Post slope suds...in Tucson

Copper City Ale (4.9% ABV)
Old Bisbee Brewing Company
Bisbee, Arizona

Yes, you read the title correctly.  Post slope suds...in Tucson.  Tucson Arizona.  If you read this blog enough, you'll probably assume (correctly) that the slope I am referring to is a ski slope. 

So yes, I basically said skiing in Tucson.

Mt. Lemmon is the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains, located in the Coronado National Forest approximately 45 minutes north of Tucson. The elevation at the top is 9,157 feet above sea-level - compared to the average elevation of Tucson which is 2,600 feet.  The mountain receives approximately 180 inches of snow annually!

After a fun and interesting day skiing Mt. Lemmon in Tucson we hit up 1702, "Tucson's Beer and Pizza Mecca," for some beers and a snack.

I went for the Copper City Ale from Old Bisbee Brewing Company and it turned out to be a very easy drinking (almost session-style) beer that leaned a bit to the hoppy side of hoppy.  I ended up giving it to The Husband to finish because I wanted to try about 9 of the other beers they had on tap.

Next up was The Perfect Crime, a black saison.  I ordered this because I had never seen a black saison before and I needed to taste it for myself.  As with most saisons, it needed 5 minutes or so to warm up but it was deliciously creamy like a dark beer and hearty like a saison.  A very interesting, and well executed, pairing.  Would definitely order another one if I ever see it again and might even be crazy enough to try something like this on my own.

The Perfect Crime (6.8% ABV)
Black Smoked Saison
A EvilTwin Brewing, Stillwater Artisanal Ales and Stone Brewing Company collaboration

Score: 4.75 out of 5 pint glasses on the unofficial Suburban Suds pint glass rating system for 1702.   

Recommendations: check out 1702 and as many of the 49 beers they have on tap on any given day.  Don't be afraid to ask for samples and taste test as many as you want before committing.

Kid-free in the Old Pueblo

So it's been a while.  I know.  The blog and I had a small identity crisis which isn't really over but at least it's no longer such a road block for me.  I know this all sounds strange but I was so torn on what direction to go with the blog that it literally prevented me from doing anything related to this (except I managed to continue to seek out, find and drink new beers).

Alright, so I'm going to play catch-up and post some oldies in no particular order.  Notes about the beer itself may be shorter and more vague because I don't always take good notes and have lost some over the past few months.

I'll start with a random find...

Dragoon Brewing Company in Tucson, Arizona.  On a spontaneous kid-free weekend trip to Tucson, the Husband and I found this (again, what would I do without Google Maps at my fingertips 24/7) and stopped in to check it out before we headed to our hotel.  Great choice.

The Stronghold Session was on cask that evening and served up perfectly.  The Biere del Bac was much boozier than I expected (I seem to recall it being ~9% ABV) but still exceptionally good.

Left: Stronghold Session Ale (on cask) - 4.8% ABV
Right: Biere del Bac
Dragoon Brewing Company
Tucson, Arizona

Score: 4.75 out of 5 pint glasses on the unofficial Suburban Suds pint glass rating system.   
 

Recommendations: next time you are driving on I-10 through the Tucson area, hop off the interstate and check out the Dragoon Brewing Company, if you aren't scared of Tucson or aren't one of the Phoenix snobs that claims to hate Tucson.  If you are one of those people, then please just stay on I-10 and know that it's your loss because their beer is delicious.

http://www.dragoonbrewing.com/