Roses by the Stairs Brewing

Well into the Arizona leg of Beer & Baseball with the unusual suspects. Mid-afternoon ‘Pregaming’, adjective, ‘pre’ meaning ‘prior to’ or ‘before’, ‘gaming’ being ‘the main event sport or activity’. Yes, this is literally ‘pre, the game’. It is, how do you say, on. In a something off the main drag of somewhere, possibly near stairs? Man, I hope not. Stairs + heat = not coolness. Okay, parking lot parked and shuffle on in…

Sizable open space. Concrete floors and a black canvas wrapped ceiling with skylight on cross I-beams, ducts, drop nipple lamps, & Okto flaggings strung. Cinderblock walls with mounted spinnys for keeping it all cool, yo.

‘L’ shaped gray composite topped bar, orange panel base. Seating for 14 stooled (and a shorty accessible space on the far end). Cold box fronting barback wall holds a 16 non-descript handled row on stainless. Glassware racked to one side with sample paddles below, and popcorn clipped to the wall and shelved on the ends with stickers & potted plants. Shelf running the length above with 8X12 beer placards framed hooked in a row (beer, style, ABV, full size pour $), with glassware, books, a growler, a plant. And another shelf atop with the Pints & Panels “Beer is for all” print on center (go Em!), and smaller prints to both sides of a ‘costume and fun’ shop, which used to be here, and the brewery that is now here. Flats on the ends mounted, Okto flaggings, & sprawling vininess.

Track spots on the beer placards & light bars over the bar and on the far ends of the room. Brewery penned to the rear and a corner foeder (who lives in there?) A 5 panel Arizona painting on the far wall. To-go bottles and cans coolered behind me. A dozen rectables about the room, a few barrels for the stand around, and coffee table with couch set ups to the rear wall fronting barrels racked. Game rack in the far corner for the play. Roll up door to a small outside pen with nearly a half dozen barrel tables and bar counter ledge space off both corners.

15 beers up. More than ½ of them are hoppys (Left Coast Envy, WC IPA, 6.3%; 7th and McDowell, WC IPA, 7%; 12 Majestic Lies, DDH WC IPA, collab with 8-bit Brewing, 7.3%; This is Growing Up, Hazy IPA, 6.5%; Summer at the Warped Tour, Hazy IPA, 6.8%; Arrows ‘N’ Roses, DDH Hazy IPA, 7.1%; Ocean Avenue, DDH Hazy DIPA, 8.1%; Cheshire Cat, Hazy TIPA, 10.5%), and the remainder are mix & match styles (Juturna, Kolsch Style Ale, 4.7%; Jojo, Arizona Witbier, 6.2%; Tell All Your Friends, Hoppy Petite Saison, 4.6%; Brown Bear, Honey Nut Brown Ale, 6.5%; Oktoberfest, Marzen, 5.3%; Grove Weaver, Mango Smoothie Sour, 4.5%; Sherri Dear, Fruited Sour, 5.5%).

Got into a few as one who is me, does (Brown Bear, Honey Nut Brown, malty nutty sweet, tasty; Jojo, Arizona Witbier, the Wit is Wit, Corriander it is, refreshing; Tell All Your Friends, Hoppy Petite Saison, Lemony AF, funky, but not in a great way, tastes like cat litter smells, we don’t know, just no; Oktoberfest, a bit grainy, but pleasant). Brown Bear and Oktoberfest for the wins. I really don’t know why I didn’t get into the WC IPAs are we are outish that way.

Ben’s uncle came out to meet us for a minute (That which helps us dial in on just who Ben really is). Chill house, nice peoples. Had a few good beers here; get out of the heat and come look in on.

First and most importantly, LOVE the brewery name! A modern, fun, and open space amongst a strip mall? Feel like I am in the midwest right in the heart of PHX. Tap list featured a variety of styles with an emphasis on regional starring ingredients, well executed and balanced ales all around. Friendly and attentive service. Host food trucks too with easy table delivery. This was a favorite of the wife's on our visit. I too would happily go back as it was one of the best PHX breweries, got a good thing going excited to see where they go!

Sheet steel warehouse building about a block to the north of US 10 near downtown. Spacious interior with straight bar along the left hand wall that seats about 20 with additional seating about the room and on the patio out front. Brewhouse is visible in the back. A dozen beers on tap, the IPA I had was very nice. Friendly bartender.