Taste DRINK
BY ALISON BAILIN BATZ
INFUSED BREWS Arizona-made beers bursting with creative flavors
Arizona breweries are making their name by developing some of the most progressively flavored beer options in the Southwest. Here are some seasonal sippers and year-round staples to try.
Another Pumpkin Porter OHSO Brewery + Distillery October often marks the return of pumpkin-flavored everything – and beer is no different. This Balticstyle porter features pumpkin along with nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla. www.ohsobrewery.com. Ichabod Crane’s Nightmare 8-Bit Aleworks This pumpkin mocha latte imperial stout has all the flavor of fall in an unexpectedly rich and dark package where coffee and chocolate mingle with natural pumpkin. www.8-bitaleworks.com. Papago Orange Blossom Huss Brewing Co. Perhaps the granddaddy of all the flavored beers in the state, this award-winning Dreamsicle-flavored wheat ale blending vanilla and mandarin was invented in 2005 and helped put Arizona beer on the map. www.hussbrewing.com. Piehole Porter Cherry Vanilla Historic Brewing Company Bursting with flavor, the Piehole Porter tastes of roasted chocolate and vanilla plus a slight cherry finish for an easy-drinking brew with delicate sweetness. www. historicbrewingcompany.com Big Blue Van College Street Brewhouse This American-style wheat beer is infused with both blueberries and vanilla. It is light and certainly fruity, but delicious well beyond pool season thanks to the richness of the vanilla. www.collegestreetbrewhouseandpub.com. Railhead Red Lumberyard Brewing Co. An amber ale, Railhead Red balances a selection of crystal and caramel malts that are moderately hopped, resulting in a full-bodied brew. www. lumberyardbrewingcompany.com.
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So Scottsdale! October ‘18
Orange Bomb Blasted Barley Beer Company Remember those foil-wrapped chocolate oranges that you hit on the table to break apart? The Orange Bomb stout, with subtle dark chocolate flavors and citrus notes, is just like those ... but it’s a beer. www.blastedbarley.com. WHT CHCLT Sonoran Brew Co. This white chocolate wheat ale is surprisingly light and refreshing, yet has notes of a decadent truffle one might find at a fancy chocolatier. www.sonoranbrewing.com. Mr. Pineapple SanTan Brewing Company While being brewed, the refreshing beer is infused with fresh pineapple juice from fair-trade Costa Rican farms, resulting in a unique twist on a traditional wheat sipper. www.santanbrewing.com. #7 Cherry Popper Porter Mother Bunch Brewing The brewery’s first commercially brewed beer, this smoked cherry porter conjures the sweet-yet-bitter flavor of a dark chocolate-covered cherry with a mild smoke finish. www.motherbunchbrew.com. Lord Rupert Everton II SWIPA Helio Basin Brewing Co. Changing yearly, this anniversary beer is a Southwest IPA (SWIPA) that focuses on one hop varietal each year. 2018’s take has definite flavors of pinot gris and overly ripe red berries followed by tart red currant and tropical fruit flavor. www.heliobasinbrewing.com. Kolsch Style Ale Mother Road Brewing Co. Inspired by Arizona’s Gold Road stretch of Route 66, there are subtle notes of pear and lemon paired with a mild biscuit malt and floral aroma. www.motherroadbeer.com.