PHX Beer Co: Tapping into Greatness

When PHX Beer Co’s owners set out to augment their excellent brewery and taproom, they put the same care into developing a unique restaurant experience, which starts at the front door crafted for PHX Beer Co incorporating kegs and styled steel hardware.

An idyllic location on the lake in the back of the Mercado del Lago shopping center provides an enjoyable setting, whether patrons choose the sunny patio (with tables suitably umbrella-shaded or heat-lamp-warmed) or the cozier 3,400 square feet of inside dining that also makes the most of the view through large arched windows or garage-style roll-up door. In fact, hospitality operations director Rich Stark says the lakeside setting is one of two focal points for the restaurant.

The other focal point? PHX Beer Co’s craft beer, of course. The menu suggests beer pairings for many of the selections. And, says Stark, “Sometimes, we’ll make a beer to go with a menu item” — as one of a few seasonally changing brews. They also use their beers in about one-third of the recipes, from Morenci Copper Ale Wings to Iron Horse Porter Brownie.

Some beers are standards, available year-round. One of the most popular is White Chocolate Ale, deceptively light in color for such a full-bodied flavor — and it lives up to its name even in aroma. For the traditionalist, there’s also a varied assortment of IPAs and lagers.

The menu developed for the restaurant includes an assortment of salads and pizzas along with unique comfort-food entrees such as Cast Iron Macaroni & Cheese, made with a blend of smoked mozzarella and cheddar cheeses and topped with a pretzel bite mustard crust, and Southern Fried Chicken Strips, dunkable into the Morenci Copper Ale barbecue sauce. Blackened Salmon BLT is one of the creative sandwiches. Freshness comes through with every bite of the seasoned salmon, bacon, lettuce, avocado and vine-ripened tomato sandwiched between slices of Old Bay remoulade-slathered grilled sourdough. And there’s the BBQ Bison Burger, hearty eight ounces of Rocky Mountain bison served with the tangy Morenci Copper Ale barbecue sauce, whipped goat cheese, chipotle and Arizona Gold-braised mushrooms, and arugula overflowing from its very fresh, soft roll. Sides deserve equal billing with their attendant main course. These include cowboy caviar, a lightly dressed, sweet-tangy salad of black beans, bell pepper, whole corn kernels, red onion and tomato; and seasoned waffle fries that are what regular French fries dream of aspiring to.

PHX Beer Co

8300 N. Hayden Rd., Scottsdale

(480) 571-8645

BBQ Bison Burger

Eight-ounce Rocky Mountain bison, Morenci Copper Ale BBQ sauce, arugula, whipped goat cheese, and chipotle and Arizona Gold-braised mushrooms

$16

Fun-Ghi Fretzy Pizza

Secret cheese blend, herbed mushrooms, fresh jalapeños and house sauce

10-inch: $14; 14-inch: $19

Ale House Steak Salad

Grilled prime flat-iron steak, romaine, arugula, agave onions, grape tomatoes, radishes, bleu cheese crumbles, grilled focaccia, fresh horseradish and French onion vinaigrette

$17

Did You Know

PHX Beer Co’s Scottsdale restaurant features such unique architectural elements as repurposed kegs incorporated into large chandeliers and an illuminated wall incorporating upcycled beer bottles.