Four Peaks Brewsletter
News Breaking? More Like "Breaking" The News
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Shakedown on 8th Street
Overkill. Most of you folks already know it but no one wanted to speak it, but it definitely applied to my contemporary. Allow me to explain. Longtime Four Peaks employee and the Brewsletter writer/editor who referred to himself as "Brewsletter Tim" was placed on "Administrative Leave" earlier this week as a direct result of THIS GAFFE. Some may consider this "mistake" trivial, but in the dog eat dog business of actual journalism this is just as unforgivable as shouting fire in a crowded theater. Sometimes assignments can be too much to handle, in the case of your Editor-in-Chief, I believe this to be true. This is why I do not condemn him for the shoddy workmanship that he offered up last week. Obviously the whole "Bright Lights, Big City" fishbowl existence he'd built for himself was a primary undermining determinant in this. Despite this, Four Peaks Brewing Company as well as myself wish him the best as he contemplates his mistake and all the people who subscribe to this weekly that he's let down. Enough about that ugly circumstance though, my name is James Norman and I will be your interim editor while Mr. Neuman collects himself. I will give you a brief introduction of who I am and what I plan to accomplish in my short time here later in this issue, but for now here is what's going on at Four Peaks without all the crap (pardon my French) your previous editor inundated you with. ---------------------------------------------------------
Today is Cinco de Mayo -Although not a very big event where I am from in the Midwest, it appears to be a large celebration down here. For those not aware, Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Although Wisconsin doesn't implement such extreme immigration laws as Arizona, the very fact that you celebrate a holiday such as this is a large indicator of how enlightened your population actually is. Kudos to all of you! This is also the 1 Year Anniversary of the day when the first cans of Kilt Lifter came off the canning line. It is the wish of the Four Peaks Brewing Company that you join the celebration by stopping in anytime this week to enjoy a pint. If you haven't enjoyed a Kilt Lifter lately we encourage you to stop by and say hello to an old friend. And while you are visiting, purchase a 12 pack of our fine quality Four Peaks  Kilt Lifter cans! They are environmentally sound and reduce your carbon footprint. If each of us starts on an individual basis and on a local level we can slowly stem the tide caused by years of our collective negligence. Be part of the solution not part of the petroleum! Stage Time at the Improv - Also in the "File Under Local" folder is Stage Time at the Tempe Improv. Tomorrow, Thursday, May 6th starting at 8 pm check out some of the finest stand ups that the valley has to offer whilst imbibing in some of your Four Peaks Brewery favorites. This installment of Stage Time includes NBC's Last Comic Standing hopefuls as well as the inclusion of some established comedians. This is an event not to miss and Four Peaks is also offering free "Guest VIP Passes For 2" on the ledge adjacent to the ATM machine. Local talent, local beer and "loco" fun. Located at the corner of Rural Road and University Drive just down the street from our Tempe Brewery; grab yourself some tickets, a couple drinks and some supper before you head to the show! Those are the headlines I've been given, now on with the popular columnists you know and love so well. |
The Brewers Blog
American Craft Beer Week is coming
up http://www.americancraftbeerweek.org/ and instead of doing some special release
of some rare beer (which we are, sort of) we decided that the best part
of being a craft brewer is the brewing community (well, the beer's
pretty good but you get the idea). It hits home with us every
time we travel to a national beer event; like last month's Craft Brewers
Conference. The camaraderie, the collegial feel, the knowing smiles
and nods that come from someone that does the same thing as you (and,
yes, the beer's pretty good too...we get it).
Sometimes it's a tough feeling though;
knowing that what you do is done by only a handful of the population.
The gatherings tend to ease  that feeling of being on an island, that
you're alone, wingin'-it without a support system.
But we asked ourselves why don't
we always get that feeling from the group of local brewers? The
answer is obvious; we're all too busy to get together all that often
and just hang out and talk about beer. So we trudge on, each in
our own corner of the Valley with the occasional, cursory wave at a
festival in between getting slammed by an eager beer-drinking public.
Wouldn't it be great, we thought,
if we could get together the Valley's independent brewers and
collaborate
on a recipe? Not one that we would put on paper and brew at our
own breweries but one put together by consensus and brewed at one
location;
by all of us? Well, we're on our way to making that happen.
The plan (and we say "the plan" because getting us together for
a one hour meeting is difficult enough, much less a whole day of
brewing)
is under way and so far seven local, independent brewers have signed
on; Four Peaks, Old World Brewery, Papago Brewing Co., Sleepy Dog Saloon
& Brewery, SanTan Brewery, Sonoran Brewing Co., and Sun Up Brewing
Co. We've got to admit, we're pretty excited, especially because
we can tie the whole thing in with American Craft Beer Week.
What are we going to make? Well
we were leaning for something patriotic but that's all been done.
So then we thought about something light, you know, for summer...
Nah, too predictable. How about something that none of us have
done before, with ingredients we don't always use? Isn't that
the essence of an American Craft Brewer; innovation, exploration, taking
crazy thoughts and turning them into beer? YES! So we've
tentatively decided on a Dark Rye IPA. It will use two new malts
from a national supplier and several different and rare hops that are
also new to the industry.
It's all at a very early stage so
we'll keep you posted on the progress. Meanwhile, we've got
to think of a name... |
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I've Got 16 Days
Allow me to quickly introduce myself, my name is James Norman and I have 16 days to get to know all of you better. I have been helping out in the Four Peaks office for only a few weeks but I had enough experience to be given the reigns in "Brewsletter Tim's" absence. Before I fill you in on what I plan to do over the next 3 issues, I think it's only fair to tell you a little about who I am.
Born in
1974 and originally from Jacksonville, NC; I worked at the Wauwatosa
Brewing Company located on the corner of Cherry Lane and Peaceful Valley
Road in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Known more for it's homey atmosphere than for its beers, I spent the better part of the last 8 years there before moving to the Valley in February. While working at The WBC, I wrote for the Wauwatosa
Brewing Daily Brugle, a small one-page weekly that documented the goings
on in and around our Brewery, much like the one your reading right now. Although a fan of the Four Peaks Brewsletter for the past few years, I oftentimes found it too wordy and cluttered with silly pictures
and jokes that seemed to go nowhere. Anyway, that's enough
about me, here's hoping we strike gold.
My desire, in the short time I
have, is to streamline this publication. It is my hope to give you
just the news and only the news, free of the hodgepodge that seemed to
drown the actual events that were happening over the past few months. Seeing as this issue had already been started, I took the liberty of utilizing what had already written, cut some of the excess and then finish it up with the information that I was given in the last few days. Come this time next week be prepared for some sweeping changes and a new look to this Brewsletter. It is my dream to break down what was a "Sodom and Gomorrah" of excess from someone clearly out of touch with what it means to self censor and fact check, then rebuild it it into a sturdy brick-laden building of comfort and fortitude. Much like the edifice in which we reside at today.
Any who, enough of my clamoring. Once again, it is great to have this opportunity again to be behind the keys doing what I do best, the news. Honest and insightful with a straight at you approach that always seemed lacking. All i can say is, "Wait until next week!"
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Upcoming Events & Ticket Finder
Sunday, May 9th:
Mother's Day Buffet
in Tempe, email Steve Lynch at steve@fourpeaks.com for reservations. Wednesday, May 12th: Our Fifth Cheese Puff Day of
the
year 2010! May 13th - 15th: ASU Graduations, Go Get 'em Class of 2010! May 17th - 23rd:
American
Craft Beer Week! Check out their website for updates on
what's
happening throughout the U.S.!
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Cask Conditioned and Seasonals
IN SCOTTSDALE THIS WEEK: Hop Knot IPAIN TEMPE THIS WEEK: 8th Street AleSEASONAL: Leroy Brown
GUEST TAP OF THE WEEK:
Old Guardian Barley Wine by Stone Brewing Company
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The Grill & Tap Dispatch
with Dave Tanzi
My Boston ties are no secret, but I was never a huge Celtics fan, even when Larry was playing, and having lived here for the better part of over a dozen years, I feel somewhat obligated to hitch my wagon to a local franchise - after all this is home now. When I'm traveling and someone asks me where I'm from I don't say Boston. While hockey may be on the comeback trail, and I have enjoyed some playoff viewing this year; it's safe to say I'll never be a real hockey fan. And while I'll root for the Diamondbacks and the Cardinals, I never do on the rare occasion that they play the Patriots or Red Sox. Since Nash's return though, the Suns have made it easy to become a fan of theirs. The last two years the only Suns games I went to were against the Celtics, and I wasn't wearing green.
As a Suns fan, I can tell you I was openly rooting for the Mavericks in the first round. It's a better match up for Phoenix, especially with Robin Lopez out or less than 100%, and there are just so many bad memories against the Spurs. It reminds me of the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry before 2004. Real fans (both Yanks and Sox) would laugh at the whole rivalry notion. Rivalry implies some sense of even-handedness, and Boston never came out the victors in a series or game that really mattered. They were the New York Yankee's whipping boys. And that's the role Phoenix plays in the Suns/Spurs "rivalry." Some will call it one of the most underrated rivalries in sports and it typically flies under the radar as an NBA rivalry. But not here - the front page of Monday's Arizona Republic was a Suns/Spurs preview under the heading, "Here We Go Again". The local tension is palpable, and it feels a lot like Boston in 2004.
The Suns have been on the wrong side of fortune and officiating over the years in their playoff match-ups with the Spurs, and you need some luck and calls to fall your way to win any NBA series. First it was the Nash nosebleed, then the Amare/Diaw suspension, and finally in '08 the back-breaking "Duncan three in OT" of game 1. The window of Steve Nash's career is closing fast, and watching him drive to the hole in the first quarter of Game 1 makes it apparent he knows that fact better than anyone. The Suns were an inch away from trading Amare in February, they couldn't be more under the radar, and they are finally playing defense. Maybe this is their year and it just wouldn't feel right if it didn't go through Mr. Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs.
You can pretty much guarantee this series is going seven games, and that's fine by us - it's great for business. As long as it goes we'll have it featured with the audio on for every game. Los Suns tip off @ 6:00 pm tonight, amigos.
You can contact us in
Scottsdale at 480-991-1795 or at Scottsdale@fourpeaks.com
Send all "Show Us Your Cans" submissions to:
mike@fourpeaks.com |
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The Sun Also Sets...
There are
just a few more things that I need to touch on before I start work on next
weeks Brewsletter. Trying to remain
faithful to the old style for one more week, I will present it to you in the
very same countdown format that you've become accustomed to. Four Peaks hopes you enjoy your week, be safe
and enjoy the time with your mother this Sunday.
1) Summer - As a low pressure system invaded the
Phoenix area last Saturday and Sunday, we
were blessed with delightfully cooler temperatures as well as a small amount of
damage around the Valley due to wind gusts over 40 mph. By all appearances today, those high winds and
cooler temperatures we experienced last week seem to be long gone. As we gear up for another long summer, make
sure you pick up a 12 pack of your favorite Four Peaks bottles or cans.
2) American
Craft Beer Week - American Craft Beer Week will be taking place from May 17th
to the 23rd. We plan to have
a series of limited edition beers made available throughout the week to
celebrate. How these will be scheduled
will be provided next week.
3) Mother's
Day - The Four Peaks Mother's Day Buffet in Tempe is still taking reservations
if you are still looking for someplace nice yet local to take your mother. Please make a reservation by calling us at
(480) 577-3589 or by emailing our manager Steve Lynch directly at steve@four
peaks.com.
4) Zane
Lamprey - Professional Drinker/Comedian Zane Lamprey, made famous by the
television program "Three Sheets" seen Wednesday nights on The Travel Channel,
spent several hours at our Tempe location on Saturday. His professional film crew spent a good deal
of the morning and early afternoon filming what will be showing up on an
episode of his new series "Drinking Made Easy".
From what we are able to construe, the formula will be very similar to
what he has done on "Three Sheets" but under this new moniker. More details on when this new show will air
when we receive them. From what has been divulged
thus far, it probably will not air until later this fall.
5) Sunday
Liquor Laws Changed - Less than an hour ago I was informed by ownership that Governor Jan Brewer signed a bill that would allow the time alcoholic beverages
could be sold on a Sunday to change from 10 am to 6 am.
The law should be in place after 90 days thus allowing it to go into
effect sometime in September. This
should roughly coincide with the beginning of the NFL season and the Packers
first morning game on September the 19th.
6) Phoenix
Suns - The Suns and the Spurs are scheduled to play on every odd day from
tonight through the 13th and then, if needed, Game 7 on the evening of the 16th. Come in to either location and enjoy a cold
beer and some delicious food while you cheer your team on to victory. The Suns took the first game of the series
and I know all Phoenicians are hoping this is the year they can finally
vanquish their most despised rival.
7) Customer
Comment - Just this morning we received an email from a longtime patron who had
nothing but kind words to share with us.
From what I've seen in previous brewsletters, most of the slant tends to
be directed towards the beers that we offer.
Rightfully so, it's our bread and butter, but many times our kitchen
tends to get overlooked. They do just a
super job and don't receive the accolades they often so richly deserve. Anyways, here is the letter in its entirety:
Hi Steve,
I just wanted to touch base with you regarding our continuing
great experiences at FourPeaks. We absolutely love the daily special menus. Last night it
was the fish tacos and the oriental ribs. Please keep doing the daily
menus; they are wonderful. Your chef is one of the best in providing
innovative, delicious meal concepts at affordable prices.
As always, the beer is unrivaled in selection, quality and taste.
Regards,
Chuck Flint
We sincerely appreciate the kind words Chuck, thank you. Trust me, Arthur, Daryn, Mark and all the folks in the kitchen have been made aware. Thanks again for taking the time to share that with all of us.
Cheers!
Your Friends at the Four Peaks Brewery and The Four Peaks Grill & Tap
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