Phoenix Beer Scene Inquiry

It was on draft last weekend, along with Imperial and BA versions (no bottles/cans I could see, just draft). The regular version was great, smelled super sweet but tasted drier/more balanced.

 

Cans came and went quick. Glad to hear the regular was in good form! Have only had the BA verison this year, which was indeed a bit sweet and slick for my tastes. Agree that, when on, it dries out really nicely (for a sweet stout anyway )

 

Thanks to the tips here, I was able to try a bunch of local brews during my stay in Phoenix.

My favorites, in order, were:
Arizona Wilderness Dirty Hop Water: I Wupped Batman's Ass
McFate Coconut Bliss Candy Bar Milk Stout
Arizona Wilderness Abundansea
Beer Research Institute Blackberry Urban Art
Wren House Jomax
Wren House Oatmeal Raisin Cookie

There were a few beers I didn't like much, but they have fallen blissfully from my memory, and I'm not here to bash any breweries anyway!

I made it out to Wren House & Arizona Wilderness; otherwise, this place was a godsend:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/48721/
So many drafts, available in so many options (crowler, growler, mason jar, etc....)

TL;DR -- thanks to all who sent me advise, you helped me have a beer-soaked vacation.

 

Is there anywhere in downtown Phoenix to get Pueblo Vida, Wren House, and/or AZ Wildneress on tap? I’m staying near the Convention Center. Thanks in advance.

 

Best bet is Wandering Tortoise. Tap list updated frequently on Untappd and often can have any of those on.

 

Not for those beers but a short light rail ride away and you can hit Sun Up Brewing and the Huss Brewing Taproom on Camelback. Both have excellent beers.

 

I didn’t have a lot of time to explore, but I’ll be back again soon. Went to Tratto for dinner last night and stumbled into Valley Lager from Wren House and Abundansea from AZ Wilderness. They were good but nothing special.

 

Straight up do you work for or have family that works for Sun Up? In the time I've spent in PHX I've never heard anyone talk highly of Sun Up, and the beers I've had from them are as cookie cutter as it gets, but you're in here talking them up like they're Hill Farmstead every chance you get.

Like, their amber ale is called 'amber ale,' they have a brown ale, a hefe, and a vanilla porter. They are a late-90s strip mall brewpub.

 

Without a doubt the Phoenix move is hitting Wandering Tortoise and Wren House which are 5 min from each other. Wandering Tortoise always has a Killer tap list and updated diligently on Untappd. Cans / bottles to go from the coolers, mead and wine too. Wren House I went on Black Friday and they had an absurd tap list of giant stouts, wheat wines, barley wines. Line out the door at opening to get a crowler release of a pasty stout that was excellent (Los Postres Tranquilo). These guys are without a doubt the best in the city. Love their barley wines, hazy ipas and stouts especially.

Nobody else is on a level near Wren House. Arizona Wilderness, McFate, Beer Research Institute, Goldwater and The Shop would be next tier and each is great but not near the Wren House level. Then I’d put an average tier of just about everybody else below that: Sun Up, Helton, Scottsdale Beer Company, Huss, OHSO, etc.

 

I agree with your ratings! I like Wrenhouse a lot too. I was pissed I wasn't able to get their Saguaro Society membership. They literally sold out online within 2 minutes. I also think Wrenhouse makes the best hazy IPA's in Phoenix. I love Wandering Tortoise too, its big and they sometimes get their hands on Pueblo Vida from Tucson and no body else in Phoenix ever gets anything from Pueblo Vida, so kudos to them for that. I find myself driving to Tucson a lot more these days to pick up a case or two from Pueblo Vida when Wrenhouse isn't releasing anything good.

 

I’ve got to heavily disagree here. Literally every positive you listed (and I bolded) I view as a strong negative. Obviously personal preference, but I’m just speaking on behalf of everyone who isn’t interested in waiting in line for expensive trendy beers with huge ABV. I’ve been to Wren House several times and have found them to be above average, but mostly forgettable. Give me a few pints at your second tier breweries any day, especially McFate (and Wilderness, but they are more hit or miss for me). I also think throwing Helton in the bottom tier is doing a disservice to anyone who chooses not to go there based on that assessment. I’d be there more often if it weren’t such a haul for me.

 

I've never been to Helton. Reason being? Wandering Tortoise is literally right down the street. Not bashing Helton though its just Tortoise always has good stuff on tap.

 

Well I’m sure you’ve had a Helton brewed beer, as I believe they contract brew Tower Station for Mother Road. Otherwise I think their Northeast IPA is a great, somewhat unique take on the style, and the other beers I’ve had there have been good too. The atmosphere inside is really cool too, as Brian builds most of the stuff himself, and all of the interior is lined with wood reclaimed from a barn in Indiana (where he is from). I’d recommend a stop in sometime if you’re in the area often.

 

Anyone going to Wandering's anniversary ? Looking forward to that Wren House collab DIPA plus their tap list looks fucking amazing!Starts at 9am on Saturday and it will probably be jammed packed by 9:30

 

Probably not. I’ll have family visiting from out of town, so I’ll be busy all weekend. I think you’re referring to the AZW collaboration, though.

 

Yeah one of those collabs.

 

Hi all!

I'll be travelling with the wife and kids to the Phoenix area, and likely will be staying in Tempe or Scottsdale. Time will be tight, so my preference would be to find a bottleshop/bar where i can pick up a variety of singles to go(12oz/16oz cans/bottles) with the goal of trying new to me breweries. While I'd love to try some Wren House beers, I'm not interested in 4/6 packs and am not really into the hazy/milkshake IPAs. Based on what i've seen in this thread, my best bets are Tops Liquors and Kings Beer and Wine (which is more of a haul). Any other recommendations?

 

Tops is fun but a bit insane inventory and organization-wise. Little is stored cold, so it’s fine for non-IPAs/delicate beers like lagers, but otherwise I’d go elsewhere. (It does have a nice pub attached to it with a usually excellent tap list). Liquor Express in Tempe is what I’d recommend. Better storage conditions, I believe they sell singles too (may want to call to check on that). Kings is fantastic and a go-to if you can get there. Wandering Tortoise isn’t quite as far from you as Kings (though still not close enough to call convenient) and while they sell singles I think the markup is rough. Good tap list there though.

 

I’d second Liquor Express. I’d also recommend Bottleshop 48. Both stores sell singles and store them cold. It’s just a couple of miles down McClintock from Liquor Express, so I’d try to hit both in one trip. Bottleshop probably has a better selection of beers, but I often find some limited stuff at LE that Bottleshop either didn’t get or sold out of, like Tombstone. Bottleshop also has a good draft selection for on-site consumption or growler fills.

 

BTW, you'll also be close to McFate Brewing, which has a great outdoor patio, an area where you can play cornhole (which your kids may dig), and, of course, they produce some great beer. Worth a stop if you're not just looking for stuff to drink at home.