Launched in 2014, Pueblo Vida has grown to become a successful craft brewery located in downtown Tucson.
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50 Campfires caught up with Pueblo Vida Brewing Co. founders Linette Antillon and Kyle Jefferson to chat about their weekly infusion inspired brews and what sets their classic brews apart.
50 CAMPFIRES: Tell us a little about your brewery, the types of beers that you brew, and what you feel makes your brewery unique.
PUEBLO VIDA BREWING: The concept of Pueblo Vida was born after Kyle Jefferson and I graduated from UA (Eller ’09; he received a Finance degree and I my Marketing degree). We graduated during a time when no one was hiring, so it was up to us to create our future! Kyle was raised in Washington state where craft beer is abundant and introduced me to different beer styles I didn’t even realize existed. Within a year we had moved our lives to the Seattle area where Kyle started an internship at Lazy Boy Brewing and was able to learn the commercial microbrewery business. The idea was always to come back to Tucson to start our brewery, which is our home. Also, we saw a big need for more breweries here that we could fill (when we left there were only 3 breweries in Tucson). It took us about 5 years from idea concept to doors opening, and worth the entire ride!
We brew classic, true-to-style beers. We always joke that we brew beers we like to drink. Many times that means, we brew beer that correlates with the weather and the outdoor activity we are enjoying.
Our brewery is unique because we are in the heart of downtown Tucson. We are in a 100 year old building that has beautiful red brick and hardwood floors. We like to brew classic styles but also like experimenting with our infusions. We craft a different infusion every week from ideas our brewers, staff, friends, customers, neighbors, anyone really. It’s one of the beers we already have on tap with an extra ingredient to make a one-time special brew. We only do one keg of each infusion and its only available at our taproom.
50 CAMPFIRES: What is your most popular/flagship beer? What makes it great?
PUEBLO VIDA BREWING: We have a few beers we brew consistently. Bavarian Hefeweizen, Northwest IPA, and a stout (American Stout in the winter & Breakfast Stout the rest of the year). We started out with these three to offer people a variety and they were very well received we’ve kept brewing them. We do keep other seasonals on tap that constantly rotate. A few of the seasonal we rotate throughout the year are:  Single hop IPAs that are brewed with (you guessed it) only one hop to really showcase the flavor/aroma of the hop. Hops used in these IPAs have included: Nelson, Ella, and Galaxy. We also have malt forward beers, such as: Amber, Oktoberfest, Maibock, Arizona Common. Belgian beers, such as: Belgian Golden Strong, Belgian Saison.
50 CAMPFIRES: We love meeting people who share our passion for the outdoors. Tell us a bit about the folks involved with Pueblo Vida Brewing, and what they enjoy doing outdoors.
PUEBLO VIDA BREWING: We live in a desert surrounded by mountains! It’s beautiful scenery and the weather is awesome for outdoor activities 90% of the year! Within our staff we have avid rock climbers, mountain bikers, road bikers, hikers, runners; you name it we probably take part in it! We all like to camp and just be outdoors.
50 CAMPFIRES: Is your beer available in cans?
PUEBLO VIDA BREWING: Our beer is actually not currently available in cans. We do have double-walled, vacuum insulated stainless steel growlers that are perfect for outdoor use! We take ours on hikes, camping, and all other outdoor use. They keep the beer colder (up to 12hrs) much longer than a can or glass container and when you are done with beer, you can always use it as a water bottle! 🙂
50 CAMPFIRES: Where can we find your beer?
PUEBLO VIDA BREWING: The best way to get a hold of our beer is at our brewery. We do have our beer on tap at a few restaurants around town but the best selection and freshest tap is in our taproom in downtown Tucson.
50 CAMPFIRES: If people want more info about Pueblo Vida Brewing, where can they go?
PUEBLO VIDA BREWING: You can find out more about us by visiting our website, www.pueblovidabrewing.com, or following us on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram) @PuebloVida. We also have a newsletter that goes out once a month with all of our new and exciting happenings that you can sign up for on our website!
