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Quick, get to the patio! Here are the best beer gardens to enjoy before summer

Summer is coming in hot, so it's time to squeeze the most out of patio season. Here are our top spots to grab a cold one.
Image: A flight of beer samples.
Grab a pint or a flight and soak in the last of spring at these top Phoenix beer gardens. Sara Crocker

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With the temperatures dipping this weekend (and a hopefully non-record-breaking summer ahead), there’s still some time to enjoy patio season. There are plenty of spots around Phoenix with exceptional patios with shade, twinkling lights and great people-watching, but breweries and taprooms offer communal, casual options to enjoy a cold beer.

Here are our 14 favorite places around metro Phoenix to sip a pint on a patio.

Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co., DTPHX

201 E. Roosevelt St.
Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.'s Roosevelt Row location boasts a massive patio that embraces the European beer garden vibe. Tons of tables are spread out across its yard which is shaded and full of native plants that attract local birds and pollinators. Adirondack chairs encircle fire pits that sit in the middle of the patio. And, you don't even have to be bothered to go inside to get one of the brewery's beers, thanks to a large outdoor bar. If you do feel peckish, it's worth the stroll inside to the counter to order a grass-fed beef burger and fries. In addition to downtown, you can find Arizona Wildernesses in Gilbert and Phoenix’s Miracle Mile.

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Pedal Haus Brewery in Tempe recently revamped its Mill Avenue location, including its patio.
Sara Crocker

Pedal Haus Brewery, Tempe

730 S. Mill Ave., #102, Tempe
While Pedal Haus Brewery has fun, lively patio spaces at its downtown Phoenix, Mesa and Chandler locations, we’re partial to its home base in Tempe. The taproom and restaurant off Mill Avenue is ideal for sports fans because it’s the designated away-game watch party for Arizona State University football. Check out the game from one of its many TVs with a Beach Cruiser Mexican Amber and a flatbread.

PHX Beer Co., Scottsdale Lakeside

8300 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale
One vista that is rare in this desert metropolis is a waterfront view. At PHX Beer Co.’s Scottsdale taproom and restaurant, you can take in Marguerite Lake from your patio table. The McCormick Ranch spot is understandably popular for “hoppy hour,” where you can toast to the sunset shining off the lake with a $4.50 pint of Arizona Gold ale and linger until the string lights come on.

The Park at O.H.S.O. Brewery

335 N. Gilbert Road, Gilbert
The Park at O.H.S.O. Brewery’s Gilbert location ups the ante on drinking outdoors. The ambitious space behind O.H.S.O.’s Gilbert brewpub was built to appeal to every member of the family. There are lawn games, a massive screen for airing sports or movies, a dog park for four-legged friends and an arcade.

TCBC Beer

103 W. Honeysuckle St., Litchfield Park
TCBC Beer sports an L-shaped patio that flanks the West Valley brewery, including a walk-up window to the bar. Owners keep the space lively with musicians, rotating food trucks and cigar nights. Sip pints crafted by transplants turned Arizona brewers Justin Egbert and Paul Power as is, or take the option to transform them into a patio-appropriate shandy, “Beerdmosa” with orange juice or the “Litchelada” with the brewery’s michelada mix.
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Greenwood Brewing has two patio spaces, featuring turf and shade, perfect for bringing a four-legged friend.
Tirion Boan

Greenwood Brewing

922 N. Fifth St.
Nestled in the heart of downtown Phoenix’s Roosevelt Row, Greenwood Brewing has not one but two patio spaces that sandwich the brewhouse. Like the rest of Greenwood, the garden spaces are modern and welcoming. Both patios have shady spots, misters for the heat and great seats to watch the hum of pedestrians on Roosevelt Street. Sip a crisp Herstory Pale Ale or try one of Greenwood’s experimental brews like its Mango Lassi Nitro Cream Ale.

Goldwater Brewing Co., Scottsdale

3608 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
Goldwater Brewing Co. has grown to include three locations, all of which have ample outdoor areas. However, we like visiting its flagship bar and brewhouse in Old Town Scottsdale when seeking a spot outside. Here, not only do you see where your beverage is made but you can enjoy it while sitting on a large, lively patio dotted with picnic tables topped with umbrellas and an outdoor bar. There’s a balcony bar atop the brewhouse that overlooks the space and offers a view of Old Town. The comfortable area is ideal for sipping a hazy Hop Chowda IPA or refreshing Desert Rose Kolsch made with cactus fruit.
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The Perch Brewery in Chandler is home to rescue birds, as well as a large patio and rooftop where guests can sip a craft beer.
The Perch Brewery

The Perch Brewery

232 S. Wall St., Chandler
The Perch Brewery is one of the most unique brewpubs in the Valley.  The Chandler spot offers craft beers, an expansive patio and a rooftop while also serving as a refuge to a flock of rescued birds. Brewery residents include Bubba, a cerulean blue Hyacinth Macaw, Rose-breasted Cockatoo Sharkey and the feather-crowned Tiki, an Umbrella Cockatoo. The brewery’s outdoor space stays cool with lots of plants and umbrellas to offer shade, along with misters in the summer. It’s not a quiet pub-going experience, as you’ll not only see people cooing over the birds, you’ll hear them squawk right back.

Hundred Mile Brewing Co.

690 N. Scottsdale Road, Tempe
Making its home in a former print shop, the sprawling indoor-outdoor space at Hundred Mile Brewing Co. offers plenty of room for groups. The largely shaded, dog-friendly patio area includes lawn games like cornhole and oversized Connect Four. Soak up some sun, sip a Crowd Surfer Mexican Lager made with salt and lime, and order the brewpub’s craveable housemade potato chips and dip.

Fate Brewing Co.

1312 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
Fate Brewing Co. has three locations around the Valley, but if we’re sitting outside – and want to bring our dogs – we love their Scottsdale location. That brewpub’s patio feels like a backyard with turf, large shaded tables and lots of greenery. Fate has a constant rotation of interesting brews, like its award-winning Hatch Chile Gatos golden ale, which is aged on roasted green chiles that add just a touch of heat.

click to enlarge The patio and taproom at Pinnacle Brewing Co.
Pinnacle Brewing Co.'s 10-barrel brewhouse and taproom is located near the Scottsdale Airport and features an expansive indoor-outdoor space.
Sara Crocker

Pinnacle Brewing Co.

15111 Hayden Road, #100, Scottsdale
The family-run brewery in north Scottsdale has an enviable space that seamlessly flows from the taproom to a large, covered patio dotted with tables and lounge seating. Pinnacle Brewing Co.’s outdoor area also features misting fans and retractable shades to make this a spot where you can sip a pint outside even with temperatures rising. Wyatt Wilson is brewing an ever-growing roster of beers that are largely European-inspired, such as Pinnacle’s Illumination Helles lager or the ESB Rupert’s Tower. You won’t have to go far to get a bite – in-house food truck Fire & Braids is parked alongside the patio.

Edelweiss Biergarten

2625 E. Bell Road
Beer gardens first sprang up in Bavaria, Germany. To get a taste of that old-world charm, head to Edelweiss Biergarten in north Phoenix. The spot has been around since 1952 and offers an expansive selection of German brews that you can sip from a picnic table. Pair your pint (or larger stein) with Edelweiss’ Hungarian and German fare, such as shareable pretzel or sausage plate.

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Aaron Pool runs The Green Woodpecker with his brother Jared. The midtown bar has plenty of lounge seating to choose from outside.
Grace Stufkosky

The Green Woodpecker

3110 N. Central Ave., #185
Head to midtown beer and wine bar The Green Woodpecker for a covered patio with a cabana vibe. Inside, the taproom offers beers and tacos (and flowers) from the Pool brothers. Drew Pool, a co-founder of Phoenix’s Wren House Brewing Co., curates the 15 taps that feature a mix of local, U.S. and European pours. You can stick with just the pint, but you should also snag some bites crafted by brothers Aaron and Jared, who also run the fast-casual Gadzooks Enchiladas & Soup. Try the housemade chips and salsa and al pastor tacos.

El Jardin Chiwas

2001 E. Apache Blvd., Tempe
Restaurateurs Armando Hernandez and Nadia Holguin have opened a beer garden at Culdesac, the car-free community in Tempe where the couple’s modern Mexican restaurant Cocina Chiwas and Aruma Cafe reside. The pair also own the popular taqueria chain Tacos Chiwas. Now, they’ve brought in a shipping container retrofitted with 16 taps to pour pints, including two beers made just for them: La Chela, crafted by Mesa brewer Phantom Fox Beer Co., and Chela Negra by Flagstaff’s Dark Sky Brewing Co. El Jardin Chiwas is dog-friendly and boasts a turf area with lawn games, covered picnic tables and fire pits. Plus, guests can order s'mores kits as well as food from Cocina Chiwas. We suggest getting a wood-fired quesadilla with birria.