanger Pale Ale.

“Our collaboration with Earn Your Booze is a great opportunity for us to share our common core values and elevate two local businesses through physical fitness and enjoying great craft beer. We have a lot of fun events and activation’s planned this year and encourage our friends to join us as we spread the good word about living adventurously and earning it all,” says Alexander Phillips, Director of Sales, Marketing and National Accounts, Grand Canyon Brewing + Distillery.

Dead Hanger is a hazy pale ale with a delicious mouthful of hop flavors and tropical & stone fruit characteristics and a bold grapefruit taste. It will be sold in 4-packs in Albertsons and Safeway and by the pint in bars and restaurants around Arizona.

How to Earn Your Booze

The new beer is named after the physical fitness test “Dead Hang”; where one hangs from a pull up bar using all your strength to hang on. It’s considered the ultimate test of one’s physical ability. “I believe that the best things in life are earned, including great beer, so we have teamed up with the great people at Grand Canyon Brewing + Distillery to create this amazing beer that tastes like hard work and sweet rewards,” Justin Cross, CEO & Founder, Earn Your Booze.

Cross founded Earn Your Booze after his time in in the Navy, where he worked hard and played hard. After working in a brewery he realized the alcohol industry isn’t focused on health and fitness so he started the business. He didn’t want to discourage beer drinking and playing hard but to “Earn Your Booze” through prepping the mind and body. Today he offers monthly coaching and 90 day Total Recreation to transform your mind and body.

Grand Canyon Brewing and Earn Your Booze aren’t stopping at beer, their planning two outdoor fitness festivals in Flagstaff and Phoenix and other events in 2023. Hear Alexander Phillips speak about Grand Canyon Brewing & Distillery and more on my podcast.

Expansion happening again for Cider Corps in 2021

The continued popularity of cider is causing Mesa’s Cider Corps to expand for the 2nd time since opening three years ago. This expansion has the veteran owned business move production to a new larger facility in nearby Gilbert in mid-2021. Don’t worry cider drinkers the downtown Mesa taproom will still be open along with Myke’s Pizza.

Co-owners brothers Josh and Jason Duren (retired U.S.M.C.) need the additional space to meet demand for its cans and keg business. “Our immediate goal is to ramp up production to be able to share our ciders with even more people in Arizona,” said Josh Duren. “As we grow, it’s nice to have kind of a blank page of space that can evolve as we do, and that can adapt as life beyond the pandemic does.”

Expansion plans in Gilbert

The 11,500 sq.ft. Gilbert facility will have a main building for production and retail sales for customers to take cider home. When it becomes safe to do so the brothers will host tours of the cidery and have events scheduled. Upon entry to the facility a canning line will be visible and customers can see the packaging process. A second building will be used for cold storage. The additional production will allow for experimentation of new ciders and techniques.

The current equipment will be moved and new equipment will be purchased so they can triple production to 1,000 barrels. Cider Corps opened in November 2017 and in 2019 expanded with by 2,000 sq. ft to accommodate the growth of their ciders.

“We get a ton of people from the East Valley, Gilbert and beyond, who make the trek to the taproom. We’re really excited about being closer for them” he said. “But I’m just as excited about being able to grow and create more ciders for all of Arizona”. The new facility will be at 685 S. Gilbert Rd. Gilbert 85296.

The Bourbon Cellar has a large bourbon selection and steakhouse dining

With a name like The Bourbon Cellar you know theirs a lot of the Kentucky whiskey on hand. Over 300 selections of bourbon, one of the largest collections in the Arizona dining scene, some may say the most at this new north Scottsdale steakhouse.

There’s more than bourbon from chef and owner Doug Smith. A farm-to-table high-end steakhouse with a menu that features seasonal ingredients that Smith sources himself.

Smith purchases season vegetables from local farmer’s markets and flies in fresh seafood from daily from around the country and Canada. He hand cuts his own beef, pork, elk, bison and venison purchased from his own butcher shop French’s Meats in Scottsdale.

Photos courtesy of The Bourbon Cellar and Bridges Media Group

“By eliminating the vendors, I can take quality control into my own hands to ensure every guests that dines with us is getting the absolute freshest meal around,” says Smith. “For me, cooking and serving food is not only a way to creatively express myself but also give diners a taste experience they’ve never had before with food that is familiar.”

On the menu at The Bourbon Cellar

The restaurant serves lunch and dinner with a large menu that includes hand ground 1/2 lb. burgers & sandwiches, salads, appetizers and signature dishes.

Appetizers include crab cakes, Wasabi Deviled Eggs and PEI mussels. All cuts of beef are USDA Prime including Bone-in Rib-eye, a 6, 10 or 14 oz. cuts of Filet Mignon and more.

Bacon wrapped Sea Scallops

Seafood options change daily such as Halibut, Salmon, Ahi Tuna, Swordfish and Sea Scallops.

Seasonal desserts are made daily and side dishes are included with burgers and sandwiches. Sides are a la carte with signature dishes at dinner.

Bourbon selection

With the vast selection of bourbon guest can sip bourbon cocktails and 45 day aged bourbons. The 45 day aged bourbons offer deep character profiles from their barrel maturing. If you’re not sure which bourbons to choose from you can order a flight of bourbon. Bourbon also makes a great pairing for any of the dishes on the menu.

A full bar is available for non-bourbon drinkers.

3rd Wednesday buffet

Smith, a veteran offers a full buffet every 3rd Wednesday of the month from 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. All of the $15 from these dinners are donated American Legion posts in Phoenix, Cave Creek and Anthem.

The Bourbon Cellar is at 23623 N. Scottsdale Rd. Scottsdale 85255 and opens daily at 11:00 a.am.

For more information and to view the menu see website.

 

Arizona’s first cidery, Cider Corps to host Veteran’s Day Open House

I love a good cider as nothing beats it on a hot summer day and with the autumns seasonal foods and holidays. Just in time for the holiday season Arizona’s first cidery,  Cider Corps will open its doors for its first public event on Saturday November 11th from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. for its Veteran’s Day Open House.

Cider Corps open house

The veteran owned cidery is just off Main St. in downtown Mesa and the open house is two blocks from the finish line of Mesa’s Veteran’s Day Parade. From 10-11 a.m. guests a can come by and get a mulled cider or coffee to go so they can watch the parade.

Brothers Josh and Jason Duren will be showing off their small batch hard ciders, non-alcoholic mulled ciders and cold brew coffee during the open house. A food truck will be on hand to serve food to guests and tours of the cidery will be given.

Small batch “Pie Ciders” will be available for purchase in Cider Corps limited edition 32 ounce “crowlers” or you can bring your own growler. Cost of the ciders to go will range from $12- $20.

“Pie Ciders” will remind guests of their favorite holiday pies like mixed berry and pumpkin. Cold Brew cider will also be available.

Cider Corps ciders are currently available at over 30 bars and restaurants around Phoenix, Tucson and Prescott.

Veterans community spot

Jason is a retired Sargent in the United States Marine Corps and will be speaking about his time in the service and how he and Josh plan to help veterans through Cider Corps. The cidery is dedicated to be used by veterans and veteran organizations as a community gathering place.

“To open the taproom this way is the embodiment of Cider Corps’ mission: Drink great ciders, honor great sacrifice,” said Josh. “We want it to be a place for veterans to be honored through times of awareness.”

The parade and Veteran’s Day Open House are important part of the brothers devotion to cider and veterans as they started making cider a s a hobby when Jason returned home from Afghanistan with 2 traumatic brain injuries from IED blasts.

Cider Corps is at 31 S. Robson Dr. Mesa 85210.