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I Am Completely Insane!
Dear Brewsletter Readership,
It is with a heavy heart that I come to you today. Upon several trips to many different doctors, psychiatrists and Vietnamese herbal incense therapy sessions, I have come to the realization that I am mentally unstable. I have been informed that applying scotch tape to alter your facial characteristics while singing (in falsetto of course) the complete  works of Amy Grant into the mirror is not normal. I have also learned that the fact that I prefer the character Jar Jar Binks over Chewbacca is akin to punching your mother in the throat while yelling "CATTLE DRIVE, CATTLE DRIVE!" at the top of your lungs. The doctors also tell me I am not being followed by an angry mob of Asian Extremists, those are just the voices in my head...so I probably shouldn't pick up the Rosetta Stone edition on speaking Mandarin. In addition, I found out that I probably should give up my relentless manhunt of Tom Berenger. As it turns out he is NOT the antichrist just because I didn't like the movie Major League 2. Lastly, the ceiling fan in my room is NOT an angry dragonfly watching me and keeping me hostage, turns out it is just a ceiling fan. Go figure, huh?
If you're still reading this...
APRIL FOOLS!!!
I am well aware some people probably think most of this is true and that I am, indeed, mentally unfit, but I can assure you I do most definitely prefer Chewie over Jar Jar! Now back to the task at hand!
What could be more American than baseball? Sure, in the last couple of decades several other countries (i.e. the entire world as witnessed in the World Baseball Classic) have adopted it and made it an almost universal sport. All the better! In honor of our favorite pastime and the effect it has had on the world, we should celebrate. What better way than on Opening Day, Monday, April 6th! Four Peaks Brewing  Company as well as The Grill & Tap along with the expressed written authority of Major League Baseball and all its affiliates (that last part is not true) will be offering $3 pints all day! You heard correctly, we will be offering discounted pints, Chili Cheese Dogs and the MLB Extra Inning package amongst other special treats! Show up early and stay late, the season is just beginning and we couldn't be more "juiced" about it!
Got nothing to do tomorrow, April the 2nd? Then stop at the 6th Annual Forks And Corks at the Camelback Esplanade between 5:30 and 8 pm. More than 25 of Arizona's top chefs from resort to restaurant will be showcasing some of their finest creations. Aside from the delicious samples and fantastic wines, Four Peaks will be the only beer on hand to be paired with some of these culinary concoctions! For more information please click HERE.
This Sunday, April 5th stop by The Queen Creek Olive Mill for their 1st  Annual Grill In The Grove from 10am until 4pm. Enjoy some tasty brats, live music, wine tasting and beer supplied by a small local brewery located right in the heart of Tempe! The name is, like, "Two Peaks" or something similar to that. All I know is they have a wildly popular Scottish Amber beer called "Kilt Raiser" or "Skirt Lifter," at any rate I hear the kids seem to like it! Seriously, it should be a great time, stop by and see us, more info is available HERE.
There is also a special BBQ/Street Party occurring on Saturday April 4th from 4pm until 8pm (I realize these last two events are out of sequence, but I'm CRAZY remember?!?!). All proceeds are going to support the ASU Art Museum and tickets are quite agreeable at $5 at the door and children under 12 for free. Come on down and enjoy the works of local artists, live bands, a backyard BBQ and an Art Zone for the kids. Once again there will be a beer garden with tasty beverages supplied by your friends at 4PBC. This event is going on in Phoenix at 4404 North Central Avenue (just south of Lux Coffeebar and Pane Bianco).
Alright, now to the content portion of today's issue. We start with a little information on the upcoming documentary called "Beer Wars" that is coming to a theater near you. Mike fills you in on what to look forward to on the topic of this years baseball season. The Brewers get around to the Raj I.P.A in this weeks "WTHAIT" installment. Lastly I talk with longtime friend and seasonal Regular Todd Englert in a guest 5 questions. Well it's time for me to run because, as Chazz Michael Michaels observed in the movie Blades Of Glory...
I see you have learned to work the Google on the Internet machine.
Your Friends at The Four Peaks Brewery and Four Peaks Grill & Tap |
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Beer Wars Episode 1: The Corporate Menace
From Michael Moore's scathing documentary "Roger and Me" in
1989 all the way to Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" from 2006, Hollywood has
tackled all varieties of hot topics.
There always seemed to me to be one topic that never really got addressed...the
Micro Brew Revolution! Well no more,
Director/Producer Anat Baron will be releasing a one of a kind documentary on
just that topic with a distinctive multimedia flair. His movie "Beer Wars" will be a "one night
only" interactive event on  Thursday, April 16th. Touted as Beer Wars Live, 440 theaters
nationwide will be premiering the documentary and following it up with a live
panel discussions (hosted by everyone's favorite Ferris Bueller's Day Off
costar Ben Stein!) with a variety of brewers and folks affiliated with the
film.
Filmed over the course of 3 years starting in 2005, the
movie documents the change in both the consumers' perspective towards beer as
well as the brewers, distributors and even politicians views towards the
industry as a whole. According to the website
(click HERE to see it in its entirety):
Fathom and Ducks In A Row
Entertainment present Beer Wars LIVE with
Ben Stein, a one night event taking you inside the boardrooms and back rooms of
the American beer industry. The event will feature the exclusive
never-before-seen documentary Beer Wars, followed by a riveting live discussion
led by Ben Stein with America's leading independent brewers and experts.
Playing in movie theaters nationwide
on Thursday, April 16th at 8pm ET / 7pm CT / 6pm MT / 8pm PT (tape delay), beer
industry insiders will take you behind-the-scenes of their quest  for the
American Dream. Don't miss out on this entertaining journey that will reveal the
truth behind the label of your favorite beer!
Touted as a
modern day David vs. Goliath story, Beer Wars takes you behind the scenes of
the major corporate juggernauts as well as a large share of the smaller
independent breweries. If you fancy
yourself the beer connoisseur, this is one of those must see events that can
only expand your knowledge of the craft beer revolution as well as look inside
the workings of the major players! Several
Valley Theaters will be showing the production and you can purchase your tickets
ahead of time on their website HERE. All
of us at Four Peaks would encourage you to go see this if your social
calendar allows. We will see you there
(and don't be surprised if I have a pop quiz for you in an ensuing issue to
make sure you were watching).
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CASK-CONDITIONED AND SEASONALS
IN SCOTTSDALE AND TEMPE THIS WEEKRaj I.P.A.: Our traditional style India Pale Ale served the way the English troops used to drink it! Check out our latest Brewers Blog for all the details! Should the Raj move too quickly in Tempe this week, we have our Oatmeal Stout available just in case you missed it last week! SEASONAL DU JOUR
Lost Dutchman Lager: Now available!! Our version of a "California Common" (aka Steam Beer), try one today! |
5 Questions with a Longtime Regular... After being open for over ten years and being located in the sunny Southwest, we tend to get what can only be called "seasonal" regulars.  Most show up during the long (short) and arduous (quite agreeable, actually) winter season, some, like this weeks 5 Questions subject, spend a large amount of their vacation time to come down here and watch/work Spring Training games. Yes, it is that time of year when our cup runneth over with MLB enthusiasts from around the country. One of our favorites is Mr. Todd Englert from Portland, Oregon. When he's not spreading his essence throughout downtown Phoenix, mastering the intricacies of Karate Champ with Steve Lynch or making his escape in the trunk of a Nissan, he offers up some sage advice. We caught up with the enigma known as Todd this week as he graced us with his presence and asked him about life, liberty and the pursuit of Cubs games...here is what we found out!
1. What was the first Four
Peaks beer you
ever had? What impact did this have on
your life?
The Raj I.P.A. (Ed. note: he thinks that's what it was, memories tend to get hazy over time!) The impact of the beer at the time wasn't that  substantial, but the second I put it up to my lips a whole lot changed in my life. So many vacations, a job, numerous hangovers all interlaced with some great friends.
2. You live in Portland, OR,
a huge microbrew Mecca. Which establishments would you recommend one should
go to when visiting?
There are quite a few, that is true. Some of the ones that stick out in my mind are, in no particular order: Amnesia The Green DragonMy House (website under construction) The Horse Brass PubDouble Mountain Brewery and Taproom Ninkasi Brewery in Eugene
3. Which Four Peaks food
item would you consider the best all-around hang over cure? Please elaborate.
The Beer Cheese soup is always a good starter! If you're here for Sunday breakfast make sure you get the Enchiladas and Eggs (Over Medium is my preferred style, but I hear eggs can be prepared in a myriad of ways).
4. You've been visiting the Valley (and the Brewery in particular)
for several years, what is your favorite memory of your time here?
Probably back in 2000 when I started spending a LOT of time at the brewery... I remember quite a few late nights at Four Peaks during that brief stint as a door guy/silverware roller. Also all the parties we used to have on Farmer Avenue and closing down Casey's almost every night. Good times, good times!
5. Back to Portland, OR; there is long list of great
musical artists born and/or raised there including Elliott Smith and Issac
Brock of Modest Mouse, what are you listening to these days?David Byrne, The Grateful Dead, The New Mastersounds, Ryan Adams (Ed. note: in no way did my "man-crush" on Mr. David Ryan Adams in  any way coerce this choice) and the next big thing out of Portland, Oregon, The Shaky Hands. I'm serious, check them out! Thanks for the insight Todd, we all look forward to many more years of cocktails and poor decision making with you! Hope you enjoy your time in Rocky Point and visiting our friends from south of the border at Capone's Pizza ( Website). Say hi to Vegas and Derek from all of us!
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1340 East 8th Street #104
Tempe, Arizona 85281
480.303.9967
480.303.9964 fax
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15730 North Pima Road
Suite D5-7
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
480.991.1795
480.991.1796 fax
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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Saturday, April 4th: Street Party Hosted by Martha + Mary to Benefit the ASU Art Museum located at 4404 North Central Avenue. Sunday, April 5th: Queen Creek Olive Mill hosts their First Annual Grill In The Grove. Info available HERE. Sunday, April 12th: Spend Easter morning with Four Peaks. Wednesday, April 8th: Our next Cheese Puff Day Saturday, April 18th-Sunday 19th: Scottsdale Culinary Festival's Great Arizona Picnic! Tickets to this event found HERE! Tuesday, April 28th: Four Peaks Beer Dinner in Tempe. Menu available HERE. If interested please contact Steve Lynch via steve@fourpeaks.com |
The Brewers Blog
Your epidermis is showing... HA, April Fool's.
OK, now that that's out of the way this week's "What the
Hell am I Tasting", The Raj IPA*, probably should have been done right after
the Hop Knot, seeing as though they share some lineage. That is, they're both IPA's; the Hop Knot
being of the American variety and The Raj being of British
descent. But, oh well.
By now many people have heard the story of India Pale Ale so
we will not re-hash that yarn in our humble yet edifying blog. Although the following link is good reading: (HERE).
The Raj was our first IPA and although it has gone through
many changes and revisions the basic beer is much the same as 12 years
ago. That's because English IPA's tend
to have a tighter style parameter thus allowing for less variance. They tend to be slightly darker than their
cousins across the pond due to a more pronounced caramel malt** presence. Generally they are lower in alcohol than
USAIPA's (just made up that acronym, we're crafty like that) but ours is an
exception, being slightly stronger than the Hop Knot. They also tend to have a more muted hop
nose. Not because they use less hops but
because the English varieties were bred to have lower levels of an essential
oil called Myrcene. Myrcene is that
tell-tale aroma of citrus that marks a true USAIPA. The Brits
didn't care for this aroma so they grew hops higher in Humulene, which is more
floral. Citrus being a stronger, more
pungent aroma than flowers tends to push most USAIPA's over the top in terms of
aroma wow-factor.
But let's get into it, shall we?
See it. Yep, a deep, rich copper color, darker than
Hop Knot for the above mentioned reason; more caramel malt. It's also brilliantly clear and, thus,
magnitudes more inviting than a murky, unfiltered beer. It is, as we would say , the color of an IPA;
absolutely beautiful.
Sniff it. Yep, floral.
In fact at various times we've gotten geraniums, roses as well as some other
garden aromas like, and this may sound weird, tomato leaves. Really.
Next you get the aforementioned caramel notes that tend to
push out the bready, base malt aromas; in a good way. And, as usual, there in the background is the
faint aroma of fruit, specifically apricot.
Ale fermentations are known for their fruitiness. Really, it's not an ale without some fruity
esters. Our yeast is unique in that it
throws a distinct (though faint) apricot aroma.
Sip it. Right away we get a bracing hop bitterness
(it's an IPA after all) tempered with a perceived sweetness from the malt;
again caramel malt. We say perceived
sweetness because we know that, being a typical English IPA, The Raj is, in
fact, quite dry. There is the possibility,
though, that there are some carbohydrates that remain in the beer that get
enzymatically broken down by saliva in your mouth into simpler sugars, a
reaction that malt enzymes can't achieve.
This may also lend some sweetness.
After several sips, the bitterness subsides due to
familiarity, and a simple yet elegant hop flavor comes through. We say elegant as a tip of the hat to our British brewing brethren, many of whom consider
American hops to be clunky, harsh or unrefined.
In some cases we can't argue. The
flavor you're looking for is slightly earthy and definitely flower-like. Imagine what it would taste like to roll in a
spring flower garden, soil and all.
Sorry, it's really more appetizing than that sounds, but you get the
picture.
So there it is; an albeit brief but close up look at The Raj
IPA.
*What's with the name, you ask? Raj is a Hindustani word that literally means
"reign" and it refers to the British
rule over the Indian subcontinent from 1858 to 1947. We thought it worked quite nicely, old chap.
**Caramel malt is the most widely used of the
"specialty malts". It is kilned while
still wet which literally caramelizes the carbohydrates in the malt. It imparts a candy sweetness to the beer at
low levels and at higher rates can taste down-right raisin-y. It is also responsible for the copper to red
colors in most all beers.
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The Grill & Tap Dispatch
with Mike Kruchko
FREE BEER!
I have the honor of announcing some amazing, one of a kind
news from Four Peaks.
To cap off a great Spring Training, we have decided to give anyone that
comes in during the next week free beer!
You may think that we would have to be crazy to do something like this...well;
we have never claimed to be the sanest bunch in the basket. Oh, I almost forgot one important detail
though....April fools!
Wow, who still does those dumb April Fools jokes (apparently
this kid)? As much as the idea of giving
our customers something like that would be great, we are here to step up and
make what in my eyes may the most underrated Holiday in the U.S. today's
special. Some people may be Christmas or
New Year's people....me; I'm an Opening Day kinda guy. So that being said, we at the Grill & Tap
like our big brothers down south are celebrating America's Pastime this Monday with
an old fashioned  ballpark extravaganza.
Monday April 6th marks Opening Day 2009 for Major League
Baseball (I know there's a game on Sunday, but that doesn't really count) and
we are hoping that you (like me) make it a long weekend, take the day off of
work and come hang out. The Grill &
Tap will be offering $3 pints ALL DAY of your favorite local beer! Think about it, going to a game with your
buddies, having some beers and grub can put you back a few hundred bucks and
these days, that could put a big hurt on the wallet! We've got you covered...not only are we hooking
you up on the barley, we'll be serving up some high end ballpark/pub food that
really brings the whole package together.
I don't know about you, but I'm sold!
Ok, now that we know where we'll be for the start of the
season, let's get down to business.
Before the season kicks off and the Pittsburgh Pirates are officially
eliminated from the Playoffs, let's take a second and make our (or mine)
predictions for '09. I'll save everyone
the pain of getting too detailed and just pinpoint some important ones.
The Yankees do their best Titanic impersonation and sink
like a rock this year! Is it the ridiculous payroll, the pressure of opening a
new park...nope, at the end of the day it's just A-Rod's fault.
The D-Backs do their best to play above their abilities, but
when all is said and done the age and lack of experience in these kids show
through and they also end up missing the post-season. Side note: They will be a blast to watch and Brandon
Webb wins his 2nd Cy Young.
The Cubs will go to the NLCS this year and the 400 year
World Series drought will.....continue (sorry Tracy).
I don't want to jinx them, but I say the Dodgers win the NL and head to
the World Series to face.....the Red Sox.
C'mon, what did you think I was going to say, I'm the biggest homer
around! I mean if you really wanted
"real" unbiased baseball journalism, you'd be reading Peter Gammons or
something.
That would leave your 2009 World Series Champions as.....I
can't do it. If I put it in writing
it'll have the Murph jinx writin' all over it.
So, what have we learned? With DirecTV's MLB Extra Innings Package
Four Peaks
will be THE place to be for Opening Day, I'm still full of nothing but hot air
and "b.s." and when all is said and done, we're in for a great season of
baseball! Thank goodness we have the
state's best brew to make it through the long season...but, it's not like you
have to take my word for it. Don't
believe me; just ask Nomar!
You can contact us in
Scottsdale at 480-991-1795 or at Scottsdale@fourpeaks.com
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A Few Parting Words...
That should just about do it for this April Fools Day Edition of the Four Peaks Brewsletter. Don't forget next Wednesday is
our monthly "Cheese Puff Day" at the Brewery. People come from miles
around to wrap their lips around what can only be called "Yum-ilicious"
by folks who make up their own words... Also, the 2009 Four Peaks Easter Brunch is rapidly coming up. Bring Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Grandma and all the kids into either location to enjoy a beautiful day of bunnies and pastel eggs along with Prime Rib, Tuna Salad Croissants, French Toast, Eggs Benedict, and all of your other Sunday favorites. Remember that we are bypassing the buffet in favor of a larger brunch menu for you to choose from. The full menu for both locations will appear next week in our Easter Spectacular Issue (These holidays are just soooo intense aren't they!). Cheers!
"Homer no function beer well without."
- Homer Simpson
Yet More Proof Showing How Advanced Our Ancestors Were...
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