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	Rosie McCaffrey's -- A Place to Exercise Your Irish Gosebier -- A Revival On Tap Now!! Beer Dinner Announced for March It's Beerfest Season Again!

Gosebier -- A Revival On Tap Now!!

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! The "Beer Hunter's" Take on Gosebier »

Beer Dinner Announced for March

If William Wallace (aka "Braveheart") could have his dream beer dinner, this would be it. Head chef Arthur Craft and Brewmaster Andy Ingram have outdone themselves with their plans for our upcoming beer dinner, sheduled for Thursday, March 4 at 7 p.m. at our Tempe location. The cost of the dinner is $50 per person, tax and gratuity included. Why it's worth it: Reception: Cask-conditioned Dry Hopped 8th Street Ale! This is the best way to drink our 8th Street Ale; it's at the right temperature (52 degrees) and its already mellow hoppy bitterness is smoothed out even further due to the dry-hopping and cask-conditioning. First Course: Hop Knot Ale served with Seafood Taquitos - Dungeness crab, shrimp and lobster rolled in corn tortillas, then fried crispy, topped with guacamole and queso casero and served over spicy tri-pepper slaw. Second Course: Oatmeal Stout served with Wild Game Pate en Croute -- Wild Boar, Venison and Elk pate in puff pastry served over potato-carrot puree and topped with an Oatmeal Stout demi-glace. Yummmmeee. Third Course: Kiltlifter served with Blue Corn Polenta-Stuffed Hen -- Kiltlifter served with Roasted game hen in a pasilla chili and Scottish amber (read: Kiltlifter) reduction stuffed with blue corn polenta and served with Bulghur wheat pilaf and French green beans. Fourth course: Trio of Gose served with Trio of Mousse -- Okay, get this . . . chocolate mousse with a raspberry sauce, white chocolate mousse with a mango sauce and pistachio mousse with a caramel sauce come paired with plain, raspberry and almond-flavored Gosebier. Worth the $50 bucks alone. If this menu doesn't convince you that attending this beer dinner is time and money well spent, we're out of ideas. All sales should be this easy. Call or visit the brewery to make your reservations. (The link provided will take you to phone and address information.) See you there. Brewery and Other Images »

It's Beerfest Season Again!

Beerfests are a socially acceptable way for the local beer enthusiast to fully express his or her enthusiasm. So it's not just the weather in Phoenix during March and April that make us so happy to be here -- it's also the abundance of special occasions designed specifically for beer drinkers of all ages 21 or over. Huzzah! Mark your calendars . . . 11th Annual AJ's Great Arizona Beer Festival, aka "GAZBF," Saturday and Sunday, March 27th and 28th in downtown Phoenix at the Arizona Center in Copper Square at 5th Street & Van Buren. At this uber-fun festival, you can sample from over 100 breweries from all over the west coast, including Phoenix. The festival lasts from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. both days, with the last pour at 5:30 p.m. Live bands and lots of good food from local vendors are brought to you by AJ's Fine Foods and the Sun Sounds Foundation. The event provides funding for Sun Sounds of Arizona, a nonprofit that produces reading materials for the blind or visually-impaired. Drink beer for charity! Tickets are $30 in advance for general admission ($35 the day of the event) and $60 for VIP. General admission tickets will get you a souvenir mug and 24 sample tickets to exchange for beer samples from the participating breweries. Live entertainment is also included. Tickets are available at Four Peaks and other local breweries. You can also go to azbeer.com for more info. Southwest Festival of Beers at the Scottsdale Culinary Festival, Saturday and Sunday, April 17th and 18th, in and around the Scottsdale Civic Center Plaza. As part of the Arizona Republic-sponsored culinary fest's "Great Arizona Picnic," this beer festival features 200 specialty beers and a beer garden that makes some Oktoberfests jealous. A $5 admission fee will get you into The Picnic. For just $5 more, you get into the beer fest and take home a (by the end of the day) beer-sticky souvenir mug. Tickets for beer samples are $1 each. You can also expect food and live entertainment at this too-fun-to-be- missed occasion. Hours are from noon until 7 p.m. on Saturday and noon until 6:30 p.m. on Sunday. For more information and tickets, go to scottsdaleculinaryfestival.org More on AJ's Great Arizona Beerfest »