Once upon a time, the Arizona Strong Beer Festival was all about “strong” beers as measured in alcohol content, otherwise known as ABV (alcohol by volume). Participating breweries were asked to bring beers with a minimum ABV of 7.5%, although the guideline never was strictly enforced.
Nowadays, though, the event has morphed into a general showcase for craft beers of all types – beers that, according to the sponsoring Arizona Craft Brewers Guild, simply are “strong” in flavor compared to their macro-brewed counterparts like Budweiser and Miller.
Old habits die hard, though. When the 14th annual Strong Beer Festival takes place 1-5 p.m. Saturday at Steele Indian School Park in Phoenix, it still will feature the largest collection of high-octane brews you’ll find in this state. Here are 10 to check out:
Arizona Wilderness/Borderlands’ Barely Wine: This unusual barley wine “collaboration” between the Gilbert and Tucson breweries resulted in two beers from different recipes. (10% and 13% ABV)
Big Sky’s Ivan the Terrible: The Missoula, Mont., brewery’s limited-release imperial stout is aged for three months in Buffalo Trace Bourbon oak barrels. (12% ABV)
Bell’s Black Note: Along with Hopslam double IPA (10%), this borbon-barrel-aged stout will give the Kalamazoo, Mich., brewery a potent 1-2 punch at the fest. (11.5% ABV)
The Bruery’s Melange #3: The strongest of this year’s strong beers is this Placentia, Calif., brewery’s blend of three American strong ales aged in bourbon barrels. (16.8% ABV)
Marble’s Imperial Stout: When the cast of “Breaking Bad” wasn’t filming their award-winning TV drama they often could be found sipping this Albuquerque brewery’s smooth-tasting stout. (11% ABV)
Hangar 24’s Pugachev’s Cobra: This Redlands, Calif., brewery ages its award-winning Russian imperial stout in freshly emptied bourbon barrels for eight months. (13.8% ABV)
Great Divide’s Peach Grand Cru: More than 1,600 pounds of Rancho Durazno peaches from Palisades, Colo., are used to brew just 50 barrels at the Denver brewery. (12.2% ABV)
Desert Eagle’s Imperial Adler: This rare style, an oatmeal imperial IPA brewed with whole hops, is one of the bestsellers at the downtown Mesa brewery. (12.6% ABV)
Pizza Port’s Devil’s Collaboration: The Carlsbad, Calif., brewery made this small-batch Belgian-style strong ale for its own Strong Ale Festival in December. (13.3% ABV)
Left Coast’s Asylum: This holiday-season Belgian-style tripel is the San Clemente, Calif.. brewery’s second-most-popular beer after its flagship Hop Juice Double IPA. (11.8% ABV)
