Today starts the first of the blogs from my recent trip to Arizona.  Things have really changed there in terms of the beer scene since I went to school there (not giving a date just a long time ago).  We thought great beer then was Pacifico and Corona and the best domestics were Budweiser and Miller High Life.  I mostly drank wine coolers back then (see I am dating myself).

Today, there are dozens of breweries in the state. Some are making some great beers.  I started out in Phoenix and was told that Four Peaks was the way to go.  I had a few of their beers at a local watering hole in downtown Phoenix called the Rose and Crown. I am pretty sure the lines still had cleaning solution in them there as the beers all tasted a bit like chlorine, so I wasn’t all that impressed with my first try.  Nevertheless, I decided to make a trip out to one of their brew pubs.

I visited the Scottsdale located which sits in a very crowded strip mall right off the interstate. Parking seemed to be an issue there so I would suggest that you get there early.  I can’t imagine what parking would be like around 8 pm on a Saturday night as I visited about 5 pm on a Thursday.

The atmosphere is friendly and the location boasts a large patio, which unfortunately faces onto a parking lot.  Being as that I had other stops to make that night, including to OHSO which sits right across the parking lot, I started with a sampler.

The Sunbru is a kolsch with a traditional yeasty finish. This was actually a pretty good kolsch as it didn’t have that brash finish that many kolsches do.  I am not a big fan of this style of beer but could see this would be great on a hot day and perfect for the Arizona climate.

The Hefeweizen here was my absolute favorite.  I am generally not a fan of hefes either but this was perfect.  It had great tastes of banana and clove without either flavor being overpowering.  There is a hint of a cleanness in the finish.  I looked for this beer in bottle or can and couldn’t find it.  I highly recommend this one, even if you are not a hefe fan.

The Peach Ale was too similar to Sea Dog’s Sunfish for my taste. In fact, to me it tasted exactly identical. I do like Sunfish so I found it a pleasing beer, I had just wished it was more original. Like Sunfish, it has a pleasing peach nose but is not too sweet in the finish.

The Kiltlifter is the Scottish style ale. This beer doesn’t have much nose but retains a bit of sweetness on the finish.  It then ends in a classic English bitter taste.

The 8th Street Pale Ale had no nose and was weak for a pale ale.  It had only subtle hints of hops and would really be improved with more flavor. Although an English style pale ale, it really was mild.

The Hop Knot IPA on the other hand had a great hoppy nose and you can smell several varieties of hops in it. It had a great hop bitter finish.  This was a good solid IPA.

Raj IPA didn’t have that great hop nose or finish.  It is very weak for an IPA. True hop lovers should stick to the Hop Knot.

The Oatmeal Stout was a good solid oatmeal stout with a good coffee nose.

The Pumpkin Stout was another good one.  Like Warlock, the pumpkin here takes a back seat to the nutmeg.  However, unlike Warlock, this beer doesn’t have a beefy mouth feel. The mouth feel is weaker, as is the color, being more like a porter than a true stout.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Four Peak Brewing Company. The beers here are mostly solid representations of style.  I even brought a few of them home with me, including the Peach Ale.  If you find yourself in the Phoenix area, this is definitely worth a stop and with four locations (including in the airport), you should be able to find one nearby.