🥇 Congrats to Phoenix-based Wren House Brewing, whose Spellbinder won the gold medal in the hazy IPA category at European Beer Star 2023 in Nuremberg, Germany.
A total of 2,356 beers competed in 74 style categories at this year’s EBS, one of the world’s most prestigious competitions.
It’s the third major award for Spellbinder, which also won gold medals at the 2020 Great American Beer Festival and the 2021 Brussels Beer Challenge.
🍺💧 Eight Valley craft breweries will participate in the One Water Brewing Showcase, Arizona’s first festival dedicated to beers made with recycled water, today and Saturday at the Scottsdale Waterfront in Old Town Scottsdale.
The event, which starts at 6 p.m. each day at Soleri Bridge, is part of Canal Convergence, a 10-night public art event.
Breweries taking part (up to five each night):
Admission to Convergence and the Showcase is free; those 21 and over can purchase beer samples.
Scottsdale Water is the only permitted facility in Arizona to offer direct potable reuse. After recycled water is treated, it undergoes several more purifying processes until its quality exceeds that of bottled water.
🍺🍷 A few tickets still are available for the Terroir Festival hosted by Arizona Wilderness Brewing from 2-6 p.m. Saturday at Agritopia urban farm in Gilbert.
Created by Firestone Walker Brewing in 2019, the unique event features 20 of the country’s top breweries who make a beer-wine hybrid beginning with the same beer base and co-fermenting it with grapes grown within 100 miles of their brewery and using naturally occurring yeast.
Each brewery, several of which have never been seen in Arizona, will be pouring their hybrid, plus one of their own beers, at the festival.
Tickets are $90 for general admission (which includes a sample of every wine/beer) and $110 for VIP.
🍺 Hop Central Brewing and Taproom in Chandler has tapped a Kōkua Project beer from Dark Sky Brewing in Flagstaff to benefit those impacted by the Maui wildfires.
Kōkua, roughly translated, is the Hawaiian word for help.
In the project launched by Maui Brewing, breweries across the country, including at least 15 from Arizona, are making the same beer – a session IPA – and donating 100% of the proceeds.
Also look for a Kōkua beer from these Arizona breweries: Arizona Wilderness, Black Bridge, Four Peaks, Goldwater, Huss, Lumberyard, Moto Sonora, Mudshark, North Mountain, OHSO, Patent 139, Peoria Artisan, Roses by the Stairs, and Simple Machine.
🥧🍺 Pecan Pie Brown Ale, one of Arizona’s most popular seasonal beers, drops today at Arizona Wilderness Brewing.
The beer, billed as ‘‘Thanksgiving dessert in a glass,’’ is brewed with locally grown pecans, milk sugar, vanilla beans, maple syrup – and whole pecan pies thrown right into the mash.
Wilderness also will release its seasonal Barrel-Aged Pecan Pie Brown Ale, which has been resting in bourbon barrels since last fall.
Both beers will be available in cans and on draft at the brewery’s flagship location in Gilbert and its beer garden in downtown Phoenix.
Don’t wait too long – they tend to sell out quickly.
🎃🍺 OHSO Brewery will tap more than 15 pumpkin-style beers at each of its locations at 11 a.m. Thursday.
Each location will have a different beer lineup. The beers will be available until the kegs are empty.
Samples will be served with pumpkin pie while supplies last.
🍺 Mosiac Brewing, a new brand under the Serial Grillers Restaurant Group umbrella, is taking over Dillinger Brewing in Tucson.
Dillinger’s owners announced last week they had sold the 7-year-old craft brewery and would cease operations Oct. 31.
The Serial Grillers Restaurant Group already operates two popular concepts in Tucson – Transplant Pizza and Craft, A Modern Drinkery.
Mosaic beers actually debuted earlier this year at Transplant, Craft, and several other Tucson outlets. They have been brewed under contract at Dillinger.
🍺 Dillinger Brewing, a 7-year-old craft brewery in Tucson, has been sold and will cease operations on Tuesday, Oct. 31.
In a social media post, Dillinger owners Eric Sipe and Aaron Long announced an unidentified ‘‘local business’’ is taking over the Oracle Road brewery, as well as a separate Fourth Avenue taproom, with its own branding.
‘‘You may still be able to purchase Dillinger beer without a physical location, working on finding a partner now,’’ the social media post says.
Dillinger is the third Arizona brewery to cease operations in recent weeks.
MXSW broke the news OHSO Brewery & Distillery bought Helton Brewing in Phoenix last month, and Flying Basset Brewing in Gilbert shut down Sept. 30.
🍺 Pedal Haus Brewery in Tempe was named Brewery of the Year and the Dragoon Pils from Dragoon Brewing in Tucson won Best in Show at the second annual Arizona Craft Beer Awards.
Gold, silver, and bronze medals were handed out during a private ceremony Friday in Tempe. In all, 53 breweries submitted 194 beers in this year’s competition organized by the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild and Phoenix Magazine.
Pedal Haus earned top honors by winning three gold medals – for its Desert Classic pale ale, Beach Cruiser Mexican lager, and Pilsner – for a total of 18 points. (Six points were awarded for a gold, five for a silver, four for a bronze).
A pair of Phoenix breweries, Wren House Brewing (one gold, two bronze) and Roses by the Stairs Brewing (two silver, one bronze), were runners-up with 14 points apiece.
In addition to Pedal Haus, two other breweries earned multiple golds.
Last year’s brewery of the year, Oro Brewing in Mesa, won for its King Gus imperial hazy IPA and Trigo Suave tangerine wheat.
Barrio Brewing in Tucson struck gold with its Tucson Barrio Blonde, Arizona’s oldest craft beer, and Barrio Rojo Scottish ale.
The second annual Arizona Craft Beer Awards Festival will be held Oct. 21 at Heritage at Sportsman’s Park on the southern edge of the Great Lawn at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
American Pale Ale
🥇 Desert Classic, Pedal Haus Brewery
🥈 Fateful, Fate Brewing
🥉 Herstory, Greenwood Brewing
Scottish
🥇 Rojo, Barrio Brewing
🥈 Tartan 99, BlackRock Brewers
🥉 ClanDestine, Saddle Mountain Brewing
Blonde/Golden
🥇 Barrio Blonde, Barrio Brewing
🥈 Sunshine Blonde, LazyG Brewhouse
🥉 Sun Scorched Kolsch, Saddle Mountain Brewing
German Vienna/Marzen/Dark Lager
🥇 Beach Cruiser, Pedal Haus Brewery
🥈 Dirty Dirndl, State 48 Brewery-DTPHX
🥉 Don Elote, O.H.S.O. Brewery-Paradise Valley
Stout/Porter
🥇 Chasm Chomper, LOOK Brewing
🥈 Baltic Porter, State 48 Brewery-Lager House
🥉 no medalist
Wood Aged
🥇 Barrel O’ Cherries, Simple Machine Brewing
🥈 Black Duck Lager, Historic Brewing
🥉 Envy, Catalyst Crafted Ales
Sour
🥇 Sunset Sour, PHX Beer
🥈 Debo’s Sour DBL IPA, Uncle Bear’s Brewery
🥉 Watermelon Sour, Verde Brewing
Experimental IPA
🥇 Boom Dynamite, O.H.S.O. Brewery-Paradise Valley
🥈 Pink Monsoon Hazy, Catalina Brewing
🥉 Bittercrisp Symphony, Helluva Brewing
American Amber/Brown
🥇 Oktoberfest, Huss Brewing
🥈 Cerveza Cobre, The Brewery at Tirrito Farm
🥉 Knotty Nut Brown, THAT Brewery
Belgians
🥇 Grand Quad, Grand Avenue Brewing
🥈 JOJO, Roses by the Stairs Brewing
🥉 Paint Me Like a Frenchie, Uncle Bear’s Brewery
American Fruit/Fruit Wheat
🥇 Trigo Suave, Oro Brewing
🥈 Prickly Pear Wheat, Grand Canyon Brewing + Distillery
🥉 Strawberry Bitch, Saddle Mountain Brewing
Imperial Juicy/Hazy & Imperial IPA
🥇 King Gus, Oro Brewing
🥈 Gears of Glory, Catalina Brewing
🥉 Double Double, Roses by the Stairs Brewing
Hazy Pales/International Pales
🥇 Smooth Transitions, 12 West Brewing
🥈 18th Hour, Crooked Tooth Brewing
🥉 hAZy, Four Peaks Brewing
German Pilsner/Lager
🥇 Pilsner, Pedal Haus Brewery
🥈 Helles Lager, The Brewery at Tirrito Farm
🥉 Prasna Brana, Wren House Brewing
Specialty
🥇 Mobility Scooter, Catalyst Crafted Ales
🥈 Kill All Lagers, 12 West Brewing
🥉 Alewife’s Pumpkin Pie, Desert Monks Brewing
West Coast IPA
🥇 West Clear, Arizona Wilderness Brewing
🥈 It’s a Dry Hop, Huss Brewing
🥉 Wrenovation, Wren House Brewing
American Pilsner/Lager
🥇 Dragoon Pils, Dragoon Brewing
🥈 RoRo Light Lager, Greenwood Brewing
🥉 Mexican Lager, Throne Brewing
American IPA
🥇 Victory or Death, MotoSonora Brewing
🥈 Breakers, Roses by the Stairs Brewing
🥉 Turnout IPA, Walter Station Brewery
Hazy IPA
🥇 Spellbinder, Wren House Brewing
🥈 Fog Lights, MotoSonora Brewing
🥉 Warrior Hazy IPA, Greenwood Brewing
Best in Show
Dragoon Pils, Dragoon Brewing
Brewery of the Year
Pedal Haus Brewery
