SanTan Brewing will break new ground at the 14th annual Arizona Strong Beer Festival on Saturday. Not only will the Chandler brewery unveil its new KGB Russian imperial stout, it also will become the first brewery to offer food and beer pairings at the fest.
“As Anthony (Canecchia, SanTan’s owner and brewmaster)Â said, ‘Any place we can introduce our passion for great beer and how it pairs with great food is a place we want to be,'” says SanTan minister of craft beer Chip Mulala.
“We’ve been to countless beer festivals and witnessed special tappings, and I don’t think I’ve ever been offered a small bite of something specially prepared to pair with that beer.”
At 1:45 p.m. Saturday, SanTan will be pouring its Count Hopula Blood Red IPA and giving away small bites of Shropshire blue cheese, an English cheese that’s sharp and slightly sour, which should pair well with Count Hopula’s Simcoe hops.
At 3 p.m., the brewery will tap its oak-aged Railslide imperial spiced ale and pair it with a housemade Apple Pie Crumble Bite with bourbon and nuts that should complement the chai in the beer.
KGB will be available all day (or until it runs out), as well as Devils Ale, HopShock IPA and Sex Panther double chocolate porter.
Four other beers – Winter Warmer English strong ale, MoonJuice Galaxy IWA, SuperMonk Belgian IPA, and Blueberry Saison – will be tapped at random times during the fest.
In addition, Saison di Aleatico and Heavy D (imperial Devils Ale) will be available in the VIP tent.
