The beer: Black Butte XXIII The brewery: Deschutes Brewery Style: Imperial Porter ABV: 10.8 percent Last year, as 22-year-olds are wont to do, Deschutes flaked. Black Butte XXII, their much-anticipated double porter brewed to celebrate the brewery’s 22nd anniversary, never made it into regular distribution. Dark chocolate in the recipe…
Grocery shopping sucks, but navigating crowds of mouth-breathers in narrow aisles can be made way more tolerable with the application of beer. It’s why we dig the Whole Foods Market in Chandler, which — despite its status as a fancypants, way-too-expensive grocery store — has one of the best beer bars…
Yesterday we met Trudy Thomas, former student of Wolfgang Puck and current bar manager at BLT Steak at Camelback Inn. Today she shares with us the recipe for Passionate Pisco Punch, a cocktail new for BLT’s summer 5@5 menu inspired by Thomas’ current infatuation with Pisco, a strong, clear grape…
We like beer, we like brains, and we like teamwork, so we’re loving this one. Louis Dolgoff, head of the Beer for Brains Foundation, told us yesterday a collaborative beer specially brewed for his organization is in the works and will eventually hit national distribution. Dolgoff says the brew will…
The tender: Trudy ThomasThe bar: BLT Steak at Camelback Inn, a JW Marriott Resort (5402 E. Lincoln Dr., 480-905-7979)The pedigree: Thomas’ bartending career began as a matter of convenience — she got her start in working in a bar attached to her apartment complex in Kentucky. In 1999, she moved…
The beer: CoCoNut PorTeRThe brewery: Maui Brewing Co. Style: Robust PorterABV: 6 percent Say aloha to Maui Brewing Co., the newest entrant riding the waves of the Arizona craft beer scene. Coming all the way from Lahaina, Hawaii, Maui’s microbrews all come in cans — a conscious and responsible packaging…
The Spot: Top of the Rock at The Buttes Tempe Resort, 2000 Westcourt Way, Tempe, 602- 431-2370 www.marriott.com/phxtmHours: Top of the Rock is on top of a rock. These people take things literally. And so it’s only fitting that they name their new summer happy hour Five-2-Seven. Monday through Saturday…
The beer: Brainless Belgian-Style Golden AleThe brewer: Epic BrewingStyle: Belgian Golden Strong AleABV: 8.6 percent Mistaken beliefs run rampant when it comes to the beer scene in Utah, but the most pernicious is the misconception that you can’t find a beer above 3.2 percent ABV in the state. This is…
The Spot: Rum Bar, the adjoining lounge next to the Jamaican eatery The Breadfruit, is located at 108 E Pierce, Phoenix, 602- 267-1266. www.thebreadfruit.com/rumbar The Hours: 5-7pm, weekdays. The Details: The Happy Hour offerings are a bit slim at Rum Bar, but delicious. Six of their specialty cocktails are priced…
Yesterday we met Steve Holquist, the tropical fish wrangler-turned-bartender who mixes drinks at central Phoenix’s Fuego Bistro. Today he shares with us the recipe for his classic mojito, which won a Best of Phoenix award in 2008. “A basic mojito can be taken so many different directions based on what…
After his wife died giving birth to their sixth child, Civil War vet Henry Jackson Smart was left to raise the litter all by himself. Imagine, if you will, what the average day was like for Henry: six kids of varying age screaming, kicking the crap out of each other,…
The tender: Steve HolquistThe bar: Fuego Bistro (713 E. Palo Verde Drive, 602-277-1151)The pedigree: For most of his life, Holquist was a wholesaler of tropical fish, importing the swimmers from where they were caught or raised and selling them to local pet stores. He sold the business in 2008 after discovering…
The beer: CuirThe brewer: The BrueryStyle: Old AleABV: 14.5 percent It didn’t take long for The Bruery to make its mark in the world of beer. Founded in Placentia, Calif., by Patrick Rue (get it?), the beer-maker has a penchant for putting out liquids the craft beer community routinely goes…
The Spot: Roka Akor, 7299 N. Scottsdale, Rd., Scottsdale, 480-306-8800 www.rokaakor.com The Hours: 5-7pm, daily. The Details: Happy Hour pricing is available in the lounge and bar areas only. They knock half off the price of their premium martinis and their shochu infusions. The discount brings the price down to $6-9. …
Yesterday, we met Gina David, veteran bartender at south Scottsdale’s Rogue Bar. Today, she shares with us the recipe for Breakfast, a cocktail she says she and her friends are loving right now — mainly because it tastes like pancakes and OJ. The ingredients:1.5 oz Blueberry vodka2 oz. Red bull2…
The tender: Gina David The bar: The Rogue Bar (423 N. Scottsdale Rd., 480-947-3580) The pedigree: You may remember Gina David from a few months ago, when we wrote about her late-night scuffle at Riva’s Mexican Food in Tempe that left her in intensive care with a skull fracture and prompted…
The beer: ML209 The brewer: Four Peaks Brewing Co. Style: American Malt Liquor ABV: 8.2 percent Malt liquor isn’t a style that’s often touched by craft brewers, mainly because the general public defines them as cheap, crappy-tasting alcohol delivery engines — decidedly un-craft. But when enterprising brewers do get their…
The Spot: Roaring Fork, 4800 N. Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, 480-947-0795 www.eddiev.com Hours: June 1st kicked off RF’s summer happy hour that runs in the saloon all night, every night, baby. Open to close, 4 to 7 p.m., 7 days a week. Details: The Fork’s Famous Frozen Margaritas (try the Huckleberry)…
The beer: ParabolaThe brewer: Firestone Walker Brewing CompanyStyle: Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial StoutABV: 13 percent Until last year, Parabola — Firestone Walker’s now-beloved imperial stout — existed only on draft in Paso Robles and as a component of the brewery’s occasional anniversary blends. 2011 marks the second wide release of the…
The Spot: The Bistro at Kokopelli Winery, 35 W. Boston St., Chandler, 480-792-6927 www.kokopelliwinery.net The Hours: To celebrate the winery’s 10th anniversary, they will be offering Happy Hour from 11am-6pm, seven days a week all summer long. You did not read that wrong, Happy Hour is ALL DAY, EVERY DAY ALL SUMMER. The…
Yesterday we met Bruce Durack, the industry vet who’s mixing up margaritas at Los Sombreros. Today he shares with us the recipes for three of the Mexican eatery’s drinks that, beginning next month, will be part of a margarita flight offered all summer long. “Just like you get wine flights,…
The Tender: Bruce DurackThe Bar: Los Sombreros (2534 N. Scottsdale Rd., 480-994-1799)The Pedigree: Durack’s a Scottsdale native and has been tending bar here since the tender age of 19. In the 35 years since, he’s been everywhere from fish houses like the Salt Cellar and neighborhood places like Harry & Steve’s…
