How to Embark on a Craft Beer Adventure

Visiting a new brewery or craft beer bar is an exciting time of exploration and wonderment. Nothing beats being able to explore new brew territory, finally being able to visit the birthplace of my favorite beer or a highly talked about beer destination. Understanding the culture of a city or country through craft beer can be deeply rewarding.

A taster flight of Arizona Craft Beers from World of Beer – Tempe on Mill Avenue.

I visit many breweries and taphouses around the state. When I am lucky, I get to visit a brewery or taphouse with out-of-town guests. What’s even better is when I get to assume the role of the traveling beer fanatic! This is truly one of my most favorite pastimes.

So many choices! So many new beers! I become a babbling idiot before my first pint. It’s almost a sensory overload.

Stop. Take a breath. Let’s talk about this before we freak out then default to our favorite style instead of exploring all that a brewery or craft beer house has to offer.

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A sampler flight is the best way to experience a new beer environment – whether it’s a new brewery, craft beer bar or one you haven’t visited in a while.

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When ordering a sampler flight at a brewery, you get a peek into the dynamics and full personality of the place you are visiting. It is also how you get to know a brewer on an intimate level. It allows you to explore how the brewery handles their beers, familiarizes you with the nuances of core ingredients – water, hops, yeast and malt – and enables you to appreciate what they appreciate in beer.

5 Things You May Discover About Yourself and Your Beer

A flight of tasters from Huss Brewing Company in Tempe, AZ. Mark me down as a fan of the Koffee Kolsch – I don’t even like coffee!

1. You may get to sample beers that are not available to retail partners due to their limited production.
2. You may get to sample a new brew before its release for retail sale.
3. You may find you enjoy your go-to style of beer.
4. You may discover a new style you have never heard of before.
5. OR, even more exciting, you may find you have fallen in love with your new favorite beer at first sip!

A beer flight is, by all accounts, a sales tool for breweries and craft beer bars. They WANT you to sample what they have to offer. They WANT to pair you with your perfect beer for that visit – and the perfect beer for that visit may change from visit to visit and from brewery to brewery. No one is going to be able to figure it out through telepathy – it is something that you need to explore for yourself. And, please, ask questions! Knowledge is meant to be shared!

Chris Brewer is a manager for Four Peaks Grill & Tap in Scottsdale, and he speaks highly of getting a sampler flight when visiting the brewery. “Usually we begin by asking folks if they’ve ever been in, and when they haven’t, we obviously recommend the sample tray first especially when someone is unsure of which direction to go.”

In speaking with a friend about their habits when visiting new breweries, he was quick to point out that a sampler flight “allows a connoisseur to get a taste of all the brewery has to offer without breaking the budget for the more thrifty. Also, it allows moderation, so you don’t drink eight to ten full beers and stumble out sloppy drunk.”

Noted. We want to respect the crafting of fine beer and with some beers weighing in at 8% and higher, things can go wayward quickly. Besides, how are you going to check in your beers on Untappd if you can’t operate your phone to take a photo?

A taster flight from Four Peaks Brewing Company in Tempe, AZ

The excitement of exploration may be closer than you think. Visiting a local brewery like Four Peaks Brewing Company or a craft beer bar like World of Beer in Tempe and ordering a sampler flight can really give you the sensation of traveling to an exotic land or exploring things you never knew about your own backyard.

Do you order a sampler flight on your first visit? Maybe the bartenders choice? Or do you default to your favorite style?

Craft Beer Convenience [Slideshow]

The city of Tempe began to bustle again as new and returning college students populate ASU campus and the surrounding neighborhoods. Whether you’re wrapping up a collegiate path, continuing on with a Master’s degree or getting ready to defend dissertations this school year, we’d like to take this moment to talk about some soldiers of craft beer that often go unrecognized but are clutch: the locally owned, locally operated craft beer convenience store.

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Star Liquor & Convenience is located at 1512 N Scottsdale Road in Tempe. Located just north of the main ASU campus, Star Convenience is the perfect place to shop for craft beer while steering clear of the traffic of Mill Avenue. With friendly service and coolers for as far as the eye can see, a craft beer fan on the go really has plenty of options at Star Convenience. Not sure what you pining for? No problem! Build your own 6 pack of craft beer and explore new brews or reminisce with old favorites.

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East of ASU’s main campus lies a gem on the corner of Apache and S. Elm Street called Liquor Express. Kyle is quick to greet you with a warm smile and there are aisles and aisles and coolers and coolers of craft beer to choose from! There’s even a walk in cooler for the big stuff. An added bonus is the growler filling station that has twenty-seven (27!) taps of draft beer flowing for convenient to-go purchase. This place has everything you need, but it will be the craft beer selection that brings the craft beer lover back! Kyle is proud of the empire he has built and is even more proud that Four Peaks beer claims his top 2 selling spots.

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West of ASU’s campus stands a beacon of pride to the craft beer community, Tops Liquors. Tops Liquors can be found at 403 W. University Dr. in Tops Liquors Plaza on the corner of University and S. Farmer Ave. If you listen closely as you enter Tops, you may hear a few Angels of Ale singing in cherub voices. Don’t be alarmed if you also hear harps and flutes either. It’s that magical. Matt greets guests with a genuine smile. He or Greg are happy to help you locate your favorite brew or talk about a new one with you. There are plenty to choose from. Available individually or in packages, in this craft beer nirvana, anything is possible. Immediately adjacent to the store is a small bar area that serves up some big beers. Do note, beer purchased in the Tops Liquors is meant to be consumed off-premise and in the company of good friends. Stop by Taste of Tops with friends to purchase a good brew to enjoy in their freshly painted pub.

Arizona Craft Beer Weekend Getaway Series ft 1702

The Arizona craft beer culture is like no other. Arizona breweries welcome growth. Each brewery emergence strengthens our united plight: Choose AZ Brews.

The Arizona Craft Beer Getaway Series features a peek into destination Arizona craft beer taverns that support craft beer and help cultivate the Arizona craft beer culture.

When the triple digit Phoenix weather becomes too much to bear in the summer, an Arizona Craft Beer Weekend Getaway is needed! Our first stop brings us to Tucson to local favorite, 1702, located at 1702 E. Speedway Boulevard, Tucson, Arizona.

In addition to supporting craft breweries and impressive slices of pizza, 1702 also offers bi-weekly beer releases, like the Down Pourter, from their own on-site, 3 BBL brew house, The Address Brewing Company.

Follow 1702 on Facebook or find them at http://www.1702az.com.

5 Reasons to Reach for Craft Beer in a Can

A number of years ago, I worked for a brewery that launched a campaign touting they were not “Canned and Corny”. After many hours of training, I believed this mantra. It wasn’t until recently (maybe the last four years or so) that I have begun to choose – nay SEEK OUT – canned craft beers over bottled.

Why the switch? Many reasons. But once one sits down to carefully consider the pros of choosing canned craft beer as a superior hydration vehicle, you may never go back.

The canning line at the production facility of Four Peaks on Wilson Street.

Oxygen is bad for beer

Did you ever take a sip of beer and get a mouth full of wet cardboard? Well, maybe not ACTUAL cardboard but you certainly get the essence of wet cardboard. That’s called oxidization. Breweries everywhere go to great lengths to prevent oxygen from reaching their beer after fermentation is complete. Expensive equipment must be in tip-top working condition. Often, testing by many breweries are executed to ensure that the oxygen levels, measured PPB (Parts Per Billion), are as close to zero as possible.

Can of Pumpkin Porter being shaken before being tested for oxidation.

The air-tight seal that canning provides is superior in preventing additional oxygen from poisoning our favorite craft brew. I should note here that care must occur during the entire brewing process else oxidation (among other infections and imperfections) can happen prior to canning and destroy the integrity of the beer.

Charlie Billingsley works in the lab at Four Peaks Brewing Co and guarantees that the lab does multiple tests to verify minimal oxygen pick up in packaging. This is in addition to ensuring Your Beer is free of beer spoiling bacteria. Also, sensory evaluation is performed on all forms of Four Peaks beers – draft, bottle, and canned beer – to make sure quality standards are maintained across all packaging lines.

Light will ruin your beer

Just like oxygen evokes an off-flavor, so does light. Light reacts with the hops in beer to produce a “skunky” flavor. This is called light-struck beer.  It happens as light waves break down hop molecules, called isohumulones (or isomerized alpha acids) and produces a chemical that, welp, is related to the same chemical that a skunk sprays on its victims.

Cans are best at eliminating the probability of light hitting the product. Brown bottles do a good job. Kegged beer will most likely be poured into a clear glass, and clear and green bottles should just be avoided whenever possible.

Barn Burner 2014, Flagstaff

As Charlie puts it, “Living in Arizona presents us with countless possibilities of outdoor activities where canned beer can be enjoyed like going to the pool, golf courses, hiking (pack it in pack it out), and camping – just to name a few.”

Cans weigh less

This goes beyond the amount of effort needed to raise a beer from the bartop to your mouth. A lighter beverage vehicle means easier trips from the car on grocery day; easier trips for the delivery guy to the retailer; easier trips from the brewery to the delivery guys; easier trips from the can producer to the brewery. Now when I say “easier,” I mean more cost-effective. Cans are lighter than bottles, so they cost less to ship and distribute. The weight of an empty can is about 14 grams while an empty bottle weighs about 230 grams.

How does this help? Charlie explains that “this means lighter loads in trucks [that] are easier on the roads when shipping and requiring less fuel to do so.”  A big bonus is that Four Peaks can supplier, Rexam, makes Four Peaks cans in a production facility in Phoenix. This shortens the trip to the brewery and offers Four Peaks the accessibility to watch production runs.

Because many of your favorite craft breweries are run like Mom & Pop shops, every penny counts; every penny that is saved gets reinvested into staff, equipment, product and the community.

Additionally, many friends of Four Peaks send photos of their hiking, biking and camping excursions with cans in tote. It may also be prudent to note that cans are lighter to carry if you are hiking in Tucson or camping in Flagstaff over the weekend.

Cans chill faster

If you are looking to quick chill your beer, I recommend the ice bath method if there is no time for proper chilling in a cooler. It is important to keep in mind that beer does not like to experience sudden and repeated drastic shifts in temperatures – especially fresh beer that is fresh and not pasteurized.

I do not recommend the freezer method. Beer does freeze. It does explode. I speak from experience. If it’s in a bottle, now might be a good time to talk about safety.

8th Street canning line canning 8th Street Pale Ale

Cans are safer

Whether it’s imbibing at home or a party, cans offer a level of safety that one may take for granted – especially if you’re in the company of some kids at a picnic or that friend who speaks explicitly with their arms and hands.

Hosting a party? You may appreciate that a trash can full of cans will be easier for you to lug to the recycle bin outside than a trash can full of broken bottles.

Have you ever loaded groceries into the back of your car only to arrive home, open the trunk and have a six pack of bottled beers leap to its death? Jerk move, beer. Jerk move.

Notably, cans can also be stacked in a cooler or refrigerator. That makes room for more beer or mom’s leftover meatloaf.

Safety can also include the ecological effects of recycling. As a representative of Rexam explains, “The bottom line is that beverage cans are safe and provide the highest quality packaging for beverages on the market today. It is also the answer in terms of sustainability and environmental superiority as it is recycled at more than double the rate of any beverage package in the world.”

There are a few missteps by the consumer that can negate this list. Craft beer is meant to be enjoyed fresh, with friends and responsibly. A lot of care, love and passion went into that vessel of beer you’re enjoying. If your beer isn’t cared for properly, don’t expect the quality and value to shine through.

This list is in NO WAY a definitive list for the canned craft beer argument however it is time for us to move past the stigmas of our grandfather’s canned beer. Let’s embrace the new technologies that have advanced canning techniques and processes that have lead to a superior quality product in the palm of our hands.

Weigh in! Do you prefer canned or bottled craft beer?