An Invitation to Ignite Phoenix 8

If you've been following along with us this past few months, we thank you. We really do.

We've spent a fair amount of time talking about beer and restaurants and the glaring gaps of both beer menu information and execution. In July we wrote about the lack of beer menus and information about local beer during Arizona Restaurant Week (AZRW).  As AZRW approached, we made beer pairing recommendations based upon the limited information on restaurant websites. You can read about them here because there are still 4 days left to try our recommendations. Better still, report you favorite pairings to us.  We'd love to hear that there are more forward thinking chefs and restaurants out there.

We are getting to the point where we're going to need your participation and the first opportunity comes on October 15th for Ignite Phoenix, an event that is a notoriously fast sellout.  Tickets go on sale this Saturday morning, so read on.

2010 GABF Winners Announced

This past Saturday, winners of the 2010 Great American Beer Festival competition were announced. Congratulations to the following Arizona breweries that won medals in the competition. If you get a chance, check them out and see if you agree with the judges.

See the winners after the jump!

Our Top Picks for Arizona Restaurant Week

This Sunday kicks off Arizona Restaurant Week (AZRW). Anyone who has been following this website is familiar with our view of the missed opportunity to involve craft beer and local breweries in this event detailed in our Open Letter to Restaurants. We are happy to report that some progress is being made and AZRW has opened a dialog with us to exchange ideas and information. We were recently informed that all four valley Rock Bottom restaurants are now participating in AZRW. Their fixed menu is now available and each course will come with a Rock Bottom beer. We would have loved to see recommended pairings accompanying the menu but it is great to see a local craft brewer contributing to this event. We would be remiss not to mention that SanTan Brewing in Chandler is also participating in AZRW. Their three-course menu features a specific SanTan beer paired with each dish.

See the BeerPHXation picks after the jump.

The Blend Trend

Has anyone had the King James recently? Or how about the Frambusto? Raspberry Milk Stout? How about a LiLo?  Are these new local craft beers in the Valley? Well.  Yes and No.