Suds in Style—the Top Breweries in Scottsdale Arizona!

Located in Scottsdale, Arizona and Tempe, this awesome brewery has some of the best micro brews in the state—hands down! They have been brewing and distilling their fine beverages for more than ten years locally. During such time they have gained worldwide recognition for some of their beers, such as Kilt Lifter and 8th Street Ale.

The place is very large and houses a huge brewery with silos in the rear, a large bar and a connecting restaurant. They even have brewery vats inside of the restaurant and during the weekdays you can actually see the brew masters sampling shots from the many vats to test the quality and consistency.

They currently offer several distinct brands, and some that change seasonally. My favorite is the Kilt Lifter, a red Irish ale with a smooth taste and a sweet body. It has a high alcohol content, so lightweights beware. You will not find better beer, service or food, not to mention a great location, anywhere else in the city. Simply put, Four Peaks is where the good beer is at.

An awesome and tucked away brewery in the Papago Plaza in South Scottsdale is not known by many. But by the few who do know it, they all allude to the fact that better micro brews in Arizona are hard to find outside of this place. They also happen to have more beer on draft than most other bars in the state.

That aside you can also buy more than 2000 different kinds of beer from their beer marketplace, which is housed inside the bar—where a walk-in cooler houses the hardest to find beers on the planet. My favorite brew here is their Hop Dog IPA. This is a very strong IPA with a distinct flavor that goes great with a orange or lemon slice. They have good eats and great service as well.

Other Great Breweries near Scottsdale

Learn how to Make your own Beer

If you find yourself stuck in the massive line of traffic that mirrors the very traveled Shea BLVD in North Scottsdale, break away from the rush-hour and stop in at Rock Bottom to enjoy a pint of their famous and award-winning Hump Back Pale Ale. The large, 32-ounce steins that they serve this delicious and foamy beverage in are enough to whet the palette of even the thirstiest behemoth.

Their service is excellent, and you can request samples of all of their brews; typically they will have six or more available for purchase and for sampling. The brew masters are quite often on-hand during the day. You can ask them any questions that you may have, and sometimes they will even invite you to enjoy a free mug of their latest innovations.

This brewery is very large and has enough to seat easily a few hundred patrons. During the weekends the main area does get packed to over-spilling. But there is usually enough room to sneak in an enjoy a pint of one of the finest micro brews that AZ has to offer. Just make sure you bring a designated driver with you, as once you taste their great beer you will surely want to drink more than one.

What started out as a single location pizza and sub bistro has culminated and grown over the past thirty years to 26 locations in the state, two of which host their very own brewery. While their micro brews are not what I consider to be the best around, they do offer some pretty tasty suds; and they get an A+ for effort.

What is better than having some of the best pizza in the valley? A home made brew to drink with it. You can typically select from four-six of their home made micro brews—distilled in breweries housed in both their Scottsdale and Tempe locations. My favorite beer to drink here is the NY Big Apple Red, a sweet and smooth red Irish amber ale that goes perfect with pizza.

Four Steps on Brewing the Perfect Suds: