Category: Craft Beer

Some news from House of Brews in Gilbert: In the wake of last Thursday’s successful local tap takeover, HOB has decided to make Local Thursday a regular weekly promotion. Every Thursday – starting today – all Arizona craft beers on tap will

(Every Thursday, MXSW reveals the story behind one of Arizona’s noteworthy craft beers. See previous Arizona Beer Classes here.) This week’s subject: Perch Zilla Cuke ESB Zilla Cuke is a cucumber-flavored extra special bitter (5.2% ABV) brewed by The Perch Pub &

Thursday is National IPA Day, a beer holiday started in 2011. Across the Valley, breweries and bars will be showcasing India Pale Ales: The Hungry Monk in Chandler will test your palate with the IPA Challenge, a blind tasting of

Fate Brewing in Scottsdale kicks off a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society today. Every Wednesday in August, the brewpub will donate $1 from every pint of Fate beer sold. Don’t miss food & drink news: Click here to sign

Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp Across America tour stops at The Perch in Chandler from 6-9 p.m. tonight. All 12 collaboration beers will be on tap. See the story behind the beers here. Don’t miss food & drink news: Click here to sign

World of Beer Tempe celebrates its second anniversary Wednesday and, as you might expect, the downtown Mill bar has put together an impressive collection of kegs for the occasion: Abita Bourbon Street Baltic Porter Boulder Bourbon Barrel Cold Hop Bruery

It’s gonna be a busy week at SanTan Brewing in downtown Chandler: Today marks the release of SanTan’s latest beer. The imperial IPA is called KiloHop and is described as having a musky tropical fruit aroma and light citrus notes.

(Every Thursday, MXSW reveals the story behind one of Arizona’s noteworthy craft beers.) This week’s subject: Huss Scottsdale Blonde Scottsdale Blonde is a Kölsch (4.75% ABV) introduced by Huss Brewing Company a few weeks after the south Tempe brewery’s opening last August. The

Is it just me, or are pumpkin beers coming out earlier every year? It’s still frickin’ July but that hasn’t stopped Uinta Brewing from releasing its fall seasonal Punk’n Harvest Pumpkin Ale. It’s one of half-dozen beers the Utah brewery

From 4-6 p.m. today, House of Brews in Gilbert will host an all-Arizona tap takeover for happy hour. All 49 taps will feature local beers for just $2.50 a pint., with 50 cents from each donated to Gilbert Fire and

It’s a surprisingly busy Friday for beer promos: The Hungry Monk in Chandler will have Sierra Nevada’s 12 Beer Camp Across America beers on tap from 6-9 p.m. The collaborations from world-class breweries like Firestone Walker, Allagash, New Glarus, Russian

SanTan Brewing‘s award-winning Winter Warmer holiday seasonal ale will be back on tap Saturday when the downtown Chandler brewpub hosts its annual Christmas in July party. The all-day fun also will include SanTan’s RailSlide imperial spiced amber on tap, and

It’s less than 48 hours until you’ll be able to (legally) fill your stainless steel, aluminum, or ceramic growlers with beer in Arizona. Eight local venues will be giving away Arizona Craft Brewers Guild stainless steel growlers – 10 at

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Taste of Tops in Tempe will be tapping seven Firestone Walker beers at 3 p.m. Saturday: FW 16th Anniversary FW 17th Anniversary Parabola Stickee Monkee Velvet Merlin Union Jack Wookey Jack Firestone Walker rep Jeff Prior will be on hand

Real, Wild & Woody made its debut Saturday at the Tempe Center for the Arts, and by almost any measure the beer festival was a huge hit. A sold-out crowd of 1,000 people enjoyed one-of-a-kind cask, sour, and barrel-aged ales

(Every Thursday, MXSW reveals the story behind one of Arizona’s craft beers.) This week’s subject: SanTan Devil’s Ale Devil’s Ale is a West Coast pale ale (5.5% ABV) introduced by SanTan Brewing Company in Chandler in early 2009. Originally known

Northwest Brewing from Pacific, Wash., will hold a series of Arizona debut parties this weekend to celebrate its arrival in the market: 6 p.m. tonight: Taste of Tops in Tempe 6 p.m. Friday at Skeptical Chymist in Scottsdale 7 p.m.

The Feast of St. Arnold, a Belgian beer festival honoring the patron saint of Belgian brewers and hop-pickers, returns to Fibber Magees Irish Pub in Chandler from 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Saturday. Fibber Magees debuted the indoor festival – its first-ever

In a city the size of Fort Collins, Colo. (population 150,000), it’s hard to believe two such prominent breweries as New Belgium and Odell had never collaborated on a beer. That 23-year streak came to an end last month with

The craft beer scene has boomed over the past couple of years, and few places more so than in the East Valley. The area now is home to 14 breweries (with more coming) and many of the state’s top craft

I’ve written before about the awesome Beer Camp program at Sierra Nevada. This year, the brewery is taking it up a notch. In a nutshell: Every year since 2008, the brewery has invited groups of various industry types – distributors,

Bison Brewing owner and brewer Daniel Del Grande and his right hand woman, Ashley Routson, will be making a whirlwind tour of the Valley this week to promote the Berkeley, Calif., brewery. Del Grande, often referred to as “Organic Dan,” brews only

(Note: Today MXSW kicks off a weekly series of Arizona beer “classes.” Instead of another beer review waxing poetic about “mouthfeel” and “lacing,” we’re instead asking the brewers to share their beers’ backstories.) Kilt Lifter at a glance An amber-colored

Just another slow summer weekend with nothing going on in the East Valley? Hardly. Saturday brings us not one, not two, but three major craft beer events. Arizona Beer Fest From 5-10 p.m. Saturday, Spokes on Southern in Tempe will

Like many local bars, Arizona Wilderness Brewing is opening at 9 a.m. Thursday for the World Cup soccer match between the U.S. and Germany. But there’s another reason to skip work tomorrow and head to the Gilbert brewpub: They’ll also

Congrats to Taste of Tops, which has been named one of the 33 best beer bars in the country by food, drink, and travel website The Thrillist. The Tempe venue shares the honor with such illustrious names as Hopcat in

Tonight’s monthly tap takeover at Flanny’s in Tempe is a two-for-one: sibling breweries Marin and Moylan’s from northern California. Highlights from Marin will include its White Knuckle double IPA (a perfect 100 on RateBeer.com), 3 Flowers rye IPA (2011 GABF

Arizona Wilderness Brewing has announced it will release its barrel-aged American Presidential Stout at 9 a.m. Monday, June. 2. (That’s the same day as their Mikkeller beer dinner.) The blend from three whiskey barrels (Eagle Rare, Pappy, and rye) will

Arizona Wilderness Brewing will host a Denmark in the Desert beer dinner Monday, June 2, featuring six courses of Danish food cooked with Mikkeller beers and paired with Wilderness beers. Cost will be $45 per person, and you must sign

If you weren’t able to score tickets for this year’s sold-out Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest – one of the country’s premier beer events, to be held May 31 at the Paso Robles, Calif., brewery – you may find some

No more perusing of out-of-date beer lists printed on paper at House of Brews. The Gilbert craft beer bar and grill has gone high-tech, becoming the first Arizona venue to install Digital Pour. The software, from a company in Portland,

And then there was beer! After a delay of several months, The Perch Pub & Brewery in Chandler finally brewed its first batch of beer today during a marathon 13-hour brewing session. Dubbed a “calibration pale ale,” the 100-gallon batch was

Arizona breweries Lumberyard, Four Peaks, and SanTan were multiple winners over the weekend in the competition portion of the fourth annual AmeriCAN Canned Craft Beer Festival. The festival portion of the event will be held 1-6 p.m. Saturday at the Scottsdale Civic

It’s Draft Day for the NFL! Well, technically, the first of several this weekend. The first round – 32 picks – will be selected tonight, including the Arizona Cardinals’ first pick at No. 20 overall. The Brass Tap in Mesa

The fourth annual AmeriCAN Canned Craft Beer Festival has released this year’s list of participants – a record 80 breweries offering more than 250 beers in cans. Newcomers this year will include Founder’s, Bell’s, Ballast Point, Hangar 24, Avery, Hess,

House of Brews in Gilbert will offer a pair of Maui Brewing brunch pairings this weekend. From 10 a.m.-noon Saturday and Sunday, you will be able to get gourmet French toast with a pint of the Hawaii brewery’s Maui Coconut

Arizona has a new beer festival, and it looks like a good one. The Arizona Craft Brewers Guild announced today it will hold the inaugural Real, Wild and Woody on Saturday, July 19, at Tempe Center for the Arts. The indoor event,

A Wild West Craft Beerfest, featuring three dozen local and out-of-state breweries, will be held noon-10 p.m. Saturday at Rawhide Western Town outside Chandler. Admission is $35, which includes 15 4-ounce samples. The fest is running a Groupon today: Admission

I can’t believe this is the third post I’ve had to write about today’s confusing Founders Brewing Arizona release parties – thank you, Hensley! – but now that the “surprise” tappings have been outed, here’s the latest info for the

To see the full-size version, click here.

Tempe’s Sleepy Dog Brewery has been sued by Ohio’s Thirsty Dog Brewing over allegations of trademark violation. At issue is Sleepy Dog’s Leg Humper hefeweizen, whose name is rip-off of its longtime Old Leghumper porter, Thirsty Dog claims. The Akron

When Hensley announced 13 Founder’s Arizona launch parties around the state this Wednesday, one beer was conspicuously absent from all the tap lists: The Grand Rapids, Mich., brewery’s much-coveted Kentucky Breakfast Stout. Over the weekend, though, World of Beer Gilbert announced its

Kudos to AZ Brewery Tours, SanTan Brewing, The Hungry Monk, The Perch, and Arizona Wilderness Brewing for donating all the money from these tours to Chandler Relay for Life. Click here for larger version of flyer. Seats are going fast.

House of Brews in Gilbert will host a five-course Sierra Nevada beer dinner at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 6. The menu is still being finalized, but some of the items I saw on an early version included beef brisket corned

Founder’s Brewing will hold a series of release parties next Wednesday (April 23) to celebrate the acclaimed Grand Rapids, Mich., brewery’s start of distribution in Arizona. Three will be held in the East Valley at The Hungry Monk (5-8 p.m.),

Boulder on Broadway in Tempe will host a Grand Canyon Brewing Southwest Beer Dinner at 7 p.m. Friday, May 30. Beer dinner menu 1st course: Smoked salmon corn cake with cascabel avocado aioli (Paired with Horseshoe Bend Pale Ale) 2nd

If you haven’t been to House of Brews in Gilbert lately, you might be surprised on your next visit. The rejuvenated craft beer bar and grill has added 21 beer taps, bringing its current total to 47. Another nine taps are

Congrats to Flagstaff’s Lumberyard Brewing and Tempe’s Four Peaks Brewing, which won medals Friday night at the World Beer Cup in Denver. The World Beer Cup, held every other year in a different city worldwide, is considered one of the

SanTan Brewing is celebrating the recent release of its annual summer seasonal beer with an East Valley-wide “Toast to Mr. Pineapple” at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 19. The toast will take place in unison at The Perch and Sandbar Mexcian Grill

The legend of Arizona Wilderness Brewing continues to grow. The latest devotee of the Gilbert brewery is Esquire writer Eric Benson, who pens a glowing profile for the magazine’s “Food for Men” blog.

Founders Brewing, one of the most acclaimed breweries in the country, will begin shipping its beers to Arizona on April 21. The Grand Rapids, Mich., brewery has been ranked as one of the top breweries in the world by RateBeer.com for

It didn’t take long for James Swann to re-emerge in the Valley’s craft beer scene. Less than a month after parting ways with The Perch, the British expatriate has accepted a position with Young’s Market. Swann is the distributor’s new

Avery Brewing from Boulder, Colo., will be the featured brewery for this month’s Third Thursday Tap Takeover at Flanny’s in Tempe. You don’t often see Avery beers on tap in the Valley, so this is a somewhat rare opportunity to

Since his high-profile departure from The Perch Pub & Brewery two weeks ago, James Swann has kept a low profile. That ends Wednesday when the well-known Valley craft beer authority has a guest-bartending stint at Cabellero Grill in Goodyear. Starting at 5

Last month, MXSW broke the news Four Peaks was working on a white IPA. Now comes word the beer will be released Tuesday, March 18, in the debut of the Tempe brewery’s Single Tank series. Last year’s opening of its

Craft beer geeks who missed out on Clutch on draft at last month’s Arizona Strong Beer Festival get a second chance to sample the rare brew tonight at Whole Foods Chandler. A one-time collaboration between Fort Collins, Colo., brewery New

By any estimation, Arizona Wilderness Brewing‘s first seven months have been an astounding success, culminating in being named the top new brewery in the world by popular website RateBeer.com. But such success can become a problem in its own right.

The Hungry Monk hosts a tasting from 5-7 p.m. today with Eel River Brewing, the first certified organic brewery in the United States. Besides using organic ingredients, the Fortuna, Calif., brewery packages it beer in recycled materials, uses recycled wood

Flanny’s in Tempe will hosts its first-ever Hogs & Hops festival – featuring barbecue and craft beer – from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. Smoked pork from two hogs locally sourced from McReynolds Farms in Phoenix will be available in

Who better to feature with a mini tap takeover on Mardi Gras than Lousiana’s Abita Brewing? Flanny’s in Tempe will have five Abita beers on tap from 6-8 p.m. tonight. Leading the way will be Abita’s seasonal Mardi Gras Bock,

Surprising news in the Valley craft beer community: The Perch Pub & Brewery and general manager James Swann (pictured) have parted ways just two weeks after the Chandler venue’s long-anticipated opening. MXSW heard rumors of the split Saturday night, and

The Brass Tap – the Valley’s newest craft beer bar, with more than 300 beers, including 60 on tap – debuts tonight at Mesa Riverview with a private party for its Facebook fans. It will open to the general public Saturday.

Lost in all the hoopla of Arizona Beer Week last week was the Arizona debut of Hess Brewing. Now that things have settled down, though, the San Diego brewery and some of its staff are celebrating with official rollout parties

Although not in the same league as the recent Arizona Strong Beer Festival, the 26th annual Great Arizona Beer Festival will bring more than 200 craft beers from about 50 breweries to Tempe Beach Park from 2-6 p.m. Saturday. Compared to

Last day of Arizona Beer Week! Sierra Nevada Tap Takeover Recently opened World of Beer Gilbert hosts the largest tap takeover in Arizona – and Sierra Nevada – history with 80 of the Chico, Calif., brewery’s ales on draft from

All the info for Bell’s Eccentric Cafe from 3-11 p.m. today at The Hungry Monk in Chandler… Related: Hungry Monk hosts annual Bell’s Eccentric Cafe on Friday

Arizona Beer Week is almost over, but there still are plenty of great things going on… Hungry Monk Bell’s Eccentric Cafe From 3-10 p.m., The Hungry Monk hosts its annual indoor-outdoor event paying homage to Bell’s Brewery’s quirky cafe. Wear

Last August – four months before it opened – World of Beer Gilbert announced its first event: A Sierra Nevada tap takeover that would set the world record, which (at the time) was 70 beers, set at a Sierra Nevada tap takeover