The month of September over the past three years for me has meant it’s beer judging time for the Arizona Craft Beer Awards. As a judge, I’m not able to photograph or post on social media about the beers in front of us (besides, it’s a blind tasting, so there’s very few — in any — that I’m able to identify by name or brewery). However, I do enjoy keeping track of the Arizona craft beers I consume at home or at my local taproom, so let’s look back at some of the better pours from September and look ahead to new things coming in October.
Powerfish
Pale Ale from Dark Sky Brewing
Flagstaff’s Dark Sky has been easier to find in cans in the Valley over the past few years and we’re all better for it. This New Zealand Pale Ale delivers a pleasant aroma of grapefruit and orange and finishes with dank pine. A powerful pour indeed!
Fresh Hop IPA
Wren House Brewing
No lie: there was a bit of panic in me when I saw other customers walking out of the Wren House with cases full of this on the day of release. Luckily, there’s enough for everyone of this once-a-year delight. It comes in as very cloudy with a subtle floral aroma and mixes fruit with dankness on the tongue. Fresh hop beers are among my favorites!
Logistics (Strata)
Pueblo Vida Brewing
I’m covering nearly the entire state this month by loving on this Tucson brewery. It pours with a perfect head to reveal a beautiful color, which leads to a huge aroma of fruitiness and tasting notes of peach and earthiness. This is perhaps my favorite of the Fresh Hop beers this year. Dark Sky’s 2024 Hop Monster is a close runner-up.
German Pilsner
Pedal Haus Brewery
This won a bronze medal in its category at the 2024 Arizona Craft Beer Awards and I was fortunate enough to snag a can after beer judging (there’s always lots of extras for beer judges to take home after the competition). This pour has a perfect head, revealing a bright/sweet/malty aroma, crispy-sweet taste and clean finish. It’s a beautiful thing Pedal Haus is now in wide distribution and available to take home in cans.
ON TAP FOR OCTOBER
The Arizona Craft Beer Awards Festival is quickly approaching and the weather is trending towards cooperation this year! Temperatures look to be in the low 80s on Saturday, October 19 and we have roughly three dozen local breweries signed up to pour their award-winning brews all afternoon. Check out the full lineup on azcraftbeer.com and the @acbafest Instagram account. Get tickets at tickets.phoenixmag.com
