By Jess Harter
•
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Sad news this morning for the Arizona craft beer community: Phoenix Ale Brewery owner George Hancock, a pioneer and champion of the craft beer scenes in two Western states, lost his battle with cancer Monday. He was 71.
Hancock, a native of England, rose to prominence in the industry as president and CEO of Seattle’s then-Hart Brewing, building it into the country’s fourth-largest craft brewery by the time he changed its name to Pyramid Breweries in 1996.
After selling his shares in Pyramid, Hancock bought Seattle’s ElTech Electronics, which he ran for seven years before deciding to get back into the craft beer business. He moved to the Valley, a market he had visited often with then-Pyramid sales rep Greg Fretz.
In 2011, Hancock and Fretz opened Phoenix Ale in a 15,700-square-foot warehouse at 30th and Washington streets in east Phoenix. Fretz, who fought his own well-publicized battle with cancer, unexpectedly died of sleep apnea in 2013 at the age of 44.
Phoenix Ale began sharing its warehouse and brewing system with Sonoran Brewing in 2013.
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By Jess Harter
•
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Whether you’re a home brewer or just a craft beer drinker with a Kegerator, clean beer lines are very important.
Learn how the pros clean beer lines when Sierra Nevada holds a free beer class at 5 p.m. Thursday in the beer cooler at The Brass Tap at Mesa Riverview.
Sierra Nevada rep Ben VanderMeer will show you how to properly clean a line, and a few volunteers will get hands-on experience.
Afterward, The Brass Tap will have a vertical tapping of Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot barleywine-style ale – the 2014, ’15, and ’16 versions – plus a very special surprise on the beer line that gets cleaned.
Remember, the class will be held in the cooler, so dress warm!
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By Jess Harter
•
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
If you haven’t made a trek over to North Mountain Brewing in Phoenix, here’s an opportunity to check out some of their top beers without leaving the East Valley.
The Hungry Monk in Chandler will be tapping several NM beers at 6 p.m. Thursday. The highlight will be Nativity in Black (pictured), an imperial stout aged eight months in a 32-year-old rum barrel.
In addition to NIB, other North Mountain beers on tap will be:
- C.R.E.E.M., a golden ale
- Octomalt, an imperial red IPA
- Grooving with the Pict, a dark Scottish ale
- Hefe Endings, a German Hefeweizen
- Drincelean Old Ale, aged nearly a year in Dos Cabeza wine barrel
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By Jess Harter
•
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Join The Hungry Monk in Chandler as it welcomes Seattle’s Elysian Brewing to the Arizona market from 5-9 p.m. today.
They will be tapping seven beers: Spacedust IPA, Immortal IPA, Hawaiian Sunburn (pineapple habanero sour), Loser Pale Ale, Zephyrus Pils, The Wise ESB, and Perseus Porter.
Reps from the brewery will be around to tell you about the beers.
Every Tuesday is Taco Tuesday at The Hungry Monk, and there will be two Elysian-influenced tacos: Immortal IPA green chile pork and Heat of the Sun chicken teriyaki ($2 apiece).
Tuesdays also are 59-cent wing day. The wing sauce of the day will be Hawaiian Sunburn jalapeno teriyaki.
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By Jess Harter
•
Monday, January 11, 2016
