Kick off of Arizona Beer Week...

As many of you know, I have carefully planned a few events during Arizona Beer Week over the past few weeks.  Some of these events I am very excited and passionate about for one reason or another and other events are just something to do (maybe).

On Saturday afternoon, I planned to visit the Four Peaks Brewery in Tempe, Arizona as they advertised that they would be tapping  specialty kegs all day. PERFECT.  I have to go to the airport on Saturday to pick up my parents so maybe I can go on my way there, or on my way home.  Either way, I will have to drive by the brewery on Saturday.  I started planning and getting excited.  What kind of specialty kegs?  Maybe a cracked out version of their pumpkin porter, which happens to be one of my favorite beers.  Maybe a fantastic new spin on the 8th Street Ale.  Who knows.  In my mind, the possibilities were endless...and quite delicious.

Fast forward to Saturday.  The Husband, baby and I pack into the car and head to the airport in a frenzy. Thank you Southwest Airlines for overestimating your flight time by 45 minutes so that you always arrive "on-time" which really, to the person picking up their visitors/your passengers, means that the flight is actually 45 minutes EARLY.  So my parents flight actually lands at the same time I was prepared to leave my house to get to the airport to pick them up at the previously scheduled time.  I hate being late. Damn you SWA.

My stupidly epic, and somewhat heartbreaking, beer fail.

After picking my parents up off the curb at Sky Harbor Airport 45 minutes earlier than anticipated (Note: I hate doing this.  I feel like when my parents come to visit, I should come into the airport and greet them with hugs and then help them with their bags all while welcoming them to town and discussing how awesome our weather is today.  Or isn't.  But usually IS - especially when compared to the weather in Lincoln, Nebraska.), we offered to take them out to Happy Hour for some delicious beer, fresh air and sunshine.

Mmmmmmm, I can taste the specialty kegs already.  

We arrive to find a crowd at the bar -- not all that unusual for a beautiful Saturday afternoon in February.  But we manage to snag a table outside with room for a high-chair and pop a squat.  The waitress comes to take our drink order. 

Ohhhh boy, here it comes.  She's going to list the specials...

She doesn't.  Ugh, really??? So I ask her.  She looks at me as if I am speaking another language which is extremely foreign to her.  I take off my sunglasses (as if this will help) and I ask her again "do you have any specialty beers on tap today?"  She shakes her head no - which prompts my almost 10 month old daughter to do the same - and says, well we do have a special porter on tap.  At this point, I am crushed.  I don't hear what she calls this "special" porter, but I order it anyway.  There is no description of it anywhere and no mention of it either.  For all I know, this could be their standard beer.

I am disappointed.  But hey, at least the weather was great and the Spinach Artichoke Dip is still top notch.

Disclaimer:  now that I'm sitting down to blog a few days later and had time to go looking for where I thought I read that initially, wouldn't you know that I can't find it.  Damn.  Maybe I just can't read.  Or maybe I just made it up because I wanted them to be releasing specialty kegs all day.  Fail.

Mountain Standard (Reserve) Time

Not very often does a beer come along that inspires The Husband to pickup a pen and help me collect my thoughts for the blog.  Even less often does a beer inspire him to actually write in complete sentences.  But the Mountain Standard Reserve Double Black IPA (9.5% ABV) from Odell Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado must have had all the right ingredients to inspire my witty  hop-loving companion to begin to narrate his beer-experience.

Taken right before the train derailed...

"Tasty, healthy black IPA.  Pulls no punches.  Not smooth and not too rough.  Like 600 grit paper.  The sun goes down and the hope come out as does the smooth, strong darkness.  I also believe in a thing called MST and it is good.  Many black IPAs have a typical lightly roasted..."

Believe it or not, that's all he wrote.  He got distracted by a bowl of peanuts (in the shell) and then I'm sure the 9.5% alcohol played a part in completely sidetracking him.  Also, he was nearly out of paper and likely not inspired enough to go find some more.

I recall thinking that this beer was amazing.  I went back to Total Wine a few weeks later to try to find more, but no luck.  It is a winter only beer and apparently winter in Arizona ends just after Valentine's Day.  I will put this on my list of beers to buy next winter and hoard.

Rating:  5 of 5.

Bam Biere

Bam Biere Farmhouse Ale (4.5% ABV)
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Dexter, Michigan