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Just Enough To Drive You To Drink!
(But
NOT to Drink And Drive!)
How are we feeling fellow sports fans?
What a football weekend, huh? I don't know what raised my blood
pressure more, the Vikings/Packers game or the Cardinals/49ers
debacle. I know, they say a win is a win, but it came down to who
wanted to lose the game more in both matchups for (insert favorite
religious figurehead here) sake! At any rate, we witnessed the
Vikings save Brad Childress' job for one more week and the Cardinals
finally finding luck (and stupid penalties) on their side for a
change. Can't wait to see what happens next week!
 Well, as much as we would like to
talk about the Four Peaks Fourth Annual Golf Classic, that will be
covered next issue. Then, my friends, we will stop talking about
it incessantly until next year. But that's not going to stop me
from guaranteeing you now that the 2009 5th Annual Four Peaks Golf
Classic is shaping up to blow this one right out of water! It
will be a nonstop, adrenaline fueled thrill ride with action, suspense
and, I hear, a little bit of golf thrown in. So keep your peepers
peeled for that announcement!
Hey, remember a couple weeks back when Brian Yaeger the author of
"Red, White, and Brew" stopped by? Well, he had some
very kind words about us on his blog, feel free to check it out. Seems
like he noticed what we've all witnessed over the past few years, we
tend to get busy even on a Wednesday night! We would like to
thank Brian for stopping by and to everyone who showed up to make his
time here as enjoyable as possible.
Let's see, what else...let's not forget about the DRAFT Magazine
"BIG POUR" going on in Mesa next week. Tickets are still available
for both the early and the late sessions at $35-$75 depending on how
much you would like to treat yourself.
Well, this week we discuss a little about history and lost holidays,
the brewers talk about another bottled beer coming out, I do a little
ghost writing for Karina as she is tied up with the Golf Tournament and
Murph astounds us with his witty prose! Now, as Casey Kasem would
say, on with the countdown!
Do svidaniya,
Your Friends at The Four Peaks Brewery and Four Peaks Grill & Tap
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What Do You Know About
Veterans Day?
I
know that Veterans Day actually fell on Tuesday of this week and that
you probably missed it if you were even reminded at all. The
media and workplace has
shifted a lot of the importance away from several meaningful holidays
to the ones that celebrate indulgences. It's kinda sad,
really. As time slowly erases from memory the significance and
the sacrifices made, we fall into the complacency of everyday
life. I suppose that could also be viewed as a good thing, but
I beg to differ.
As novelist/poet George Santayana has been
quoted (and misquoted) numerous times, "Those who cannot
remember the past are condemned to repeat it." So what do
you know about Veterans Day? Why does it fall on November
11th? Why do so many other countries observe it as well?
Why does it also go by the name Armistice Day? Well, let me
break it down for you, albeit in the briefest of fashions.
Way back in 1918, there was a war. It has been referred to as
"The Great War," to some it's "The War To End
Wars," but here in the U.S. it is most commonly called World War
I. On November 11th at 11:00 a.m. (the 11th hour of the 11th
day of the 11th month) there was the official end of hostilities when
Germany signed the Armistice. A year
after that signing, then U.S. President, Woodrow Wilson, proclaimed  the first Armistice
Day to be held on November 12th. Over the years the name and
date have been altered a few times until we get to the designation we
are familiar with today, Veterans Day. We now embrace this date
as a time to honor the accomplishments and sacrifices of all veterans
in all wars. Most of the Allied nations of that war observe
this date also, from Remembrance Day in England to Armistice Day in
France to name just a few. Don't you feel a bit smarter now?
I actually came across a pretty remarkable article the other day with
one of the last surviving veterans of WWI. It is really worth
the quick read off MSNBC. Just a little
something to reflect on while you are admiring the red, white and
blue flag on that label of Hop Knot...
We here at Four Peaks would like to thank everyone who has ever
served in our Armed Forces. That they have provided us the
opportunity to live the dreams that so many of them were never
afforded, we are forever in your debt.
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by Karina
Lange
 Due to the amount of work and
time involved in putting on a Four Peaks Annual Golf Tournament,
Karina was unable to submit an update this week. Karina will be
back next week with a recap of the Golf Tournament as well as her
insight into the goings on up in our sister location in
Scottsdale.
Until then, just remember to stop in seven days a week between 3 and
7 p.m. and enjoy the same happy hour specials we've always
provided. Saturdays mean three simple words... College Game
Plan, don't miss a beat as we get closer seasons' end. Sundays,
lest you've forgotten, watch your favorite team on the NFL Sunday
Ticket and delve into the fantastic world of specialty Bloody
Marys!
When you go, please tell Mike, Josh, Marie, Karina and all our
friends up in north Scottsdale that Timmy from Tempe says Hi.
You can contact Karina at (480) 577-3589 ext. 209
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A Few Precious Moments With Patrick Murphy
Patrick Murphy...the name alone strikes fear in the hearts of mere
mortals. Little children and small woodland creatures flee in
terror when they see him come near! Of course I'm only
joking. Manager extrordinaire Pat Murphy is one of the kindest
and most thankful people I know. Seriously, hardly a day goes
by that he doesn't thank me for Kevin Garnett, Randy Moss and David
Ortiz. What a guy, I tell ya! So without further
ado, a man that needs no introduction...the man, the legend...the one
and only Murph!
1.After a hard day of dealing with the ins and outs of managing
the monster that is 4PBC, what is your favorite Four Peaks beer to
relax with?
What can beat a nice glass of deliciousness called Hop Knot. Truly
the best beer ever created (although the vanilla stoli stout was
amazing as well
2.Being from the Boston area, I have to ask, The 1773 Boston
Tea Party wasn't really a party but a well orchestrated mob and the
2008 Boston Celtic Championship wasn't so much a mob but poorly
orchestrated party, what can we expect Boston to do next?
(extra credit if you use "The Big Dig" in your answer)
To be honest I think the sports gods are starting to turn on all
things "Masshole" but as long as New York teams don't win
anything I'll be happy.
3.Having been at the brewery as long as you have, what would
you say your favorite Four Peaks entree ever was/is?
I would have to say nothing beats the old trusty French Dip with
mushrooms added.
4.You live out in the Southwest Valley (a.k.a the
"Avenues"), where is the best place you've been to so far
that has Four Peaks beer on tap? Explain.
I love to go to Bar/Pizzaria Bianco with my wife for a good date
night while taking down a few pints of Hop Knot of course.
5.Being a sports enthusiast, who would you say is your favorite
Boston sports personality ever? (extra credit if you use
"Tom Brady" and "man-crush" together)
I could go with the obvious and say either Larry Bird or Tommy Boy
but M.L. Carr waving the victory towel while riding the pine takes
the cake for me!
We toast you Patrick Murphy. Keep up the quality work and we
look forward to more years with you!
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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Wednesday,
November 12th:
Cheese Puff Day, afternoon and evening.
Saturday,
November 22nd:
DRAFT Magazine's BIG POUR at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa. Ticket
information and all details can be found HERE
Monday, November 24th: We
release bottles of Hop Knot into the wild. Available ONLY at
the Scottsdale and Tempe Four Peaks locations!
Wednesday, November 26th:
Pumpkin Porter growlers made available for all you Thanksgiving
revelers
Thursday, November 27th:
Thanksgiving Day, Both Four Peaks locations will be CLOSED.
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Brewers Blog XXIII: What You've All Been
Waiting For...
As
we write this the country is in observance of Veteran's Day. We
don't have much to say other than a sincere and humble thank you to
all who served (thanks, Dad).
We came across the fourth verse from For the Fallen, by
Lawrence Binyon today. It's more popular in England but its
sentiments are universal:
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Now, on with the blog...
Amidst all the excitement and trepidation of the election, the stock
market roller coaster, the release, and subsequent running out of,
the Pumpkin Porter (don't worry, there's still some left) and the
impending mayhem with the arrival of the new canning line we've forgotten
to mention that we're going to start bottling the Hop Knot.
That's right, bottled, fresh Hop Knot IPA.
Have we bitten off more than we can chew? Probably, we're only
slightly crazier than people think we are but we've never let that
get in the way of trying really insane and probably impossible
stuff. You need ten pounds of crap in a five pound bag?
No problem, we'll try it. Midnight cliff diving? OK, we
love the outdoors. Gator wrestling? Sure, they seem cuddly.
We're also quite optimistic in the sense that if you show us a
room full of stinking horse manure we'll ask for a shovel because we
just know there's a brand new pony in there somewhere.
 We are going to treat this one a
little differently, however. We'll wade in, as they say.
First, bottled Hop Knot will be available in cases only and it will
be sold only at our two locations. Why? Well, with the
continuing hop shortage Hop Knot has been more and more expensive to
make. We've secured only enough hops to release approximately
10 barrels worth per month for bottling. That's roughly 140
cases per month. This allocation will allow us to continue to
provide Hop Knot in draft form for the general market. Second,
we will release the cases for sale twice a month, probably on the
first and fourth Mondays. We'll clear this up in the upcoming
Brewsletters once we change the production
schedules. So, please, bear with us. Our advice is to get
here on or close to the date of relaese, we're anticipating it going
pretty fast.
The price, as well, hasn't been etched in stone yet either but we're
leaning toward $36.50/case. We want to make it reasonable but
on top of being in limited supply we also have a much greater cost on
this one. But at that price we're competitive with any premium
IPA (probably cheaper) and it is still les expensive and more
convenient than 4.5 growlers. Just one request; PLEASE KEEP IT
COLD.
The 24th of November will be the first release date. So, now
you'll have a choice with your turkey; a growler or two of Pumpkin
Porter or a case of Hop Knot. Heck, get crazy, try both.
We would.
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CASK-CONDITIONED AND
SEASONALS
IN SCOTTSDALE THIS WEEK
Raj I.P.A.: The good folks at your friendly neighborhood
Grill And Tap have our classic Raj I.P.A. available this week.
Always a good choice for you self proclaimed "hop heads"
out there. As the Valley cools down, there is no better remedy
than a delicious Raj at cellar temperature.
IN TEMPE THIS WEEK
Peppered Porter: What do you get when you combine 5
ancho peppers and our porter-style beer? Just a little beverage
we like to refer to as a "Peppered Porter." Ancho
peppers are the dried version of a poblano and tend to have a mild
sweetness with medium heat, combine that with the malt mellowness of
a porter and it is certainly a cask to behold! (This is in no way
affiliated with our manager Terry Pepper, any similarities are purely
coincidental).
SEASONAL
Pumpkin Porter: In the time honored
tradition of our forefathers, we offer you the Pumpkin Porter.
Legend has it the Pilgrims sat down with the Native Americans and
offered them a concoction similar to our recipe. Both parties
were so taken with thanks for the beer provided, they founded what
would become the first Thanksgiving Day! I was also told
Pumpkin Porter is the reason why the sun comes up in the morning,
that may or may not be true...
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A Few Parting Words...
We apologize if the content herein is a little sparse this week,
most of our time has been consumed by the Golf Tournament that
coincides with this issue of the Brewsletter. We promise that
next week should defy any and all expectations as we load you up with
all sorts of exciting photos, stories and anecdotes.
One last note, our friends Shelton and Mike at BBQ Island Inc. are holding their
first "Year End Inventory Liquidation Parking Lot
Sale." According to Shelton himself, "Basically, all
of our distributors are consigning all of their 2007/2008 inventory
as well as the scratched and dented grills. We're doing grill
demonstrations all weekend, and giving away free food."
Feel free to call and get specifics at (480) 503-1110 or check out
their website
Although it's winter everywhere else, it's primo grilling season here
in Arizona. Now is the perfect time to get yourself that new
grill for the  backyard,
or even get your own custom Outdoor Kitchen. The holidays are
upon us, and if you're like me, you're going to want to play with
your new toy a few times before throwing a turkey on there for
Thanksgiving!
So that's it, please check us out next week as we continue to spin
the stories that keep you coming back for more. Until then,
we'll have Jack Handy take you out with a pearl of wisdom, enjoy!
"Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel
ashamed - Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in
the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn't drink this
beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered.
Then I say to myself, 'It is better that I drink this beer and let
their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my
liver.'"
-Deep Thought, Jack Handy
The Four Peaks Brain Trust Discuss Golf Strategy
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