There are two major judging competitions for beer. One, the Great American Beer Festival, is held yearly in Denver. It’s the largest and most competitive tasting in the country — but entrants have to be from this country. Winners of a GABF gold medal are deemed the best examples of…
Going out to eat, particularly at an upscale spot, is fraught with landmines of personal interactions with various restaurant staff in an atmosphere charged with one-upmanship and general social posturing. Nothing demonstrates this more than navigating the wine list with a sommelier. For whatever reason, the subject of wine brings…
It’s pretty sad what people think is punch nowadays. What once was a delightfully strong alcoholic blend of juices, spices, tea, sugar, and liquor is now pretty much thought of as an artificially flavored fruit drink for children. Well, John Christie over at Second Story Liquor Bar in Scottsdale is…
The Spot: Jade Bar 5700 East McDonald Drive, Paradise Valley 480-948-2100 www.sanctaryoncamelback.com…
Beer: Fire and Blood Brewery: Brewery Ommegang Style: Red Ale ABV: 6.8 percent Brewery Ommegang is onto something with this TV/beer thing, it would seem. Last month, Harvest Moon Brewing Company made millions of Trekkies ecstatic by releasing the first officially licensed Star Trek-themed brew, Vulcan Ale. Soon after, Dock…
I find trends in liquor to be both fascinating and puzzling. Lately, I’m left wondering how the hell marketing executives come up with ridiculous flavors of vodka. Nothing quite says “I’m using a fake ID” than trying to order a drink made with vodka that tastes like Froot Loops cereal…
If you haven’t figured it out by now, demystifying wine and making it more accessible to more people is my raison d’etre here in my weekly Vine Geeks blog. Whether it be celebrating a new Arizona wine or taking aim at the outright hubris of the “big boys,” I really…
Barrel aging can transform a cocktail from its typical flavor to a smoother, richer, and more cohesive final product. As the cocktail mixture sits in the barrel, it develops much like a bourbon does as it barrel ages. While cocktails typically spend much less time in barrels than the spirits…
The Spot: Taco Guild 546 East Osborn Road, Phoenix 602-264-4143 www.tacoguild.com…
FoundersiscomingFoundersiscomingFoundersiscomingFoundersiscoming FoundersiscomingFoundersiscomingFoundersiscomingFoundersiscoming FoundersiscomingFoundersiscomingFoundersiscomingFoundersiscoming! Sorry, lost a bit of my journalistic reserve there. I’m just excited because Founder Brewing is coming to Arizona. This brewery, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been churning out beers since its founding in 1997 — but, until recently, only to the eastern half of the…
I have a somewhat long-distance relationship with shots. I mean, they’re fun, and they’re easy to throw together, but when your first position behind the stick is making very complex tropical drinks, it’s easy to have a simple part of a bartender’s repertoire fall by the wayside. Then my birthday…
I try to be positive here in the Vine Geeks blog. I like cheering for Arizona wines, geekin’ on what I really like and generally celebrating all the greatness in the wine world. Every now and then, though, I run into something that really chaps my hide. And right now,…
When it comes to drinking cocktails, Michael Allmandinger says “the bitter, the better.” While his cocktails have a strong herbal element by using infused syrups and bitters as well as liqueurs like Génépi, as he does in his trademark, competition-winning Parlor Star cocktail, calling his creations bitter wouldn’t do justice…
The Spot: Pizza People Pub 1326 North Central Avenue 480-326-8542 www.pizzapeopleaz.com…
Beer: Pugachev’s Cobra Brewery: Hangar 24 Craft Brewery Style: Imperial Stout ABV: 13.8 percent The creation tale of many leaders of the craft beer industry began with a hobby; homebrewing. In need of a downtime activity, today’s master brewers started cooking up and bottling beers. They soon found they were…
It’s kind of fun looking through my bar books for some cocktailian inspiration. Quite a few of the recipes (especially the ones on the sticky pages, just like cookbooks) have memories attached to them, and good times are always involved. It beats the hell out of looking at now-questionable hairstyles…
I know, I know, when I geek out on a wine oftentimes it’s so obscure nobody has heard of it and certainly can’t find it. But sometimes I come across a wine or category of wines that are so unique and speak so loudly of their terroir, or sense of…
If you’re looking to start or just beef up your home bar, it can be pretty tricky to know which spirits and liqueurs will get you the most bang for your buck. Without going low on the liquor shelf, we’ve assembled a list of fifteen recommendations under $50 that will…
The Spot: Derby Public House 4220 Saddle Bag Trail, Scottsdale 480-999-3311 www.derbypublichouse.com…
Beer: Barrel-Aged Wee Heavy Brewery: AleSmith Brewing Co. Style: Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy ABV: 10 percent ‘Twas a time, dear readers, when getting your hands on one of AleSmith’s barrel-aged beers was a Very Big Deal. These bottles were among the rarest and most highly sought-after in all the land; those…
It’s certainly busy season around the restaurant. It’s great to see endless streams of happy folks from out of town coming in to enjoy themselves. And the corresponding bump in my paycheck is pretty damn nice, too. But I can’t help but feel a little envious. I’ve found myself researching…
Many of our life experiences have been enhanced by the internet. Just think about the days prior to Facebook when all we got were a few birthday cards and now we awake on our birthday to several dozen birthday wishes. Our wine experience is no different, the wealth of content…
