Most beers list four primary ingredients on their labels: grains, hops, yeast, and water.
“What is not on the label, however, is all of the time, heart, creativity, and ingenuity that brewmasters and their teams pour into each can, bottle, growler, and keg,” says Trevor Needle, marketing director at Tempe’s own Four Peaks Brewing Company.
The brewing process is equal parts art and science, and something that must be seen to be believed.
“At Four Peaks, we want people to more than simply drink and enjoy our beer. We are passionate about educating our patrons on everything it takes to make our brews, as well as share stories about the historic place where they are crafted,” says Needle. “As such, we offer behind-the-scenes tours of our flagship brewery operation on 8th Street.”
The standard tour is led by an experienced guide who delves into the property’s wild history, shares stories from the brand’s early days, and walks guests through the brewing process, step by step.
Among the notable stories shared during the tour include how the brewery was first founded by a duo of Arizona State University alumni—Andy Ingram and Jim Scussel, and Randy Schultz who came from restaurant management—in 1996. The location itself was built in 1882. In its early days, it was a combination creamery/ice factory. It later housed variety of businesses, including a recording studio owned by Robin Wilson of the Gin Blossoms, who hosted such greats as Stevie Nicks and Sublime, as well as many other regional and national musicians.
During the tour, also expect to hear about the development of Four Peaks’ No. 1 best-seller Kilt Lifter, which put Arizona beer on the map in the 1990s with multiple medals at Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup, as well as the story behind its second most popular brew, Wow Wheat.
“Wow Wheat has a special place in our hearts as we developed it in partnership with the Joy Bus Diner, a local nonprofit restaurant that nourishes individuals with cancer,” says Needle. “Proceeds from this particular beer are donated back to Joy Bus to help them continue their incredible mission.”
Tour guests also have the chance to see some of the equipment in action, and there are samples of beer included with each ticket.
“If visiting in October, our tours have a little something extra, as well,” says Needle, noting there are special themed tours in honor of Halloween all month long. They start at $40 per ticket and include a limited-edition T-shirt and 32-ounce pitcher of Four Peaks’ seasonal Pumpkin Porter.
After the tour, guests often head to the brewery’s expansive pub, also on property, where they can order a variety of beers to sample, both regular and seasonal alike, as well as cocktails, wine, and mead. The food menu is nearly as long and impressive as the drinks, with elevated gastropub fare ranging from pizza and sandwiches to burgers and salads. On weekends, many tour-goers opt to indulge in the craveable brunch before or after a tour, which is available Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and features a variety of benedicts, decadent buttermilk fried chicken and waffles, and even a modern twist on an Egg McMuffin.