Homemade French onion soup in hopes that it will cure the sinus/allergy gunk that is driving you bonkers.

Drink…

Irish coffee when you’re in Ireland. Be sure to take photos in case your husband’s head is a little fuzzy after the Strong Beer Fest, and he feels like debating the point.

Be merry…

When you get to celebrate baptisms and unexpected, blossoming friendships.

Be thankful.

The 13th annual Arizona Beer Week began Saturday Feb. 16th, 2013 with the Strong Beer Festival!

More than 70 breweries showed up to show of their brews, and around 3,500 people attended the sold-out event. I was fortunate enough to get in as media to cover the event. Watch the vlog above to hear about the event and also some other upcoming events for Arizona Beer Week!

Visit: ArizonaBeerWeek.com to see a list of events and more info.

Below are some photos I took at the event.

Bottoms up Arizona!

Above: Deschutes Inversion IPA

Above: Santan’s Original Sex Panther Double-Chocolate Barley Wine

Above: Panorama of Strong Beer Festival

I thought you might! Remember to schedule an event alert in your iPhone for this Saturday, Feb. 18.

Arizona Beer Week is coming back to town with events scheduled each day! Saturday’s ‘Beer, Brunch and Bikes’ starts off the week of beer-related festivities. Arizona Beer Week is Feb. 18 – 25.

I love that we just celebrated the Centennial in Arizona and now we have a whole week devoted to beer!

This event begins at 10 a.m. at the SunUp Brewery, in Phoenix on Camelback Road and Central Avenue (Map). When you arrive, come hungry for a hearty breakfast and make sure to save some energy for a 3-mile bike ride to the Strong Beer Festival. The bike ride should be fairly easy and open to cyclists of all skill levels, but I’d assume you have to be 21-years-old to participate in the Strong Beer Festival. Two local bike groups, Tempe Bicycle Action Group and Phoenix Critical Mass, will be in attendance. They always love to get down on a local bike ride, especially if a nice cold beverage is waiting at the end destination! They will also be providing safety marshals to escort the bike ride to more beer!

Phoenix Critical Mass

This week is Arizona Beer Week and as part of that, the 12th annual Arizona Strong Beer Festival happens on Feb. 18 in Phoenix. It’s a festival dedicated to more hearty, stronger beers (higher alcohol content). Definitely leave the keys at home for that one. However, organizers promise more than just strong beer. Many other craft brewers will make an appearance. Perhaps in Arizona they’re a little less PC than here in Canada (they get away with a festival called the Strong Beer Festival for one. You’d see some complaints about that here). But what was absolutely BAFFLING to me is the venue: Steele Indian School Park.  Maybe I’m wrong, but this just seems like a bad PR move.

Perhaps at Arizona Beer Week, you’ll be able to sample Cave Creek Chili Beer. That’s right, an Arizona Mexican-style beer with one serrano chili in each bottle.

Just a quick note.  Here’s the beers we will have available at the 12th Annual Strong Beer Festival:

Dave’s Electric IPA
Gordon Biersch – Winter Bock
Gordon Biersch – Maibock
Goose Island – Matilda
Goose Island – Sofie
Leffe – Brown

**UPDATE**

Here’s even more beers we will feature at the festival!

Red Hook Longhammer IPA

Wild Blue Blueberry Lager

Sierra Nevada XXX Anniversary Ale

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine style Ale

Sierra Nevada Olivia Quad

Widmer Nelson Imperial IPA

Widmer Lemongrass Wheat Ale

Widmer Rotator IPA: O’Ryley IPA

Firestone Walker Union Jack

Firestone Walker Double Jack IPA

Dave’s Electric Industrial Pale Ale (IPA)

Odell Deal Break

Odell Tap

Odell Alpha Doug IPA

OdellFools EPA

Odell Footloose Sour

Odell Mountain Standard Double Black IPA

Odell Firkin

Deschutes Brewery Hop Henge

Deschutes Brewery Stoic Belgian

Deschutes Brewery Red Chair

According to the festival’s website:

Arizona Beer Week kicks off with the 12th Annual Arizona Strong Beer Festival, held at Steele Indian School Park in Phoenix on February 18th, 2012. Although strong beers (those with high alcohol content) are the focus at the festival, a huge variety of craft beers — as well as specialty styles and unique, just-for-this-event brews — are made available to festival-goers, who will receive a commemorative four-ounce tasting glass and 15 tasting tickets for the price of admission. And because food and beer just naturally go together, there will be plenty of top-notch food vendors on hand, serving up tasty eats that wash down well with frosty suds.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please refer to the festival’s website:

http://arizonabeerweek.com/12th-annual-arizona-strong-beer-festival/

Often, most avid connoisseurs of craft beer are compelled to go on a pilgrimage to an event like the Oregon Brewer’s Festival, which is a three-day event of beer tastings that is in its 25th year. The Strong Beer Festival did take place in the Mesa Ampitheatre, but, “Mesa was a long ride for our attendants and Steele Indian Park was a central location that was on the light rail,” said Jerry Gantt who is the Executive Director of the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild. Mr. Gantt wants Arizona Beer Week to emphasize the awareness of beer as a tasting experience, rather than an opportunity to drink beer for the sake of drinking beer. “It’s an educational opportunity to introduce people to craft beer.” There will also be four food vendors this year that the organizers are working with to make the line waits shorter and more efficient. Last year, there were about 2500 people who attended the event and Mr. Gantt expects a larger attendance this year, weather permitting. Mr. Gantt said that even though last year’s event took place on a rainy day, the crowding in the tents fostered a camaraderie that was comparable to the Oregon Brewer’s Festival. Beer connoisseurs raise their glasses in yowls of bliss that rises in a chorus of hop-seasoned reverie that travels across the crowd in a sonorous wave. There are three levels of tickets: there are VIP tickets for who want to go earlier with an exclusive crowd that starts at noon. General admission will start at 1:00 and there will also be reduced tickets for designated drivers. Mr. Gantt said “It’s going to be a fabulous event.” In addition to brews and food, there will also be bands performing at the event. Steele Indian Park is also a unique stage to present the event for Phoenix and Valley resident to come together and toast to a great event in Arizona’s centennial.

Don't Miss Lazy Boy Brewing at Alligator Soul on Thursday

We had a nice little Monday evening, enjoying some of great beer in the process.

One of our good friends received a nice care package complete with about 20 bottles of New Glarus Brewing‘s year-round ales. The Wisconsin brewer makes a couple great beers, and a couple rough ones. We really enjoyed the Moon Man Pale, Cracked Wheat Imperial Weizen (a seasonal) and the Fat Squirrel Nut Brown Ale.

After sucking down a few bottles, we decided to embark on a night of Pink Floyd over at Brouwers Cafe. Apparently, the Seattle beer mecca will be playing concert videos every Monday evening at 10:00 PM. I really enjoyed the show, coupling it with an Ommegang Zuur (a Flemish Brown, very similar to an Oud Bruin) and Mikkeller Frelser (a Triple Bock). Both are excellent beers that you need to try, before they are gone.

By the way, Jessica is over at the Beer Engine in Lakewood, Ohio today. She will be taking notes and letting you all know about it later this week. We are a bit jealous, Beer Engine has Dieu De Ciel Aphrodite, Heavy Seas Loose Cannon, and Founders Cerise on tap!

We are also planning a trip to San Diego for the next beer week. Very excited to attend.

So here are the events for this glorious week…….

Monday, August 9, 2010

Concert Vids: Seattle, Washington

10:00PM-?? @ Brouwers Cafe

Since we are a day late, I wanted to call attention to Brouwers’ new Monday night feature – music video showings! Brouwers will dim the lights, boost the volume and showcase a different concert/music video each Monday night, starting at 10 PM. Last night’s showing of Pulse by Pink Floyd was epic.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Allagash Brewers Night: Brooklyn, New York

6:00PM-10:00PM @ Bar Great Harry

No cost to join Rob Todd’s festival of ale. Check out this list:

1. Blonde
2. Fluxus
3. Hugh Malone
4. Victor
5. Curieux
6. Black
7. Confluence
8. Odyssey
9. Victoria

Do not miss this if you are in Brooklyn area. The Bar Great Harry is an amazing bar and anyone in the area should certainly become acquainted. What better way to do that – than with a pint of Allagash Curieux.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Blending Night to Benefit the Berkeley Humane Society: Oakland, California

6:00PM-10:00PM @ Beer Revolution

There are actually a few good brewers nights around the country on this Wednesday. But, the combination of charity and a really cool pub in Oakland – make this one the winner.

Beer Revolution is a very cool little spot in Oakland, where you can find about 12 beers on tap and a plethora of bottles. Beer Revolution does an excellent job of attaining little know, and hard to find beers.

Their blending night brings some blending pros over to show you how to make some fine concoctions from you already have in your cellar. They will be working with the following:

Green Flash Trippel
Green Flash West Coast IPA
Bockor Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge
Lost Abbey Serpent’s Stout
Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor
North Coast Old Stock

Stop by and check this out. You know why – its FREE!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Lazy Boy Brewing’s Brewers Night: Everett, Washington

6:00PM-9:00PM @ Alligator Soul

Its a really slow beer night across our great nation. But, if you live in Seattle, like us, there is something great going on close to home.

Lazy Boy Brewing is holding a brewer’s night at Everett’s blossoming Alligator Soul. The Gator has a growing tap list and well-received food. Read this write up, done by Seattle Beer News’ Geoff Kaiser.

This Thursday, LBB‘s Shawn Loring and Timperial Stout will truck on over to the Gator to serve up some of their incredible beers. These days, LBB is showcasing a Nacho Pilsner (made with chillies), a NW Pale (packed with more hops than you typical IPA) and a NW Hefeweizen (for you men who like hops with their light beer). Check them all out – and remember to look for their Imperial IPA at next month’s Fremont Ocktoberfest.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Alpine Triple Threat: San Diego, California

5:00PM-1:00AM @ O’Brien’s Pub

I cannot express to you all – how damn good this beer tastes. Alpine Beer Company, of Alpine, CA (outside San Diego), is quickly becoming my favorite brewery. I would have no trouble considering them a part of my Top 5 US brewers today, and they are likely gain ground as I get my fill of more from them at San Diego Beer Week in November.

Alpine makes, what I believe to be, the top IPAs in the country. They are abundantly scented, daringly flavorful and perfectly intoxicating. But, I have also had their Barleywine, Flemish Red Sour Ale, and their Irish Red. They all bring tears to my eyes, in a good way.

This is your chance to get a look at 3 of the best of their beers. From the bar’s release:

O’Brien’s Pub will be releasing brand new batches of Alpine Bad Boy, Exponential Hoppiness and O’Brien’s IPA on Friday the 13th. We’ll also have Nelson Rye-IPA, Duet IPA and Tuatara on tap. A great night of rare hoppy beers from Alpine.

Don’t miss this.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Great Taste of the Midwest: Madison, Wisconsin

1PM-6PM @ Olin-Turville Park

This might be the most sought-after ticket in all of the Midwest. The Great Taste has become a cult event, showcasing over 100 breweries from the wonderful Midwest, serving over 500 beers.

Tickets were priced at $40.00, but a tweet from Six Point Craft Ales, yesterday, indicated that tickets are going for almost $200.00 on eBay.

You can find the list of specialty beers that were available last year by following this link. Don’t slobber on your keyboard.

Expect to see Three Floyds, Founders, Bells, Great Lakes, New Glarus, Surly and other phenomenal brewers at this party – if you can get in.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Strong Beer Festival: Las Vegas, Nevada

5:00PM-??? @ Aces & Ales (also Friday 8/13 and Saturday 8/14)

You never see anything good going down in the City of Sin. So I was very excited to see that a rather impressive beer festival will happen this weekend – and its for charity. In association with Ronnie James Dio’s ’Stand Up & Shout’ cancer fund, the festival will include silent auctions to benefit cancer research.

You can find out more about the event by visiting this link, Aces’ Facebook page.

Aces & Ales will spread the following list over the course of 3 days this weekend:

Dogfish Head:
Burton Baton
Red & White
Olde School Barleywine
Raison D’Etre
Midas Touch
Sah’tea
Theobroma

Stone Brewing:
2007 Old Guardian Barleywine
2010 Old Guardian Barleywine
999 Vertical Ale
13th Anniversary Ale

Noble Aleworks:
IPA
Alpha Red
Dark Sybian IPA

Moylans:
Kilt Lifter Port Barrel
Ryan Sullivan’s Imperial Stout
Old Blarney Barley Wine
Hopsickle Imperial Pale Ale
Moylander Double IPA
Ryan Sullivan’s Imperial Stout
Old Blarney Barley Wine Bourbon Barrel

The Bruery:
Coton
Mischief
Saison Rue
Rugbrod
Autumn Maple

North Coast Brewing Co.:
Old Rasputin
Le Merle
Brother Thelonious

Firestone Walker Brewing Co.:
Union JAck
Parabola
13th Anniversary

Newport Beach Brewing Co:
A Fortnights Journey/14th Ann Barleywine

Tustin Brewery:
Old Town IPA
14th Anniversary Imperial Red

Ballast Point Brewing Co.:
Sculpin IPA

Deschutes Brewery:
Mirror Mirror 2009
 The Abyss 2009 Jubel 2010

Rogue Brewery:
XS Imperial India Pale Ale
Imperial Chocolate Stout
Morimoto Imperial Pilsner
XS Imperial YSB

If you attend an event, want us to post about your event, or anything beer event related, please leave a comment or email us at beerblotter@gmail.com. Cheers!

Sunny skies, 70-degree temperatures, 50-plus microbrewers … beer lovers enjoyed a picture-perfect Saturday afternoon at the 10th annual Arizona Strong Beer Festival at Margaret T. Hance Deck Park in downtown Phoenix. Above, a couple of festival attendees try the seasonal Winter Warmer Ale from SanTan Brewing in Chandler.

Colorado’s Odell Brewing makes one of my favorite IPAs, but didn’t bring it to this year’s fest. No matter, the Fort Collins brewery’s seasonal Red Ale was delicious.

Homemade pretzel necklaces were the accessory of the day.

One of my favorite beers of the festival was the Imperial Red Ale from Lumberyard Brewing, which is opening next month in Flagstaff. It’s owned by the same people behind Beaver Street Brewing.

Brewers Jim Roper of Tempe’s Four Peaks Brewing (left) and Anthony Canecchia of Chandler’s SanTan Brewing (center) share a laugh while posing for photos.

Recently opened Sleepy Dog Saloon from Tempe impressed me with its barley wine.

The Beer Drinker’s Prayer?

Brewmaster Dieter Foerstner brought three beers from Tempe’s Gordon Biersch, including a very enjoyable Altbier.

The coolest bottle of the day was Sonoran 200, brewed with agave nectar and nearly 20 percent alcohol by volume, from Sonoran Brewing in north Scottsdale.

Imagine if you had saved every beer can you emptied …

I couldn’t bring myself to try Lagunitas Brewing‘s seasonal Hairy Eyeball, but I did like the northern California brewer’s well-balanced Hop Stoopid.

The one negative of Saturday’s fest was the line of 100-plus people all afternoon for the sole food vendor (in far background).

Prescott Brewing‘s chocolate porter A-Choco-Lypse was a big hit …

… especially with this couple.

See you all next year!

The Arizona Strong Beer Festival celebrates its 10^th anniversary Saturday by moving to a new venue: Margaret T. Hance Deck Park in downtown Phoenix.

“We wanted to be more centrally located,” says Jerry Gantt, executive director of the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild. “It’s also along the light rail, and we felt it was important to offer transportation alternatives.”

Last year’s festival was held at Mesa Amphitheater, where 3,000 attendees sampled strong beers — those with an alcohol content higher than 7.5 percent — from more than 50 breweries.

In previous years, the 21-and-over festival was held at Scottsdale Stadium and in downtown Tempe.

Despite the change of venue, Gantt says he expects this year’s event to draw closer to 2,000 people because of the struggling economy.

“I don’t know if we want to grow much more than that,” he says. “For the foreseeable future, we want to maintain a quality experience.”

A record number of breweries are participating this year, Gantt says. Newcomers include Sleepy Dog and Dave’s Electric, which recently opened in Tempe, and Thunder Canyon from Tucson.

Other East Valley breweries scheduled to attend include Four Peaks, SanTan, Papago and Sonoran.

First-time participants from out of state include Abita, a microbrewery from Louisiana.

Tickets for the one-day event are $45, which includes a four-ounce tasting glass and tickets for 15 samples.

A variety of food, such as burgers, hot dogs and tacos, will be available for purchase.

Festival favorites 2 Tone Lizard Kings, a Valley ska band, will return to provide musical entertainment.

Arizona Strong Beer Festival
When: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday (VIP ticket-holders get in at noon)
Where: Margaret T. Hance Deck Park, Phoenix; festival entrance at Moreland and Second streets
How much: $45; $10 for designated drivers
Info: www.azbrewguild.com

The weather was nearly perfect for the ninth annual Strong Beer Festival, which drew nearly 3,000 people to Mesa Amphitheatre.

After getting sunburned at a Cactus League game Thursday, I needed a good hat like this guy’s.

Prescott Brewing was among 50 or so brewers participating.

Some brewers came from as far away as New York and San Francisco.

This crew apparently didn’t have a kickball game that night.

Anthony Canecchia, brewmaster at SanTan Brewing in Chandler, and Henry Brodersen, one of the producers of “Craft Beer: The New Wine,” which airs Tuesday on Channel 8.

Where there’s beer, you’ll often find cigars.

Scottsdale’s Sonoran Brewing was a big hit with its White Chocolate Ale. The first beer I sampled.

I couldn’t pass up a chance to try the Hopsquatch Barleywine at Four Peaks‘ booth. One keg of the slightly sweet beer is tapped each month at the Tempe brewpub and only lasts a week or so.

Drinkwear Clothing sells shirts and hats – all of which have a bottle opener attached.

Festival organizer Jerry Gantt is executive director of the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild.

Ska music from the 2 Tone Lizard KIngs kept the crowd on its feet.

Does anything go better with beer than meat on a grill?

The motto of the day.

Michal from SanTan was handing out the last precious samples of the Chandler brewpub’s seasonal Winter Warmer, which won’t be back until November.

Beer-related signage.

The official festival T-shirt. Surprisingly, just $10.

The Strong Beer Festival is showing no signs of being tapped out. The annual East Valley event will boast a record number of participants Saturday at Mesa Amphitheatre.

“We have over 40 breweries this year,” says Jerry Gantt, executive director of the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild. “Last year we only had 27 and thought that was great.”

The festival started in 2001 as a way for the guild to promote Arizona’s craft brewing industry. About 150 people showed up for the inaugural event at Mill Avenue Beer Company in downtown Tempe.

After a couple years at Scottsdale Stadium, the festival has spent the past four years at the Mesa Amphitheatre, where Saturday’s crowd — which will be capped at 3,000 to prevent overcrowding — will enjoy nearly 150 craft beers, food and live music.

Besides notable Valley breweries like Four Peaks in Tempe, SanTan in Chandler and Sonoran in Scottsdale, many out-of-state breweries will featured.

“We pretty much limit it to craft and specialty beers,” Gantt says. “We try not to limit it to just beers produced here in Arizona, but also those craft beers available here.”

For example, Valley wholesale giant Hensley & Co. distributes such craft beers as Widmer Brothers from Oregon and Kona from Hawaii.

As for what defines a strong beer, Gantt admits, “That’s a question up for debate among brewers.”

For him, it’s any beer more than 7.5 percent alcohol by volume. Using that standard, “about half the beers at the festival will be strong beers,” he says.

Festival tickets are $40, which entitles attendees, who must be 21 or older, to 16 sampling tickets. Samples are four ounces.

Admission for designated drivers is $10, and they receive free bottled water. Some breweries, Gantt says, are providing root beer for designated drivers. Taxi service also will be available.

Gantt, an Arizona native whose 18-year career as brewer included stints at Bandersnatch in Tempe, Copper Canyon in Chandler and Leinenkugel’s in Phoenix, says craft beers are enjoying a resurgence.

“They’ve been growing for four or five years after being flat for four or five years,” he says, crediting it, at least in part, to the country’s aging Baby Boomers.

“I’m older,” he says. “Here I am at a point in my life when I decided it was more enjoyable to drink the good stuff — drink less of it and enjoy it — than to pound down beers.”

Strong Beer Festival
When: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday (VIP admission begins at 1 p.m.)
Where: Mesa Amphitheatre, 263 N. Center St.
How much: $40, which includes 16 sampling tickets. Designated drivers get in for $10. Admission will be capped at 3,000 to prevent overcrowding.
Info: azbrewguild.com