Pumpkin Porter hits the spot!

Mi Mo and Juan Mas (my awesome in-laws) were in Scottsdale last week and managed to fanagle a growler of Four Peak's Pumpkin Porter for me. From what they said, Four Peaks isn't allowing growler fills of Pumpkin Porter until the day after Thanksgiving. So, thanks to my in-laws' silver tongues, I got to enjoy this amazing beer!

I didn't do a full blown review because we were in the middle of dinner, but here are the highlights:

-An excellent porter in itself, the pumpkin flavor was just enough to add some distinction, but not enough to really be a pumpkin-ey beer.

-The carbonation was just right - enough to add some crisp, but not enough to induce too much beer belching.

-Aroma was dominated by coffee and roasted malt, with a hint of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove

The best thing about this beer is that it was a porter that had a little hint of something else. Similar to Breckenridge's Vanilla Porter, this one took a style I loved and added some flash to it. If you are in the Phoenix area, I'd highly recommend getting a pint of this goodness!

Four Peaks - Tempe

Tina and I are big fans of Four Peaks Brewing, but had never ventured out to the Tempe location, where all the magic happens. Suffice it to say, I'm glad we came over here. The Scottsdale Grill & Tap is chill, but definitely has a "Scottsdale" feel to it - older crowd, a bit more sophisticated. The Tempe Brewery is a chill college hang out. The place is huge too - lots of seating room. The waitress we had was great - she knew her beer, which was appreciated.

We had lunch while we were there - the food was excellent. Between Fish & Chips, a Lamp Pita, Fried Chicken and Waffles and a Burger, we were well fed! Their Leroy Brown Ale was the seasonal draft - a very tasty brew, that could easily be a session beer (only 4.9% ABV). Some of the merchandise was on sale, so picked up some pint glasses for only $3.25 each (down from $5, I think). Also, picked up a 12 pack of their Kiltlifter Scotch Ale in cans...awesome.

He exists - Hopsquatch!!!

I had heard about this speciality beer before, but apparently my camera skills sucked and never managed to get proof that it existed. Fortunately, I layed in wait long enough at Four Peaks to get served a nice little goblet of Hopsquatch, their hoppy barleywine. I think this is officially the first barleywine that I have ever had - and I was very impressed.

The Hopsquatch was pretty cloudy, which I liked. There was a nice head, but it sorta disappeared quickly. The brew had a really nice floral, fragrant aroma with some citrus. I'm sure I'm missing the elegant details, but whatever it was, smelled REALLY good. The taste is the best part of the beer - exceptionally smooth and well blended. Even though this is a hoppy beer, you wouldn't really know given how masterfully blended it was. I would take this beer anytime - I would just need to be really careful as it had 11.5% ABV! Holy crap!

Appearance - 4.0/5.0 - A nice cloudy rust color; just disappointed with quickly dissipating head

Smell - 4.0/5.0 - An awesome floral bouquet of smells - very nice

Taste -5.0/5.0 - Extremely smooth, flavorful and balanced. Just a really great tasting beer with all of the elements that you'd expect in an IPA, but nothing so strong as to offend.

Feel - 5.0/5.0 - A perfect blend and smoothness that just made the mouth happy.

Drinkability - 5.0/5.0 - Would drink again, just need to be careful due to the high alcohol content!

Four Peaks Brewing - Take 2 Beers and Call Me In the Morning

I hit up Four Peaks Brewery again last time I was in Scottsdale and polished off the last two beers I have not had the pleasure of trying. I haven't been to Four Peaks at night before and it was a really chill atmosphere. There was a nice breeze and with their bay doors to the patio open, it was relaxing to sit back, chill and enjoy some beer.

First up was the Four Peaks HopKnot IPA. If you read my post on the last trip to Four Peaks, you'd remember I was really disappointed with the RAJ IPA that I had. Having tried the HopKnot, I wish I had ordered this brew instead. There is a really sharp bitter hop taste with a mild, but clean, aftertaste. I read a bit about the process by which Four Peaks brews this beer and it sounds different - they use 4 different types of hops and add them at four different times. I wouldn't say that this process makes HopKnot break any IPA boundaries or does something so unique that I would need to order mass quantities and store it, but it does produce one damn fine IPA.

The Oatmeal Stout was the last beer of Four Peak's regular offerings to try and it was a fine finish. The first thing that came to mind when the beer came was "Did I order a Guiness on accident?" It seems like they used nitrogen rather than typical carbonation. The beer itself was extra smooth with a smoky, almost-chocolate taste. Neither me or my friend, Louis, got any oatmeal taste from the beer, but I guarantee it's in there somewhere. If I had a choice between this and a Guiness, I would pick the Oatmeal Stout, as it lacks that odd aftertaste that I really don't care for with Guiness. I would definitely order this tasty stout again!

Beer Fridge on the Road - Four Peaks Brewing Company

Phoenix/Scottsdale is one of my favorite places to visit. Warm when you want it to be; if you go in the summer, it's quiet; and it's CLOSE - a fast 6-7 hr drive and you're there. Near the 101 and Frank Lloyd Wright, there is a bunch of great places to check out, including Four Peaks Brewing Company. This place has a real chill vibe to it, with an outdoor, shaded patio (so, yes, you could go out there and not roast) and a large upper loft if you've got a bigger group.

This place caught my eye and always wanted to check it out and when I finally did, I was very pleasantly surprised. Great food (try the BBQ chicken pizza...very tasty) and the beer also very good, and of course, that's what you're here for.


First up is the RAJ IPA. Given my recent experiences with IPAs, including the Odell IPA and Marble Brewing IPA, I have high expectations. Unfortunately, when you have high expectations, you tend to be disappointed and that's what happened here. For an IPA, there just wasn't that hoppy taste that I come to expect and enjoy. The brew had crisp taste when it hit your lips, then a medium bitter aftertaste, but not one that was terribly enjoyable. The high alcohol content (6.9% ABV) did not save this beer, which will not get a repeat performance.


The 8th Street Pale Ale was a great way to follow up the RAJ IPA, mostly because I actually liked it. This beer had a bit of a tangy taste with absolutely no aftertaste and just a hint of hops. This beer had more a red color, making me think of an amber beer rather than the typical IPA color. The lower alcohol content (4.7% ABV) and accommodating taste makes this a great beer for people who tend to lean to lighter beers and want to venture into different types of beer without going "too out there."


The Hefeweizen is a Bavarian type, so lemon is verboten!! I didn't get a lot of the banana taste that seems to be common in the Bavarian beers, but the flavor I did get was very refreshing and light. And like most Bavarian Hefeweizens, the fruity taste is subdued - it's there, but not in your face like American Hefeweizens. Just a hint of aftertaste, making for a very refreshing and tasty beer.



But my favorite of the Four Peaks offerings is the Kiltlifter Scottish-Style Ale. This brew has gusto, but not so much that you feel like you got punched in the face (a la the Arrogant Bastard Pale Ale). You can really get the malt taste and with 6% ABV, it's got a little kick to it. For being a more robust ale, it's got a really smooth taste and no overwhelming aftertaste that sits with you. I usually get a growler of this bad boy if I'm in Phoenix for a few days, so obviously, I recommend this beer.



Four Peaks Brewing Company has the brewpub in Scottsdale, with the actual brewery in Tempe. So, go to either of those places if you want it fresh from the source or a growler to go. Some of the beers (including the Kiltlifter) are available in bottles at a lot of Phoenix grocery stores, so you can grab it there too.