Category: Craft Beer

New Belgium brewer Chris McCombs is in the Valley today for some tappings of the Fort Collins, Colo., brewery’s ‘‘Collabeeration’’ ales. New Belgium celebrated its 25th anniversary last month by releasing five collaboration beers that ‘‘reinterpreted’’ its flagship Fat Tire amber ale: Fat Funk Ale

Grand Canyon Brewing is expanding with the addition of a new 40-barrel brewhouse and tap room just two miles down Route 66 from its current location in Williams. The tap room (pictured) will have a soft opening Friday and an official

Boulders on Southern in Mesa hosts its second annual Summer Beer Fest from noon-4 p..m. Saturday. A $30 ticket gets you 12 pours. Or you can buy pours separately. Here’s the finalized beer list: You can buy tickets online here.

Uncle’s Bear’s Brewery in Ahwatukee is the latest Arizona brewery to begin canning its beers. The past two nights, a mobile canning company has set up in the brewpub after hours and worked through the night to can nearly 1,400 cases

If it’s the second Thursday of the month, it’s Beer & Bacon Night at The Hungry Monk in Chandler. This month’s featured brewery is Ballast Point from San Diego. Here are the specials:

The number of Arizona craft breweries increases by one tonight when Helio Basin Brewing in east Phoenix opens for the first of three invitation-only ‘‘friends and family’’ nights. The brewery will open to the general public at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Fibber Magees Irish Pub in Chandler hosts its fourth annual Feast of St. Arnold – one of the East Valley’s premier beer events – on Saturday, and I just got my first look at this year’s tap list. The beer festival

The U.S. Open Beer Championship announced its 2016 winners this morning, and a pair of Arizona beers are medal-winners. Grand Canyon Expeditions Wheat from Grand Canyon Brewing in Williams won the gold medal in the American Pale Wheat category. Scottsdale Blonde from

Owl’s Orchard Brewery, Arizona’s smallest commercial brewery, has closed in Queen Creek. Owner and brewer Marty Gerhart announced the closure on Facebook: Hello everyone, sorry to say I don’t have a picture of our beer and growler to share but rather I’m

Looks like Bad Water Brewing‘s taproom in Old Town Scottsdale is for sale. A Craig’s List ad describes it as ‘‘a trophy location geared for craft beer, wine & light food service in Scottsdale.’’ It says the price has been

The Yucca Tap Room in Tempe hosts a rare mini tap takeover with Cascade Brewing, a pioneer in Northwest-style sour beers, from 6-8 p.m. today. The Portland brewery has sent draft beers to Arizona only once before – to a

AZBrewcon, a one-day conference for Arizona’s craft brewing community, will make its debut Friday, July 22, at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in downtown Phoenix. Created by the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild, the conference will serve as the unofficial kickoff-off event

Four Peaks Brewing, Arizona’s largest brewery, will begin selling its beers outside the state for first time in its 20-year history next month. Not surprisingly, the lucky market is Las Vegas, which will begin selling Kilt Lifter Scottish-style Ale, Hop Knot IPA, and

There’s no doubt Julian Wright knows restaurants and bars – especially on Mill Avenue in downtown Tempe. Going back to the days when The Library was ASU students’ favorite hangout and continuing with current well-known venues like La Bocca Urban Pizzeria & Wine Bar and Handlebar (both

Scottsdale’s Fate Brewing Company is no more. At least not with that name. The 3-year-old brewery has settled what owner Steve McFate calls a ‘‘friendly’’ dispute with Fate Brewing Company in Colorado by agreeing to change its name. “It’s unfortunate,” McFate says.

Why not skip the ties this Father’s Day and get Dad what he really wants – beer! Better yet, how about a one-of-a-kind beer adventure? East Valley-based AZ Brewery Tours is offering a pair of gift certificates for Father’s Day (June 19):

Uinta Brewing from Salt Lake City, Utah, is June’s brewery of the month at The Brass Tap at Mesa Riverview. The eco-friendly brewery was launched in 1993. Its flagship is Cutthroat Pale Ale, and its Hop Notch is considered one of the

Craft 64 partner James Swann and Sun Up brewer Ross Perz got together this week to brew the Old Town Scottsdale pizzeria and bar’s newest contract beer – Wheat the People – at the Phoenix brewery. The American white wheat beer

Sun Up Brewing in Phoenix is the latest Arizona brewery to start offering its beers in cans. Last Friday, the first 12-ounce cans of Sun Up’s flagship Trooper IPA rolled off the new canning line, part of the brewery’s recent

After industry and social media nights last week, the Valley’s newest brewery – Helton Brewing on the northwest corner of Indian School and 21st Street in Phoenix – opens its doors to the public Tuesday. Owner and brewmaster Brian Helton only has one

Three Arizona breweries – Four Peaks, SanTan, and Lumberyard – won medals Saturday night at the World Beer Cup in Philadelphia. Considered the most prestigious beer competition in the world, the World Beer Cup is held every two years. This year, nearly 2,000 breweries

Social Box Neighborhood Eatery in Chandler will host a Huss Brewing tap takeover from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday to benefit the Ohana Animal Rescue in Tempe. Huss beers on tap will include Scottsdale Blonde, Koffee Kölsch, Ohhh Snapp! Cranberry Saison, and Magic in

Four Peaks Brewing in Tempe celebrates its 19th anniversary with the Kilt Chaser 5K run and a BBQ, beer, and music festival from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday at its Wilson Street production brewery. The race, a successor to the brewery’s

Scottsdale’s Papago Brewing, one of the longtime pillars of the Valley’s craft beer scene, celebrates its 15th anniversary with a festival-like party from 1-6 p.m. Saturday, April 9. The indoor-outdoor event will feature beers from around the world. The tap

Sleepy Dog Brewery in Tempe will launch its latest canned beer – Peanut Butter Milk Stout – at the AmeriCAN Canned Craft Beer Festival in May. The peanut butter ale, which debuted on taps in January, is a variant of the brewery’s

History is brewing on Southern Avenue a half-mile east of Power Road in Mesa. That’s where Ian Cameron is opening Lochiel Brewery – in July, he hopes – which will be notable for several reasons. Lochiel, named after his family’s ancestral home in Scotland,

The Valley’s craft beer community has stepped up in recent weeks to support Theresa Sorrels, the wife of Beer Research Institute co-founder and brewer Greg Sorrels, in her fight against brain cancer. Sunday, there will be two more events: At 8-Bit Aleworks in

Last month, CraftBeer.com, the website of the national Brewers Association, published its annual list of the ‘‘51 Best Beer Bars in America,’’ the top bar in each state (plus D.C.) as chosen by the website’s 9,000-plus users. Winning the honor

Uncle Bear’s Brewery has kinda flown under the radar since its low-key launch in September 2013. But thanks to an expanded brewing system and a new beer that may become its flagship, the Ahwatukee brew pub seems poised to crack the top

The sixth annual Arizona Beer Week begins its extended 10-day run today, kicking off more than 325 beer-related events statewide over the next 10 days. Here’s one East Valley-centric suggested itinerary: Today: She’s So Hop Tappings Last month, women from more than

Helio Basin Brewing, a new craft brewery named after the Valley of the Sun, will open this summer in Phoenix’s Arcadia neighborhood. It takes over the former Clicks Billiards building on the southwest corner of 40th Street and Thomas. “Helio is play on the

Huss Brewing has begun canning its Koffee Kölsch and The Husstler Milk Stout. They will join the south Tempe brewery’s three other year-round offerings – Scottsdale Blonde Kölsch, Magic in the Ivy Pale Ale, and That’ll Do IPA – on retail shelves statewide next

Floridino’s Pizza & Pasta in Chandler is celebrating its 20th anniversary in several ways throughout this year. First up: The launch of its first house beer – Wiseguy Pilsner – contract-brewed by SanTan Brewing. “I approached SanTan with the idea

With a “big push” over the next few weeks, Brian Helton hopes to get his Helton Brewing Company open by the end of March. For now, he was gracious enough to allow MXSW readers an early look at what this

Downtown Mesa is getting a second microbrewery. Oro Brewing Company, a nanobrewery and taproom, will open later this year in Arizona’s third-largest city, according to co-owner Chuck Wennerlund. The 3,000-square-foot building at 210 W. Main Street (on the north side of Main,

Colorado’s Oskar Blues is the brewery of the month for February at The Brass Tap at Mesa Riverview. All month, get any Oskar Blues beer on tap – such as Dale’s Pale Ale or Mama’s Little Yella Pils – for

Renegade Brewing, a critical darling of Denver’s craft beer scene, celebrates its entry imto the Arizona market with a series of launch parties this week, including three in the East Valley. The brewery, which opened in 2011, aims to make

Craft 64, the artisan pizzeria and craft beer bar in Old Town Scottsdale, has unveiled the artwork for its first two contract beers. Earlier: Craft 64 to contract-brew its own line of beers with SunUp Smooove Hoperator IPA is tentatively scheduled

SanTan Brewing in Chandler has a new spring seasonal: Grapefruit Shandy, an American ale blended with Arizona-grown grapefruit juice. The brewery’s previous spring seasonal, Mr. Pineapple, moved to year-round status last year. Grapefruit Shandy, which has an ABV of 4.7%,

Arizona Wilderness Brewing in Gilbert has hired its first executive chef: Stacey Carson, the chef-owner of recently closed gastropub Nosh Arizona. Her mission is to fine-tune the brewpub’s menu of gourment burgers and ‘‘tighten up’’ the kitchen’s workflow to get food

Peanut Butter Milk Stout, a new beer from Sleepy Dog Brewery in Tempe, will get its official launch party from 6-8 p.m. Friday at The Beer Research Institute in Mesa. The peanut butter ale, which already is on tap at

The East Valley may be ground zero for Arizona’s craft beer scene, but other parts of the metro area are developing quickly. Look no further than downtown Phoenix, home to Mother Bunch Brewing, which opened in September 2014, and Flowers Craft Beer

Women from more than 30 Arizona breweries will get together Jan. 15 to create what’s being called the first official all-female-brewed beer in Arizona. The beer, simply named Red IPA, will be brewed at Huss Brewing in south Tempe and

Scottsdale’s burgeoning craft beer scene just took a bit of a hit with the closing of Union Barrelhouse. The restaurant and craft beer bar made the announcement on its Facebook page: ‘‘We are sad to say that Union Barrelhouse is now

Just a few hours after Friday’s shocking announcement that Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewing company, had reached an agreement to acquire Four Peaks, Arizona’s largest craft brewery, Mouth by Southwest sat down with Four Peaks co-founders Jim Scussel and Randy

Anheuser Busch InBev’s surprising acquisition of Four Peaks Brewing has put the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild in an uncomfortable position. The guild – which represents more than 75 craft breweries in the state, including Four Peaks – has been sounding

Talk about your bombshell announcements! Anheuser-Busch InBev stunned the Arizona craft beer community this morning by announcing an agreement to purchase Four Peaks Brewing, the state’s largest and most venerable brewery. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. ‘‘We’re excited to

Something new is brewing at Sleepy Dog: The Tempe taproom will begin serving food in January. ‘‘We have wanted to do this for a while now, but wanted to make sure we could do it right,’’ says brewery co-owner Matt

Craft 64, the artisan pizzeria and craft beer bar in Old Town Scottsdale, has a new daily deal: $3 Grand Canyon American Pilsner cans. All day, every day.

Three weeks ago, MXSW broke the news about Craft 64 and SunUp Brewing reaching an agreement to contract-brew three beers for the Old Town Scottsdale pizzeria and bar. Monday, it became a reality when a crew from Craft 64 showed up

Arizona Wilderness Brewing in Gilbert will begin selling 32-ounce cans of beer – starting with its flagship Refuge IPA – on the first of the year. Although other breweries offer the can/growler hybrids known as ‘‘crowlers,’’ Arizona Wilderness will fill theirs in advance,

According to the latest statistics from the national Brewers Association, the United States now has more breweries – 4,144 – than ever before. The previous record of 4,131 was set way back in 1873. What’s truly remarkable, though, is how fast that number

BJ’s and Huss are among four Arizona breweries that won medals over the weekend at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver: • Magnolia Peach from BJ’s in Chandler won the gold medal for fruit wheat beer. • The Husstler from Huss in Tempe won the

North Mountain Brewing in Phoenix is the latest Arizona craft brewery to ink a distribution deal, partnering with Quail Distributing. It’s the first local brewery signed by Phoenix-based Quail, according to craft beer portfolio manager Shawn Hillman. “North Mountain has been doing some

Pedal Haus Brewery, which opened in downtown Tempe last weekend, will hold its official grand opening this Friday with its first big event: The Sundown Septemberfest. From 4-10 p.m., the European-themed brewery’s version of Oktoberfest will include live music and activities like

Fate Brewing South, the much-anticipated sibling of popular Fate Brewing, will open its doors Sunday, Aug. 23, in Scottsdale. The sprawling new location is at the south end of the Papago Plaza on the southwest corner of Scottsdale and McDowell, about six miles from the