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Improvisational Ponderings of Moderate Nefariousness

Flagstaff

Getting some altitude on a Prius road trip

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US Route 89 by Wolfgang Staudt
US Route 89 by Wolfgang Staudt

I’ve had my shiny red Prius from the Prius Challenge about two weeks but my driving so far was in the Phoenix area. It seemed time to give this thing more of a challenge and decided to throw some mountains at it.

I love Arizona, or specifically different places in Arizona, but I am not a fan of driving. I get grumpy sitting for so long in one place, especially on our long, boring freeways. Having the new Prius gave me an excuse to get out and put down some miles.

Prius parked on the freeway
Prius parked on the freeway

We went with two other couples, and had two cars between us so swapped people around as we went. We initially drove from Phoenix to Prescott, where we spent the first night. The Prius did great on the climb, up the hills but did switch into Power mode a few times when things got steep. We sadly had nearly a 90 minute break when a semi caught fire and closed the whole freeway. I’ve never seen anything like it – the entire thing melted down to the engine block. Fortunately the driver go out safely. We things were being cleaned up we turned off the car and hung out chatting with other bored motorists.

The second day we took the super-winding US Route 89A to historic Jerome, over to crazy Sedona, and up to cool and relaxed Flagstaff. Oak Creek Canyon was pouring rain, and the Prius handled like a champ. We rode a brief stretch on famous US Route 66 while we were there, but mainly checked out the local eateries, breweries, and stores. I think the only chain place we spent any money on the entire trip was the gas station when we filled up on our way out.

I’m a huge fan of supporting local businesses. Not just to keep money in Arizona, but also because that’s where I find the most interesting things to eat, drink, and buy.

The Cherry Bomb (the nickname for this shiny red Prius) even managed to get 48 mpg over our 365 mile trip. I was a little surprised by this as it seems to do much better in the city than on the mountain roads, but I’m guessing the long downhill run from Flagstaff (7000 ft) to Phoenix (1124 ft) helped that number out. We did the entire trip on less that one tank of gas and had a great time.

Don’t forget to enter to win!

If you haven’t checked out the Prius Challenge AZ web site yet, get on over there. You can see what the other Prius Challenge Team is up to, and register to win a brand new Prius c. Get your picture taken with the Cherry Bomb and get 4 more entries in the contest, so bug me about it if you see me driving it around!

List of fantastic Arizona beers and breweries

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Beer Sampler by JMR_Photography
Beer Sampler by JMR_Photography

I love beer. Most people would probably consider me a beer snob in that I can’t stand Coors, Budweiser, or other popular brands. I like craft beer and exploring all the different tastes and styles from IPAs to stouts. Though if you really evaluated me to real “Beer Snob” standards I’m still very much of a newcomer, and I’m happy that way. I just like exploring tasty things, and don’t really care much about IBUs and brewing differences required for different grains.

I’m also a bit of an Arizona nerd, and am of the firm opinion there is far, far more to see, do, and experience in this state than most people realize. Complain to me there there is nothing going in Phoenix (or Arizona) and watch my eyes start to twitch. So when a commentor on a local board said there were “no good Arizona beers”, it hit two of my nerd buttons at once. The person is, quite simply, an idiot.

Great Arizona Beer

Being a Baby Beer Nerd, I did not want to craft a rebuttal on my own. I kicked it up the food-chain and asked the Arizona Craft Beer Lovers group on Facebook for their favorite Arizona beers. I specifically did not ask for “best Arizona beers” as this was not a competition, and beer preferences are very subjective. I just wanted to know what the Serious Beer Nerds in Arizona really like. They delivered!

Thirty-three different craft beers…
across thirteen Arizona breweries…
in nine different cities!

It’s a great list. Some of these I haven’t tried myself, so I got my own homework out of the deal to correct that issue.

Beers listed in Green were the most popular in the group, and everything in Yellow also received multiple votes. I put in each brewery’s home city, but most of these beers are available throughout the state. I also added a link to the brewery’s website so you can get more info.

Brewery Beer City
Arizona Wilderness The Refuge IPA Queen Creek
Four Peaks 8th Street Ale Tempe
Four Peaks Raj IPA Tempe
Four Peaks Sirius Black Tempe
Four Peaks Belgian Black Ale Tempe
Four Peaks Pumpkin Porter Tempe
Four Peaks Kiltlifter Tempe
Four Peaks Oatmeal Stout Tempe
Four Peaks Hop Knot Tempe
LumberYard Big Rapid Red Flagstaff
Mogollon Mesquite Smoked Porter Flagstaff
Mogollon Wapiti Amber Ale Flagstaff
Nimbus Old Monkeyshine Tucson
Oak Creek Nut Brown Ale Sedona
Old World Old World Red Ale Phoenix
Old World Nitro Blonde Ale Phoenix
Papago Orange Blossom Scottsdale
Papago Elsie’s Milk Stout Scottsdale
Papago Belle Epoque Scottsdale
Papago Oude Zuipers Scottsdale
Prescott Brewing Achocolypse Prescott
SanTan Hefeweizen Chandler
SanTan HopShock I.P.A. Chandler
SanTan Gordo Stout Chandler
SanTan Negro Nitron Chandler
Sleepy Dog Red Rover Tempe
Sonoran Sonoran 200 Scottsdale
Sonoran White Chocolate Ale Scottsdale
Sonoran Inebriator Scottsdale
SunUp Armadillo Red Phoenix
SunUp Horizon Hefeweizen Phoenix

 

No Excuses – Drink Arizonan!

If you just weren’t sure where to find great beer made in Arizona, or were intimidated by unfamiliar names and labels, you’re out of reasons to procrastinate. Arizona has tons of great beer and brewries, so get out there and try some.

I know there are many others out there, so if I missed your favorite, tell me about it!

Update: Arizona Ale Trail Map

The good folks over at the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild made a map of almost every craft brewery in Arizona for you to download and enjoy. This list is always changing, so check back for periodic updates.