Mother Road Brewing wins Environmental Excellence Award for collab beer with Arizona Game and Fish Department

Mother Road Brewing Co. won an Environmental Excellence Award for its Conserve & Protect Golden Ale, brewed as part of a public-private partnership with the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD). Up for multiple awards, it was significant for Mother Road to win with a first-of-its-kind U.S. collaboration between a wildlife management agency and a brewery.

“The Arizona Game and Fish Department is incredibly grateful to receive such a prestigious award that highlights the importance of on-the-ground wildlife conservation,” said AZGFD Assistant Director Tony Guiles, on hand to accept with Division Coordinator Laura Canaca. He continued, “Our collaboration with Mother Road exemplifies a successful sustainability model for public-private partnerships now and into the future.”

Founded in 2019, Conserve & Protect has raised over $40,000 for on-the-ground wildlife conservation projects including population surveys for Sonoran desert tortoises and endangered Mt. Graham red squirrels. As a Mother Road mainline beer sold statewide in restaurants, bars and grocery stores, Conserve & Protect Golden Ale provides a way for wildlife heroes to support AZGFD’s mission to conserve and protect the more than 800 species of wildlife that call Arizona home.

The 40th Annual Environmental Excellence Awards event was hosted by non-profit Arizona Forward.

“Arizona Forward does a great job bringing diverse people together. It was really special to build community among the brightest minds tackling big issues,” said Mother Road VP of Operations and Culture Oliver Adams. “We believe environmental sustainability and economic vitality go hand-in-hand and that collaborations like ours with the Arizona Game and Fish Department will drive us to meet environmental goals.”

Fresh off the inaugural Green Business Award from the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce, Mother Road is committed to environmental projects and practice. By donating to sustainable causes, employing a unique CO2 recapture system and providing spent grain from the brewing process as feed for beef sold in the Tap Room, the brewery intends to leave the state better.

“Mother Road wants to be a steward of Arizona so future generations — my kids and yours — can enjoy real quality of life,” said Founder and CEO Michael Marquess,