We Pregamed the Podcast… Then Talked Bone Haus Brewing and Our 65-Mile Drive
This episode takes us on a beer-filled road trip to Bone Haus Brewing in Fountain Hills, where great craft beer, killer Arizona views, spooky décor, and a competitive scavenger hunt make the 65-mile drive more than worth it. From Old Fashioneds and stouts to hazy IPAs and the standout Octavo Año collaboration, this visit was packed with great drinks, good people, and plenty of our usual questionable decisions.
Adam & Dedra
5/21/20268 min read
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Bone Haus Brewing: Worth Every Mile, Every Taster, and Every Questionable Decision
Some breweries are close to home.
Some breweries are convenient.
And then there’s Bone Haus Brewing in Fountain Hills, which is approximately one emotional road trip away from Buckeye.
But here’s the thing: sometimes the beer is so good, the view is so good, and the whole experience is so weirdly awesome that you willingly drive 65 miles across town and say, “Yep. We’d do that again.”
Bone Haus is absolutely one of those places.
This was a little bit of a different episode for us because we kicked things off with what we like to call Old Fashioned Friday on a Thursday. Is that confusing? Yes. Did it make perfect sense at the time? Also yes.
Adam made Old Fashioneds at home with Eagle Rare, crystal-clear ice cubes, and the kind of confidence that comes from knowing Dedra hates giving him compliments but had no choice this time. Because the Old Fashioned was good. Really good.
Painfully good.
Dedra even admitted it rivaled one she would actually pay for, which is basically the cocktail equivalent of giving Adam a trophy and immediately regretting it.
Starting Strong With Bourbon and a Big Stout
Because apparently one strong drink wasn’t enough, we also opened a Great Divide Chocolate Peanut Butter Yeti Imperial Stout.
Adam loved it.
Dedra… did not love it immediately.
To be fair, pairing an Old Fashioned with a 9.5% chocolate peanut butter stout is either genius or a cry for help. Adam thought it worked beautifully. Dedra thought the stout tasted sour after the bourbon and cherry situation happening in her mouth.
So the official ruling is: the beer was probably great, but the pairing may have committed a small flavor crime.
Either way, we were already having fun, and that set the tone for the entire episode. In fact, probably a bit too much fun since we pre-gamed it with friends before the show. To say we were feeling it would be an understatement. Haha.
Bone Haus Brewing: A Brewery With a Whole Personality
Bone Haus is not just a place where you grab a beer.
It has a full-blown personality.
The décor is dark, wooden, spooky, creative, and a little Pirates of the Caribbean if the pirates got really into craft beers. Their mascot, Hans Von Biermann, sets the tone, and the whole place leans into the bone-themed world without feeling cheesy.
There are old books, alchemy-style bottles, coffins, skeleton details, artwork, themed bathrooms, and enough hidden objects to make you question your eyesight and your commitment to relaxing.
Which brings us to one of our favorite parts.
The View Alone Is Worth the Drive
Bone Haus already had us with the beer and spooky pirate skeleton vibes, but then you step outside and get hit with one of the best brewery views in Arizona.
The patio has a beautiful view of the Fountain Hills area, with the rocks, the mountains, and all the Arizona scenery that makes you stop and go, “Dang, we really do live in a pretty amazing place.”
It is one of those brewery patios where you understand immediately why people stay for hours.
Which we did.
Because when you drive that far, Bone Haus becomes the day’s destination. You don’t casually pop in for one beer and leave. You settle in. You explore. You drink flights. You talk to people. You start making life choices based on how many tasters are still acceptable.
The Flight Train Has Officially Left the Station
Dedra has officially joined the flight train.
Not just joined it.
She may now be conducting it.
Her recent discovery is that flights do not have to be a random mix of beer styles. If you want all hazies, you can order all hazies. Nobody stops you. Nobody calls the beer police.
This has opened up a dangerous new chapter.
At Bone Haus, both of us went deep into the menu. Adam had two flights, extra tasters, and eventually a pint. Dedra had multiple flights too, including some repeats, because when you find something you like, why pretend you’re above ordering it again?
We call that research.
Very responsible research.
The Beers We Tried
Bone Haus had a strong lineup, and honestly, there wasn’t much on the board that missed.
One of Adam’s first tasters was Beneath the Black Skies, an Imperial Coffee Stout collaboration with Dark Sky Brewing out of Flagstaff. When two great Arizona breweries collaborate, expectations are high, and this one delivered.
Then there was Dos Perras Malas, a double dry-hopped hazy collaboration with Hair of the Dog, a coffee, beer, and wine bar in Gilbert, AZ. Great beer, great name, and even better can art. Skeleton cowgirls, western vibes, bone dogs... the whole thing had Bone Haus written all over it.
Adam also loved Gilded Swarm, a Northwest Rye IPA. The rye brought that spicy, slightly earthy flavor that worked really well with the hops. Dedra declined the taste because she was driving home, which is responsible but also unfortunate because now we may need to go back.
For safety.
For science.
For beer journalism.
Desert Distortion, Six Element, and a Whole Lot of “Yep, That’s Good”
Dedra had Desert Distortion, one of Bone Haus’ hazy IPAs and one that feels like a flagship beer for them. Adam has seen it in cans around town, and anytime Bone Haus cans appear in the wild, they are worth grabbing.
We also tried Six Element, a West Coast IPA collaboration with Pinnacle Brewing. It was crisp, flavorful, and another reminder that Bone Haus does not mess around with IPAs.
Then came The Witch’s Fate, another West Coast IPA that both of us tried as part of our flights.
Basically, Bone Haus gave us a whole lineup of beers that made it hard to pick favorites.
But we still picked one.
Octavo Año Was the Star of the Day
The clear winner was Octavo Año, Bone Haus’ eighth anniversary beer brewed in collaboration with Wren House.
This beer was ridiculous.
In the best way.
Both of us had it in our flights, and then Adam went back for a pint. Dedra went back for a larger pour too. Adam also bought a can to take home, because when a beer hits like that, you don’t just say goodbye at the brewery. You bring one home like a souvenir with alcohol content.
Octavo Año was the kind of beer that reminds you why Arizona’s craft beer scene is so exciting. When Bone Haus and Wren House team up, you pay attention.
And then you order another.
The Honor Flight Flight
One of the coolest parts of the visit was Bone Haus offering an Honor Flight option, where for an extra five dollars on a flight, you could support a program that helps veterans visit memorials in Washington, D.C.
That was an easy yes.
Both of us have veterans in our families, including grandparents who served in World War II, so supporting something like that means a lot.
We also got to meet Sam, one of the bartenders and the father of one of the owners. He is a veteran himself and had personally participated in the Honor Flight. Getting to hear his story made that part of the visit even more meaningful.
Huge shoutout to Bone Haus for supporting veterans in such a cool way.
Great beer already gets us in the door.
Great beer plus a good cause? That’s how you earn serious respect.
More Beers, More Names, More “How Do You Pronounce That?”
We also tried Englemann’s Elixir, a prickly pear ale that seems to be one of Bone Haus’ popular beers. Prickly pear shows up a lot in Arizona beer, and when it’s done right, it adds a refreshing sweetness that works surprisingly well.
Dedra also tried Coyote Thief, a brown ale with a bit of smokiness, and Legend of the Red Ghost, which wins points immediately for having a cool name.
Adam also made sure to try the stouts before leaving, including Awaits the Dawn, a pastry milk stout, and McClarnard's Dry Irish Stout whose name may or may not have been butchered beyond recognition.
We apologize to Ireland.
And to spelling.
Breweries Are About Beer, But Also About People
One of the best parts of Bone Haus was the people.
We met Mike and Becky, who happened to be from Massachusetts. Since we are planning a Boston trip, they gave us recommendations for breweries and food spots to check out while we’re there.
That is one of the best things about a good brewery. You sit down for a beer, start talking to strangers, and suddenly you have a mini travel guide from people who actually know what they’re talking about.
Good breweries attract good people.
Bone Haus proved that.
Final Thoughts: Bone Haus Is a Must-Visit Arizona Brewery
Bone Haus Brewing is worth the drive.
Yes, even from Buckeye.
Yes, even if it feels like you packed snacks and emotionally prepared for a road trip.
The beer is excellent, the location is beautiful, the patio views are hard to beat, and the inside is one of the most interesting brewery spaces we’ve visited in Arizona. Add in the scavenger hunt, the community events, the food trucks, the artwork, the veteran support, and the people you meet along the way, and Bone Haus becomes more than just a brewery stop.
It becomes an experience.
And that is exactly the kind of place we love finding.
So if you’re in Arizona (or apparently if you live in Massachusetts or Florida and feel like making a very aggressive beer run) go check out Bone Haus Brewing in Fountain Hills.
Order a flight.
Do the scavenger hunt.
Don’t cheat.
And if you find Octavo Año on tap, get it.
Then get another one for us.
Cheers to beers, bone dogs, Old Fashioned Fridays on Thursdays, and breweries worth every single mile.
The Scavenger Hunt That Turns Adults Into Competitive Maniacs
Bone Haus has a scavenger hunt.
And not a lazy “find the big obvious thing on the wall” scavenger hunt.
No. This thing makes you search the entire brewery like you just dropped your car keys in a haunted library.
You get a checklist from the bartender and start looking around casually. At first, you try to be cool about it. You sip your beer, glance around, pretend you’re not secretly scanning every shelf, corner, hallway, bathroom, and piece of décor.
Then about 30 minutes later, you’re standing up, walking around, squinting at the walls, talking to strangers, and mentally preparing to shove someone out of the way because you think you spotted one of the items behind them.
Dedra’s competitive side came out immediately.
And honestly, we respect it.
The best part is that the scavenger hunt gets people talking. We ended up chatting with other customers, the bartenders, and random people who were also trying not to lose their minds looking for tiny objects. It made the brewery feel social and interactive in a way most places don’t.
Also, don’t cheat.
They quiz you when you turn it in.
You’ve been warned.
