Hoppy Travelers and Cider Sighters let me introduce you to Front Pourch Brewing. Front Pourch is a very new brewery that opened up just last year but they have already caught my attention. My good friends Trevor and Rachel opened up this brewery along with Trevor’s family. I met both of them when they came into the Whining Pig while I was working and I thought they were awesome people and I knew I needed to try their beer.
Now if you have read previous brewery of the week posts this one will be different because I decided to take a new approach on deciding who the brewery of the week is and how I wanted find my information on these breweries. So, I interviewed Trevor and so I am going to share the questions that I asked as well his answers.
What was the inspiration for Front Pourch Brewing and General History?
They took advice and ideas from their brewing friends in Oregon and implemented those but at a much smaller scale and they brought that to their front porch in their Cave Creek, Arizona home.
What makes Front Pourch Unique from other Breweries?
Not only does the inspiration from their beer make them different but the facility itself is very unique. First of all, they’re located in an office park but when you walk in its like walking into a home you have magnificent woodwork done by Trevor’s father who is a great man that I had the honor of meeting. What makes their beer unique is that most of the beers that you are drinking were homebrewed first which you would be surprised how rare that is especially in this area.
What Made you Want to get into the Craft Beer Industry?
Just like pretty much everyone else in the craft beer industry the reason why Trevor wanted to get into this industry was because of the community. He was previously in the food and beverage industry and worked at a country club where that community and support wasn’t really there and now that he is in the craft beer industry other breweries support and if he ever needed anything other breweries have his back.
How Many Barrels have you brewed since opening?
So the reason why I asked since opening because they have only been opened for 7 months and in that 7 months they have brewed 26 times. They have have a 10 barrel system so that equals to a little bit over 180 barrels.
Any new Brews Coming Out or is that top secret?
So good news they have a new Amber Ale coming out in about a week and a half so if you are an Amber lover that would be a great excuse to visit Front Pourch and meet the crew. Trevor says it’ll be slightly sweet but with a malty backbone.
What is Your Favorite Beer on Tap Currently?
Trevor’s favorite right now is Sneaky Little Hoppitses which is their Hazy IPA sitting at 7.3% ABV. He had a hazy for the first time when he was at Trillium Brewing in Boston (shout out to Trillium) and it was hoppy but the hops didn’t give it that bitter taste and it had more of a citrusy and fruity taste and this beer reminds him of that. I have to say I definitely agree with him.
What are the Pros and Cons of your Location?
Like I said in the beginning they are located in an office park which not a lot of people are used to in Arizona so that is a little bit of a con but there are many pros actually. You could tell from the picture above that they have a large space so theres a lot of room for expansion. Also that area is growing a lot in fact across the street they are building a whole new apartment complex which is going to bring in a lot of business.
Any Traditions while You’re Brewing?
So when they were homebrewing they would drink beer while they brewed but now that they are brewing at a bigger scale they wait to do that for after they are done because you don’t want to screw up a beer or get chemicals in your eye.
Do you Guys Take any Inspiration from other Breweries or Countries brewing styles?
When it comes to Hazy IPA’s Front Pourch takes inspiration from Trillium Brewing. I think that is super smart considering hazy’s were born in the New England region. Basically Trevor tries to replicate what he likes so if he likes how a beer tastes he’s going to try his best to make something similar.
If you could sit down with Anyone Living or Dead and have a beer with them who would it be and why?
This is my favorite question to ask because its a cool question but also kind of hard to answer for some people and that was no exception for these guys but I loved their answer. A lot of times I get Elon Musk so it was really refreshing to hear Teddy Roosevelt. He said Teddy Roosevelt because Teddy loved the outdoors and probably was a super chill guy to have a beer with.I mean c’mon who wouldn’t love to go camping with Teddy Roosevelt and drink good beer with him.
Describe your Emotions when Front Pourch was coming together.
There were a lot of nerves and there still are which is to be expected for a brewery that has only been in business for six months. Trevor also said that it took them two years to open and his family had to take the brunt of the hardships and frustrations because he was still working a full time job but when they finally opened they literally had a line out the door so that nervous energy had been transferred to serving and promoting their product to the community.
What kind of Response did you get from other Breweries when you opened?
Most breweries really well to Front Pourch and were even excited to see a family owned brewery come together the way it did. Also before Front Pourch there weren’t any breweries in the North Valley and now that theirs two thats bringing more people from other areas of Phoenix up north. I also got talking with him about something that my old boss at White Dog Brewing told me when he answered this question and that is the goal of this industry is to get more beer drinkers so while yes new breweries bring in more competition, it creates more beer drinkers.
What would you say is your Flagship Beer and how would you describe it?
Their flagship beer is the first beer they ever brewed which is their Toasty Blonde. So it was supposed to be 5.2-5.5% ABV beer but since they hadn’t brewed on a large scale very much they got a little bit carried away with the recipe and it made it 7.5% ABV but it still has that nice drinkable and sweet flavor but it will sneak up on you.
Final Comments for Readers
“Come up and support Front Pourch as well as Simple Machine!”The North Valley needs some love!
Let me know what you guys think about the new brewery of the week post this was so much fun for me and I feel like it will be a lot better than how I was doing it previously. Once again when you’re in Phoenix head up to the North Valley and show some love to Front Pourch they are amazing people and make great beer. Until next time Hoppy Travels!
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