Beer Nuts

The November election once again showed Arizona to be a "red" state, but our conservative political bent doesn't equate to always playing by the rules. For proof, look no further than Scottsdale, where this weekend a beer festival will celebrate Arizona's best brews that just happen to be banned in no less than a dozen other states.

Mark Poutenis

The Arizona Strong Beer Festival may put a little hair on your chest.

Details

Runs from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday, January 15. Call 602-956-0211

Scottsdale Stadium, 7408 East Osborn Road.

Related Content

• Four Hells Angels Found Not Guilty of "Rioting" Charges From 2009 DPS Operation
  April 13, 2012
• Two Alleged Motorcycle Gangsters Arrested During Arizona Bike Week; Hells Angels Play Nice Despite Warning
  April 11, 2012
• Where to Eat and Drink Near Scottsdale Stadium
  March 1, 2012
• Eat, Play, Grub
  April 19, 2012
• Hells Angel Kevin Augustiniak Gets 23 Years Up the River for 2001 Slaying of Cynthia Garcia
  March 30, 2012

More About

• Joe Bob Grisham
• Sam Adams Utopias MMII
• Hells Angels Motorcycle Club
• Food and Cooking
• Beverages

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Events Newsletter: What's happening in town? From underground club nights to the biggest outdoor festivals, our top picks for the week's best events will always keep you in on the action.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

"We're out to educate the public about the many options available, varieties that shouldn't be swilled but rather savored like a fine Cabernet," says Joe Bob Grisham, the coordinator of the fifth annual Arizona Strong Beer Festival at Scottsdale Stadium on Saturday, January 15.

While the term "strong beer" might bring to mind the effects a few cold ones have on a normally timid guy who takes umbrage at the hygiene of a nearby Hells Angel, it actually describes ales and lagers having greater than 7 percent alcohol content.

For comparison purposes, Budweiser has an alcohol content of 5 percent. In contrast, the strongest commercial beer in the world is Sam Adams Utopias MMII at 24 percent, or 48 proof, a unit more typically associated with distilled spirits.

But why bother with supercharging beer when people seem to get into enough trouble with the PG version? Ken Saxe of the Home Brew Depot says strong beers are "typically seasonal varieties that have developed a cult following because of their full body, richness and warming effects in winter." Despite these delectable characteristics, some states, mainly in the South, outlaw "strong beers," perhaps because of the worry that Joe Six-Pack won't realize the effects of knocking down a few on his way home.

The $20 festival fee ($25 at the door) is good for 15 samples of the more than 50 Arizona-brewed strong beers on tap. Festivalgoers also receive a collector's glass, a cool knickknack that might double as a guide peg the next morning to help retrace the previous day's events.