If you drink beer, you’ve probably had an IPA. IPA, short for India Pale Ale, dominates sales in the craft beer world. In 2008, IPA was clearly the most popular category of craft beer — and if you fast forward eight years to today, its total sales have increased twenty-fold…
The Beer: Reissdorf Kolsch The Brewery: Reissdorf Brauerei, Koln, Germany The Stats: 4.8% ABV, approximately 25 IBU The History: Back in 1986, 24 of the main brewers of kolsch in Koln, Germany enacted a proclamation known as the Kolsch Konvention, which decrees that only beers produced within the city limits can officially use the…
Ladies and gentleman, it’s officially here. The months you’ve been waiting for. Summer. An iced beverage could never be more refreshing, more welcome than it will be over these next dozen weeks. So, skip the hard lemonade — heck, skip the regular lemonade while you’re at it — and get…
Porters — as in, the style of beer — originated in the United Kingdom several centuries ago as a way to appease the working class. The beer gets its name from the porters that carried goods around the streets of London, rough and tumble workers who wanted something more substantial…
The Spot: Buck &Rider 4225 East Camelback Road, Phoenix www.buckandrider.com The Hours: Catch happy hour at Buck &Rider on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the oyster bar area. In the main dining room, drinks are on happy-hour pricing from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (no food), and…
The Beer: Hatch Chile Gatos The Brewery: Fate Brewing Company, Scottsdale, AZ The Stats: 4.5% ABV; 23 IBU The Style: Cream ales are easy drinking, very refreshing, low alcohol beers typically consumed in quantity during the warm season. They are considered to be “hybrid” beers, meaning they have characteristics of…
The Spot: TQLA 1840 South Val Vista Drive, Mesa www.tqla.com/locations/mesa-gilbert The Hours: Happy hour at TQLA is from 2 to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 p.m. until close on Friday and Saturdays Perfect for: Fruity margaritas and satisfying, cheesy appetizers. The Interior: TQLA is located at the Dana…
The Beer: Sirius Black Russian Imperial Stout The Brewery: Four Peaks Brewing Company, Tempe, AZ The Stats: 9.5% ABV Appearance: Black and opaque with a head that disappears as quickly as a shooting star, this beer conveys intensity as it sits in its tulip glass, almost daring you to take…
Beer fans have probably noticed an increasing number of gose (pronounced “goze-uh”) beers popping up at breweries across the country. And while the style’s name has likely created many an embarrassing situation familiar to fans of Bon Iver (it’s pronounced “bone-ee-VARE” by the way), the roots of the style’s name…
The Spot: The Rogue Tomato 18561 North 59th Avenue, #122, Glendale www.theroguetomato.com The Hours: Happy hour runs every day from 4 to 6 p.m. and until close on Mondays. A reverse happy hour on Fridays goes from 8 p.m. until close. Perfect for: Small snacks and refreshing cocktails in a…
The Beer: Westmalle Dubbel The Brewery: Trappist Abbey of Westmalle The Stats: 7.0% ABV; Bottle Conditioned The History: In the year 1098, due to disagreements with the religious status quo, a new abbey was founded in France known as Citeaux (the Latin term was Cistercium). The monks of the abbey became known…
The Spot: Il Vinaio 270 West Main Street, Mesa www.ilvinaio.net The Hours: Il Vinaio’s happy hour is from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. every day Perfect for: A long, leisurely happy hour over wine or a quick cheap bite before an event at the Mesa Arts Center The Interior: Inside,…
The Beer: Red Seal Amber Ale The Brewery: North Coast Brewing Company, Ft. Bragg, CA The Stats: 5.4% ABV; 42 IBU The Story: American brewers are relatively new to the brewing game. In fact, most beer styles enjoyed in America today originated in other countries and were exported here when…
First, let’s look at the build of Nobuo at Teeter House’s elevated take on a simple whiskey sour, called the Smokey Thompson. For starters, Mo Neuharth, who manages front-of-house and the bar at the restaurant, uses local mesquite honey and egg whites from Dave Johnson’s Two Wash Ranch. Then there…
The Spot: Phoenix Public Market Cafe 14 East Pierce Street www.phxpublicmarket.com/cafe The Hours: Happy hour for food is from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. every day, while drink specials last from 3 p.m. to close. Perfect for: A few drinks and good eats in a laid-back cafe setting. The Interior: This…
You could say Bitter & Twisted does something pretty rare when it comes to craft cocktail spots these days. While most change their menus with the seasons, the downtown Phoenix bar swaps out its cocktail offerings just once per year. But that’s because the menu — the drinks, the theme,…
At an event on Monday night at Okra, the Valley’s cocktail community caught a first glimpse at what’s in store at one of metro Phoenix’s most highly-anticipated bars. Set to open at The Colony in June, Honor Amongst Thieves will be located above Stock and Stable, a new restaurant concept from two…
There’s a new cocktail at the Clever Koi that’s so pretty, so ornamental, and so aromatic, you’d have to second-guess the statement that we live in “sour times,” even if the drink takes its name from the 1994 Portishead song of the same title. The Sour Times cocktail is a vibrant…
The Spot: Sip Coffee & Beer Garage 3620 East Indian School Road, Phoenix www.sipcoffeeandbeerhouse.com The Hours: Happy hour at Sip is Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Perfect for: A beer and a snack when you need to get some work done. The Interior: Sip has a…
The Beer: Pataskala Red X IPA The Brewery: Stone Brewing Company, San Diego, Calif. The Stats: 7.3% ABV | 75 IBU What’s a Pataskala, you ask? Well, it’s a small town in central Ohio, almost 30 miles east of Columbus, that happens to be the hometown of Stone Brewing Company co-founder…
Nothing works up more of a thirst than a good hike, and we may have found the perfect place to rejuvenate after an climb at northwest Phoenix’s North Mountain. At North Mountain Brewery, located at 522 East Dunlap Avenue, you’ll find a cool, inviting space with a high ceiling-ed main…
We’ve got big news for Valley cocktail fans: Counter Intuitive, the Old Town Scottsdale bar with a rotating menu, will soon be changing its notoriously short and late hours of operation. Starting next month, you’ll be able to belly up to the bar from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. every Friday and…
