![]() ![]() Based in Tempe, Arizona, Four Peaks Brewing Co. In remembrance of Gehrig and in partnership with Ales For ALS, we're honored to release Iron Horse, a hoppy golden ale infused with a special blend of hops that includes Citra, Loral and four experimental varieties. has helped define craft beer in the Southwest since its founding in 1996 Content. Also, the brewery’s blog has a lot of good information on how and why Four Peaks brews the way they do.Though light in body and color, the beer delivers a curveball of hops, with bright flavors of honeydew, coconut, mown grass and mandarin orange. You have to be there for a taste so check the Facebook page for announcements. On occasion, Four Peaks will tap one of their barrel-aged beers or some other special brew. Hefe-Weizen: this is Barbara’s favorite beer and Four Peaks’ version is low on bitterness allowing the clove and banana flavor of the Bavarian yeast to come through the malty wheat. It goes down smooth with just the right amount of oatmeal flavor. Oatmeal Stout: as it comes from the tap, it is carbonated with a combination of nitrogen and CO2 which creates a creamy, tight head. ![]() There is something mysterious about KiltLifter that keeps me coming back for more. The malt tends to dominate over the hops with an almost Scotch whiskey note of smoke and earth. KiltLifter: the best known and most widely distributed of Four Peaks beer, this Scottish-style ale is dark amber and full of caramel and roasted barley flavors. It is bright, crisp and dry making it a great summer thirst quencher. Sunbru: a German Kolsch-style beer that is a cross between an ale and a lager. This golden amber ale is the perfect session beer at 4.8% ABV. It’s peachy.”Ĩth Street Ale: an English-style bitter using all English hops. Raj India Pale Ale: this English-style pale ale is orange in color with good balance of malt and hops.Īrizona Peach Ale: to quote Barbara, “Good. The mouthfeel is smooth with just the right amount of bitterness in the finish. The four different hops are dominated by a piney aroma and taste. Hop Knot Ale: a American pale ale with the hoppy aroma of an IPA. Here are the brief tasting notes I took at the time. I tried six of the eight and Barb checked out the other two. Don’t worry the samples were in small glasses so I wound up drinking about the equivalent of a glass and a half. For example, KiltLifter is a Scottish-style ale, so the water used in the brew is based on Edinburgh well water.Īfter the tour we sat down to have dinner and sample the eight beers that are always on tap. The brewer then adds the correct minerals as determined by the water source of the beer they are emulating. In order to recreate the authentic properties of various beers, Four Peaks begins by purifying all of their water by reverse osmosis. Beers from around the world get their distinctive taste from the local water. One unique part of Four Peaks brewing process is the way they handle the water. We also saw a line-up of whiskey barrels that were being used to created a special barrel-aged version of one of Four Peaks ales. I had been through the process in my home brewery but this was on a whole other scale. We got to go behind the scenes to watch as one of the brewers transferring the nascent beer from the mash tun into the brew kettle and then adding the bittering hops. ![]() The rest of the building is devoted to brewing and a malty, yeasty smell permeates the air. The front quarter of the building is a restaurant and bar. They currently produce about 5,000 cases a month divided among the regular line-up of eight beers. Ice to milk to beer-there is something poetic about that, at least for those of us who love good beer.įour Peaks Brewery began twelve years ago and has been expanding steadily ever since to become one of the largest craft brewers in Arizona. The building was started in 1892 as an ice factory but spent most of its life as a processing plant for dairy products. Obviously, this placed was geared for the production of many kegs and bottles of beer. When I walked inside, the first thing that struck me was the high ceiling and light pouring through clerestories illuminating rows of stainless steel fermentation tanks. We had come to Four Peaks Brewery to take a tour, sample the brews and have a bite to eat. I drove past the building, made a quick u-turn and grabbed the last space on the block. The street was lined with cars on both sides and it was only 4:30 in the afternoon. As soon as we turned onto Old 8th Street in Tempe, Arizona, it was apparent that we had arrived at someplace special. ![]()
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