USA, AZ: Crooked Tooth Brewing Company may launch already on November 4

Owners of Crooked Tooth Brewing Company are ready to launch on Friday, November 4, provided they can get everything done in time, Arizona Daily Star reported.

The crew, which includes husband-and-wife team Ben Vernon and Julie Vernon and their business partner Armando Basurto, is in the final stages of fine-tuning their space, a 2,400-square foot building at 228 E. Sixth St. in Tucson.

The equipment is up and running. The bar and lighting have been properly installed. All that was left to do as of late last week, was a little cleanup and the construction of the taproom tables, some of which were going to line the former auto shop’s large rolling garage doors that face the bustling traffic of East Sixth.

The doors are longtime fixtures.

“A gentleman came in concerned about what we were going to do with them,” said Julie. “He remembered being in the building when he was 7 years old, watching his dad install them.”

Ben said he was pleased with the property, which includes a spacious, 1,400-square foot patio area that will serve as a staging area for live music.

Ben and Julie Vernon are Tucson natives. They met down the street at Tucson High School and have been married 18 years.

Julie is a yoga instructor. Ben’s background is in chemistry.

He and his longtime friend Basurto had been talking about opening a brewery for a while now, Basurto said.

“I was always into beer, but Ben turned it into more,” said Basurto, whose background is in mathematics. “Being a chemist, he is very scientific. I like that kind of stuff.”

After looking into several properties, they finally came across the old Charlie’s Auto spot.

“We heard that another brewery had tried to get in here (through a previous owner),” Ben Vernon said. “A couple of restaurants, too. That definitely made us feel like we made the right choice.”

Crooked Tooth will serve up to six beers at any given time, but will most likely start off on November 4 with an amber ale, an IPA, a Northeast mango pale ale and a pumpkin porter, with a dark saison and a cream ale to follow.

The plan is to line the walls of the brewery with local artist works and recruit local musical acts to perform. Ben Vernon said they hope to participate in the art walks that take place in the area, and eventually work with the other taprooms and breweries in and around downtown to develop a strategy to entice tourists.

“When we go on vacation, that is what we look for, hotspots for beer,” Ben said. “And wherever the kids want to go."

“If the beer’s good, the crowds should be good,” he added.

01 November, 2016