Iron John's Brewing Company (Tucson, AZ) - 19 OCT 2016

Normally, my modus operandi when traveling is to scope out local breweries and try to hit as many as possible.  On this trip,  I had a pretty full schedule and didn't anticipate the opportunity.  However, my afternoon meeting went short and I took advantage of the extra time to check out the local beer store - Plasma Liquors - which was highly recommended on Beer Advocate for "knowledgeable and personable employees".  How true that turned out to be.  As I was checking out the guy asked where I was from.  When I said Dayton, OH, he responded that he had been to nearby Kettering, OH, which is where I am actually from, but most wouldn't recognize that.  When he volunteered that his favorite band was from Dayton, Guided By Voices, I knew that I had a kindred spirit.  So when he recommended the local brewery I knew that I had to check it out.

Iron John's Brewing Company may be the most nondescript brewery I've ever visited.  Many breweries are located in strip malls or industrial parks, but few have less visible signage than this one.

Upon entering, you encounter four separate areas - bottle sales, bar, brewery, and packaging all in a space not much bigger than a typical man cave.  They have 6 of their beers on tap, but willingly open and share from the bottles.  Notice the guy in the back.  He was diligently applying labels and visually inspecting each bottle for cleanliness.

I went with the sampler and picked Oddball Wheatwine, Code Talker American Strong Ale,
I Don't Give a Damn Bourbon Oaked Stout, and a collaboration beer with The Address Brewing Company called Paloma's Fire, made with green chili and habanero.  The bartender also gave me a small sample of the Geisha Coffee Saison.  At first I thought that the Wheatwine and the Strong Ale were mislabeled.  The Wheatwine was deep mahogany in color while the Strong Ale was golden.  I usually think of them as reversed.  Even from this small sampling, it is clear that the brewery takes it's philosophy to "create expressive beers" seriously.