Page 40 - the NOISE MAY 2016 Edition

BY GARY KURTZ
“Water, water, water ... There is no shortage of water in the desert but exactly the right amount, a perfect ratio of water to rock, water to sand, insuring that wide free open, generous spacing among plants and animals, homes and towns and cities, which makes the
arid West so different from any other part of the nation. There is no lack of water here unless you try to establish a city where no city should be.”
− edward Abbey
What makes something local? Our friend the dictionary states “belonging or relating to a particular area or neighborhood, typically exclusively so.” But what does this mean really? when I speak of local wine I mean wines made in Arizona with grapes grown in Arizona,
although this is contested by those somewhat sketchy winemakers who bring in fruit from California but brand themselves as Arizona wineries. when I speak highly of the local beef Diablo Burger uses in their hamburgers, (which are exquisite by the way) I’m referring to cows raised in Arizona, slaughtered in Arizona, and made into a tasty burger in Arizona. so, it can be assumed when we speak of a local product, we mean something was produced in Arizona with Arizona ingredients. But this assumption goes to hell in a hand basket when we talk about beer.
when we refer to a beer as local, all we mean is the raw ingredients were shipped in from wherever and assembled into a finished product in Arizona. This is an odd fact. Anything else we call “local” we care deeply about the origins of the ingredients, but with beer, that gets kicked to the corner and we only care about where it was made. By the same logic, my Honda element is an American car. It was designed in the UsA, by Americans, assembled in the UsA, by Americans, and sold predominantly in America, presumably to Americans. But the company is based in Japan. And the raw materials come from all across the globe. so, with all of that taken into consideration, how do we classify a beer produced in scottsdale, Arizona with ingredients from all across the globe, owned by a company in Chicago? Is it really local? I don’t know. I do know, however, it is damn tasty. so let’s get on with it.
Two Brothers Brewery set up shop in snotsdale at the end of last year, but this is hardly their first foray into the craft brew scene. As it turns out, Two Brothers has been brewing tasty beers up in the windy City since 1996. so what would possess someone who is seemingly of sound mind and stable body to leave Chicago to brew in Phoenix-ish? I guess having a successful brewery back home bankrolling your new permanent vacation to the retirement capital of the west probably had something to do with it. That and not having to shovel sunshine.
About the beers — since I haven’t had a chance to get down to scottsdale to taste through their entire lineup, I procured specimens from my two favorite suppliers in the Verde Valley. I snagged a sixer of Cane and Ebel Red Rye Ale from Suzy-Q and a growler of Sidekick Extra Pale Ale from Four Eight Wineworks. y’all have heard me wax poetic on the virtues of Four eight before, so I’ll take this opportunity to introduce you to the Q. On the outside, suzy-Q is a nondescript gas station, but inside it’s all booze. There’s a decent wine selection, including many locally made favorites, a fantastic spirits selection with an amazing array of whiskeys, and my favorite
— the beer — one aisle, two walls of refrigerated displays, and a walk in case goods cooler. The walk in is my very favorite place to be any given afternoon in the dead of summer.
Okay, really this time, about the beers. The Red Rye is exactly what I expected it to be. It’s red, creamy, and with a good hit of spice from the rye malts. The hops are there because they need to be, but don’t really do much for the flavor. This beer is all about the subtle use of rye: well executed. The Sidekick, however, is all about the hops. Citrus and lemongrass dominate the aromas while lemon and lemongrass dance wildly over your tongue. while the Red Rye is subtle, malt-forward and heavy like a scotch ale, the Sidekick is nimble and lithe. These two beers almost feel like the bare-knuckle boxers in Snatch. Cane and Ebel is the big guy who everyone thinks is the guaranteed winner of the fight, but the Sidekick is Mickey. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go watch the film.
so, is it local? I don’t know. Ish? Is it tasty? Certainly. now the only question left is “why scottsdale?” There are so many better places to be in this state.
| Gary Kurtz is looking forward to summer trips to the Suzie Q cooler.
gtkurtz@gmail.com
40 • MAY 2016 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us