This Tucson brewery is helping an up-and-coming meadery make its mark
Local First Arizona recently held a mixer at Dillinger Brewing Co.
It’s not every day that a company takes a potential competitor under its wing.
But Dillinger Brewing Company and Brillé Mead Company in Tucson ― both of whom are members of Local First Arizona ― are proof that symbiosis in business can be successful.
The owners agree: Tucson is just that kind of collaborative place.
Beer and mead: A match made in Tucson
Dillinger Brewing, named for the gangster John Dillinger who was captured by Tucson police in 1934, is a craft brewery founded by two friends at the University of Arizona who loved beer, Eric Sipe and Aaron Long.
The company has grown from one taproom opened in 2016 in central Tucson (3895 N. Oracle Road) to a popular second location in a historic building downtown (402 E. 9th Street). Among Dillinger’s recent experimental flavors are a mango habanero ale and a pickle-infused Kölsch.
Brillé Mead Company, on the other hand, is less than a year old and the first meadery in Tucson. It specializes in Ethiopian-inspired honey wine, known as t’ej, enhanced with hops, coffee, spices and fruit.
The name Brillé refers to the berelé, a round drinking flask historically used to serve the heady drink and possibly the oldest style of drinking vessel still in use today, according to Tucson Foodie.
How the partnership happened
Needing a place larger than a home kitchen to commercially brew the beverage, Brillé Mead business partners David Woods and Andrias Asnakew turned to Sipe.
The three bonded over their mutual time spent living or traveling in Africa. Sipe was familiar with the Ethiopian style of mead.
Soon Dillinger Brewing had cleared space in its taproom for Brillé Mead to set up equipment, launch the business and sell the product alongside Dillinger Brewing’s pints.
Local First Arizona recently hosted a networking mixer at the unique location, where visitors enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour.
We sat down with Woods and Sipe to talk more about teaming up:
Eric Sipe, co-owner of Dillinger Brewing Company
How did you start Dillinger Brewing?
“It was a college idea ― when you’re sitting around with your buddies drinking in college, and you say: ‘It sounds fun to open a bar or a brewery.’ Then we actually did it!”
What makes Dillinger different from other breweries?
“All the breweries in town, we all have our own styles. We all have our own beers that we’re good at. The one I’d say that everyone agrees we’re good at is our sours, but the nice thing about the industry is we don’t see each other as competition.
All the breweries, we all band together to say: ‘Buy Tucson beer.’ I don’t care if it’s my beer. I don’t care if it’s Crooked Tooth Brewing’s beer. I don't care if it's Dragoon Brewing’s beer. Just as long as you’re buying Tucson, we’re happy.
It’s really nice to be in a collaborative industry where we see each other as friends instead of competition.”
What has been your experience doing business in Tucson?
“Honestly, it's great. When I was opening Dillinger, I had a problem designing my glycol system (which chills the beer). I called the phone number listed on the website for Dragoon and Borderlands Brewing, and by the end of that day, the owners of both those breweries had personally shown me how they set their glycol systems up.
So that’s just the kind of openness that we have here. In more mature, competitive markets like San Diego or Denver, I doubt you’d get that level of camaraderie. But here in Tucson, we definitely still have that.”
10 years after opening, what comes next for you?
“I had three major projects, and I’ve just completed them all. So I’m looking for the next thing. Major Project One was getting Brillé Mead Company up and running. Major Project Two was getting a Dillinger distribution deal signed, so we’re statewide now. Major Project Three was getting a food truck to our 4th Avenue location. So now I’m looking for the next big opportunity. I’m glad that I’m doing business in a place that I’m from, in a town as friendly as Tucson is.”
David Woods, co-owner of Brillé Mead Company
When did the idea of brewing mead first come to you?
“The first idea wasn’t necessarily mead.
A few friends that were adopted from Ethiopia felt like we had something we could contribute because we had a different culture that we could share, especially with people in Arizona.
So we talked about a bunch of ideas. After going to college and coming back to Arizona, I bought a bunch of equipment. I don’t know why, I just felt like making mead.
I attempted homebrewing, looked up a bunch of videos on YouTube and with more iterations, it got better. And as it got better, I started sharing it with people.”
What makes Brillé Mead unique?
“My friends and I have a cool story ― us being adopted ― and want to share a little bit of our culture. We can contribute and educate people about Africa.
Mead is unique because it provides a really cool product that isn’t found anywhere else. We’re going back to the past. People don’t know what mead is in America.
We’re trying to bring something back that is healthier and more natural than some other fermented products.”
Tell us about your brews. We heard you’re incorporating local ingredients into some of your recipes.
“It’s been going good. The only limitation at the moment is the equipment and the temperature.
Local ingredients include honey and prickly pear. I’m attempting a lot of hibiscus recipes lately too.”
What comes next?
“The next step is trying to find producers for bottles, getting approval for labels from the federal government, and then sharing a unique product that people can put on the shelf.”
Is the plan ever to expand beyond Tucson?
“If the journey is meant to be, definitely!”
How has working with Local First impacted your business?
“Local First has been awesome because of the visibility you get, all the events that are going on in Tucson, you get socialized with local businesses that are doing similar things.
Local First offers a lot of services… which really helps out small businesses.”
