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SEASONAL BEER DESCRIPTIONS

Abbey Normal Ale  A Belgian Double Abbey.

American-Style Brown Ale  Leroy's BIG Brother. Sweet floral hop aroma balances out the big malty roasted body with the slightest bitter spiced-chocolate finish. A very untraditional hopping technique gives this beer a unique character significantly more robust than our traditional Leroy Brown Ale. The beer weighs in at 5.0% alc./vol. Cheers!!


Alt Ball and Chain  This beer was brewed in honor of our brewer Melissa's wedding to fellow brewer Derek Osbourne of B.J.'s in Chandler. The Alt Ball and Chain is a German Altbier. These beers are generally full-bodied with sweet malt flavor. The crispness, dry finish, and moderate hop aroma make an alt a great beer for summertime enjoyment. Our Alt has been lagering in our cellar for two weeks and contains 5.2% abv.


Barrel-Aged Blind Date Ale This is the old tried and true Blind Date Ale of old. It is based on an English Olde Ale but has an addition of 300 pounds of Arizona grown Medjool dates. The dates contribute a complexity and sweetness that the malt alone cannot. This Blind Date has been aged for three months in Jim Beam oak bourbon barrels. The oak and bourbon lend flavors of vanilla, wood, and of course, bourbon. These flavors layered with the dates created a big, multi-leveled ale. The alcohol content is about 7.5% alc/vol. You'll have to get to Four Peaks quick since we only have a few kegs of this unique beer.


Belgian Wit (Belgian-Style White)

Belgian Wits originated in Belgium, in the area of Brabant just east of Brussels. This are was a part of the Netherlands in the early 1800's and was the wheat growing region. In this era, the Dutch basically controlled the spice trade, thus, coriander as well as Curacao orange peel made its way into the beer. Spices were used well before the widespread use of hops in beer. At one point there were more than thirty breweries producing a Wit, but overtime the style died off and in 1954 the last of the breweries ceased operations. One of the most famous brands of Belgian Wits is Hoegaarden (pronounced "Who Garden") produced by Pierre Celis back in 1966. This revived the style and by the 1980's it was popular again!

Belgian Wits are similar to a Hefeweizen with respect to the cloudiness of the beer and some phenolic (clove) and tart flavors. Wits should have white, rocky head when poured and should be almost white in appearance, hence the name.

You will smell oranges and coriander which is different than a Hefeweizen that smells of banana and clove. Our version of a Belgian Wit is called "Hoof - Hearted Wit," and it is brewed to style with dried bitter and sweet orange peel and coriander seeds.


Black Betty Schwartzbier   This almost black lager originates from Germany and is most closely associated with Porter. The difference being the long maturation period (or lagering time) required to produce a true Schwartzbier. The flavor is reminiscent of treacle, coffee and toasted malt. It is not and should not be perceived as burnt or ashy like some stouts. Black Betty has 5% alc/vol and a smooth character that marks most lager beers.

The name, of course, comes from the Huddy Ledbetter song from the 1940’s which was made popular by the band Ram Jam and later by the Black Crows and U2, among others.


Blind Date Ale  One of a kind ale. Brewed with 600 pounds of Arizona grown Medjool Dates added to the kettle. 1998 Gold Medal GABF. Alcohol content varies as every brew is slightly different. Usually very strong with sherry or port-like flavors. Brewed quarterly. Alcohol content approximately 7-9% by volume.
Great American Beer Festival (GABF) 1998: Blind Date Ale - Gold - Specialty Ale

Caulfield's Rye  Our rye beer is made with 20% flaked rye and rye malt. The addition of rye creates a dry, spicy flavor with a crisp, grainy aroma. We went with a lighter color and lower bitterness to compliment these flavors. It has an alcohol content of around 4.9%.


Co-op Mild AK Ale Microbrew light! This dark brown session beer is only packin' 3.1% abv and is low in calories too! You can drink it all day! We do.
The brewers of Four Peaks and BJ's collaborated to revive a historic style together. With all the hoopla lately about low calorie and low alcohol beers that have no flavor, it was time a craft brewer brews a flavorful version. The brewers from BJ's came to Four Peaks and brewed this historic beer on our system. We returned the favor on their system the next day.
In the 16th century, this style was one of the more popular styles in the united kingdom. Back then, water wasn't safe to drink unless it was fermented into beer or wine. There were plenty of beer styles brewed to get drunk with but the mild was the one everybody drank throughout their day to keep hydrated. With the development of water treatment plants, mild ales gradually started a decline in popularity. Today its popularity is trying to make a comeback with the smaller craft breweries of the UK. It is 3.1 % alcohol by volume with 1.038 original gravity.


 

Fool's Gold This beer is patterned after the great Czech Pilsner. This beer uses hops imported from the Czech Republic the only difference being that it's brewed with ale yeast which makes it a little more complex in flavor. It is a light, straw colored, and very refreshing. Alcohol content of approximately 4.0% by volume.

Gosebier A cross-cultural constant is that water, whether it comes from the Colorado, the Ganges or the Seine, can just get so -- I don't know -- boring? That's why beer has been a favorite beverage since the heyday of Ancient Egypt, and why -- somewhere between then and now -- some creative beer drinkers in Liepzig and Goseler, Germany decided to add to the usual hops, barley, yeast and water two interesting ingredients: coriander and salt. The result was "Gosebier," which became hugely popular, especially in Liepzig. It also became popular to add different fruit and nut-flavored extractions to this tart, refreshing and somewhat acidic wheat beer. Raspberry and almond-flavored Gosebier joined the plain version at tables all over Germany, and there was much rejoicing. Unfortunately, Gosebier was literally knocked out of existence around the year 1516 with the amalgamation of Eastern Europe and the adoption of the German Purity Law, which demanded that beer only be brewed using variations on its four base ingredients. History seems to illustrate that even basic good beer can get boring, and eventually the desire for different flavors overtook the German purity law. Gosebier began to make a comeback. Just as this unique beer was regaining popularity, however, the Communist Party took over East Germany. People had a helluva lot more to worry about than, "what neat, fun ingredients we can throw into our bier now?" Four Peaks is glad to report that, since the dissolution of Communism in that part of the world, Gosebier has certainly made its comeback in Liepzig and even in Goseler -- and that it has finally arrived at our brewery. Brewmaster Andy Ingram -- who was the source for all of this information -- describes the Four Peaks Gosebier as a combination of a Belgian white beer (wittbier) and a Berliner wheat (weisse) beer. "The Gosebier is a wheat beer with a mild spiciness from coriander and a tartness from yeast and lactic acid," said Ingram. "It's refreshing. Many people can get turned off by the idea of adding salt," he said, "but in this case, the addition of salt in just the right quantity does what salt is supposed to do -- enhance the flavors of the beer and give it a big, round mouth-feel." The upcoming beer dinner in March will also feature the three different, traditional Gosebiers as part of the dessert course: raspberry, almond liquer-flavored and regular. Four Peaks Gosebier, which is on tap now at the brewery, weighs in at a light, drinkable 4% alc./vol. Ahh . . . just in time for Spring drinking. Prost!

Hopsquatch® Barleywine (On Draft Now-N. Scottsdale)
What is it?
Barleywines are super strength beers that have their roots in old England. They are comparable to Ports or Sherry in their sweet flavor and high potency. Ours is more of an American style in that it has been infused with massive amounts of hops.
How was it made so strong?
Lots of malt. In other words, lots of food for yeast. More yeast food equals more alcohol. When there is so much alcohol though, the beer needs time fore those flavors to mellow out. So we aged Hopsquatch for one year in stainless. This long aging period also allowed some of the harsh bitter flavor from the hops to buffer out and blend with all of the other flavors. This creates a fine, full flavored, very complex ale.
What's with the name?
Traditionally barleywines have colorful names like, Monster, Old Nick, Sudden Death, Old Knucklehead, Old Fart, etc. Ours is no different. When we brewed it we had these metaphorical visions of a twelve foot tall hop-covered beast lurking in the cellar for a year. No body believed us, so like the legend of Bigfoot, Hopsquatch was born… That, and it sounds funny.
What's with the "Pimp-Chalice" glassware?
See the above description (Hat tip to all the brewers on this one).

Medals - World Beer Cup 2008 -2 Silvers- Barleywine Style Ale
Medals - World Beer Cup 2006 - Gold- Barleywine Style Ale


Idle Hands Belgian Strong Golden Ale

B.S.G.A. is a pale, straw-colored ale that originated in Belgium and was made famous by the popular brand Duvel. It has the color of a pilsner but maintains the complex flavors of a Belgian ale. Namely a slight spicy, phenolic aroma mixed with a sweet malt nose.

Most Belgian brewers will add exotic spices to their brews to further increase the flavor complexity. Ours is no different. We added a small amount of Grains of Paradise to the boil. Grains of Paradise are the seeds of an African pepper plant. In the beer they impart a spicy flavor not unlike a mix of coriander and white pepper.

Idle Hands is also quite strong, 7.5% abv, but drinks much smoother than its strength, the reason being an extended lagering time. Idle Hands was stored at freezing temperatures for two months allowing the time and temperature to mellow the flavors and strength into a smooth, eminently drinkable beer.

Idle Hands was brewed to celebrate out 1000th batch of beer which represents some 40,000 kegs of beer. Its release also coincides with our 8th anniversary on April 27th.

OK, what's with the name? It's become a tradition to name Belgian strong ales with a demonic reference. Duvel actually means devil. Other commercial examples are; Lucifer, Damnation, Judas, you get the picture. Growing up I remembered something my Mother had said to me that always stuck. When we were being lazy or wanted to spend a day watching television she would say, "No, the Devil makes work for idle hands, you go find something to do". Now, don't get me wrong, my mom is a sweet, wonderful woman but this is a creepy thing to say to a seven-year-old. It did work though…


Impale Ale®  American Pale Ale. American pale ales are slightly stronger than their English counterparts but the most noticeable difference is in the hops used. It must be all American grown hops, which tend to be more citrusy or piney than the English, floral hops. 5.5% alcohol/volume.

Leroy Brown Ale(On Draft June 2008!!)  Leroy is a true northern English brown ale right down to the pleasant, mild bitterness of it's imported British hops. Dark roasted malts along with a good dose of lightly kilned malt lend to this ale's sweet toffee-caramel flavor. We like to think we've created another classic. Alcohol content of approximately 4.9% by volume

McCarthy's Red  A red ale similar to North Coast's Red Seal brewed in the fall and spring months.

Orange Blossom Ale  20 pounds of fresh orange blossoms added to a light ale. In springtime.

Poor Richard's Ale A special beer brewed to commemorate Ben Franklin's 300th birthday. This brew emulates the beers of Franklin's day by including distinctly American ingredients, that would have been available in Colonial times. Our version is a well-rounded strong brown ale, around 8% alcohol, which is light bodied and smooth with medium to low hop bitterness.


Pilsener, T. Golden Pilz The Pilsener is the most popular beer style in the world. It is exremely light in color. The T. Golden Pilz uses traditional Pilsener malt and Czech Saaz hops that produces a crisp refreshing beer perfect for warm summer days. Named after our infamous sales manager Teddy Golden.


Porter Ale  A London style that became extinct, though it has recently been revived. 5 percent by volume, the porter tradition remains a roasty-tasting dark ale.

Pumpkin Porter Our tasty Porter with subtle pumpkin flavors. Available every Halloween. Pick up a limited edition Pumpkin Porter T-Shirt while they last (October and November only).

 


Uncle's Dunkle  A German Lager.


Vienna Lager  A medium-dark, amber-red lager. This was the style originally produced in Vienna. Brewers still talk of a "Vienna malt" to indicate a kilning to this amber-red color, but the beer style itself is no longer especially associated with the city.

Whiskey Wood Porter
What is it?
It is the same porter (Old School) that we had on last week except this one has been aged for three months in Jim Beam Bourbon Barrels made of oak.
Why bourbon barrels?
The oak and the bourbon residue from the barrels give the beer a warm, oaky, vanilla/whiskey flavor that matches well with the toasty flavor of the Porter.
How strong is it?
7.5% abv
What does the name mean?
Two meanings, first it is a reference to the wooden barrels that it was aged in. Second, well…you'll have to ask Craig.
Why the special glassware?
This beer took some special effort to brew as well as to age properly (Hat tip to Craig…). We want people to know they're drinking something special. Also, the shape of the glass will help to capture the aroma of the beer which, as we all know is not only enjoyable but aroma is 80% of how we taste. No, really…

Winter Wobbler 2007Our Winter Wobbler is a very special offering that is released each year around mid-December. Although the Winter Wobbler name stays the same, the style of beer changes every year which is chosen by a different brewer each year. 2003's offering was a Dunkleweizen offered by Jim Roper. 2004's version (Andy Ingram) was something a little different, in the realm of Herb and Spice beers, heather and sage to be exact. 2005's version was a traditional German Bock "Top Bock" recipe (Craig Koontz) with a rich orangey fragrance and spice that came from the rye malt, allspice, orange peel, and coriander. Winter Wobbler 2006 (Andy Ingram) will be a Foreign-style Stout appropriately named Thee Double-Date Root Stout. Normally, these beers are pitch black with a smooth roastiness and warmth from the alcohol. Andy added our famous date syrup (Blind Date Ale) and for some extra oddity, a little licorice root. Yes, the actual ground root of the licorice tree. It tastes nothing like the black licorice candies you're thinking of which is actually anise flavored. Licorice has a spicy, woody, sweet flavor that really goes well with stout; in fact, it was a traditional ingredient in many types of stout at the turn of the century, even Guinness. It will weigh in at a whopping 8% alcohol by volume, but remains very smooth and drinkable. Cheers...


XXX Old Ale  A Strong Ale brewed in the winter months. In Australia, "Old" simply means dark ale. In Britain, it is most commonly used to indicate a medium-strong dark ale like Old Peculiar, which has just under 6 percent by volume.
 
 
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