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This month marks the three-year anniversary of the Yarnell Hill Fire, a blaze that claimed the lives of 19 Arizona firefighters, all members of an elite squad known as the Granite Mountain Hotshots. Since the tragedy, honoring the fallen each summer with a special-release beer has become a tradition for Jonathan Buford and Patrick Ware, owners of Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company. This summer will be no different.
This year, however, Buford and Ware have joined forces with Scott and Bekke Holmes, owners of Little Miss BBQ in Phoenix, for the making of the beer. The result of the collaboration will be a smoked apple gose. Maintaining a focus on using local ingredients and creating a uniquely Arizona experience, Holmes will be smoking 1,200 pounds of Arizona-grown apples for Ware and Buford to use in the brew.
This special beer will be released on June 30, the three-year anniversary of the Yarnell Hill fire. A special event will be held in Prescott at Park Plaza Liquor & Deli to celebrate and honor the fallen Granite Mountain Hotshots. Proceeds from the event will go toward raising money for the Wildland Firefighters Fund.
For more details or to follow this story, check out Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company on Facebook or on Instagram.
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