Since opening in fall 2014, Mother Bunch Brewery has become a downtown destination for hand crafted beers and elevated bar fare. Thanks to its location at 825 North 7th Street, just south of the I-10, it’s a convenient pit stop on the way home from work, on the way to…

The Beer: Cultivate Mexican Lager The Brewery: Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company (in collaboration with Cigar City Brewing and Boulevard Brewing Co.) The Stats: 4.8% ABV; 15 IBU The Story: For the second year, Chipotle is bringing its Cultivate Festival to metro Phoenix. The company puts on the event in select cities with…

The Beer: Parched Pooch Hefeweizen The Brewery: Sleepy Dog Brewing Company, Tempe, AZ Sleepy Dog Brewing Company is a small craft brewery located at 1920 E. University Drive in Tempe. The brewery produces many different styles of beer on-site and cans of these offerings for those who want to enjoy…

The next time you find yourself in Goodyear and in the mood for a cold craft beer, head to Saddle Mountain Brewing Company, located at 15651 West Roosevelt Street. The brewery serves a line of its own hand-crafted ales, known as Taildragger Beers, a term that refers to airplanes first…

The Beer: Nut Brown Ale, 5.5% ABV; 30 IBU The Brewery: Oak Creek Brewing Company, Sedona, AZ  You don’t need an excuse to make a day trip or weekend getaway to Sedona, but if there’s inspiration needed to make the two hour drive north, Oak Creek Brewing Company just might…

The Beer: Taildragger’s 6-4-3 Session IPA (4.8% ABV, 55 IBU) The Brewery: Saddle Mountain Brewing Company, Goodyear Let’s start with a baseball lesson: 6-4-3 is baseball terminology for a double play that originates with the shortstop, who then gets the ball to the second baseman, who follows up by getting…

The Beer: Rogue Sriracha Hot Stout The Brewery: Rogue Brewing Company, Newport, Oregon The Stats: 5.7 percent ABV, 55 IBU The Scoop: After one look at the giant bomber bottle dressed up like a bottle of hot sauce, “gimmick” is the first word that comes to mind. But don’t be fooled:…

The Beer: Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale The Stats: 8.5% ABV | 38 IBU The Brewery: Boulevard Brewing Company, Kansas City, Missouri  Boulevard Brewing Company was founded in 1989 and has long been known for making quality beers. The problem for Arizona residents was that these delicious beers were not distributed…

Wits Who & What: Pedal Haus Brewery in Tempe The Beer: Pedal Haus Wit (5.1 percent ABV)  Pedal Haus, Downtown Tempe’s new crown jewel (at least, beer-wise), opened in September 2015, first showcasing a lineup of fine craft-centric guest beers. Now that Head Brewer Derek “Doc” Osbourne has had time…

In 1994, Winnie and Evan Hanseth left their corporate jobs to create a Flagstaff local landmark, Beaver Street Brewery. The hot spot gained popularity, as did the beers. Fast-forward 16 years and the Hanseths opened a second location named Lumberyard Brewery, renovating a building from the area’s lumber era. This…

The Beer: Choklat The Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Company The Skinny: 10 percent ABV; part of the Blackwater Series of beers Southern Tier of Lakewood, New York, is known for its wide array of beers, but it’s the brewery’s Blackwater Series that steals the limelight. Southern Tier is neither timid…

The Beer: Duet IPA The Stats: 7.0% ABV; 45 IBU The Brewery: Alpine Brewing Company, a small craft brewery found in the mountains just outside of San Diego, is absolutely beloved by the beer community. The small brewery’s beers were always relatively hard to find, however, so experiencing an Alpine…

For many Valley residents, winter in Arizona means it’s time to get in the car, drive north, and see some snow. There’s no better place to do that than in Flagstaff, a short two and half hour drive for most Phoenix-area residents, and a city that’s home to a bourgeoning…

The Beer: Piehole Porter The Brewery: Historic Brewing, Flagstaff The Stats: 6.0% ABV, 20 IBU The Style: Chocolate Brown Porter with cherry and vanilla The Skinny: Piehole Porter is a beer that gets a lot of buzz in the Arizona craft brewing community, and rightfully so. This Brown Porter ends…

The Beer: Gift of the Magi The Brewery: Lost Abbey Brewing Company, San Marcos, CA The Stats: 12.0% ABV The Style: Biere de Garde (French Farmhouse Style Ale) It’s happened to everyone at some point: The anticipation of Christmas morning and the hope of getting that very special gift. The…

The Beer: Winter White Ale The Brewery: Bell’s Brewery in Comstock, Mich.  Big beers are usually the name of the game when it comes to winter seasonals, but Bell’s Brewery offers a respite from the high alcohol options prevalent throughout the season with its Winter White Ale. Contrary to what…

The Beer: Pale 31 The Brewery: Firestone Walker The Stats: 4.9% ABV, 39 IBU The Story: Firestone Walker brews their beers in Paso Robles, Calif., under the leadership of talented brewmaster Matthew Brynildson. The brewery likes to incorporate California themes from time to time, and Pale 31 is a perfect example…

The Beer: Street Cred Stats: 7.5 percent ABV, 45 IBU The Brewery: The Beer Research Institute, located at 1641 South Stapley Drive in Mesa, recently celebrated its first anniversary of bringing a fresh, new take on craft brews to East Valley residents. The brewery makes a number of interesting and innovative beers, but…

The Beer: Funkwerks Saison The Brewery: Funkwerks is a Belgian-inspired brewery located in Ft. Collins, Colorado. The brewery specializes in Belgian-style beers brewed by Head Brewer Gordon Schuck. The Stats: 6.8% ABV. This beer was a Great American Beer Festival Award Winner in both 2011 (Silver) and 2012 (Gold) in the…

The Brewery:  A name like Beer Research Institute could conjure images of white coat laboratory technicians analyzing the inner most secrets of beer under high power microscopes. But in Mesa, the “B.R.I.” — as it is called by locals — should really just make you think of fresh, local beer…