There was a time, not too long ago, when no one outside Phoenix gave much thought to the beer brewed here. Oh, our brewers got attention with the occasional medal at a beer-judging competition, but the city wasn't a craft beer destination. All that changed in April of last year, when Arizona Wilderness — a mere six months old at the time — was named "Best New Brewery in the World" by www.ratebeer.com. An avalanche of press followed, and even a new tasting room adjacent to the brewpub couldn't hold all the thirsty pilgrims visiting the Valley to see if the spot was worthy of the title. Yet through it all — growing pains, collaborations with some of the world's most renowned brewers, shitty Yelp reviews — the bearded owners have remained unremittingly committed to the use of local ingredients. To taste a Wilderness beer is to taste Arizona, and that, too, is award-worthy.
Readers Choice: Four Peaks