🍺 Fuzzbot Brewing – an indie-minded operation born out of Mesa’s skateboarding and snowboarding scene – has opened its first taproom on the northwest corner of I-10 and Ray in Ahwatukee.
It’s the second time the strip-mall space has changed hands in just over a year. The Whining Pig closed in October 2024, and 12 West Brewing moved in last December.
Founded by Scott Searles, better known in craft beer circles as ‘‘Hophead Fred,’’ Fuzzbot began as a clothing brand before evolving into a full-fledged brewery with a distinctly nonconformist streak.
Searles, who’s worked for three of the country’s top 10 breweries, says he saw how both “big beer” and small startups were missing the mark, and decided to take a completely hands-on approach to do things differently.
“It’s not the most conventional way to operate, but that’s the point,” says Searles. “We’re bringing that craft brewery startup energy – the same fierce tenacity and do-it-yourself spirit that made this industry great in the first place.”
The new Ahwatukee taproom will serve as Fuzzbot’s home base, showcasing its growing lineup of beers like Scorpion Dust IPA, Dinosaurs on the Dancefloor West Coast IPA, and Crimson Rain Lemon Hibiscus Wheat Ale.
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