Title says it all: please help! I'd like to know what beers I must try that get distributed/available to your wonderful state of Arizona. Also, if there's anything limited/special release that's available now let me know! Cheers! Drew P.S. I know about seekabrew.com and I'm from Massachusetts.
There's a lot we get that you don't in MA Maybe style suggestions would help us to help you. Also can't hurt to search this forum a little
I like just about everything and really want to know what's the best that the southwest has to offer.
Are you just in town visiting and wanting to know what is a "must try" before you go home? I live in AZ and can give you suggestions but not sure what you can't get in MA. Anything by Odell for starters...
Not going to Arizona (although, I would love to get out of this crap weather) but getting a trade set up with one of my former regulars at my liquor store (beer buyer for a Boston based liquor store). She wants raspberry UFO and the new coffee porter from harpoon and I want to try good brews that are distributed/available in AZ. If there are limited/special releases out now then I would like to get those too! Thanks in advance for the advice/suggestions! Cheers! Drew
Well i did the best I could. I tried to list locals and out of state beers that AZ gets that MA doesn't that i have had and would definitely buy if i were coming here. it is hard to say what qualifies as a must have. I think every beer on this list is very good. I've highlighted stuff i wouldn't pass up. Style in parenthesis if not clear from the beer's name. i sure there's many that AZ get that MA doesn't that i didn't think of Hopefully others can chime in. Please do also search this forum. Locals (brewed in AZ) Papago Brewing Oude Zuipers (Tripel) Elise’s Irish Cream Stout (Sweet Stout) (growler only from the brewery but awesome) Lumberyard Brewing Big Rapid Red Iimperial Red) Inner Basin Barleywine Fireside Ale (American Strong Ale) Sonoran Sonoran 200 (crazy strong ale made from agave nectar) Inebriator Stout 7 Wives Saison Mogollon Apache Trout Stout Wapiti (Amber) Four Peaks Hopsquatch (American Barleywine)(growler only at the brewery) Nimbus Old Monkey Shine (English Strong Ale) From other states that (I think) are not distributed in MA Deschutes (get anything from this great brewery) Abyss (this one goes without saying and there may be still some if you ask staff at beer stores) Conflux #1 (collab with Hair of The Dog!, one of the best beers made by anybody, anywhere) (American Strong Ale) Chainbreaker White IPA Black Butte Porter Black Butte XXIV (Imperial Porter) (ask staff at beer stores) Obsidian Stout Mirror Pond Pale Ale Epic (get anything from this great brewery) Smoked and Oaked (Belgian Strong Dark Ale) (amazing) Elder Brett (Saison) Big Bad Baptist (Imperial Stout) Fermentation Without Representation (Imperial Porter) Sour Apple Saison Hopulent (DIPA) Utah Sage Saison 825 State Stout Blue Law Porter Bell's Hopslam Expedition Stout Third Coast Ale Cherry Stout Java Stout Big Sky Ivan the Terrible (Imperial Stout) (ask staff at beer stores) Olde Bluehair (English Barleywine) Alaskan Smoked Porter Barley Wine 25th Anniversary Perseverance Ale (Imperial Stout)(some were still on shelves a few weeks ago) Lost Coast 8 Ball Stout Great White (Witbier) Coronado Idiot IPA Marin Point Reyes Porter (criminally underrated, a world class beer) Mission Dark Seas (a great Imp stout which gets no love) Mission IPA Shipwrecked (DIPA) New Belgium This is tough since they make lots of beers and it is very hard to say what will be on the shelf. Stuff I ve seen around recently that I would buy: La Folie (Oud Bruin)(this is an epic beer) Peach Porch Lounger (sour peach ale) Abbey (Dubbel) 1554 (FWIW Bros call it “Belgain Dark Ale” it is a dark thinale with Belgian yeast) Super India IPA (collab with Alpine!..asgreat as you’d expect) Snow Day (winter warmer) Frambozen (raspberry brown ale) Prickly Passion Saison Transatlantique Kriek Tart Lychee (sour fruit beer) Cocoa Mole (chilli.cocoa beer) Ninkasi Tricerahops (DIPA) Wasatch/Squatters/ Utah Brewers Cooperative Squatters Hop Rising (DIPA) Squatters Outer Darkness (Imperial Stout) Wasatch Polygamy Porter Squatters Fifth Element (Saison) Odell Footprint (American Strong Ale) Woodcut # 1(Old Ale) Woodcut # 5 (BA Quad) Woodcut #6 (American Strong Ale) Myrcenary (DIPA) Meddler (Oud Bruin) Mountain Standard (Black/Cascadian IPA) Cutthroat Porter Friek (Kriek mixed with Framboise) Double Pilsner Logsdon Killiwit (Witbier) Seizoen Bretta (Saison) (fantastic!) FiftyFifty Imperial Eclipse Stout (we got six of the treatments still on shelves) Anchorage Whiteout Wit (Witbier) Love Buzz (Saison) Telegraph Rhinoceros Oatmeal Stout Santa Fe Imperial Java (coffee stout)Also in this thread i listed soem of the better IPA/DIPA/Pale Ales you can get here in AZ http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/east-mesa-arizona-beer.58951/
In my opinion just don't bother with Arizona beers. We receive so many regional crafts that are among the best in the country that it's oh so easy to eclipse what the locals offer. Bell's, Firestone Walker, Port Brewing, Ballast Point, Stone, Deschutes, Odells, New Belgium, among others come to mind right away. Just look at the inventory on totalwine.com or bevmo.com for locations here in the Phoenix area and you'll see most of what's available.
The 50/50 Eclipse stouts are still around. $28 a bottle but worth it. I highly recommend the Elijah Craig.
The imported list is amazing. Very similar to California except we no longer receive Victory & Allagash (we lost them), and Russian River skipped over Arizona and went to Colorado and other states. We do have Bell's. I guess that's the one great brewery we receive here that isn't in CA, yet.
See a lot of the Odell special releases but the only drawback is that quite a few of them are a bit pricey. Their IPA is a regular in my fridge, plus the St.Lupulin when in season. Judging by the freshness dating it seems we get really fresh stuff - at least for the retailers with high volume.
I love Bell's. I wish they'd come to Texas for one reason that no one else on the forum would ever think to ask for: Bell's Amber. Bell's Amber is one of my favorite beers of all time. I could drink that stuff until I exploded in happiness.
