Our 21 Top Picks for Arizona Beer Week

Arizona Beer week starts Saturday and we are so freakin’ excited! After spending hours looking at each and every of the more than 150 events that will take place between Saturday, February 18th and Saturday, February 25th we have come up with a list of our favorites.

We tried to narrow it down to seven but that wasn’t going to work. Then we tried 14 — that wasn’t going to work either. We ended up with 21 — three for each day plus we added a bonus tasting of the day. It was still a tough call since there are so many awesome events but we think you’ll like our picks.

Saturday, February 18

• Beer, Brunch, and Bikes, SunUp Brewery — You need a good base before the big fest.
  
• The Arizona Brewers Guild’s 12th Annual Strong Beer Festival, Indian Steel Park — More strong beers than you’ll ever see in one place!
  
• Beer & A Burger Pairing, The Original Wineburger — $10 bucks for a burger and a beer
  
• Taste of the Day — Clean Air Cabs 480-777-9777 — Since you’re going to be at the Strong Beer Fest most of the day, the only tasting you’ll need is the taste of the inside of a cab.
  

Sunday, February 19

• SanTan & Breckenridge Brewer’s Breakfast, SanTan Brewing Co. — Brunch buffet (Breckenridge Vanilla Porter French Toast?!) and Breckenridge beers on tap. $19 per person
• Sunday Soiree with Four Peaks at Sleepy Dog — Food trucks, beer, music, and prizes for Sunday Funday.
  
• 2nd Annual Boulders on Broadway Beer Festival — Sample beers from Left Hand, Odell’s, Sierra Nevada, Big Sky and more. $20 = 15 tastes.
  
• Taste of the Day — Bridgeport Pint Night, Legends — For those of you in the way northwest part of the Valley stop by Legends for a pint from Oregon’s oldest breweries. 

Monday, February 20

• Ska Brewing Beer Dinner, Mellow Mushroom — Beer and pizza. Yum!
  
• Manless Monday, SanTan Brewing Co — Ladies, leave the boy toys at home this tasting is just for you. Beer & grilled cheese pairings. $24 per person.
  
• Dogfish Head Beer Cocktail Dinner, Citizen Public House — Six-courses of awesome food paired with beer cocktails. $75 ++ per person
  
• Taste of the Day — Marble Brewery, Boulders on Broadway — New Mexico’s Marble Brewery’s core beer line up plus a couple specialty brews. 

Tuesday, February 21

• Mardi Gras Party, Baby Kay’s — Albita beers will be showing you some Mardi Gras love at this authentic Cajun party!
  
• Beer & Bacon Dinner, Beckett’s Table — Three bacon dishes served with three matching beers at the community table. $30++
• Exotic Bites & Beers, Posh — Six unique courses paired with craft beers. $122 per person
  
• Taste of the Day — Sierra Nevada, Taste of Tops — Meet one of Sierra’s brewers and sample three special beers from the California natives.
  

Wednesday, February 22

• The Love of Beer Movie Premier, Film Bar — presented by Four Peaks. Join film maker  Alison Grayson, and other female members of Arizona’s beer society for a screening of Grayson’s documentary about the female brewers in the Pacific NW.
  
•  Scotch Ale Tapping Party, SunUp — Cheese soup, cheese plate, cheese bread and one nine ounce glass of the strong Scotch Ale and the cask conditioned IPA. $15 per person
• Green Flash Beer Dinner, AZ Wine Co — Six courses of gourmet eats paired with six Green Flash beers.
  
• Taste of the Day — Maui Brewing Company at Ground Control — The brewers will be pouring their delicious beers including their Kona Porter.
  

Thursday, February 23

• Bell’s Eccentric Cafe, The Hungry Monk — 20 Different Bell’s beers on tap? Say no more. We’ll see you Thursday Chandler.
• AZ Girls’ Pint Out & Beer for Brains Unique Ale Dinner, Rico’s American Grill — Four courses paired with local brews $45 per person.
  
• The Phoenician Brew Fest — Six culinary stations paired with Four Peaks beers. $60 per person.
  
• Taste of the Day — Phoenix Ale Open House at the Brewery — Stop by check out the brewery, meet the brewers, and sample all four brews.
  

Friday, February 24

• Beer Week Bike-In, HB Hanratty’s Pub — Three Amigos will be playing on the big screen and Chef Jeff Kraus will be cooking up movie-themed snacks.
  
• Beer & Dessert Tasting with AZ Girls Pint Out, SunUp Brewery — Ladies only! Local bakeries will be whipping up desserts and SunUp will be pairing them with beer flights. $25 per person. The brewery will also be tapping their Imperial Vanilla Mocha Porter.
  
• An Evening with Epic, Boulders on Broadway — Epic reps will be showcasing a variety of Epic beers. (We hope they bring plenty of their Big Bad Baptist!)
• Taste of the Day —  Bell’s Sampling at Lux — Try out several of Bell’s beers with Bell’s rep Veronica

Saturday, February 25

• Brewers Brunch, O.H.S.O — Beers and brunch before the festivals!
  
• Brewing Up Hope Beer Festival, Papago Brewing — Celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Little Guy Distributing and raise funds for the M.I.S.S. foundation with craft beer. $20 per person
• Four Peaks Kilt Fest, CityScape — Music, food, and beer! $5 per person
• Taste of the Day — AZ Tap Takeover, Taste of Tops — All 24 handles will be attached to a keg of Arizona beer.

  Want to learn more about your favorite AZ breweries? Chow Bella’s resident beer expert Zack Fowle manages to score a few minutes of face time with a few of the breweries around the state. See what they have to say about their brews here.

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