The second annual Real, Wild & Woody, one of Arizona’s top beer festivals, took place Saturday at the Phoenix Convention Center. Fifty-five breweries poured cask (real) beers, Brettanomyces yeast (wild) beers, and barrel-aged (woody) beers for approximately 2,000 attendees.
Volunteer Bret Waters fills my glass from a cask of Arizona Wilderness‘ DC Mountain double IPA aged with oak chips. It was my first beer of the day and set the bar high.
Spotted in the crowd: Arizona Brewery Tours owner John Alvarado (aka Hoppymoto Biiru-san) and “Brewing Arizona” author Ed Sipos.
Brewer Melissa Osborne and man-about-town Teddy Golden were pouring at the Four Peaks booth, where offerings included 2013 Sirius Black Russian imperial stout and 2012 Hopsquatch barley wine, both aged in Four Roses bourbon barrels.
Beer Research Institute co-founder Matt Trethewey wanted me to try the barrel-aged version of the Mesa brewpub’s Street Cred black American ale. Later, partner Greg Sorrels poured me a cask version of their Mjango Unchained IPA with Brett.
I finally got to try Phoenix Ale‘s Jolene, its Biltmore Blonde mixed with peach puree and aged in Four Roses barrels. The beer was created for a pig roast at the brewery’s four-year anniversary party last month. Now I’m really sorry I missed it.
Spotted in the crowd: Isaiah Garfias, creator of the popular Arizona Craft Beer Lovers Facebook group, and Christian Chandler, craft beer columnist for Ocotillo Living magazine.
Southern Hussy, a barrel-aged peach beer from Huss brewer Jeff Huss, was one of the first beers to run out, but I enjoyed Magic in the Whiskers, a barrel-aged version of his Magic in the Ivy pale ale. Notice the brewery’s silent disco – the music was piped to headphones – behind him.
Longest line of the day? Not surprisingly, it was for Arizona Wilderness’ acclaimed barrel-aged American Presidential Stout, which usually is only available for a few days in February. Here’s the view from the end of the line…
… while , at the front of the line, the day’s award for Best Team Pour went to brewers Jon Buford and Patrick Ware, two-thirds of the Gilbert brewpub’s infamous The Beards.
Chad McClelland, brewer at recently opened Goldwater Brewing in Scottsdale, chats with a festival-goer. I really liked his Duder Strong Ale aged on rye whisky oak chips and a cask version of his AYYOU Pale Ale cleverly named AU 4 Real.
The Perch general manager Tim McGovern was handing out ice cream made with brewer Andrew Bauman’s Rule All the Things barrel-aged imperial stout. (The black thing is a chocolate tortilla strip.) The Chandler brewpub always has a beer-flavored ice cream on its menu.
Cartel brewers Mike Skinner and Matt Johnson brought five beers, including the appropriately named Christmas in July, their imperial porter aged on oak and cocoa nibs, from the Tempe brewhouse.
My favorite beer of the day? Probably Fate‘s barrel-aged Mexican Hot Chocolate Sizzurp, its imperial stout collab with Huss infused with cocoa nibs, vanilla bean, cinnamon, and chiles.
Or Sonoran‘s PB&J, its Raspberry Ale brewed with white chocolate and peanut butter (it disappeared quickly). Or Sun Up‘s barrel-aged White Russian imperial coffee stout. Or…
So many great beers, and so little time (just four hours!). Well, there’s always next year.
