My AZ Beer Week Dream Tour by Chris Dodson

Okay, sing with me… “It’s the most wonderful tiiiiiiiime for a beer”

Arizona Beer Week 2018 is fast approaching and this year, as in those past, there is a fantastic line up of brew collaborations and events happening across the state.
As I assume many of you are doing, I’ve been watching the collab posts from our favorite breweries and scrolling through the event list thinking, “Oh, I’m gonna need that collab. I can’t miss this event! This one looks amazing, too… HOW AM I GOING TO MAKE IT TO ALL OF THESE?”

Maybe I’ll luck out and someone will finally perfect time travel between now and February 8th…

So here it is, my Beer Week 2018 dream tour!

Donut Daze at O.H.S.O. – February 8th 

Donuts and beer. I mean… what else do I need to say here? All of the O.H.S.O locations will be pairing donuts with a veriety of donut inspired brews.
Pretty sure I can hear everyone’s inner Homer Simpson saying, “Mmmmmmm donuts and beer,” right now.

AZ Beer Week Kick Off at Granite Mountain Brewing in Prescott – February 8th

Great atmosphere and consistently good brews make Granite Mountain one of my favorite stops, in Prescott. To kick off the week, they’re releasing a collaboration brewed with Prescott area breweries, Prescott Brewing Company, Lonesome Valley Brewing, and Insurgent Brewing. The brewers will be on site to talk about their collab and all things beer.

But wait, there’s more! They will have a special tapping of Superstition Meadery’s Peanut Butter Berry White! This was stored away before the exclusive Berry White weekend release to be brought back for beer week.

Don’t make the mistake of overlooking the Prescott and Verde Valley region; there are fantastic things happening there and it isn’t just delicious wine and Whiskey Row… although those are great, too.

Murder She Oat release at Beaver Street Brews and Cues – February 9th 

This year’s AZ Women’s Collaboration, Murder She Oat, was brewed in Flagstaff so why not head up to Flagstaff to enjoy the release? It’s a great beer town, the oven is already turning on, in Phoenix, and this collaboration not only produces consistently delicious brews but supports women’s charities around the state.

If you want to learn more about this year’s release, check out the Tap That AZ episode. Also, maybe the best beer name ever?

Arizona Beer Week – Board Game Night at Pueblo Vida – February 10th 

I love table top games. Love them. If you follow me on instagram cough shameless plug cough then you know beer and board games is a common pastime in our home. This event, at Pueblo Vida and in conjunction with Isle of Games, was essentially made for me.

Isle of Games will be providing a small lending library of party games in addition to those already available in the tap room. Guests are also welcome to bring their own to play.

PV beer and games… I need to be there!

7th Annual AZ Beer Week: Beer and Whiskey Pairing! – February 13th

6 Pairings of Lumberyard Brews with 6 Whiskeys and 6 appetizers. Insert obvious 666 related joke here Seriously though, this looks incredible. You’ll get to hear the stories behind the beers and whiskeys and learn how beer and whiskey pair together.

I thoroughly enjoy learning about beer and love a good sip of whiskey and this event has both!

Tickets for this event are only $28, on sale at the brewery. Grab yours quick as this will sell out, as it’s done every year previous, and you don’t want to miss what looks to be one hell of an event…

I’ll show myself out.

Collabazona Tap Takeover at B.R.I – February 16th

The researchers at B.R.I have been quite busy in the last few weeks and we’re all going to be better off for their efforts. This year, they’ve knocked out four collaboration beers with Grand Canyon Brewing Company, Dark Sky Brewing Company, 12 West Brewing and 8-Bit Aleworks and they will all be on tap for this event.

Try to control your Pavlovian response as you read the tap list:

B.R.I./Grand Canyon Brewing
Meme Wars- Brett IPA

B.R.I./Dark Sky Brewing
Sixdudesandadonut.com– Imperial Stout with Cholaca, Raspberries and Donuts

B.R.I./12 West Brewing
Did You Just Assume My IBU’s?
Double New England IPA

B.R.I./8-Bit Aleworks
Cyril Figgis
Belgian Quad brewed with Figs

The beer naming game is strong with this group; I expect Cyril Figgis to be served in a sweater vest cosy. With a list like this, you can’t go wrong and I’m all about getting to try different brews all in one place. It’s efficient, not lazy… don’t judge me!

Okay, putting this list together is proving difficult. I love our AZ brew scene and there are a metric F ton of events happening around the state for beer week. Get on the event lists, plan out your events and let us know your “must attends” in the comments. The whole AZ Food and Beer crew will be out and about so please stop and say hi if you see any of us around.

Cheers!

Chris Dodson