Best Brewery WREN HOUSE BREWING CO. 2125 North 24th Street 602-244-9184 look at the collage of colorful stickers deco- rating the doors and pumps while you wait in your car for your coffee fix. Best Place to Buy Tea CHA CHA’S TEA LOUNGE 1229 Grand Avenue 602-802-7854 chachastea.com There are a host of reasons to stop by Cha Cha’s Tea Lounge on Grand Avenue. The long menu is packed with sweet and herba- ceous teas served by the cup. It’s the perfect place to get cozy with a book. And poetry and live music nights often pack the house. But a small shelf in the back of the cafe holds wonders. We love to sip on a cup of tea and get a nosh like a hummus plate or avocado toast, then go shopping. Little brown paper bags of loose-leaf teas range from $5 to $10 and allow customers to bring the tea shop experience home. Try some matcha, a smokey oolong, or a classic, bergamot-tinged Earl Grey. wrenhousebrewing.com Wren House Brewing Co. has somewhat of a cult following, and for good reason. This little brewery, located in a black-and-white bungalow on 24th Street, brews some of the best beer in town. In 2020, Wren House’s Spellbinder IPA beat out 376 other hoppy brews from around the country to take home the gold at the Great American Beer Festival. Its popular Valley Beer is sold at grocery and liquor stores around Arizona. Recently, the brewers opened a new production facility in Prescott to keep up with demand. But lucky for Phoenix locals, the taproom continues to pour pints with a cozy, casual atmosphere you want from a friendly neighborhood brewery. The taproom offers merch and cans for sale, food trucks often park outside, and the friendly brewery cat, Gravy, usually says hello. Best New Brewery ROSES BY THE STAIRS 509 West McDowell Road 415-527-8206 rosesbythestairsbrewing.com Located in the old Easley’s Fun Shop building on McDowell Road, new brewery Roses by the Stairs had big shoes to fill. But the space has transformed from costume emporium into a beer-fueled neigh- borhood hangout. The large, airy space welcomes customers to grab a table or a spot on the scattered sofas and chairs, pick out a board game to play with friends, and sip on a flight of freshly brewed beers. The tap list is heavy on sours, fruit-filled ales, and IPAs as the business focuses on using local ingredients like prickly pears and Arizona-grown grains. In addition to serving great beer, Roses by the Stairs also donates a percentage of its revenue to envi- ronmental and local organizations. Drink Beer Outside Best Place to GREENWOOD BREWING 922 North Fifth Street 602-875-8577 greenwoodbrews.com Greenwood Brewing, located in the heart of downtown Phoenix’s Roosevelt Row, has a pretty small indoor seating area. That’s because almost all of the tables are outside. Two large patios flank the brewery, one offering the shade of a large tree and customers hanging out with their four-legged friends. The other has a more urban feel, complete with string lights, misters, loudspeakers, and a view into the behind-the-scenes action of the brew- house. Indoors or on either patio, customers can sip Greenwood’s selection of rotating seasonal brews including the summery Blueberry Wheat and a Grapefruit Kolsch as well as its flagship beers such as the Herstory Pale Ale, Sol Oatmeal Stout, and Essence Rosemary IPA. Whether you’re sipping away the afternoon or grabbing a quick pint before a downtown show, Greenwood is the spot to hang out outside. Best Beer Series LAS FRESCAS Wren House Brewing Co. 2125 North 24th Street 602-244-9184 wrenhousebrewing.com Nothing causes a frenzy in the Phoenix beer scene like a Las Frescas release. When Wren House Brewing Co. takes to social media to announce a new flavor of its coveted fruit brew series, fans immediately get excited. Online orders are placed, a line for pickups has been known to form around the small bungalow brewery, and the limited quantities sell out quick. Las Frescas started as thick, smoothie-like brews made with fresh fruit and lactose, giving them a milkshake-like flavor. During the pandemic, when customers switched to buying cans to go rather than pints on 220 BEST OF PHOENIX 2022 | WWW.BESTOFPHOENIX2022.C0M | SEPTEMBER 29, 2022
