What? Not done with your holiday shopping? Yeah, neither are we. But we’ve been making lists — and checking them twice — and we’ve got some suggestions for the nice people on your list. Today, Chow Bella’s Gift Guide for the Aspiring Bartender. You’ve noticed lately that your friend gets…
Love wine? You can get a degree in it for real here in Arizona. Did you know enology is the science and study of wine and wine making while viticulture is a subfield specializing in vine-growing and harvesting? If you’re looking for a new career or are just really into…
The Spot: Maizie’s Café and Bistro, 4750 North Central Avenue Phoenix, 602-274-2828, www.maiziescafe.com. See Also: – Timo: Happy Hour Report Card – Best Bloody Mary 2012: Maizie’s Bistro The Hours: Happy Hour is offered from 2 to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday…
Beer: Seizoen Bretta Brewery: Logsdon Organic Farmhouse Ales Style: Saison ABV: 8 percent Because it is so appropriate, we begin this review with a short history lesson. The saison is a light, drinkable ale that originated in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium. French for “season,” saisons were brewed seasonally,…
http://binkleysrestaurant.com/Join the wine feast at Binkley’s. A few times a year, Binkley’s partners with a different winery and hosts a dinner with paired with selections from the label. December 5 brings an epic wine dinner to Binkley’s in Cave Creek. For this feast, Chef Kevin Binkley has created a French…
Whether you’re celebrating Black Friday or untangling a web of burnt out Christmas lights, chances are you could use some holiday spirits. Luckily these seven Metro Phoenix spots have just the liquid encouragement you need to brace “the most wonderful time of year.” From cider to nogs, cranberries to figs,…
Beer: 16th Anniversary Ale Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Style: American Strong Ale ABV: 13 percent Voltron knew it best: Giant robotic lions are all well and fine on their own, but combine them into one super-robot and no foe in the universe can defeat you. See also: – Firestone…
Ring the bell, it’s time for Last Call, where JK Grence, bartender at Shady’s, serves up booze advice and recipes. Got a burning question for your bartender? Leave it in the comments and it might be answered in a future column. This time of year is a good reminder that…
Thanksgiving traditionally is a time to eat, drink and kick off the holiday season “right.” That of course means wine. It can be tricky to pick a wine for Thanksgiving– it’s hard to please everyone. Kimber Stonehouse, Director of Operations for Sportsman’s Fine Wines & Spirits has some tips on…
It’s here…. Beaujolais Nouveau refers to the first wine of the new harvest and ushers in the new vintage year (in terms of wine). It debuts for sale the third Thursday of November, and it’s a pretty big deal in France. In fact, in France you can go to jail…
Beer: Pale Ale Brewery: Omission Style: Gluten-free beer ABV: 5.8 percent The world has no shortage of really terrifying diseases you can catch. Necrotizing Fasciitis — often referred to as “flesh-eating disease” — is a bacterial infection that causes body tissue to dissolve like a wet napkin. Prion Disease can…
Ring the bell, it’s time for Last Call, where JK Grence, bartender at Shady’s, serves up booze advice and recipes. Got a burning question for your bartender? Leave it in the comments and it might be answered in a future column. I’m getting a little stir crazy waiting for cold…
If you enjoy wine tastings on a giant scale, you’ll want to attend My Wine Cellar & Bistro’s second annual wine festival. Happening November 18, the festival will feature 20 wine samples poured by four wine distributors, as well as live outdoor music. See also: – Best Place to Sniff…
Beer: Rail Slide Imperial Spiced Ale Brewery: SanTan Brewing Co. Style: English Strong Ale ABV: 7.1 percent The problem with seasonals is that they’re just that — seasonal. Here for a short time, then gone for another year, your cravings be damned. Feeling like a Pumpkin Porter in the springtime?…
Ring the bell, it’s time for Last Call, where JK Grence, bartender at Shady’s, serves up booze advice and recipes. Got a burning question for your bartender? Leave it in the comments and it might be answered in a future column. In case you haven’t noticed, the Presidential election is…
There’s a time to drink, a time to think and time to combine both of these marvelous things. Welcome to a breakdown of some of the best books of the year on wine. From funny to educational, if you’re a wine lover these books should be on your list. The…
Beer: Baltic Porter Brewery: Alaskan Brewing Co. Style: Baltic Porter ABV: 9.8 percent Alaskan Brewing is known for their Smoked Porter, and why not? The beer’s won more golds than Michael Phelps, impressing so many beer judges that they’ve basically made the brew the standard by which all other smoked…
Ring the bell, it’s time for Last Call, where JK Grence, bartender at Shady’s, serves up booze advice and recipes. Got a burning question for your bartender? Leave it in the comments and it might be answered in a future column. The folks involved with Chow Bella are getting more…
So, you’re hosting a Halloween party. Worried your wine selection might conflict with, say, the appearance of supermarket cupcakes? Or a bag of fun-sized Snickers? We’ve got you covered. After a conversation with sommelier David Johnson of Davanti Enoteca we feel better about recommending the following choices that digest beautifully…
Beer: Lee’s Liquid Dinner Brewery: Sonoran Brewing Co. Style: English Brown Ale ABV: 5 percent If we’ve learned anything from Sonoran’s Chef Series beers so far, it’s that the cooks tapped for these brews aren’t afraid to get a little weird. First we had Jeremy Pacheco, who threw seven different…
Ring the bell, it’s time for Last Call, where JK Grence, bartender at Shady’s, serves up booze advice and recipes. Got a burning question for your bartender? Leave it in the comments and it might be answered in a future column. The other day, someone emailed me an excellent question…
In November, the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale is opening up a new restaurant called Proof – an American Canteen. See also: – Five Ways Not to Buy Wine – Lifting the Wine-List Veil at Citizen Public House The resort’s sommelier, Shaun Adams, took some time to explain what will be…
