This new stylish brewery fits the Scottsdale vibe.
Scottsdale’s Pinnacle Brewing Company opened in early May to much fanfare – so much, in fact, when I tried to go on opening day I discovered the parking lot was nearly full and there appeared to be a line almost out the door. Alas, my first attempt was merely a drive-by. Instead, I went back a few weeks later and sampled a flight of beers and drank in the ambience.
THE SPACE
My first impression of Pinnacle Brewing was that it’s inviting, clean and comfortable. A mural of Pinnacle Peak on a wall of windows is the highlight of an interior space that seamlessly opens to a spacious patio with cushioned furniture, fireplaces and big-screen TVs. Add in the green hedge backdrop at the front entrance, and you’ll see everything is upscale and intentional, according to principal owner Bob Wilson. “The taproom was inspired by two breweries Wyatt (his son/brewmaster) has admired, one in Northern Colorado and one in Calgary,” Wilson says. “Both invoke a modern après-ski type of taproom. We adapted that look to Arizona by adding the Pinnacle Peak graphic and use of copper in our color scheme.”
The Wilson family is no stranger to the adult beverage business. Wyatt studied in the brewing program at Olds College in Alberta, Canada and went on to have brewing jobs at Dust Bowl Brewing in California, Monkless Belgian Ales in Oregon and Mash Lab Brewing in Colorado. Bob, a former Seagram’s marketing director, was a home brewer before he had kids.
“When the kids started coming, I stopped brewing,” he says. “Wyatt had no idea I was a home brewer when he started home brewing at age 18 (with adult supervision, of course).”
Considering this family’s journey to finally living the dream and opening their own brewery, I’m excited to try the beers.
THE BEERS
For this initial visit, I’m focused on the classic and rare styles offered at Pinnacle. My flight of five has no IPAs or hazies or anything very high in IBU, so I can appreciate the variety of flavor coming my way. On the day I went there, most beers on the menu seemed to be between 4 and 5 percent ABV, with nothing higher than 7.3 percent. The brewery gets bonus points from me for appropriate glassware, serving each pour in a stemless Belgian tulip glass. Here’s what I liked:
- Quartier Belgian Blonde has great clarity, finishes dry and feature a nice balance of sweetness, earthiness and drinkability.
- Red Devil Red Ale is pleasantly light and sweet with a malty character that reds are known for. It’s very clear on the eyes and fresh on the tongue with a slightly spicy finish.
- Illumination Helles Lager opens with a slightly sweet, malty aroma on the nose and then the fun begins when it hits your lips! It’s silky with a hint of banana cream pie and a touch of spice on the back end. Illumination is an enjoyable exploration in a beer and my favorite pour of the day.
- Grodzuation Day Grodziskie is Pinnacle Brewing’s take on a Polish smoked lager – a style rarely created outside of Poland. Pinnacle’s version has smoked salmon on the drive-by aroma, smoked meat on the flavor and it hides the high carbonation in the beer nicely. It has me wondering: Where has this beer been my whole life?!
- Valleybock German Maibock (Hellesbock) is all toast on the taste and some burn on the back end. It seemed a bit heavy, relative to the previous beers I sampled, and was probably my least favorite of the flight.
When I asked Bob Wilson about these styles sticking around for awhile on the menu, he replied, “Frankly, we’ve only been open a month, so we’re not fixed on what our mainstays will be quite yet. It would be a good bet that Illumination, Cathedral (Kolsch), and a hazy will be on the list.”
Two hazy IPAs are currently on tap: Borealis and Break Room. Borealis has been the most popular of any beer on the menu, but Pinnacle customers have been receptive to the many European styles they have to offer.
“We are getting a lot of positive feedback on the variety of Euro styles on tap,” Wilson says. “Along with the two hazys, we have a West Coast IPA (Coast Game) and an American IPA (Chronicle) on tap now. I would predict that we will never have more than four IPA’s on tap.”
FOOD & TO-GO OPTIONS
As I sat in one of the 15 padded seats at the L-shaped bar inside the taproom, I noticed several people come in and their first question to the bartender was, “Do you have food?” Pinnacle Brewing is already working to address that, with regularly scheduled food trucks and a plan to expand.
“We will have a semi-permanent food trailer on site and are working with the City of Scottsdale to expand the fence line to enclose the trailer,” Wilson says. “We will be making an announcement shortly on the name and menu items.”
To-go options are also an important aspect to many craft beer fans, but unfortunately on the day of my visit the canning line machine was down, so I did not get to take home anything this time. I’ll have to make a return visit.
Pinnacle Brewing Company
15111 North Hayden Road, Scottsdale
602-341-5059, pinnaclebrewing.com
