Advice on this for a Phoenix Itinerary

Discussion in 'Southwest' started by MonkeyBread, Sep 1, 2015.

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  1. MonkeyBread

    MonkeyBread Maven (1,308) Apr 26, 2014 Nevada
    Trader

    Brother and I taking a trip in November arriving around lunch time on a Monday and departing lunch time on Wednesday. I've done the Phoenix area a little bit and am hoping to show my brother from east coast that Phoenix is a legitimate good beer city. My thought is to stay in Scottsdale as this has the biggest concentration of breweries and has pretty good access to Tempe/Gilbert/Chandler and Phoenix downtown. Likely will be at a Marriott somewhere in Scottsdale. We are really only focused on breweries, not so much the bar establishments. Samplers are a huge plus to us. Here's the tentative plan:

    Monday focus on Scottsdale (in no particular order):
    1. Fate: been to the original location. Realize a new Fate south opened over the summer. Is it better in terms of beer list and/or space? I found Fate to be the best brewery in Phoenix so very excited to be back.
    2. Scottsdale Beer Company
    3. Papago
    4. O.H.S.O. I see there is a new location in Scottsdale. Is this one worth it or should we go to the main one in Phoenix?
    5. Four Peaks: has a Scottsdale location, would rather do that than the busier main location unless it is noticeably worse?
    6. Two Brothers: been here before, loved the food. Beers were ok.

    Question: If you had to cut 2 of these 6 from the list, which ones?

    Tuesday focus on Southwest suburbs and Phoenix (in no particular order):
    1. Beer Research Institute
    2. Sun Up
    3. Arizona Wilderness - would wait until tasting room opens at 3pm to come here. Maybe a late lunch or early dinner to do both Brewpub (great food) and tasting room.
    4. The Perch - don't see this place mentioned much. Never been, bird theme seems cool and decent tap list with some of their own offerings. Perhaps a good spot for lunch?
    5. Cartel Brewery - thinking of starting day here since it opens the earliest at 10am and has coffee along with beer.
    6. Huss Brewing

    Question: If you had to cut 2 of these 6 from the list, which ones?

    Wednesday probably wouldn't include any beer drinker as we'd leave quite early. What about Northern Mountain Brewing or Mother Bunch Brewing? Are either worth the visit and better than ones in above list, I don't know much about them.

    Thanks guys.
     
    #1 MonkeyBread, Sep 1, 2015
  2. bigbelcher

    bigbelcher Initiate (0) Jul 10, 2003 Arizona

    If you had to cut two each day on day one I would cut out Four Peaks and Two Brothers. Four Peaks because the Scottsdale location is no where near any of the other places and Two Brothers just because I am not that impressed with them. I would go to OHSO's Phoenix location and not the Scottsdale one also because of the location. The new Fate is on the same block as Papago so that makes it super easy to hit both of them.

    On day two I would skip Sun Up and the Perch. Sun Up because of the location and the Perch because it isn't good.

    On day three I would certainly skip North Mountain, Mother Bunch has a new brewer since the last time I was there but since beer isn't the primary concern that day I would skip both and go to better food options at one of the great food experiences we have here in the Valley, such as Snooze or Matt's Big Breakfast for breakfast/brunch, Little Miss BBQ, Los Dos Molinos (Central Ave location), LoLo's Chicken and Waffles or Richardson's for lunch.
     
    #2 bigbelcher, Sep 2, 2015
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  3. EyePeeAyBryan

    EyePeeAyBryan Initiate (0) Dec 20, 2011 Arizona
    Trader

    Agree with skipping Two Bros. on day 1. Agree with cutting Perch but Sun Up and BRI are a coin toss; both make great beer and while BRI certainly isn't conveniently located to anything, I think they have a slight edge over Sun Up. If you like a great, hoppy cask ale, I would go Sun Up since they usually have something killer on and make super clean IPAs. Day 3, unless you have NOTHING going on, skip North Mountain. Mother Bunch has a few of their own beers but everything is mostly local stuff you can get while visiting most places in the valley. Might as well hit up Angel's Trumpet since it's about a mile down the street and usually got some good stuff on tap. I would think about hitting up Wren House when in the Central Phx area too, open a few months and have about 7-8 beers going now and will likely keep that amount going.
     
    #3 EyePeeAyBryan, Sep 2, 2015
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  4. yemenmocha

    yemenmocha Grand Pooh-Bah (4,116) Jun 18, 2002 Arizona
    Pooh-Bah

    Scottsdale Four Peaks and Scottsdale OHSO are in the same parking lot, so maybe consider that factor. No need to move your car. They're also a short drive from Fate and Scottsdale Beer Company, both on Shea. And, the parking situation isn't a major pain in the ass like it is at the OHSO Phoenix location whenever it is busy.

    If you go to Papago, then maybe consider Craft 64 not too far away. It's a new place with ONLY local AZ beers. You can sample AZ beers broadly to get a proper perspective on how things are on the whole. Might be worth it over just hitting a few single breweries. http://www.craft64.com/

    I'd also recommend considering a few options not on your list at all which are arguably two of the better beer bars in the state - Angel's Trumpet and The Attic.

    http://www.angelstrumpetalehouse.com/Angels_Trumpet/Welcome.html
    https://www.facebook.com/theattic4247
     
    #4 yemenmocha, Sep 2, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2015
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  5. MonkeyBread

    MonkeyBread Maven (1,308) Apr 26, 2014 Nevada
    Trader

    Thanks everyone for the help and advice!
     
    #5 MonkeyBread, Sep 3, 2015
  6. mitchgx

    mitchgx Crusader (424) Aug 7, 2005 Arizona

    My opinion on the 2nd day is a bit different than the others: I would cut Huss and Cartel. Not that they're bad...just not as interesting IMO. I personally think The Perch is well worth a stop. It's a really unique spot, especially when the weather is nice. The food is hit or miss, but they always have an interesting tap list, and I find their beers to be decent (and the brewer often plays with interesting flavors). I'm also so-so on Sun Up for that day, partly because it's location isn't convenient to the other places.

    Agree with the suggestion of checking out Craft 64 in Scottsdale.
     
    #6 mitchgx, Sep 4, 2015
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  7. yemenmocha

    yemenmocha Grand Pooh-Bah (4,116) Jun 18, 2002 Arizona
    Pooh-Bah

    Those are good points regarding Huss and Cartel. Plus, I'd wager you may find a couple Huss and Cartel beers at either The Perch or Craft 64. And if he doesn't like The Perch house beers, they often have some good guest beers that are highly rated offerings.
     
    #7 yemenmocha, Sep 5, 2015
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