Best Beer in Scottsdale/Phoenix Arizona?

I'm sick as a dog so we're scrapping out Grand Canyon trip (and we had a reservation right on the rim) but nothing will stop us from making it to Spring Training. Where's the best beer in the Scottsdale/Phoenix area? When I used to go with buddies we'd booze in the condo mostly or strike out (get it?) for whatever bars were stumbling distance. I stumble less now and my wife isn't so inclined towards binge drinking as I am so I'd really like to experience the best that the area has to offer. (It's actually kinda fun not being such a drunk anymore. I get to do more stuff!) We'll also be traveling through most of the Cactus League towns so if you have any ideas of beer-related things in or near any of those places that you think we should see, please let me know.

Four Peaks, Papago, San Tan, Hungry Monk, etc...

http://www.fourpeaks.com/

http://papagobrewing.com/

http://www.santanbrewing.com/

http://www.hungrymonkaz.com/

I'm envious of your Spring Trainning trip! My dad used to take me down every year when I was younger! Love it down there...

Have fun!

Sleepy dog Brewery in Tempe

OSHO brewery in Scottsdale

The Thirsty Lion in Tempe Marketplace has good selection and a dynamite NW Pub burger (they are from Oregon)

I personally choose sleepy dog then stumble to Four Peaks sometimes.

AZ_IPA said:

http://papagobrewing.com/

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Thanks for reminding me about this place! I've heard fantastic things about it from several sources and I think I may have forgotten about it altogether without your help.

davidr2340 said:

I'm envious of your Spring Trainning trip! My dad used to take me down every year when I was younger! Love it down there...

Have fun!

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Beer, my wife, baseball (the Giants, really), my mom, great food are, in no particular order, the five greatest things in the world as far as I'm concerned. My wife got bit by the baseball bug during the 2010 season and so this will be her first time there. It'll be fun for sure!

coroboto said:

Sleepy dog Brewery in Tempe

OSHO brewery in Scottsdale

The Thirsty Lion in Tempe Marketplace has good selection and a dynamite NW Pub burger (they are from Oregon)

I personally choose sleepy dog then stumble to Four Peaks sometimes.

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I couldn't find OSHO anywhere on the Internet. Another place close to the park and close to our condo would be nice, though. And that makes two for Four Peaks. Thanks!

Thanks for the tips. We went to OHSO and it was OK. A decent selection of local brews. The waiter was kinda clueless, especially about the house brews (he had no idea how often they made beer or how much of it they could make). The food sucked but we know to expect that down there.

Papago was very cool (though again, the food was horrendous--we had a salt pizza). I discovered several great brews there though oddly many were from the Mid-West and Colorado. I loved the Denver Pale Ale from Great Divide.

We didn't make it to the Four Peaks brewery but we did try several of their beers. I LOVED the SunBrew Kolsch and brought a case of that back with me and now have a Kolsch in line to brew next week.

What was shocking to me was how difficult it was to get a locally made beer anywhere other than a brew-pub. It's shameful they don't sell anything from Arizona in any of the baseball parks or at Jobbing.com (where we saw the Sharks look pretty ****ing toothless against the Coyotes). Similarly, several of the places where we ate and/or drank didn't have any local beers though they would have some beers from smaller breweries (I notice that Firestone Walker (my current favorite California brewer, as it turns out) was well represented).

Thanks for the recommendations. The woman who tattooed me while I was there recommended the Magic Mushroom (or something like that) for our next trip. I'm already looking forward to sipping some different brews there next year. Arizona has some beers to be proud of.

San Tan and Four Peaks are making good inroads,,,I've not taste too many other quality AZ brews.

If you're looking for a new Brewery in Scottsdale right down the road from the new Scottsdale spring training complex, check out Nimbus American Bistro and Brewery. They bring the Tucson-based Nimbus beer to Scottsdale, along with over 25 other craft beers on tap

fatbowtie said:

If you're looking for a new Brewery in Scottsdale right down the road from the new Scottsdale spring training complex, check out Nimbus American Bistro and Brewery. They bring the Tucson-based Nimbus beer to Scottsdale, along with over 25 other craft beers on tap

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+1 for nimbus bistro. Also, and i know some people will be angry about this, but IMHO I think four peaks is highly overrated. I think they are decent craft brews but nothing more. SanTan has rely stepped up their game, if you get a chance try their devils ale, it was starting to gain a decent footprint around Arizona last time I was there and it is a really refreshing brew. For a good selection of arizona beers check out whole foods or bevmo/total wine, they all have large AZ only sections

Also oak creek has very good brews as well, I would try their nut brown if you like darker beers, that was one of my first favorite specialty beers

chinkson said:

Also oak creek has very good brews as well, I would try their nut brown if you like darker beers, that was one of my first favorite specialty beers

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Yep; after Coyote Springs closed, Oak Creek nut brown gave me, and continues to give me, my commercial fix for a great brown ale.

Man! Wish I had the time when I was in AZ to go do this stuff. SanTan was right near me apparently and I had no clue! Maybe next time I'm out that way, I'll be there longer than 36 hrs. Too late of a flight in and too early of a flight out

I opted for Thai food ordered to my hotel. Man would an IPA or a hefe have been awesome with that.

Can't go wrong with Taste of Tops. It's on the outskirts of Tempe/Phoenix. It's like a liquor store crossed with a beer bar. They have refridgerators where you go and pick out a beer and take it to the bartender who pours it for you. They have a fantastic selection and their staff is super friendly and fun to talk shop with.

AZ Wine right off Scottsdale road has some very hard to come by beers on tap, I also am a fan of Four Peaks, but my new favorite local brewery is San Tan. They make some incredible beer. They have a pineapple heffeweizen seasonal out right now that is incredible on a hot day and their double chocolate porter called Sex Panther is probably my favorite local beer.