Big fun brews in Arizona
How big a deal is Arizona Beer Week? Well, think of it this way: It lasts 10 days. The festivities start today across the state, and we’ve got the details.
How big a deal is Arizona Beer Week? Well, think of it this way: It lasts 10 days, with festivities kicking off today across the state. We have the details.
Every consumable has its day. There’s National Hamburger Day and National Donut Day and National Pizza Day.
But beer? It has earned its own week in the 48th state.
Arizona Beer Week (which is actually 10 days) raises glasses from Tucson to Flagstaff to celebrate locally crafted brews. The Feb. 7-16 toast to the goodness of hops, barley and water includes more than 200 events at brewpubs and taprooms across the state.
Here are some of the notable events around the Phoenix area that salute a beverage that grows more complex and imaginative with every batch.
Arizona Strong Beer Festival
What: If Beer Week was a music festival, this would be the headliner. With roughly 150 breweries spread across 11 zones, you’ll want to print out the online map before you go.
Highlights: At least 10 breweries will be tapping very special small-batch brews, from a bourbonbarrel stout to a few inyour-face IPAs.
Key takeaway: The “Strong” in the name refers not to the taste but to the alcohol by volume. Should you use every one of your 40 tasting tickets (resulting in 80 ounces of beer consumed), even thinking about driving could violate state law. Bring a designated driver or plan to walk or rideshare.
Details: 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9. Steele Indian School Park, 300 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. $20 (designated driver), $60 (general admission). $80-$100 (VIP, allowing early admission). arizonabeer week.com/arizona -strong-beer-festival.
Beer Week Kickoff
What: There may not be a presentation of colors or the singing of our national anthem, but this event marks the official start of a brew-tastic seven — wait, 10 — days.
Highlights: Enjoy dinner with brews crafted by Sierra Nevada, Odell and Pizza Port. (Pizza Port, by the way, started brewing in 1992, making it one of the oldest brewers in the current wave of craft beer.)
Key takeaway: Meet Doug Odell, owner of Odell Brewing out of Fort Collins, Colorado. Feel free to ask him anything, but resist the urge to suggest an imperial stout named after you. That’s the beer talking.
Details: 5-9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7. The Hungry Monk, 1760 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler. arizonabeerweek.com/ events/sierra-nevada -and-odell-beer-week -kickoff, www.hungry monkaz.com.
Beats and Brunch and Beer
What: Welcome to an event where having a beer (or two) before noon not only is acceptable but highly encouraged.
Highlights: Need more than beer and brunch? The beats are provided by DJs Just Chris and This Just In. They’ll lay down the grooves even if beer and brunch are enough.
Key takeaway: If you are determined to combine breakfast and lunch into one meal, the specialty beers served by Flagstaff ’s Mother Road Brewing Company definitely make for a smoother experience.
Details: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10. Jobot, 333 E. Roosevelt St., Phoenix. arizonabeer week.com/events/beats -and-brunch-and-beer -with-mother-road -brewery.
St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Bike Crawl
What: Grab your bicycle, your helmet and your resolve for this pub crawl through central Scottsdale.
Highlights: Participants start at TT Roadhouse and head to McFate Brew Co., Rogue Bar and Well Bar before returning to TT Roadhouse.
Key takeaway: Be very careful while drinking and cycling. Arizona DUI laws apply to people operating motor vehicles, but those laws don’t protect you from veering into traffic and getting plastered on someone’s windshield.
Details: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10. Meet at TT Roadhouse, 2915 N. 68th St., Scottsdale. arizonabeerweek.com/ events/10th-annual -valentines-day -massacre-bike-crawl.
‘Strange Brew’ Movie Party
What: Watch the greatest beer movie of all time (and we’re not the only ones who think so) while enjoying quality brews from Huss Brewing. It’s a win-win-win.
Highlights: Bob and Doug McKenzie (Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis) get a dream job at their favorite brewery only to find something rotten in the state of the brewing process. It’s a smart dumbing down of Hamlet, and a tribute to beer’s importance in everyday life. Key takeaway: As credits roll and you drain a rare Huss beer brewed for Beer Week, you’ll wonder why you’d never heard of this film until now.
Details: 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 11 Alamo Drafthouse, 1140 E. Baseline Road, Tempe. $7 (beer costs extra). drafthouse .com/phoenix/show/ strange-brew.
Stout and Ice Cream Sandwiches
What: Ice cream and beer go with just about anything; it makes sense they would go well together. Enjoy curated pairings courtesy of Mother Bunch Brewing and Novel Ice Cream.
Highlights: It’s beer and ice cream. Then ice cream and beer. It’s not just the highlight of the event but of life.
Key takeaway: Surely someone will come away from this event with an idea of a beer-flavored ice cream, or an ice-creamflavored beer. Or both.
Details: 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12. Mother Bunch Brewing Company, 825 N. Seventh St., Phoenix. arizonabeer week.com/events/stout -ice-cream-sandwich -pairing.
Craft singles
What: No Valentine’s date? No problem. Bond over beer! Awkward small talk is solved thanks to a shared interest in what’s on tap.
Highlights: Enjoy a beer and chocolate pairing, assembled by experts who know exactly what beers go with which chocolates. That talent should be a superpower.
Key takeaway: The event also pairs one of the Valley’s best breweries (Huss) with a fun taproom off the beaten ale trail (QuartHaus). The first 50 people get a free singles swag bag.
Details: 5-9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14. QuartHaus, 201 S. Washington St., Chandler. arizona beerweek.com/events/ craft-singles-a-singles -mixer-with-craft-beer, quarthaus.com.
Four Peaks Beer Can Derby
What: People who may have too much faith in their engineering skills race the cars they assembled from empty beer cans, using kits provided by Four Peaks Brewing Company.
Highlights: Imagine a soap-box derby where participants and spectators are free to imbibe at the Four Peaks Wilson Tasting Room, which is hosting this event to celebrate the last day of Arizona Beer Week.
Key takeaway: Driving small hand-assembled gravity-powered cars in a straight line is overrated. But with $175 in Four Peaks gift cards up for grabs ($100 for first place, $50 for second and $25 for third), it might be worth extending sobriety until eliminated from competition.
Details: 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16. Four Peaks Wilson Tasting Room, 2401 S. Wilson St., Tempe. arizonabeerweek .com/events/four-peaks -beer-can-derby-2019.