By Jonathan McNamara Once again I assembled a crew of able-bodied Phoenix New Times employees to the break room for a Brew Review. Sitting between the rows of plastic coffee cups and packages of creamer, a large, black sack awaited us. Inside was a substance with a reputation so vile…
By Jonathan McNamara Last week’s look at seasonal brews introduce us to a selection of ales and lagers that hinted (and in some cases hit you upside the face) with seasonal flavors. But there was one type of beer decidedly lacking from our selection: the porter. Every year Four Peaks…
By Jonathan McNamara Ah! Smell that crisp, autumn air! It’s the time of the year that we put our hefeweizens and dust off our appetites for fall seasonal brew. To help you decide which tasty seasonal to push down your gob, we at New Times carried out a complex experiment…
By Jonathan McNamara What makes a rogue? I couldn’t help wondering as I stumbled over to the Rogue Web site after sampling their Dead Guy Ale. The qualifications are numerous (ten to be exact) and include such gems as “rogues pursue the long shot” and “rogues ignore the accepted patterns…
By Jonathan McNamara I know, I know. Rest assured that we’ll be diving back into your regularly scheduled dose of legitimate brew review next week (in fact, I’m currently securing some samples at the recommendation of Al the Pal) but this time around I’d like to focus on something that…
By Jonathan McNamara I haven’t enjoyed it (not entirely true) but lately I’ve been sucking down a lot of sweet-tasting beers in order to prevent you, the reader, from following in my sickeningly sweet foot steps. Though I’ve penned these saccharine-laced reviews in the hopes of assisting you in your…
By Jonathan McNamara It’s a fond childhood memory based on a last minute solution from my dad. I was attending summer camp and had to pack a bagged lunch each day. To keep my food refrigerated in the traveling medium of a paper bag, pops would freeze boxed Minute Maid…
By Jonathan McNamara Be not free of worries when you face the inebriated monk statues that stand guard in the various sections of Papago Brewing in Scottsdale. Behind their calm exterior lies a secret: they brew beer not with tender love and care but with a balls-to-the-wall sense of the…
By Jonathan McNamara Before pineapple was packaged in fruit cups or placed next to Canadian bacon on stuffed-crust pizzas, it was a symbol for “welcome.” Take a look at the older towns on the East Coast and you’ll see pineapples built right into the architecture. It makes sense then that…
By Jonathan McNamara “Can I help you find something,” said a genuinely enthusiastic grocery store employee as I stood in front of the beer section. “No thanks,” I replied. “I’ve found what I was after, I’m just trying to decide which one of these to get.” I was referring to…
By Jonathan McNamara Here on Brew Review we’ve analyzed beer from a religious perspective; we’ve looked at it in terms of refreshment; we’ve criticized certain bottles for their blatant novelty and more. Today we’ll be looking at beer as a mood enhancer. I’d just popped in to Casey Moore’s Oyster…
By Jonathan McNamara I’ve been told by several family members and friends that the number of drinks one should consume when looking to have a good time is three. “Thou shalt drink only three,” they would say. “No more…no less.” I was told not to drink four drinks or only…
By Jonathan McNamara It’s a shame I like this beer so much. If I didn’t, I would tell you that this beer tastes like what you get a face full of when you lift a kilt: ass. Alas, blasting Tempe-based Four Peaks Brewing Company’s Kiltlifter was not meant to be…
By Jonathan McNamara Before we get on to the brew, I’d like to ask you to read past the jump to learn about the first (potentially of many depending on how this one goes) Brew Review contest. Please read to the end! Carling is a familiar beer brand to anyone…
By Jonathan McNamara Any experienced Japan-o-phile can tell you that the country’s major beers taste pretty much the same. It’s true. Whether your slugging down a Sapporo, Kirin, Asahi or Ebisu you won’t know which one you’re drinking for sure unless you look at the label. Mind you, this isn’t…
By Jonathan McNamara Someone ought to get in touch with the marketing department at Ska Brewing. Yes, that’s right. I used the word “ska” as in punk with a horn section, “Mirror in the Bathroom,” Reel Big Fish, etc. The marketing dilemma this brewery suffers begins with incorporating Ska into…
By Jonathan McNamara I’ve been betrayed. Past experience and a few bumper stickers have lead me to believe that beer is liquid proof that the gods want us to be happy. Oh, how I have been living in naivety! I took a chance on a beer labeled with a chili…
By Jonathan McNamara Avid New Times readers may be under the impression that working here is a never-ending party. We cover concerts. We write about sexist chocolates. We get to have our say about the actions of public officials. But believe me when I say there are times when working…
By Jonathan McNamara Even the great Hindu sage Valmiki surely could not have predicted that when he penned life into Hanuman, the monkey god in the Hindu epic The Ramayana, the character would end up on a bottle of beer. Yet that’s exactly what seems to have happened as an…
By Jonathan McNamara As the headline suggests, you’ve just stumbled into a new Chow Bella segment focused on the gods’ proof that they want us to be happy: beer. Keep checking back each week for reviews of the sudsy stuff. This week’s brew: Oak Creek Brewing Co.’s Nut Brown Ale…
