Fibber Magees, the longtime Irish pub in Chandler, rolls out its first-ever craft beer event Saturday, and it’s a doozy. The Feast of St. Arnold will feature more than 80 rare or limited-release beers from 50 breweries all over the world.
Arnold of Soissons (shown below) was an 11th-century bishop who founded the Abbey of St. Peter in Oudenburg in what today is Belgium. After his death in 1087, he was canonized and became the patron saint of Belgian brewers and hop-pickers.
“There aren’t a lot of beer festivals in Arizona in the summer,” says Fibber Magees general manager Matt Brennan, who conceived and organized the event. “We thought St. Arnold’s annual feast day (July 8) was a good opportunity to introduce ourselves to the craft beer community.”
Fibber Magees has been placing a greater emphasis on craft beers in recent months. Nine of its 21 tap handles typically are dedicated to a rotating roster of craft beers. That number will increase to 20 handles (all except Guinness) for Saturday’s all-day fest, which will run from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
All of the festival’s beers will be on draft. Thus, the day will start with 20 selections, which will be replaced as kegs blow. “People can stop by at noon and find a great selection of beers, then come back at 2 or 4 and find an entirely different selection,” Brenanna says.
Admission to the event is free. Beer prices will vary from $5 to $15 for a 16-ounce pint or 9-ounce snifter (the latter for beers over 9% ABV), depending on the rarity of the beer. “I’d estimate 80% of the beers will be between $6 and $8,” Brennan says.
Fibber Magees will offer its full food menu all day, but also will have a number of Belgian-inspired specials, including duck leg cassoulet, mussels, and homme frites.
Feast of St. Arnold beer list (more to be added)
- Velvet Merlin and Walker’s Reserve Porter from Firestone Walker
- Bitter Biliken from Alaskan
- Heelch O’ Hops from Anderson Valley
- Frakas from Black Diamond
- Peche Mel from Brasserie Dubuisson Freres
- La Guillotine from Browerij Huyghe
- Old Knuckelhead and Smooth Ryed from Bridgeport
- Sweet Devil from College Street
- St. Amatus from De Struise Browers
- Triple Exhultation from Eel River
- Geisterzug Goze from Gasthaus-Braueriei Braustelle
- Matilda and Sofie Paradisi from Goose Island
- 19th Anniversary and Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti from Great Divide
- Oro de Calabaza from Jolly Pumpkin
- Asylum from Left Coast
- Nitro Milk Stout and Saint Vrain Tripel from Left Hand
- 66 Chutes, a collaboration from Mother Road and Deschutes
- La Travail from Mudshark
- Hoppy Bock and Rolle Bolle from New Belgium
- Double Pilsner and Wooden Nickel from Odell
- Icey from Oskar Blues
- Double Agent and Grumpy Monk from Sam Adams
- Negro Nitron from SanTan
- HeBrew Hop Mana and HeBrew Rejewvinator from Shmaltz
- Bigfoot, Hoptimum, Ovila Mandarin, and Stout from Sierra Nevada
- Old Guardian Classic and Ruination from Stone
- Mischief and Trade Winds Tripel from The Bruery
- Hopsplosion from Weihenstephaner
