Phoenix Beer Scene Inquiry

Unless its a really hyped release or a small batch, I usually don't have trouble going a few hours after release and avoiding the line at Wren House and especially Wilderness. Wilderness cans have been gone in hours or stuck around for weeks. Just depends.

No experience with 12 West cans here, but you can get some awesome fresh, canned IPAs from Council, Modern Times, and Tombstone from good bottle shops. Follow them on Instagram and you'll be good

 

May as well bump this rather than create a new thread, right?

I'm going to be in Phoenix for a weekend in a few weeks. Time will be tight, so I won't be able to go too many places. Based on this thread, I'm thinking of Wren House and Wandering Tortoise. I'm wondering if Wandering Tortoise's bottle selection is pretty decent, or if there's a better bottle shop to hit up. The hotel I'll be in is a few minutes northeast of the airport.

 

I can't believe nobody has mentioned the Four Peaks Brewery!!! Awesome food and beer...We were down for Spring ball camps and did the brewery tour...Four Peaks was our favorite...

 

Likely it isn't mentioned as much here because it's owned by AB InBev. Some of us, as I'm sure you know, avoid them for that reason alone. Either way, their beer is EVERYWHERE in the area, so most locals aren't going to get excited about a Four Peaks beer due to its ubiquity. Actually, though, I do enjoy their food and atmosphere, and most of the beers are pretty solid.

 

Depending on how far east you mean by "northeast of the airport," you may be getting into Scottsdale. McFate South shouldn't be too far for you either way, and Old Town has lots of good options that can be walking distance (but maybe not an enjoyable walk in June/July): Goldwater and Two Brothers are up there, Craft64 always has a great (all-local) taplist, and YardHouse in the mall always has something decent. If west is closer for you, stick to Wren House and Helton. As far as bottleshops, Tops in Tempe is probably the best close option, and King's the other direction is supposed to be good, but may be farther.

In fact, if you go down to Tops, maybe Mill Ave is worth checking out. Lots of bars. If I remember correctly, the Handlebar had a good taplist, and Culinary dropout across the railroad tracks has some good beers, good food, and a cool vibe. Tops also has a taproom attached with a good selection.

 

Best Tap Houses in Phoenix
Kings Beer and Wine - Mickey has like over 70 taps and a huge bottle selection.. 7 dollar crowlers too!

Wandering Tortoise- Just a cool place that has a good tap list and bottle / can selection

Casual Pint is good too they are just expensive.

Best Brewery in Phoenix - Wren House Brewery - Hands down they make really good stuff and its not even close. Arizona Wilderness is cool too but its far from Phoenix.. Its pretty much in Gilbert, AZ but its good stuff.

 

Any recommendations for west Phoenix in Peoria? Haven’t stayed on that side before. It looks pretty limited and a 30+ min drive to Wren House, McFate, etc. not ideal. Breweries I see are Dubina, Peoria Artisan Ales, Richter, Freak’n but none look too great. Any good craft bars close by or something else?

 

Best option on the west side is Ground Control for food/beer.

 

I live in NW Phoenix and it is somewhat of a beer desert in terms of solid breweries and Bar/Eateries. i would agree Ground Control is the best option on the West Side. i have been to Peoria Artisan several times, the food is solid and the beer is pretty good to good plus they have a couple of guest taps. Freak'n has some solid beers but it is a spartan tasting room. I personally am not a fan of Dubina but they at one point seem to have a pretty good fan following. Never been to Richter but i understand they have a combination of their own brews and guest taps and it sounds like they have some pretty good food trucks come in. Other options around are chain driven (Yardhouse and Gordon Biersch at Westgate), BJ's Brewhouse on Northern and the 101, and Rock Bottom at Arrowhead Mall. The best places are in Central or East Phoenix and the other metro Phoenix cites on the east side of the Valley.

 

Thank you both. Went to Ground Control once before. Cool place, really liked it. Only problem this time is from hotel in Peoria it looks like a 25 min drive so going to Wren House or something else at 30 min isn’t too different. Appreciate the recommendations!

 

I'll be visiting family in Phoenix, with small kids in tow, so I probably won't get out to bars or breweries much - best shelfies to stock the fridge with? Looks like there's a Total Wine and a Whole Foods not far from where we'll be (north Phoenix, almost to Scottsdale).

I have Mother Road and Dragoon on my list, any other recommendations for locals that are reliably fresh and not too hard to find?

 

If I'm buying shelf beer that's consistently available at TW, Modern Times is at the top of the list. Mike Hess Solis is good as well. La Cumbre is one to look out for. I also really liked Marble's IPA. Not sure what you get out in DC, but the following are solid choices if fresh: Deschutes, Odell, Ska. Keep in mind, none of those will be hazies, except for maybe some of the MT stuff. If you're willing to go to a specialty bottle shop, you'll likely find some more limited stuff from LaCumbre, Tombstone, or Council.

I'm sure there are others, but those jump out at me.

 

Nice! I didn't realize Tombstone and La Cumbre had distribution (beyond the brewery/beyond NM, respectively). DC gets occasional MT drops, and Deschutes is easy to find here, but I'm a big fan of Odell and will keep an eye out for Marble/Ska.

 

Yeah, Tombstone and the La Cumbre special releases will probably only be available at really good bottle shops, none of which I am aware of up that way. You'll be able to snag most of the La Cumbre year-rounds at TW for sure, including Elevated.

 

Coming from out of La Cumbre's distribution range where Elevated will be as fresh to you as anything else by them, and assuming your into the style, don't go after any of their more limited offerings at the expense of Elevated. IMO.

 

I love me some Elevated. Such a great beer.

Aside from IPAs, any good local lagers or low-ABV saisons that TW would likely have?

 

If they carry Marble, check for their Pilsner. Not local though.

 

Wren House and Wandering Tortoise in Phoenix are kid friendly and dog friendly. You can bring in food and eat it there too ( they encourage it )

 

Ground Control is the spot on the West Side.. Ian is the man and always has a good tap list.

 

My answers to that would be Modern Times Fortunate Islands, and, this time of year, their pilsner, Ice. But you said you sometimes get MT in DC. Huss Koffee Kolsch may be worth a try, if you like coffee. Otherwise, I'm having a hard time thinking of refreshing shelfies you can't get at home. Most of my favorite breweries around here don't can, bottle, or brew the same beers year-round.

Otherwise, I thought Unita's Lime Pilsner was a decent take on a beachy beer, and Hangar 24's Wheels Up is pretty easy to drink, even if it isn't a true-to-style Helles. Ska's Mexican Logger is supposedly good, and it predates the trend. I haven't had it myself, so I can't vouch for that particular beer.

Also, I forgot to mention we get Pizza Port distro. Be sure to pick some up.