With the summer heat cooled off and football season in full swing, this is the peak season for breweries when it comes to business.
And there are few better ways to enjoy time at a brewery than to enjoy a nice craft beer. Whether it’s Pedal Haus Brewery in Mesa or its many valley locations, or Formation Brewing in Phoenix, Oro Brewing in Mesa or Phantom Fox in Mesa, a craft beer offers a change of pace from domestic beers and a far more unique or local flavor.
Technically, the primary actual difference between a domestic beer and a craft beer is volume. Domestic beers are typically brewed in extremely large quantities to be distributed nationally, while craft beers are generally made locally and distributed in smaller quantities to local breweries. However, that difference does have a notable impact on what types of ingredients go into a domestic beer versus a craft one, Formation’s head brewer Sam Townsend said.
As explained by Townsend, craft beers are more likely to use local ingredients or experimental blends due to a lower volume of barrels required. Domestic beers need to be made in large quantities, and that doesn’t provide brewers with time to experiment or add local ingredients. But craft beers are typically made in smaller quantities for local pubs, bars and more. That gives brewers more leeway to experiment.
“We have much more control over all our ingredients. We source local grains, hops and fruits,” Townsend said. “You can use a lot of different and more varied ingredient purveyors when you’re on a smaller craft scale. It’d be hard for Budweiser to make a batch of local beer because they would need a train load of grain from that supplier which may be their whole output for the year.”
Pedal Haus co-founder Julian Wright gave his guide on what the best craft beer types are.
“If they want something light, I’d suggest a light beer or any lager. If they want something sweet, our Belgian-style beers have a rock sugar component to them that’s a tiny bit sweeter,” Wright said. “If you want darker, you give them a porter or stout. None of this stuff’s really too complicated.”
Wright also mentioned the IBU of a craft beer, which is its International Bitterness Units. It’s a scale that tells how bitter a beer is. Wright said that it often flies under the radar for the average beer drinker.
“A lighter beer will be really low, maybe 14 IBUs. A really bitter West Coast-style IPA could be as high as 80,” Wright said. “I honestly don’t know how much people even pay attention to that.”
An IBU isn’t a foolproof measure of bitterness, though. Dave Valencia, owner of Oro Brewing, said a high IBU beer can still be sweet.
“Let’s say we have a beer with a 90 IBU, which if that was in a light beer, the bitterness would be very in your face,” Valencia said. “But our beer we would make with that would have so much malt in it, and the sugars, it masks the bitterness and it blends.”
Even better is when you pair your craft beer with the perfect meal. Derek Hanson, head brewer at Pedal Haus, shared what his favorite combination was.
He emphasized the importance of striking a nice balance between the beer and the food. You don’t want the beer to overpower the food, but if the food itself is pretty heavy, you may want something lighter for a good contrast.
“I’m a big pizza guy... If we were to take a margarita pizza, you’d want to pair it with something light and malty,” Hanson said. “We’re pairing a pilsner or one of those beers that are light, crisp and refreshing with a little malt backbone to them.”
Townsend said he’s a big cheeseburger guy.
“I typically go for an IPA or a good German Pilsner style beer because it has that nice contrast with the meat and the fatty, juicy burger,” Townsend said.
Trent Smith, co-owner of Phantom Fox, said that he likes West Coast IPAs with spicy food.
“In particular, I think it pairs greatly with anything spicy,” Smith said. “That can apply to almost anything, I regularly add hot sauce of different varieties.”
Hanson ultimately recommends that anyone that wants to get into craft beers should take the plunge.
“Go to your local taproom or brewer, and sit down at the bar,” Hanson. “That is my truest suggestion.”
After graduating from Arizona State University's Cronkite School in spring 2022, Connor Van Ligten spent a little over year as a reporter for WWL-TV in New Orleans before finding themselves back in Phoenix in October of 2023. Now back in the Valley and writing for the Mesa Independent and the Daily Independent, Connor is ready to tell meaningful stories and report on important civic issues facing Mesa. Connor is a big fan of the 49ers, Warriors, pro wrestling, anime, dogs and fighting video games.
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