The Trifecta Of B's: Bikes, Beer, And Bow-wows

MotoSonora is one of the newest breweries to open in Tucson and Mr. Sandi and I ventured out recently to scope it out. The verdict? It's awesome! We thoroughly enjoyed not only the beer but also the vibe of the place and we'll definitely become regulars. We joked that with MotoSorona we hit the trifecta of B's--beer, bike, and bow-wows.


On our inaugural visit we drove there in Mr. Sandi's pickup truck rather than ride since we weren't exactly sure exactly where the place was located or what parking would be like. Turns out the motorcycle parking on Monday night is great since it's considered "Bike Night"! We'd read about that in the local newspaper and were curious about the bike part. It's not really like a bike "show "but if you show up on a motorcycle you get 10% off.

MotoSonora is located in an industrial/warehouse part of Tucson and is close to another local brewery called Barrio Brewery that we also like. Barrio Brewery has hosted bike nights for years and has also been involved in supporting Tucson's "Distinguished Gentleman's Ride". Our house is a mere 6 miles from MotoSonora. Convenient? Yes! Coincidence? I like to think not.


Here's a bit of back story on the who and why of MotoSonora. I always find the history behind small, local businesses like this one to be quite interesting.

http://motosonora.com



MotoSonora itself doesn't offer food but there's a fun food truck (more like food trailer) called Substance Coffee Diner out in front from which you can order then bring it inside the brewery grounds. It seems like a nice, symbiotic relationship and I believe that Substance is in front of MotoSonora whenever the brewery is open. They even serve brunch on the weekends. A lot of their food is vegan (though not all) and Mr. Sandi and I opted for the Sonoran hot dog (vegan but none the worse for it!). We also ordered sides of french fries (right...chips) and fried pickles to go with our beer. And to counteract the vegan part.


They offer a number of beer selections, all brewed right there on the premises. And they happily pour you a sample of anything so you can do a bit of a taste testing to assist in making a beer selection. Also available are flights as well as different pour sizes and prices. I had two excellent IPA's--the "Victory or Death" and the "Oversteer"-- and Mr. Sandi had the "Racing Slicks" Irish Stout.


The outdoor area of the brewery--deemed the "Beer Garden"--was a delightful place to sit and enjoy our beer and hot dogs. It was so comfortable and arranged so spaciously (but not obviously) that we almost forgot that we're in the midst of a pandemic. Well, other than the masks on the staff and on those walking through the inside area. The whole place both inside and out is dog friendly and there were at least a half dozen "bow wows" the night that we were there. We actually ran into one of my yoga teachers and her two dogs. I hadn't seen her since my bicycle accident so it was fun to reconnect. She and her boyfriend and their dogs live only a couple of blocks from MotoSonora and she said they stop by regularly even if just to let the dogs meet other canines.


You can see the tanks with their night time neon lighting from anywhere in the beer garden. This was our view from our table this evening--and those are our beers.


For a Monday evening the place was rather busy. Not overwhelming so but a nice gentle social buzz. It felt good to be out doing something fairly "normal". Though we didn't stay late, I'm glad we went when we did because Tucson is instituting a curfew as of this coming Friday night and I'm not sure how it will affect businesses such as this one. Our mayor was lobbying for starting the curfew at 8pm but she and the city council came to an agreement of a 10pm start time. Since we don't typically stay out too late, the curfew shouldn't keep us from visiting MotoSonora again soon. If it remains open. Fingers crossed.


MotoSonora is completely dog friendly and even has a dog run on the south end of the building where dogs can meet one another and play together on the artificial turf. If Annie was still with us, we'd definitely be bringing her with us. She'd absolutely love it!


It will be fun to ride down some Monday evening and park the bikes in the Beer Garden. The only down side is that if we ride I'll limit myself to one beer. On the other hand, if Mr. Sandi is the "designated driver" I can splurge and have two! The night time temperatures are quite chilly right now, too, so our next visit to MotoSonora may be in the pickup again. But just having motorcycles parked nearby is really fun and adds to the vibe of the place. MotoSonora is definitely a terrific addition to the Tucson motorcycle and bar scene.

 

Please do post about your place, too, @Octoberon! I'd love to see it. I'm always curious about different aspects of life "across the pond".

 

We've been having low overnight temperatures in the high 30sºF, @Vulpes. So similar to your current temps. Although if you wrote this during the day it's definitely more chilly in your neck of the woods! Our daytime temperatures recently have been in the 60's and 70's. Last week a few days didn't get out of the 50's. Still, not cold at all compared to where I grew up in VERY "chilly" Minnesota.

 

Mr. Sandi and I do appreciate our lifestyle, @Oldfart. But our house isn't large enough for a lodger. Perhaps the backyard and a small tent would suffice?

We actually do work, mind you. Though we both work part-time since we're close to (me) or at (Mr. Sandi) retirement age. So you could look after the house on the days we're away. But currently most of our work is from home since the school district where we work went from a hybrid model back to fully remote this past Monday.

 

We were really impressed by this place, too, @pistonbroke. And we're hoping it does well. Evidently they also plan to show movies in the beer garden area, too, when we come out of our COVID fog. I agree that it deserves to do well. It's really a great addition to the Tucson night scene. And their beer is excellent.

 

Glad I could brighten your day a bit and provide a little vicarious outing, @roadrider.

 

Thanks, @steve lovatt! And thanks for sharing those spectacular photos of Winchester, too. Those are some mighty blue skies in the first two pics.