Mother Road Beer

It began on a road trip…

Driving on a dark stretch of two lane road, founders Michael and Alissa Marquess were pondering how to better live their creed of ‘finding joy in the adventure’.  They came up with a plan that brought together their passions of craft beer, travel, Arizona and the enjoyment of life; they decided to create a brewery.

The Mother Road was the moniker given to U.S. Highway 66 by Grapes of Wrath author John Steinbeck, as he shared the story of the fictional Joad family, who traveled the road in hopes of trading desperation and heartache for hope and new beginnings. The Mother Road Brewery now resides along a lost portion of the storied highway, symbolizing both the journey we’ve made and our passion for craft beer, motoring and history.

Mother Road Brewery and Tap Room is located in the Southside of Flagstaff on Mikes Pike; the original alignment of U.S. Highway 66 as it came through Flagstaff.  In the late 1930s Route 66 was realigned to travel under the railroad line one block west, to handle heavier Depression era traffic.

The Milum Building was built by the Milum family in the 1920s and housed a commercial laundry, which they operated until the late 1990s.  Following a series of short-lived businesses and a period of disrepair, the Milum Building now has three long term tenants and is enjoying a renaissance with shops; Pizzicletta, Flagstaff Bicycle Revolution, and Mother Road Brewing Company.