Food and Drink Festivals

Score Small Bites of Summer at 30 Restaurants in Metro Phoenix

Food festival season is in full swing in other parts of the country, but in the Valley of the Sun, it's already too hot to crowd around outside with a thousand other people to score a bite of meat grilled over the open flame -- even if it is insanely delicious. That's no great loss, however, because ... More >>

3 Reasons Why the AmeriCAN Canned Craft Beer Festival Is the Best in Arizona

I tolerate the douchery of the Great Arizona Beer Festival. I enjoy the charitable nature of the Beer for Brains Rare Affair. I love the drunken shenanigans and alcohol-heavy drink that flows freely at the Arizona Strong Beer Fest. See also: - 2013 AmeriCAN Canned Craft Beer Festival in Scottsdale ... More >>

Four Peaks SunBru: A Can-tastic Gold Medal Winner

Beer: Sunbru Brewery: Four Peaks Brewing Co. Style: Kolsch ABV: 5.2 percent If you people are any part the beer geeks you claim to be, you'll journey outside your homes on Saturday, May 18, into the increasingly balmy summer air and over to the AmeriCAN Canned Craft Beer Festival. You'll get to lis ... More >>

Five Things to Eat and Drink This Weekend in Metro Phoenix

Looking for something to put in your mouth this weekend? We've got you covered. Check out what's on our plate. See also: - Mother's Day in Metro Phoenix: 12 Recommendations Based on Time, Budget, and Location - Aaron Chamberlain's Phoenix Public Market Now Open Inaugural Scottsdale Beer Festival ... More >>

Fest of the Best

Ten FIDY, Oskar Blues and the Canned Beer Apocalypse

Beer: Ten FIDY Brewery: Oskar Blues Brewery Style: Imperial Stout ABV: 10.5 percent As we inch ever closer to the third annual AmeriCAN Canned Craft Beer Festival our discussion of aluminum cylinders continues, and it's only right that at this point we bring up Oskar Blues. See also: - 2013 Ameri ... More >>

2013 AmeriCAN Canned Craft Beer Festival in Scottsdale on May 18

As much as we respect beer in bottles we have to admit there are quite a few benefits that come with sipping your suds out of a can. First of all the can is much more beach and pool friendly not to mention lighter (and therefore easier to transport) and never, ever requires a bottle opener. See al ... More >>

Cigar City Jai Alai: Take It in the Can

Beer: Jai Alai Brewery: Cigar City Brewing Co. Style: American IPA ABV: 7.5 percent The journey from brew kettle to drinking vessel is long and hard, and not all beer gets there in perfect condition. To taste right, a beer must battle many foes along the way: diacetyl, a yeast compound that tastes ... More >>

What Are the Pros and Cons of Food Festivals?

As spring emerges in the Valley, so do the food festivals -- and they seem to be getting bigger and more popular every year. At last weekend's Devoured Culinary Festival, more than 45 restaurants participated. And the event sold out a month beforehand. See also: - What Are Three Cooking Skills Ever ... More >>

Five Things to Eat and Drink this Weekend in Metro Phoenix

Looking for something to put in your mouth this weekend? We've got you covered. Check out what's on our plate. See Also: 24 Food and Drink Festivals in Metro Phoenix Celebrity Chef Charity Dinner at Praying Monk in Scottsdale on March 10 Spring Training Menu at Roka Akor Now that spring training ... More >>

Beers for Fears

24 Food and Drink Festivals in Metro Phoenix

Festival season's about to hit full tilt. Are you ready? Now you are. Here are some of our favorite local food & beverage events happening from now until the end of April: FEBRUARY 2/1 - Haute Chocolate Market & Festival Where: Heard Museum Price: $30 in advance, $35 day of the event and $45 for V ... More >>

Five Things to Eat and Drink this Weekend in Metro Phoenix

Looking for something to put in your mouth this weekend? We've got you covered. Check out what's on our plate. See Also: Gilbert Food Truck Court to Re-Launch This Friday, Jan. 18 AZ Cocktail Week Kicks Off Feb. 16: Expect a Carnival, Competition and Seminars. Better Line Up a Designated Driver. Q ... More >>

Roasted Bull Testicle Stout. Really.

A Colorado brewery's hilariously deadpan April Fools joke regarding a "Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout" has become a reality. According to Wynkoop Brewery, their bull testicle beer "annoucenment" video was so popular that people actually showed up April 1st looking for a taste of the beer. See Also: - ... More >>

Limb Shady

Three Things to Eat, Drink, and Bake this Weekend

This weekend, we're trading in our pint glasses for stems of red and white. We'll be making a trip to Cave Creek for a couple of glasses of wine and a plate of grilled duck or we'll be hittin' the road for a not-to-be-missed wine festival in the pines and we'll also be whipping up a beautiful batch ... More >>

Ten Favorite Arizona Summer Festivals and Adventures for Food, Wine, and Beer Lovers

Summer travel season is here -- so we've made you a list of food and drink adventures. It might be stretching it a bit to call them all day trips -- if you do attempt them, be sure to bring along a designated driver! Cheesemaking Class at The Fossil Creek Creamery, Pine -- Just north of Payson ( ... More >>

Phoenix Needs to Step Up Its Food Festival Game

Food festivals have been a point of contention here at Chow Bella and among our treasured readers. Our resident food critic even put the question of their worth to local chefs, and though the response was generally positive, there were some notable dissenters. Let me suggest that's because we don' ... More >>

Are Food Festivals Worth It?

Thousands of people, lots of restaurants, and the plastic cups -- my god, the plastic cups! For many parts of the country, food festivals are in full swing this time of year. We've most likely had a taste or two at several, but what do those on the other side of the booth think? This week, Valley ... More >>

The Great American BBQ and Beer Festival at Dr. AJ Chandler Park, 3/24/12

The Great American BBQ and Beer Festival Dr. AJ Chandler Park Saturday, March 24, 2012 Better Than: The last five years of Warped Tour. There was a little something for everyone at the Chandler BBQ and Beer Festival, and it was pretty clear who was there for what purpose. Families formed long line ... More >>

Our 21 Top Picks for Arizona Beer Week

Arizona Beer week starts Saturday and we are so freakin' excited! After spending hours looking at each and every of the more than 150 events that will take place between Saturday, February 18th and Saturday, February 25th we have come up with a list of our favorites. We tried to narrow it down to se ... More >>

Strange Brews

Lumberyard Fireside Ale

beernews.org​Beer: Fireside Ale Brewery: Lumberyard Brewing Co. Style: Imperial Red Ale ABV: 9.5 percent Do you feel that? The building giddiness in the soul of every local beer lover. The faint smell of hops and sweet wort in the air. My beer sense is tingling. Arizona Beer Week is almost ... More >>

State of the Arts

BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse Pumpkin Ale

Zach Fowle ​Beer: Pumpkin AleBrewery: BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse - ChandlerStyle: Pumpkin beerABV: 4.7 percent This week's player in the Month of Pumpkin Beers is a real winner. Pumpkin Ale (no doubt buoyed by its super-creative name) took home hardware at the 2011 Great American Beer Fes ... More >>

Four Arizona Breweries Medal at the Great American Beer Festival

​This past weekend -- as brewers and beer lovers got sauced during their yearly visit to Denver and the beer Mecca that is the Great American Beer Festival -- four Arizona breweries took home medals.   For those who don't know, the Great American Beer Festival is one of the largest celebrati ... More >>

BBQ Overload: Is the Valley Big Enough For Two Barbecue Events in One Day?

​Two barbecue festivals. One Saturday. WTF?!We completely understand that there are very few weather-appropriate weekends for festivals in the Valley, hence the abundance in March and April, but seriously, guys, you couldn't maybe space it out by a week? To the uninformed, this definitely looks ... More >>

Mumford & Sons and Dirty Heads to Play Canned Beer Festival in Chandler [UPDATE: Not Really]

​UPDATE: The event's site has been updated to list only one band, Royal Crown Revue. This hoax bill really was up there before complete with set times -- see a screenshot. Frankly, we're only a little surprised given this particular promoter's track-record. SanTan Brewing is taking the beer festi ... More >>

Why the Great Arizona Beer Festival Ain't So Great

​If you've looked over the vendor list for the beer festival set to be held Saturday at Tempe Beach Park, you might have noticed something odd. At an event that bills itself as the Great Arizona Beer Festival, several of Arizona's greatest breweries -- Papago, Barrio, Nimbus, and this little ... More >>

Brew Haha

Death Angel, Strong Beer, and Italian Cars Over the Weekend

​Captain Squeegee at Strong Beer Festival Saturday The annual Strong Beer Festival has been blessed with great weather in recent years -- sunny with warm air and clear skies. In other words, typical weather for February in Phoenix. Such a thing should never be taken for granted, nor will it be ... More >>

Captain Squeegee at Strong Beer Festival Saturday

Zach FowleCaptain SqueegeeArizona Strong Beer Festival Steele Indian School ParkSaturday, February 19, 2011The annual Strong Beer Festival has been blessed with great weather in recent years -- sunny with and warm air and clear skies. In other words, typical weather for February in Phoenix.Such ... More >>

Craft Beer Competition and Sampling Event and Grilled Oysters in Today's Eater's Digest

Tastespotting.com ​Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives? Craft Beer Tasting Tonight!  Join beer brewers, beer judges and beer lovers at Taste of Tops tonight for the first round of judging for the Great Arizona Beer Festival Craft Beer Competi ... More >>

Craft Beer Competition and Sampling Event and Grilled Oysters in Today's Eater's Digest

Tastespotting.com ​Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives? Craft Beer Tasting Tonight!  Join beer brewers, beer judges and beer lovers at Taste of Tops tonight for the first round of judging for the Great Arizona Beer Festival Craft Beer Competi ... More >>

How Bazaar

Ethnic food in the house

A Hop in the Park

End the stout drought

Arizona Beer Week, You're Breaking Our Little Craft Beer Hearts

We got word that Arizona was going to get its very own beer week back in November and we have been giddy ever since. More than just a one-day beer festival, we would finally join the ranks of real cities and get a whole glorious week! ​But when we heard there were going to be at least 150 differen ... More >>

Strong Beer Fest Names Captain Squeegee Headliner

Captain Squeegee has the tough task of filling 2 Tone Lizard Kings checkerboard shoes at this year's Strong Beer Festival.​First, some sad news: 2 Tone Lizard Kings will not be playing this Saturday's Strong Beer Festival at Steele Indian School Park. When organizers approached the Mesa ska band t ... More >>

Carefree Wine Festival and Low-Fat Lasagna Rolls in Today's Eater's Digest

C C Marriage Factory​Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?Carefree Art & Wine FestivalCarefree kicks off its 18th Annual Fine Art and Wine Festival this weekend. Get your fill of art, jewelry, sculptures, world music and wine all in beaut ... More >>

Music to Your Beers

Get your booze on without judgment

Arizona Wine Festival and Buffalo Chicken Soup in Today's Eater's Digest

www.whatmegansmaking.com​ Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?Arizona Wine FestivalHope you didn't spend all your Holiday shopping money this past weekend because this upcoming weekend is the 2010 Fall Tempe Festival of the Arts.  This year t ... More >>

Peoria Beer Festival and Ghostie Cupcakes in Today's Eater's Digest

www.thecookingphotographer.com​ Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?West-Side Beer FestivalCan't stand the though of another Oktoberfest but still looking for something to do this weekend? Well Beer Drinkers, we dug up a little hidden gem of a Bee ... More >>

Pint Size Social

It’s a Valley beerocracy tonight

Skank You Very Much

Bitches Brew

It’s the most wonderful time for a beer (or fifty)

Brew Crew

Hang with beer-drinking peeps in DoPho

True Grits

And barbecue. And collard greens. And okra. Yum.

Foam Remedy

Draft Mag fest has the ales for what ails you

Designated Drinking

Amber Alert

It’s beer guts versus beer nuts in Mesa