I'll be in Scottsdale W-F this week for a conference, and will only have an hour or two to explore before work things start. As of now, I'm planning on hitting McFate, which is close to the the Hyatt where I'll be staying. Good choice, or should I make my one stop somewhere else (between the airport and the Hyatt at Gainey Ranch)? Anything I should look to grab at a bottle store? Any wet hop beers I should look out for?
I assume you're talking about McFate South at McDowell & Scottsdale Rd? If so, that's a great choice. Because they basically share a parking lot with Papago Brewing. Both make good beers and good food, but Papago also has a great guest tap list and decent bottle selection to-go. You can maximize your time by hitting both at once. As for wet hop beers, I don't know of many. Four Peaks has one now called Wet Knot, but I think it's a brewery only offering. Just hit McFate and Papago and you may get lucky, wet hop wise.
I was actually talking about the McFate tap and barrel, which is 1.9 miles from the hotel. The South location is 8 miles / 20 minutes away. Thoughts on the North location?
Great place. Same beer as the South location mostly, but their pizza is actually better up there. They actually have a wood-fired oven. It's way up north, though, so you won't be close to much else, beer wise, unless you make a point of it. Maybe look at Scottsdale Beer Co or the Four Peaks Scottsdale location if you're looking for another stop. I don't personally have experience with either. As for what beers to look for in a bottle shop, it depends. What do you like to drink?
I'm an IPA guy. Best in the state, in my opinion, are Tower Station by Mother Road and Dragoon IPA. If McFate has the Fatality IPA on when you're there, just get it. Don't think about it. Just keep an eye out for anything you haven't seen before that sounds good. We get a lot of good West Coast and Colorado distro that I don't think you can get back east in addition to some good locals.
McFate north is just fine but certainly isn't as good as the south location. The south location, combined with Papago and their bottle shop should really be the place to go. With traffic you are maybe looking at a 15-20 minute drive max.
I disagree with the above about the North location, I actually prefer it to South because it's smaller and quieter....it's the original location and more of a "locals only" feel. South is bigger and pretty close to ASU so you get more of that "bro" crowd, although there is a wider-ranging food menu there. I guess it depends on your preference. I won't disagree that there's better bottle shop options near South (Tops Liquors and Papago as already mentioned.) Both double as bars. Although not too close, I would also recommend visiting Wren House. Great guys and great beer.
