Four Peaks Brewing Co.’s Peach Ale

FOUR PEAKS BREWING CO. (Tempe, Az.)

Four Peaks Brewing Co. and I go way back. They hold a special place in my heart because they are solely responsible for converting me from a drinker of industrialized, fizzy yellow swill and “feux craft” beer to a full on craft/micro-brew enthusiast with a single sip of their Kiltlifter Scottish Ale. They also inspired me to take up the hobby of home-brewing.

It’s safe to say that Four Peaks is the most popular microbrewery in Arizona. With their original brewery in Tempe right near the ASU Campus, to their bar and grilles in North Scottsdale and in Sky Harbor Airport, to their production breweries/taprooms in Wilson and Tempe, you can enjoy their award winning beers and incredible food wherever you are in the greater Metro-Phoenix area.

Among my favorites of theirs are their flagship brew – Kiltlifter Scottish Ale, Oatmeal Stout, their fall seasonal Pumpkin Porter (which is legendary here in Arizona) and the Raj English-style IPA.   I can’t give a good reason as to why, but for some reason, I had unintentionally ignored Four Peak’s Peach Ale for far too long. I guess for a few years there, I got a little too comfortable drinking those few favorites of mine.   Upon realizing my neglect of Peach Ale, I decided to give it a shot.

The Peach Ale pours a bright golden color with great peach and slight floral aromatics. This ale has a lot more going on than your typical blonde ale. Its got a smooth and easy drinking malt profile coming from 2-Row and Cara-pils barley alongside white wheat which gives it great body and a solid white head. To obtain the great peach flavor, they did not use extract. They use real, pureed peaches for the great aroma and flavor. Magnum Hops are the choice hops for this ale. Typically, they are pretty intense when it comes to bittering, but they offer a very neutral bitterness that lets the peach flavors shine through. I have used Magnum Hops myself in some home-brew recipes and they can really rip the enamel off your teeth if used in excess, but the brewers at Four Peaks got the ratio down perfectly. Sometimes, fruit beers can tend to be a bit sticky or leave that Kool-Aid residue feeling in your mouth. This finishes clean and dry and is a great way to beat the Arizona heat. This ale is not as sweet as one would think. It has a slight tartness to it as well, which I love because it awakens your senses and reminds to keep pouring that delicious ale down your gullet.

Coming in at 4.5% alc., this is definitely within the sessionable guidelines leaving you with a great tasting beer that you can enjoy all day long. I’m kinda kicking myself in the ass for not giving this a chance sooner! Four Peaks has never let me down and this is no exception. I applaud them for all that they do. They are definitely worthy of every award they have won, and they’ve won a lot. I feel, if there were no Four Peaks Brewing Co., the Arizona micro-brew scene wouldn’t be nearly as big as it is now. They put Arizona on the beer map and I owe them a huge debt of gratitude for opening my eyes to all that is good in the world of craft beer. Cheers!

 

www.fourpeaks.com

www.facebook.com/fourpeaksbrew

Sleepy Dog Brewing’s Wet Snout Milk Stout

SLEEPY DOG BREWING CO. (Tempe/Gilbert, AZ)

Sleepy Dog Brewing Co. is a relatively new microbrewery within the Arizona craft beer scene. Opening in 2009, with a commitment to great detail in quality beer and a fun atmosphere at both Tempe and Gilbert locations. My wife and I went in for dinner at the Gilbert Brewpub location. The atmosphere was very clean and laid back with an open floor plan. Inside they feature a good sized stage where local music acts perform on various nights. The Brewpub also features a very large patio that is “Dog Friendly” for those folks that take their canine companions with them, wherever they go.

We were seated promptly, as the place only had a few other patrons sitting scattered around the pub. The one beer I was dying to try, their Scootcher Scottish Strong Ale was tapped out so I went for the Wet Snout Milk Stout instead. I received a pint glass, nearly filled to the brim with jet black stout goodness. The beer itself, had not much of a head to it but had nice aromas of chocolate, coffee and roasted malts. I took a big sip and held it in my mouth for a good 30 seconds as my wife glanced over the food menu. A silky and milky body led way to great flavors of sweet sugar, mild chocolate and roasted overtones. There was a noticeable amount of neutral hop bitterness that is not typically found in stout style ales. My wife and I ordered a sampler tray that came with their homemade fries, Red Rover Irish Ale beer battered onions rings and jalapeno slices. I’m a big fan of jalapeno’s, so after popping a few into my mouth then taking a sip of my stout, the jalapeno spiciness brought forth big flavors of rich coffee out onto my palette. The stout finished smooth and slightly dry, urging me to keep on taking in this pitch black nectar of the gods.

Sleepy Dog also features a full bar with wine, mixed drinks and other local guest craft beers. Being the big beer snob I am, I was a little miffed to see that they also offer Anheuser-Busch products. A couple girls sitting at the table behind us ordered a round of Michelob Ultra’s. I wanted to flip their table over out of anger for ordering such atrocious drinks in a Micro Brewpub, yet I refrained. I understand why Sleepy Dog offers those beers, to the less than enlightened beer drinker, it doesn’t mean I have to like it though (No hard feelings though Sleepy Dog, I still love you). Overall, my wife was pleased with her food as was I and their handcrafted ales are top notch. We both agreed we would go again, next time on a weekend night when some local bands are playing and they get more of that Scootcher Scottish Ale on tap.

Cheers to all at Sleepy Dog! We will see you again.

SLEEPY DOG BREWPUB (Gilbert location)

1451 East Williamsfield Road

Gilbert, AZ. 85295

480-963-1805

Open Daily: Mon-Wed: 11am – 11pm /Thurs- Sat: 11am-2am/Sun: 9am – 11pm

SLEEPY DOG BREWERY & TASTING ROOM (Tempe Location)

1920 E University Dr

#104 Tempe, AZ 85281

Hours:
Tuesday & Wednesday 4pm to 11 pm

Thursday and Friday 4pm to Midnight

Saturday 2pm-Midnight

Sunday & Monday Closed

www.sleepydogbrewpub.com

www.facebook.com/sleepydogpub