Subject: Beverages

• Bartenders & Baristas: Joe Boos at Coffee Rush

  September 26, 2008

• Chandler Oktoberfest

  September 29, 2008

• Brew Review: Red Bull Cola

  October 2, 2008

• Brew Review: Dead Guy Ale

  October 9, 2008

• Tomorrow: Beer and Booksigning at Four Peaks

  October 28, 2008

• Phoenix Phoodies: Jeff at Lux on a Mission

  By Sloane Burwell Jeff Fischer isn’t your ordinary barista. After 20 years in the hospitality industry, he and his wife took ownership of Lux Coffee Bar, so that his wife could pursue her life’s dream of owning a coffee shop. Under his watchful eye and warm smile, Lux has emerged as more than a spot to quell your caffeine jones. It’s true – Lux is ground zero for downtown movers, shakers, hipsters, ne’er do wells, a Mayor and city council member or three. But it’s also a second liv

  November 14, 2008

• Playground PHX

  March 5, 2009

• Tomorrow: Arizona Stronghold and Page Springs Cellars Wines at Quiessence

  By Michele Laudig Dear Chow Bella readers, I hope you check out this week's cover story (written by yours truly), where you'll get to read all about the great wines that Eric Glomski and Maynard James Keenan (yes, the singer from Tool) are making up in Jerome and Cornville with Arizona Stronghold, Page Springs Cellars, and Caduceus. So as a preview to the piece, I wanted to give you a heads-up about the special AZ Stronghold/Page Springs Cellars wine dinner tomorrow (Nov. 17) at Quiessence. Ch

  November 17, 2008

• Pop Culture: Faygo Goes Fancy

  By Martin Cizmar Few sodas divide like Faygo. The Detroit soda is maligned by many because it’s cheap, super sweet and associated with Insane Clown Posse-loving Juggalos. On the other hand it’s beloved because it’s cheap, super sweet, and also associated with happy Midwestern childhoods spent riding bikes to the convenience store to pick up a three-liter of Moon Mist. This week we gave five new premium flavors of Faygo a taste. That’s right, premium, baby. Faygo’s going uptown wi

  November 19, 2008

• Pop Culture: Java Pop

  By Martin Cizmar It’s 10:45 a.m. and you’re thirsty. Do you go for a cup of coffee or a bottle soda? Either you’re drinking coffee in the middle of the say like a cop with 30 years on the force or you’re drinking soda before noon like some punk kid who got up at 6:30 to catch his school bus. Java Pop could end this eternal dilemma with their organic, fair trade coffee soda. Unfortunately, while the idea seems good, the result is pretty unpleasant.

  November 24, 2008

• Phoenix Phoodies: David Johnson is a Sommelier and a Gentleman

  David Johnson has wine on the brain. Why not? It runs in the family. He can trace his familial roots in the wine and spirits business back to 17th century Jacobite revolutionaries. As a sommelier in training, he spent years in Europe, honing both his palate and his craft. Now back in Arizona, he is the sommelier that never sleeps. Or at least it seems that way, since he's put his oenophilic, overachieving pedigree to work on a wide range of wine-loving endeavors. Most nights, he can be found a

  December 5, 2008

• Caffiend: Coffee Plantation's Eye Opener

  The first time I ever made coffee in my life, I almost killed somebody. It was my sophomore year in high school, and I was the "singer" in a punk/metal band called Legion of the Dead. The guitarist asked me to make coffee at practice one day, and, never having made coffee and with no frame of reference, I filled the coffee filter to the hilt with coffee grounds. The guitarist took one sip of the black brew and gasped. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

  December 8, 2008

• Phoenix Phoodies: Jason Silberschlag of Tempe's Cartel Coffee Lab Serves a Winning Cup of Coffee

    College towns and coffee joints go together like peanut butter and jelly. This is good news for Jason and Amy Silberschlag, founders of Cartel Coffee Lab, whose Tempe-based roaster and coffee bar is mere meters from Mill Avenue. Open less than a year, they've earned legions of adoring fans, both for their straightforward approach to coffee and their Clover 1S, which set the gold standard for coffee machines. The Clover brews coffee to order, one lovin' cup at a time. But it's not just the eq

  December 12, 2008

• Pop Culture: Peñafiel Strawberry

  As I've written before, here in Phoenix we have amazing access to Mexican sodas - not to mention a store that sells nothing but soda - making this a truly great place to explore unusual soft drinks. Peñafiel Strawberry isn't quite an obscure soft drink, but it's not widely available stateside. I got mine at my favorite Mexican Grocer, La Tolteca, for $1.80. Peñafiel is said to be the oldest mineral water bottling company in Mexico, at least according to Wikipedia, and they've been bottling t

  December 17, 2008

• Caffiend: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf's Earl Grey Tea

  Tastes like: A full, tangy citrus tea with a rich Bergamot flavor (Bergamot is a Mediterranean citrus fruit, and Earl Grey derives its taste from the fruit's oil).

  January 12, 2009

• Cherry 7UP with Antioxidants Reviewed

  It seems like every product on the market nowadays has to make a nod toward either being "green" or being healthy, so it is that we get the new Cherry 7Up with antioxidants. Now, if you live in Arizona you probably don't suffer from a shortage of vitamin E, the antioxidant in this bottle, but it's always nice to give yourself a reason to feel better about slurping down 100 empty calories. So is the taste worth it?

  February 4, 2009

• Cowboy Ciao Hosts Siduri Wine Dinner

  Sideways may have been a fictional tale, but the elusive and obsession-inducing qualities of Pinot Noir are completely true. Consider Siduri Wines, a winery that produces only Pinot Noir, all single-vineyard releases from its 20 vineyards in California and Oregon. Owners Adam and Diana Lee's devotion to the grape has earned their Pinots praise from some of the biggest names in the wine biz. This Wednesday, you can meet Adam Lee in person, at a special Cowboy Ciao event (7 p.m., $95 per per

  February 2, 2009

• AZ Stronghold Gets Props from Wine Spectator

  Jamie Peachey89! I hear this is the best score ever given to an Arizona wine (Callaghan's 2001 Syrah scored the same). Not bad for a debut label, huh? Wine Spectator rated Arizona Stronghold's Nachise in a recent Super Bowl feature where the editors rounded up 22 top wines (a la 22 players on the football field) that wouldn't break the bank and go well with comfort food: ARIZONA STRONGHOLD Nachise Cochise County 2007 Score: 89 | $20 Ripe and smoky, but there's a very tasty, pure core of

  February 3, 2009

• Caffiend: AriZona Green Tea Energy Drink

  AriZona Green Tea is one of the most popular pre-made teas, so when we heard the company made a new Green Tea Energy Drink, we figured we'd give it a try, despite our reservations about how strange a "lightly carbonated" green tea might taste.Looks like: The can is black, embossed with cherry blossom trees (also featured on the regular AriZona Green Tea cans), and Asian-inspired images in gold, including two warriors battling in front of a pagoda.Smells like: A regular, leafy green tea.Tastes li

  February 9, 2009

• Caffiend: Iced Coffee from Lux

  Iced coffee from LuxAnybody who's ever stepped foot into Lux coffee shop on Central knows the weekend and weekday morning scenes there can be chaos, with caffeinated hipsters and business-types all tapping away on their laptops or reading the morning papers. There's a reason they consistently flock here -- Lux's coffee is rich and super-charged. This week, we had a taste of the most supercharged coffee on their menu -- the iced coffee, with two shots of espresso.Lux's Iced CoffeeLooks like: A da

  February 23, 2009

• 2 Tone Lizard Kings: Try Not To Like Them After Two Beers

  2 Tone Lizard Kings provide entertainment at Saturday's Strong Beer Festival in Mesa.Like a lot of people, I really, really need to be in the mood to listen to third wave ska. And by "in the mood" I mean I need to be in high school again. Still, I kinda dig Tempe's 2 Tone Lizard Kings. Sure, the time I saw them, at last year's Strong Beer Festival, I was pretty drunk, but there really is something endearing about these Toasters-style 2 Toners. They've got a great horn section and some pretty kic

  February 27, 2009

• Zack de la Rocha, Mesa Strong Beer Festival and Myst's 5 Year Anniversary Over the Weekend

  Zack de la Rocha Leads an Army Against Joe Arpaio's Racist Rule: My conservative estimate is that today 3,000 to 4,000 people braved 90 degree weather to march from Steele Indian School Park to the Sandra Day O'Connor Federal Courthouse in downtown Phoenix to protest Sheriff Joe Arpaio's immigration abuses...full story See: Zack de la Rocha's speech and the parade route in multimedia. Strong Beer Festival: If you didn't make it out to the Strong Beer Festival at the Mesa Amphitheater this wee

  March 2, 2009

• Because Every Beer Festival Needs Music

  Not only do The Crown Kings love beer, but they love playing beer festivalsFor those of you who have been keeping tabs on the Arizona Brewer's Guild recent run of beer festivals, you know, full well, that the 21st Annual Great Arizona Beer Festival is this Saturday and Sunday at Tempe Beach Park from 2-6 PM. Hoping to piggyback on the success of last weekend's Strong Beer Festival out at the Mesa Amphitheater, the AZ Brewer's Guild has booked yet another perfectly appropriate band for the upcomi

  March 6, 2009

• Binkley's Restaurant Hosts Winemaker Dinner

  Here's something you don't see very often, if ever -- a special event at the highly acclaimed Binkley's. On Monday, March 23, the Cave Creek fine dining destination will be hosting a six-course winemaker dinner to showcase Frank Family Vineyards, a boutique winery in Napa Valley. AZ Wines Company's Carefree location is also involved in hosting the event, where Todd Graff, winemaker for Frank Family Vineyards, will be on hand to present the pairings. Get a look at this

  March 10, 2009

• Brew Review: Sierra Nevada Summerfest

  When you're looking for a new beer to try it seems like everyone under the sun has a bottle they'd like to uncap and shove in your mouth. Answers to the question "what beer should I drink," are endless. That's why we prefer recommendations secure in their justification. Take Sierra Nevvada Summerfesr Lager for example. We drank this beer for this week's Brew Review thanks to a recommendation from Papago Brewing Bartender Zach Ogle. His justification: they've sold out of it on tap and only have b

  May 29, 2009

• Caffiend: Chakra 4's Cherry Sencha Tea

  Tea is a multi-purpose drink -- people use it for comfort, healing, and yes, energy. Although tea doesn't contain as much caffeine as coffee, it does provide more pep than many other drinks. Here we take a look at a tea from local shop Chakra 4 that's supposed to comforting and energizing, Cherry Sencha tea.Looks like: A light green tea. The tea packet looks like a baggie of cannabis and rose petals. Chakra 4 serves it piping hot, with lots of steam rolls. Smells like: A cherry cough drop with a

  March 23, 2009

• Can Maynard James Keenan Put Arizona Wine on the Map?

  November 20, 2008

• Liberty Market: The East Valley’s Answer to La Grande Orange

  November 20, 2008

• Moet Mojito Night

  October 23, 2008

• No Beer Gut, No Glory

  From piss-quality to fancy, author has guzzled it all

  October 23, 2008

• Caffe Boa Supplies Sophistication Just Off Mill Avenue

  October 23, 2008

• Brew Review: Shiner Bohemian Black Lager

  I won't lie, Arizona. We've had some great times drinking beer. Who could forget our first trip to Four Peaks? Or the Mesa Strong Beer Festival just a few months ago? We've had fun and that's what makes this so hard to say: my beer gut belongs to another state. That's right, Arizona. I, like many of my fellow Phoenicians, am a transplant. It just so happens that I'm from Texas and as such, my heart belongs to Shiner; that delicious beer made from the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner Texas. Which is w

  April 17, 2009

• Funky Brewster

  Wanna be a professional beer drinker when you grow up? Here’s how.

  April 30, 2009

• Caffiend: Organic Yerba Mate Tea

  Yerba Mate, a species of holly native to South America, makes for some tasty tea. Unlike black teas, which are prepared by steeping dry tea leaves in boiling water, Yerba Mate is made by steeping leaves in hot water (not boiling).  This is because boiling Yerba Mate leaves can make the tea taste bitter. As far as caffeine content, Yerba Mate contains alkaloids called xanthines, which are from the same family as caffeine. So how much of a kick will an organic Yerba Mate give?Organic Guayaki

  April 27, 2009

• Brew Review: Reaper Ale's Deathly Pale Ale

  wikimedia commons "Deathly pale" is not a phrase that appears in everyday conversation very often. In fact the only example I can think of occurred the last time I visited a beach. It was uttered from some nearby ladies as my physique built on my Irish heritage approached the surf. It stung to hear, but not as much as the sun burn I sustained not ten minutes later. Luckily my friends at Reaper Ale feel my pain and have created the perfect brew for drowning my pasty-ass sorrows. Yes, today we w

  May 8, 2009

• Phoenix Phoodies: Royal Coffee Bar

  Sloane BurwellDespite its modernist tendencies, Royal Coffee Bar's building was actually constructed in 1890. Hayes McNeil has hidden powers. If he's not at Royal Coffee Bar (www.royalcoffeebar.com, 209 W. Jackson, 602-374-8044), the modernist java joint in downtown Phoenix he co-owns with brother-in-law Vincent Huizar, he can be found on a job site, rocking the blueprints as a registered architect and partner in Plus Minus Studio (www.plusminusstudio.com). McNeil and his design firm have set t

  May 29, 2009

• Over-the-Hump Day

  May 14, 2009

• Local Wine Wins at Whole Foods

  Lauren GilgerVoters tasting the local wines on Saturday at the Arizona Wine Consumer Choice Awards at Whole Foods Market in Chandler.Move over, Napa. Arizona's young wine industry is currently undergoing a growth-spurt akin to a 12 year-old basketball player. For proof, see Michele Laudig's cover story from last year, all about former Tool frontman and owner of Stronghold Vineyards in the Verde Valley. More evidence was available this past Saturday at Whole Foods Market in Chandler, where the s

  June 29, 2009

• Behind the Bar: Strawberry-Coconut Mojito at The Mission

  Lauren Gilger Mike Bunker's Strawberry-Coconut Mojito at The Mission in Old Town Scottsdale. Mike Bunker's concoctions at The Mission in Old Town are often sweet, often strong, and almost always delivered with a touch of flair. "I feel like I have a good palate for cocktails," he says. "And I like to drink, so it just fits." The self-proclaimed mixologist and well-seasoned bartender offered up this Strawberry-Coconut Mojito recipe as the perfect summer cocktail. Bottoms up! 1. Muddle at

  July 3, 2009

• Caffiend: Gold Bar Espresso's Mocha Especiale

  If you can drive just 20 feet past the Starbucks in the Basha's Plaza on the northeast corner of Southern and McClintock in Tempe, you'll find another gem of a coffee house in the same shopping center: Gold Bar Espresso. This cozy little corner shop touts itself as "simply the choice of the connoisseur," and its menu reflects an appeal to coffee snobs: lattes, cappuccinos, granitas, and breves are available alongside steamed hot chocolates, chai teas, and Italian sodas. Not only is every Gold Ba

  July 27, 2009

• Coming Soon to Tempe: Sleepy Dog Saloon & Brewery

  ​You never know where your passions might lead you. For beer aficionado Rob Sizemore, an obsession with suds turned into to a homebrewing hobby, which eventually led to proper training with the American Brewers Guild. Now he's working on opening his own microbrewery in Tempe, Sleepy Dog Saloon & Brewery, sometime this fall. Customers can expect Sizemore's "Flying 7" beers on tap at all times: a blonde or pilsner, IPA, pale ale, stout, hefeweizen, amber, and porter. Rotating brews w

  August 13, 2009

• Recipe: Clover Club and Blood Orange Pisco Sour from BLT Steak

  Lauren Gilger The Clover Club and the Blood Orange Pisco Sour at the Camelback Inn.​Trudy Thomas spent her childhood in the bourbon distilleries of Kentucky. She spent her a good part of her twenties working under Wolfgang Puck in Chicago, and now she's spreading the mixology gospel in the Valley. The Director of Beverage at the Camelback Inn, the co-founder and vice-chairman of the Arizona chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild, the president of her own consulting business and

  August 21, 2009

• Caffiend: Mocha Bianca's Depth Charger

  ​"This might make hair grow on your chest," the bald barista at Mocha Bianca tells me, as he prepares a mix of coffee and espresso he calls the "Depth Charger.""Of course," he continues, rubbing his smooth dome, "It hasn't worked on my head yet."Mocha Bianca is just a few miles from where I've lived in northwest Phoenix for the past eight years. Surprisingly, I didn't even know the place existed until my girlfriend noticed it on a drive to my local KFC last week. It's tucked inside a strip mal

  September 21, 2009

• Recipe: Rhythm & Blues From Rhythm Room

  Benjamin LeathermanThe Rhythm and Blues, as created by Mona Watkins.​The Rhythm Room has built a reputation over the past two decades as the Valley's premier destination to hear the best in rootsy, down-home music like the blues, Americana, and rockabilly. But what about its drinks? Not so much. That's not to say that bartender Mona Watkins doesn'has never gotten some kudos for her skills at mixing drinks. Living legends Willie "Big Eye" Smith and Leon Blue are particular fans of one creatio

  October 23, 2009

• Chocolate Alert! Eleanor Joseph Truffles Land in your Grocery

  Dark chocolate contains antioxidants that help fight free radicals and stave off aging, and a glass of wine a day can reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers. So that fistful of dark chocolate medallions and glass of Cabernet you'll be downing tonight are totally healthy!

  October 30, 2009

• Caffiend: Jolt Orange Blast

  E. Groves​Since it was introduced in 1985, Jolt Cola's had a well-deserved reputation as one of the world's most caffeinated sodas, proudly standing by its motto of "All the sugar and twice the caffeine" -- at least until the cane sugar in the original recipe was replaced with high fructose corn syrup. Now the tag line is "All the flavor and twice the caffeine."And oh, how many flavors Jolt has added to its line since its birth 24 years ago. There's Cherry Bomb, Citrus Climax, White Lightning,

  November 2, 2009

• Caffiend: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf's Iced Pumpkin Latte

  ​'Tis the season for coffee shops to start peddling their holiday flavors. Christmas shoppers looking to stay wired while standing in long lines will be running for peppermint, pumpkin, and apple spice-flavored caffeine concoctions.  The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is one of many java outlets offering seasonal drinks. I wanted to try the ice-blended Spiced Pumpkin drink, which is what I ordered at the Tatum & Shea location, because it looked like a yummy frozen treat. But after the bar

  November 9, 2009

• Genmaicha to Combat the Food Coma

  ​I drink more tea than I want to admit -- I must horde at least a dozen different kinds at any given time. Lately genmaicha is my fixation. I bought this particular Ito-En brand "Oishii O-Cha" at Lee Lee, where you'll find genmaicha from several different makers.

  November 13, 2009

• Draft Magazine's The Big Pour...Or At Least What We Remember From It

  Jonathan McNamaraDelicious Fat Tire. See more shots in our Big Pour slide show. ​What do you do when faced with multiple beers from multiple breweries? That's right, drink 'em all! That's precisely what we (attempted) to do at Draft Magazine's The Big Pour last weekend. The beer festival took place at The Waterfront in Scottsdale and attracted a crowd of folks ranging from Tempe riff-raff to Ed Hardy-clad Scottsdale denizens with such attractions as George Wendt of Cheers fame and Evercl

  November 16, 2009

• New in Tempe: Sleepy Dog Saloon & Brewery

  ​Just in time for the weekend, there's a brand-new microbrewery to quench your thirst in Tempe.Sleepy Dog Saloon & Brewery, located at 1920 E. University, is set to open Saturday, November 21. Owner Rob Sizemore's original brews include Puppy Pale (pale ale), Irish Setter (Irish red), Hound (hefeweizen), and Scottie (Scottish strong ale), with other varieties in the making. Sizemore started out as a home brewer, and now brings nine years of experience to his new business.Business hour

  November 20, 2009