Smelter Town Brewery Beer Fest Turned Into a Full Weekend Adventure

Episode 9 - In this episode, we cover:

•  Our trip to Clarkdale, AZ for Smelter Town Brewery’s anniversary festival 
•  Why we love Cottonwood and Clarkdale for quick Arizona getaways 
•  The Arizona craft beer community and breweries at the festival 
•  Dedra’s five-star Citradelic Hazy from Lake Pleasant Brewing 
•  Adam’s complicated relationship with five-star beer ratings 
•  Great Notion’s Labrador hazy IPA 
•  Smelter Town beers we tried during the weekend 
•  Why outdoor beer festivals and Arizona wind are a dangerous allergy combo 
•  Our stay at Iron Horse Inn 
•  Coffee at Brewha and the Americano that confused us in the best way 
•  G’s Burgers and the burger that almost became a tattoo 
•  Wine at Tumbleweed Winery 
•  Bocce, Copper Jackalope, Nick’s Italian, and Cactus Kate’s 
•  Banan-Archy from O.H.S.O. 
•  Bourbon, cigars, and the moment the night got a little fuzzy 
•  Our upcoming Boston beer trip plans 

Featured Beer

Labrador - Great Notion Brewing
 A hazy IPA with creative Cheech and Chong-inspired can art and a flavor that made it worthy of a shelf spot.

Standout Beer Mentions

Citradelic Hazy - Lake Pleasant Brewing
 Dedra’s official five-star hazy.

Hop Deposits - Smelter Town Brewery
 Dedra’s Smelter Town hazy of choice during the festival weekend.

Grinding Gears - Smelter Town Brewery x Simple Machine Brewing
 A light, crisp extra pale ale with a solid hop punch.

Digging Up Bones - Smelter Town Brewery x Catalyst
 A double dry-hopped double IPA right in Adam’s wheelhouse.

Clarkdale Wise Guys - Smelter Town Brewery
 A refreshing strawberry lemonade-style sour.

Sluice Box - Smelter Town Brewery
 A thick smoothie sour series that went home with us for later.

Episode Closing

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Transcript

Adam 0:03

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Adam and Nijer show. And we had fun this weekend. Well, we have fun every weekend.

Dedra 0:11

Very true. It was a lot of fun.

Adam 0:13

So for today, we are drinking a beer from Great Notion called Labrador. It's a hazy IPA. And the can art is Cheech and Chong getting rolled up in a doobie. It's kind of clever. And uh for those of you who have seen uh Up in Smoke, I think it is, where dog ate his stash, so he's like, yeah, it's got some Mao, some Maui Wowie, and I think it's got some Labrador.

Dedra 0:41

I feel like this is one of those cans that you almost have to keep because the artwork on it is so it's it's so creative and it's well done.

Adam 0:48

Yeah, let's put it up on the shelf. Figure out a good spot for it. But uh first things first. Cheers everybody. And I don't think I've had this one before. Oh, and that is tasty. I mean, I say that a lot. You know what I've kind of figured out that I do a lot with now that I'm trying to do untapped, I'm still not very good at it, by the way, this whole weekend doing all those beers and tasters and stuff at the festival. I didn't do a single one on untapped. Oh get better, I promise.

Dedra 1:19

And I'm thinking if you're at a festival, it's almost impossible to do untapped because you're just going through them so often. Well, you're going through them quickly, and your mind isn't like, oh, untapped, untapped, I gotta go, I gotta put this one on. It's no, you're there to have a good time.

Adam 1:35

Okay, the festival, yes, but the next day at the brewery, I um don't have an excuse at all.

Dedra 1:42

Gotcha.

Adam 1:43

Man, uh, but I say this a lot. So I I um am very pro a lot of the things that I drink. I almost almost always know what I'm gonna get. So whenever I get those beers and I I drink them, I feel like I have like a high overall rating on all the beers that I get because they're all like four, four and a half, four point two five. I have yet to get even anything a five star. And you know why?

Dedra 2:05

I'll tell you one that I would give a five star, actually. And that was one that I had um during the festival. And sorry, I f if I sound a little bit off, uh, when we were at the uh uh festival up in Clarkdale um for Smelter Town, it was so windy and the festival was outside, so we spent the a good majority. I mean, we could have sat inside, um, but then you'd be getting up to go outside to get another beer every what five minutes, seven minutes. Um so we stayed outside a good portion, but the wind just kicked my allergies up horribly and my ass. Jesus. So like I'm still struggling and coming down from that. And so if I sound or if I, you know, start to cough a little bit, I'm okay. Um, I promise. It's all allergies. I didn't take up smoking again. Um your five-star review. Yes, uh, Lake Pleasant, Lake Pleasant, that one I ended up having towards the very end of the festival. And that was the that was the hazy. That was the citadelic hazy that I was looking for. So whenever I think of a hazy and I go out and get one, that's the hazy I'm in pursuit of every single time. Like that's my expectation of a hazy.

Adam 3:27

They did a great job.

Dedra 3:28

So big shout out to Lake Pleasant. And I would definitely travel there and get as much of that as possible. If and when you take me.

Adam 3:40

Well, it is in Phoenix, so it's not that far away. And I do like it too. And it's uh there's like three breweries grouped in the north side of town, which we like a lot. There's uh front porch, which uh they I mean they got a really neat little place, especially during Halloween, how they do the decorations. And then there's uh Simple Machine, which I'm representing right here. Our friends there, uh, you know, Marshall and Valerie, wonderful owners, great brewer, and love the place too. We've been going there for quite a few years. I think they've been open, what, eight years or something like that?

Dedra 4:08

The bears there are definitely wonderful. Love the artwork as well from there. Um, I, because we're so close to Memorial Day, I'm actually wearing my all-American Dixon.

Adam 4:20

American flag, Dixon.

Dedra 4:21

Yeah. I felt like being very patriotic. And then plus, we always have our flag right here in the background.

Adam 4:28

Yes, indeed. So the reason why I've never given anything a five-star review is because I feel that would be the top. That means I'm never gonna get a butt beer better than that. And I know that's the wrong way to think of things.

Dedra 4:42

See, and that's why like I don't think I could find, and and I would love that challenge. I would love for somebody to be like, hey, Deedra, you remember that like that hazy from Lake Pleasant that you were talking about? And I'm like, yeah, uh yes, of course. Something that rivals that, something that's gonna, you know, really make me change my mind. But honestly, that would be my one and only five-star rating at this point.

Adam 5:05

Wow, even all those dreckers that you've had?

Dedra 5:08

That's a different category.

Adam 5:09

Oh, okay. So you can have a five-star in different categories. Okay, I get it, I get it. Okay. Maybe I'll maybe I'll give something a five-star review one of these days. I'm like hitting 4.75, and I'm like, what if I get a better one? And if I still do this five and I get a better one, I mean, can I still name that one number five too?

Dedra 5:27

Oh, that Citradelic Hazy from Lake Pleasant definitely gets a 5.0.

Adam 5:32

Yeah, absolutely. It was good. Um, so this beer festival that we went to in Clarkdale, which is like two miles from Cottonwood, it's a northern city in Arizona. Um, we actually stayed the night there and it was their anniversary.

Dedra 5:44

Shout out to Iron Horse, actually, because we stayed there. Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt you. But the lady, well, you know what for a damn good reason. Um the lady there and the the people there are always just so nice and they're always just so personable. We try to check in a little bit early, um, and I'm still healing from my broken ankle. And we didn't think about this until we actually got onto the grounds of Iron Horse and we're walking down the little back walkway, the ramp. And I told Adam and I'm like, oh crap, like I really hope it's on the first floor because I don't think I can get up and down those stairs, especially after the festival. Forget it. I'm not getting up with those stairs. I'm gonna be sleeping in the courtyard on a bench. Oh man. So I was just like, oh my gosh. And I thought that was very polite. She was very nice. So I I really appreciated that she was able to accommodate um specifically me and give us a first floor room.

Adam 6:38

That was great. We've been there quite a few times. I love that place. Nice, nice rooms, too. Yeah, I like it. And it's right in the downtown area. So Cottonwood is one of those towns that we go to multiple times a year just because we love it so much. And usually, like it's on our wedding anniversary, it's special occasions or just for the hell of it, or hey, from beer for beer festivals. But each year we go there, and that particular one in Clarkdale is one of my favorite breweries in in Arizona. I mean, we talked about Bonehouse last week, how you know wonderful we loved that one. And it in Phoenix, I would agree that's probably one of my favorites. But in uh, when you go up north, plenty of great breweries in the cities out there. I really like Smeltertown. I think they got a really good beer program there, and the place is neat. It's in that old old town. So um we go to Smeltertown often, but in the town of Cottonwood, even before uh Smeltertown was there, or before we knew about it, we would hit all the places there, a lot of wineries, actually vineyards. They didn't think that vineyards work well in Arizona, but hey, they figured it out in northern Arizona.

Dedra 7:43

Is that my simple machine hat?

Adam 7:45

Yeah. What about it? Okay, fits me.

Dedra 7:48

All right, whoa, hey, back it up.

Adam 7:52

Mine now.

Dedra 7:53

Um, no.

Adam 7:55

It's like they're it's like it's both of ours.

Dedra 7:59

But it'll just be on my side of the closet. Stop it. Watch the tone, say it again.

Adam 8:09

But anywho.

Dedra 8:10

So we started, we started going to Cottonwood initially because of the wineries. And I love I love my wine and I love my craft beer as well. Um, but we really started going up to Cottonwood because of the wineries. And when we go to California, we're always at the wineries and the breweries, of course. But we're like, man, where can we go out here in Arizona for some wineries? Like it just doesn't really exist. And then we started looking into Cottonwood, and then we would take, you know, we're like, hey, this is an easy trip. This is an easy drive. Why, why go up there and do a day trip when we're gonna be at a winery? So then we looked into staying at a hotel, and then that just really kind of opened things up. And then um, we actually took a trip up to Jerome, and I hate driving on those windy tight roads that go high. That's my issue. So I refuse I didn't refuse. I just didn't prefer to go up to Jerome because I was just like, oh, winding road on the edge of the cliff. I don't think so. Seeing a visiting a town, a little city, yeah, a little town on the edge of a cliff, it just didn't appeal to me. So then finally, a couple years-ish back ago, I finally got over the fair and we went up to Jerome and I've actually been up there twice. All right, look at you. Yeah, I've d gone up there twice. I'm starting to fly because I don't enjoy flying.

Adam 9:30

Um it's the beer that's helping you, it's giving you superpowers. It has to be, it has to be.

Dedra 9:36

Beer makes people better. Yes, I agree. I feel like it's definitely making me a better person. Yeah. Um, nice. Not that I was a well, I guess maybe I was a person before this Memorial Day shirt.

Adam 9:51

It's gonna be a few days after Memorial Day that you're wearing it, but hey, everybody can celebrate all week, right?

Dedra 9:56

Anytime. I celebrate 24-7. I don't know about you.

Adam 10:00

Oh, that's right. I love it. So in Cottonwood, so let me let's just go back to the beer festival then.

Dedra 10:05

Let's go back 10 minutes and get back on track.

Adam 10:07

The beer festival. So a wonderful, wonderful time. So they had a bunch of the breweries that are in Phoenix um actually came up, and and the beer community is actually pretty strong. So everybody kind of knows each other. They've all done collaborations with each other. And just thinking of the people that were there, obviously Lake Pleasant, you already mentioned Bonehouse was out there, um, Old Ellsworth. Simple Machine. Simple Machine was out there.

Dedra 10:32

Beer Babes was out there.

Adam 10:33

Yeah, Saddle Mountain. There was uh oh man, Phantom Fox was out there.

Dedra 10:39

Oh, get a tattoo. I got tatted.

Adam 10:41

Oh, yeah.

Dedra 10:42

Yeah.

Adam 10:43

Those temperate temporary tattoos are no joke.

Dedra 10:46

No, that's legit. And beer babes, your tattoo took a while. Like it took a few layers over the over the days to come off. And even like I'm gonna say four days later, after some deep scrubbing, there was still a mark and it looked terrible because I had worn a short a short sleeve shirt to work. Jesus. Um, and I was looking at my arm and I'm like, what is that? And I'm like, ew, I look dirty. And it was just because like the stickiness of the tattoo. I was like, oh my god. All right, so now I'm probably like three percent white right here.

Adam 11:22

You scrubbed some color off.

Dedra 11:24

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So now I'm three nationalities.

Adam 11:27

That's funny. But how many other, I mean, that was was that all the breweries? There's probably a couple more, but they're they had a lot of good. There was definitely Osho was there, forgot.

Dedra 11:36

There was definitely a lot more that are out there. Um but we had such a great time, and we had met some friends up there as well. So that just made it even better. And it was a birthday weekend that we're also celebrating that coincidentally was on the same weekend. Yeah, not for us, but for one of our friends. Right. So I mean, what an even better occasion to go up there for the festival and drink some amazing beers.

Adam 12:01

Oh, yeah, did pretty tastings pretty much. They had uh the tickets that you could buy and um I mean just dropping them in. So instead of charging a fee to get into the uh festival, you just bought tickets and then you just went in and and just got pores of tastings with all the tickets that you purchased.

Dedra 12:16

So and you know, I gotta admit, like I'm really kind of upset that we've never been up there before for their anniversary. Oh, I know. This is this was number three and we missed one and two.

Adam 12:28

Was it at the third one?

Dedra 12:29

Yeah.

Adam 12:30

Okay, I didn't even know.

Dedra 12:31

So I I was really disappointed. I'm like, gosh, you know, we really love and appreciate Smeltertown. And for us to not even be there to help celebrate for the first and second, you know, anniversary, I just felt like, all right, here, kick me in my ass. You know, I deserve it. That's funny. Um, but definitely looking forward to year number four and every year after. Love being able to celebrate and just support. I mean, they're not exactly local, but they're an Arizona brewery. Yeah, for sure. So definitely appreciate being able to, you know, support places like that, especially in Arizona.

Adam 13:08

Yeah, and we support all the local breweries. So wherever we're at, I mean, we're gonna go to breweries and we're gonna support those ones uh over any of the big big box places.

Dedra 13:17

Bocce went went to bocce. You guys know about bocce?

Adam 13:21

So the town of Cottonwood, um, they have like a main street. There's not a lot to it, but down Main Street is one of our favorite pizza places in in the town. It's called Bocce. And now they used to have, and I don't know if they got rid of them. I hope they still have them, but in the back patio, they had like two big bocce ball courts in there. And the place is it's a really neat little place. We've been there quite a few times.

Dedra 13:43

It's a cute, quaint little place, and it has different levels to it because it's kind of on the slope of a like a small like mountain. Yeah. Um, and like the outside patio towards the street, that part is higher because when you come in, you actually go down a little bit of a ramp, and then like the regular restaurant seating inside is lower. So you go outside of the back patio and you can sit out back, and it actually kind of slopes and goes down a little bit more. So it's neat to have those different levels, but you know what? I think they did get rid of their bocce ball set to put in more seating.

Adam 14:21

Well, I get that because nobody actually really played bocce ball when we were there.

Dedra 14:24

But well, I mean, you get the little kids that are like three, three to six that are trying, they don't really know what they're doing. But from a business standpoint, I mean, who's paying to play bocce ball?

Adam 14:36

Very true.

Dedra 14:37

Versus you can throw in seven tables, seven, eight tables, and you know, make money there.

Adam 14:42

Yeah, and that place is packed, like you see it at nighttime and like the whole patio is just full.

Dedra 14:47

Because it's that good.

Adam 14:48

Yeah, I mean it is that good. Do you remember the first time we went? I don't remember exactly, but I just remember going there and just being a little bit. Well, if you don't remember, I really don't know. So we've been going up to Cottonier many, many years, and we actually don't just go like one time, and in every single trip that we take, we stop there and get a pizza. I mean, we've had uh quite a few experiences. Remember that time we were sitting at a patio or on the patio, and they had that little wall, and a snake was like coming towards us and it was climbing up that pillar.

Dedra 15:16

Right. Well, we were walking actually down the slope to go to Bocce, and they have um this little rock pillar that's like encased with wire, and that's how they separate the patio from the yeah, and that's how they separate the patio from us common folk that aren't eating there yet. Yet and we had our kids with us, and I just remember because the kids were on the inside because on the inside of the street, and the snake just kind of like stuck its head out, and I was like, oh my gosh. So I like grabbed the kids and then I just kind of peek and I'm watching and I'm keeping my eye, I'm locked in on this snake. And then I tell the people on the patio because they're oblivious to it, and I'm just like, guys, and I was like, be careful. There's a snake like slithering through the rocks, and it came like it stuck its head out and like it looked at me.

Adam 16:12

And you should have seen their face when you told them all this, and they're like, What?

Dedra 16:18

Well, I mean, if I if I was sitting there eating, and then all of a sudden, like a snake is right there, all up in my face, or like slithering across my table, and somebody saw walking by didn't say anything, I'd grab that snake and smack him with it. Yeah, right. You're right, you're right.

Adam 16:36

You would tip the table over, just go bolting out of there. Come on.

Dedra 16:42

I'd be back in Phoenix in like one minute.

Adam 16:44

The kids and I all be all on the ground with a table on top of us.

Dedra 16:48

Stop it. Hey, you ain't gotta what you you why do you gotta do me like that? I was trying to be I was trying to be tough.

Adam 16:55

Yeah. I mean, if you do that for a spider, I can't imagine what you do for their snake.

Dedra 17:00

Oh, you're right, yeah. I don't like spiders either.

Adam 17:02

Oh man. But that place was really cool. And then right next to it is a beer bar that has a whole bunch of craft beer called the Copper Jackalope. So we had to stop there, of course. Picked up a bottle of banana archie. Oh my gosh, that's from Oso's. It's their barrel aged stout with tons of banana inside there, too. And it's just the very unique flavor that you don't get uh almost anywhere. It's a it's a it's a pretty unique barrel aged stout. And my mouth's watering just thinking about it, because I ended up buying two bottles. We drank one there, and then we ended up taking the other one to go because I have to have one of those on hand.

Dedra 17:39

And yes, I actually drank the banana archy, the the stout. Believe it or not. And I I really enjoyed it. And I don't know if it was just because of like the weather and the atmosphere and just having a really good time and just having that banana archy at the same time. I was just like, wow, this is so good. Like, I could really just sip on this for some time. But it was it was really good. I super enjoyed it. It was very, it was very flavorful.

Adam 18:06

Yeah, and then down a little ways, I mean, that that's copper jackalope. There's like little uh wine tasting rooms that are down there. There's a lot of cafes, especially for like breakfast and stuff in that area, and then the tavern, which is a hotel we've stayed at a couple times, also. Beautiful rooms, very neat place, and a really good bar and restaurant there, too.

Dedra 18:25

I don't bring it about Nick's.

Adam 18:27

Oh, yeah, Nick's Italian. So if you guys have ever uh seen our website, the Adamandidra Show.com, um, and is this just an N, not a not spelled out, but if you guys go onto that website and you see the picture that's right at the beginning with us eating crab legs and mussels and have the beers on the table, it's a cartoon kind of picture, but that's us at Nick's Italian enjoying the hell out of that.

Dedra 18:50

Oh my I I think I lost my mind. Like love crab legs in general, love trying to that and um uh sea best. Oh yeah. I always try, well, when the crab legs are not a million and a half dollars, but like when when it's reasonable. So we tried it there because it was our anniversary. Yeah, and I I was just like, holy shit, like this is dil this is amazing. And it was king crab legs flavor. And I just about lost my mind. And I love food, and I was just like, Oh my gosh. So I'm so glad we took those pictures. We sat and we're we're this was probably bad placement for drawing people in because they sat us at this little two-seater skinny high top table, but it was against the window, so people going down the sh the sidewalk could like were the first people that they see. Oh, we probably didn't know we had like crab legs, the the shells are flying, butters all over the place, you know.

Adam 19:54

They had butter spatters all over my shirt.

Dedra 20:00

But that's how good it was. That's what I was saying. We probably shouldn't have been that close to the front, they should have put us in the back where we could have our we could be alone with all of all of that.

Adam 20:13

All of our butter and seafood. Oh my god. But it was so we probably made it look good. I think we did. But that that I mean the crab legs were amazing, king crab legs, and it was actually pretty reasonable priced, you know. I thought it was really good. And then it's an Italian food and steak joint and crab leg. I don't understand it, but it's great.

Dedra 20:33

I'm not sure. Yeah, so they say Italian, but I don't know that we've had Italian.

Adam 20:39

We got the manicotti one time. We we did we did some pasta dishes there.

Dedra 20:44

And that was that was after a late night. Yeah, we did, yeah. It's always after a late night. Late night, a long day. Because I think that's when we had stayed at the tavern. So we're just like, ugh, we'll just stumble our way next door.

Adam 20:55

It's like right across the street, which is dangerous actually.

Dedra 20:59

Well, the town shuts down at like eight. Yeah so by the time we left there, it was about 9 30, 9 45. So being able to stumble across the street, it wasn't that terrible. You know, at least people are I'm I'm hoping they're they can see better than us. Yeah, yeah. When they're driving. Um, and be like, oh shit, there's there's Adam Edidra. They're stumbling across the street. There they go again.

Adam 21:22

But the crab legs actually came with the side of risotto too, which I thought was really cool.

Dedra 21:27

And I'm sure it did it did, but I don't I don't recall that. I don't just I don't think I was into risotto at that time.

Adam 21:35

Oh, I thought I love risotto. I make them in risotto too. I love it. Um, but right next to Nick's Italian is actually a bar that we usually go to, and it's uh it's a complete dive bar called uh Cactus Keats, I think. And that's like where people go when there's everything else is closed because it's like the one bar that's open late.

Dedra 21:55

Well, no, there's another one across from Smeltertown. Oh yeah. Uh 1012.

Adam 21:58

1012, that one's open.

Dedra 22:00

I prefer cactus cakes. Cactus. Okay. I thought it was just Kates, but I I definitely prefer cactus cakes.

Adam 22:07

Yeah. We had fun there. I mean, we went there this this last time and we do regularly. We there's the guy behind the counter.

Dedra 22:13

Scotty.

Adam 22:14

Scotty, yeah. He's like always there every single time we've been.

Dedra 22:17

I think he's the only person that works there because it was kind of busy that evening and he was just he was hauling ass all over the place. Yeah. Like he was throwing drinks, pouring shots. He had everybody taken care of. So Scotty O'Vara cactus cates. Hey, you kick ass, and I appreciate you.

Adam 22:34

Yeah, yeah. And we were having pores of it was an Evan Williams, I think it was a 10-year dark rye, which was interesting. It's not one that you typically see. And I mean, just having that neat. We they have a back patio that's kind of almost like I feel like hidden. You have to go down this dark, creepy hallway, and then you go outside. They got tables out there. We brought some cigars with us. So we just sat in the back patio, smoked cigars, and we're drinking that that bourbon, and that was good. But that's when things got a little bit fuzzy, I think.

Dedra 23:06

Yeah.

Adam 23:07

So what the what we ended up having to do is the next day go back to Smelter Town because you know, you know, market research. First, we went to, I think, a winery called Tumbleweed, and that's when you got killed with the wind because it was like way up high, and we were just like looking out at the at the whole valley, and that wind was just blowing, and that's probably what did it be kicking.

Dedra 23:30

But I mean, it was just it the weather was too beautiful aside from the wind to sit inside the the winery and just watch the beautiful weather blow you by. Especially with no no pun intended.

Adam 23:45

Um it's called tumbleweed. I wonder why.

Dedra 23:49

Ah now it's all coming together. It took a second, but you know what? Give give me a few, and I'll get there.

Adam 23:57

Um that was good though. We had some good wine there, and just the view was amazing. And we had to wait because they opened a little bit later at Smeltertown that Sunday, and they did that because of the all the cleanup and everything that they had to do for the festival. So we ended up spending an hour and a half or something like there at the winery, and we're like, okay, two o'clock, let's go.

Dedra 24:18

Hold on, hold on. So the last time we were in Cottonwood, we stumbled across a place, not literally, we came across a place. Um you see what I did there. Yeah, I did. Um, that had really good coffee. And then so that's kind of become like I think ours it's becoming our ritual when we leave. What please tell me remind me of the name of this? Ah, Bruja.

Adam 24:44

Yeah, I know what you're thinking about. Because I call I kept saying Brujala because that was a it's what Drecker has in their their um brewery, like their their beer garden is called Brujala. So this Bruja is a coffee joint and great breakfast place too. Um they have a similar name, and I just can't couldn't get the brewhal out of my head, but brew hall was great.

Dedra 25:08

So we we go there and what is it, the Americano that we get?

Adam 25:12

Yeah, just Americano, just regular. We just last for regular coffee. They didn't have any, so Americano, I guess.

Dedra 25:18

So we're not beer snob or beer snobs, we're not coffee snobs by any means. We just get the drip coffee. I take a splash of half and half in mind, that's it. Adam drinks his black. Black, like my we're simple. Shut up. We're simple people um with with coffee. But when it comes to beer and our alcohol, we get you know a little choosy, we get a little selective, and you know, we're you order something, we will look at you a little sideways sometimes. Other than that, you know, we're we're pretty chilly.

Adam 25:50

Yeah.

Dedra 25:51

But those cups I might make fun of you a little.

Adam 25:53

Oh, yeah, of course you will. If I don't make fun of you, it's that means you don't like you don't like them.

Dedra 25:56

Right, right. If I don't make fun of you, I don't I don't I definitely don't like you. But if I make fun of you, I like you.

Adam 26:01

Yeah, but there was a cup, those clear cups that they had. We got those Americanos in, and like I've never really had one, I guess. I I maybe I have, but just never seen it in a cup that was presented that well. It had like foam on the top, and it was a really good cup of coffee. And I'm like, how is it this good? I don't get it.

Dedra 26:19

We sat there, took the first sip, and we looked at each other and we were like, oh my god, what is this? So we were just like intrigued. We were just watching her make the rest of the coffees because we're like, what is what did she do different? Yeah, like what is she doing to our coffee? Is she sprinkling crack on it? I'm pretty sure that's what she did. Because I don't think we've ever driven home so fast. I'm just kidding. Oh my gosh. No, we stopped by Brewja, got our coffee, and then went right across the street. And I don't know how you haven't brought this up.

Adam 26:53

No, so I brought it up a lot of times, but it was always just like, oh, well, since we're having coffee here, let's eat, or we've gone to other places around there, but there's this burger place that we have seen. The pictures looked amazing. We're like, okay, we gotta go there this time. It's called G's burger.

Dedra 27:09

I'm ready to get there a tattoo.

Adam 27:11

Oh my gosh, it was so good.

Dedra 27:13

Holy crap, that was amazing. It's in the funniest parking lot. So it's in the parking lot of a shell gas station. And legit, there's no shell store. Yeah, it's just four pumps in the middle of a random parking lot, and that's it.

Adam 27:31

And we're looking around like, okay.

Dedra 27:33

Where's the rest of it? Yeah.

Adam 27:36

I they did have a little store.

Dedra 27:38

So they have that corner market right there, and then there's something between that market and the burger. Veterinarius. Veterinarian. Oh, yeah, that's right. Because I was like, um, should we be eating at a burger place next door to a to a veterinarian place? But it I don't know. Shoot, I was ready to get a tattoo, so I don't know what was in that meat.

Adam 28:00

Doesn't matter, it was great.

Dedra 28:03

I don't want to know.

Adam 28:04

I'm pretty sure it's cow. Um I mean, I'm pretty sure. But I mean, it was so good. And it was like a they had a full bar there. They had a whiskey tasting that you could actually get there.

Dedra 28:15

They had between between I think two and five was the whiskey tasting whiskey flights. I was gonna say it was a whiskey flight. That is wonderful. I love it. But you go in, and it's not a giant place inside. They have a bar, so we bellied up, and then it was they had their fries were actually pretty good. It was all a carte, so we had to order the fries with it. I can't remember the name of the burger that we got, but it had green chili on it and it had a fried egg.

Adam 28:44

We added the fried egg on there because we were gonna get that breakfast one, but it came with toast, and we're like, I just want a regular burger, but let's get an egg on top anyway.

Dedra 28:51

Oh, it was so good. And it was it was a good size, huge. Like it was probab when I don't have like the biggest hands, so maybe that's a bad example, but you know what? Fuck it. So it's like as big as my hand, and we cut it in half. Yeah, and shared. We we still left like ooh, that was still kind of a bit much. Yeah. And but we left while it was full. It was half a burger. It was so good. Yeah. And we were talking to the lady behind the bar, and we're just telling her this is our first time here. The this burger is so amazing, it's delicious, it's flavorful, it's everything I've ever hoped for in a burger. And we were just like also disappointed because we're like, What why haven't we been here before? I know. It's almost mad. The whole time this place has been here.

Adam 29:36

They had merchandise, they had like t-shirts and hats that you could buy there too.

Dedra 29:40

And it's right across the street from Bruja.

Adam 29:43

Yeah.

Dedra 29:43

And I was just like, oh my gosh. So now that's our other, that's now become our ritual is to get a coffee. Well, so maybe we should flip it. We'll get food from G's burger and then go to um Bruja, get our coffee, drive to Tumbleweed, have some wine, and then go back into go, yeah, just go into Smelter Town and then call it a day.

Adam 30:08

And that burger was freaking legit, though. I mean, that was so good. I mean, I that was just one of those burgers. Oh, like La Umbraguessa was really good that we had over at Sana Sana. I mean, I think it rivaled that. It was so good. I was like, I was very impressed by it. And then the fries weren't just like regular french fries, they were like battered French fries.

Dedra 30:29

I think they were beer battered fries.

Adam 30:31

Yeah, uh I don't know what it was, but they came out hot, great. We could only eat half that thing plus half our burgers, and there was still like another half thing of fries in there, and we're just like, I'm full, I can't eat anymore.

Dedra 30:41

Again, I'm the fry person and I I couldn't even finish all those fries. But I like the way that they served it because it came in like a like a paper sack, like the bottom half of the paper sack, and they just like crammed it full. Yeah, they didn't like cram it full, but they filled that bag up. They didn't cram it like squish the french fries or anything, yeah. But they definitely filled it up. The only downside, the only one small negative thing I would say is that the ranch was kind of watery. Yeah. Um, but the water, their water, oh my god, their water wasn't even good.

Adam 31:16

It might have been because we were drinking the whole night before.

Dedra 31:18

No, something about their water. And Starbucks does the same thing too. Like Starbucks has special water. Like, I don't think it was just because we're drinking that night. For me, it was I just really enjoyed because I was just like, I totally went like beer mode. I'm like, oh, the mouthfeel on this water. I was like, oh, what am I saying? And I was like, it's getting you, it hits the palate, it hits all the notes of H2O.

Adam 31:46

Oh man, that's hilarious. But over water, I know, come on, and they had a bar there too.

Dedra 31:52

They did have they just did serve beer, which is pretty true, but like we were still recovering, so we were like, okay, well, we're going to tumbleweed after this.

Adam 31:59

So let's and then Smeltertown again, and then we gotta go back home. But we were careful, we were very careful. We didn't overdo it or anything, but so yeah, so that coffee, um, gee's burger, which was freaking amazing, and then tumbleweed had a great time just sitting out there, even though it was with all the wind, it was still a lot of fun. And then we went back to Smelter Town, and I want to just talk about a couple of the beers that I got, and I think I got them during the festival, but we were just doing tasters so much that it was kind of hard to remember every single drink. Um, but I I'm just gonna I know one of them that I had while I was there was the uh grinding gears. It was a collaboration with uh Simple Machine, and it wasn't like a crazy beer. So this was uh the next day, so you know I was trying to be extra careful and it was an extra pale L, I think was what they called it, and it was only 4.8% or something like that, and so or 4.6% actually, if I remember correctly, and so it was pretty light and it had a really good hap hop punch to it. It was light, crisp, and it was like a good pale. Just like my water. Yeah, just like your water. No, it wasn't silky. It wasn't silky.

Dedra 33:08

Oh, okay. Never mind. I took that back.

Adam 33:10

And I think you were drinking the de not desert distortion, that's another bonehouse.

Dedra 33:15

Gosh darn it. Hop deposits.

Adam 33:19

Hop deposits, yes.

Dedra 33:20

So I had that, and I think that was their only hazy that Smelter Town had. So I had that on Saturday at the festival, and I just kept going back for it because that was the only like that was one of the hazyes that I really did enjoy. And then I came across like pleasant, and I'm just like, woo, now this is the hazy.

Adam 33:39

Although that keg of uh hop deposits that you had, I think you were down, it was down to the end of the the keg because it was it wasn't very hazy. It was very clear. Um, I think when we were drinking it that day, I was like, Are you sure that it's the hazy? But it you enjoyed it. It still had the good flavor to it, it just didn't have that that deep, like our our beer's here didn't have that deep.

Dedra 33:58

The one the citadelic hazy.

Adam 34:00

Oh yeah.

Dedra 34:00

Uh so yes, so on Sunday when we did go back, I did get the hop deposits. That was my first beer that I had there. And then you got inside my head, and I'm just like, okay, maybe it wasn't. Maybe maybe you're right. Maybe they did pour me the wrong one. So, you know, for research and just to ensure I ordered it again.

Adam 34:19

And you enjoyed it, so it didn't matter.

Dedra 34:21

It looked exactly the same. Yeah. So it's just like, okay, now you're just playing games.

Adam 34:26

So well, you went to the bathroom and I was like, okay, I'll just order our beers, and then I I wasn't paying attention. I got them, and I'm like, okay, which one's which?

Dedra 34:34

Yeah.

Adam 34:34

But I I'm sure I the one that I had was the lighter one. I could actually tell that it was it was pretty light, I guess, in in feel, the mouthfeel for it. Yes, I'm using it too. But it was it was fairly light, but it had a good sh uh hot punch to it, which I actually enjoyed a lot. Um, but I am gonna talk about that other beer that I got they did with Catalyst, and it was called Digging Up Bones. And of course, it was a double dry hopped, double IPA exactly in my wheelhouse. So I can't remember the the ABV on that one. I think it was like eight between eight and nine, somewhere right around there. Great beer. I had a pint of that after I was you know trying to be careful and have the light one. I ended up getting that double IPA. That was probably my favorite thing that I had there. I also got a uh sour called uh it was like Clarkdale Wise Guys, I think it was. And I can't remember the I think it was a strawberry lemonade sour, and that was pretty good too. I mean, it was very light, it was kind of like a Berliner Wise, it was um really refreshing to actually have it have after having that double IPA too. I really enjoyed it. Um, and then to go, uh they have they uh do uh smoothie sours there at Smeltertown too, and they do them really good. And it was, I think it's a series they call the sluice box, and it's their thick smoothie sours that are just really good. So we haven't had that yet. That's uh a friend of ours that wanted to share it with us, so we still have that in the fridge, also.

Dedra 35:58

I'm looking forward to it because smoothie sours, that's that's my wheelhouse.

Adam 36:04

Yeah, it is smoothie sours and hazies. Hey, that's I mean, there's worse things in life. Getting kicked in the shin, that kind of sucks.

Dedra 36:11

I mean breaking your ankle, yeah.

Adam 36:13

All those things suck for you.

Dedra 36:14

Or having your ankle broken for you because you got shrubbed.

Adam 36:17

My god, I'm cutting this out.

Dedra 36:20

I'm gonna cut you out.

Adam 36:22

So Labrador, India Pale L, hazy, obviously, from Great Notion and Great Notion. That isn't that the same thing that that sour we got was from Great Notion also when we had that the sour fest.

Dedra 36:33

I think it was.

Adam 36:33

Oh my gosh, they make some good beers. Yeah, yeah. I've really got to be. We gotta definitely get to this one too. Where's this one?

Dedra 36:39

Where are they located?

Adam 36:40

Portland, Oregon. So let's go.

Dedra 36:41

Oh, yeah.

Adam 36:43

Have we not been there? We've been to Oregon and or Portland and we went to like every brewery we could when we were there.

Dedra 36:49

Let's go back.

Adam 36:50

All right, we're gonna have to maybe we drank too many and we can't remember. We'll just have to go back. I like your thinking.

Dedra 36:57

Or maybe we're there and we had our kids with us. Yes, possibly. So we didn't go.

Adam 37:02

No, we went to all of them. All the ones that I remember, all the ones we could walk to. Maybe there was it just wasn't in walking distance.

Dedra 37:09

That that sounds about right, actually.

Adam 37:11

Um, because we've been there a couple times, so I'm pretty sure we went to everyone we could.

Dedra 37:15

Sounds like a fall break trip.

Adam 37:17

All right, let's go. So we're gonna be in Boston and not recording there, but we are gonna be talking about it. So we're really excited about this. Hopefully, Deezer is able to walk around with her bum ankle. I'm hoping that she heals enough. She has a week to do it, and I'm counting on her. I'm I'm trusting that she's gonna be good. Got a week of rest. I mean, we gotta do this. It's gonna be good. It's gonna be epic. We're gonna be talking all about them, and I really can't wait for that. That's gonna be so amazing. That trip. Oh man. I'm super excited.

Dedra 37:50

Super, super excited. Can't wait to go and come back, do our show, and tell you all about our trip, the amazing food and the beer that we've had, our experiences, because I know we're definitely looking forward to Treehouse.

Adam 38:04

Treehouse, Trillium. We'll go have we have to visit the Boston Beer Company, Sam and Adams. Um, and there's a few others too that we have on our list.

Dedra 38:12

I guess we have some food places lined up already for us.

Adam 38:15

Oh man.

Dedra 38:16

Um, so definitely, definitely looking forward to it and cannot wait to report back to you guys and let you know about our trip, our vacation. And it's just the beginning of summer, so we'll definitely, you know, have a lot of flavorful beers to come back and report about and let you know about our experiences. The weather's gonna be warming up, unfortunately. But I mean it's Phoenix, it's Arizona summers. Um, so we'll be taking some lake trips actually. Oh yeah. Uh we got some plans for the lake as well that we want to share when those those uh events come up and let you know how they went. So in amazing until then.

Adam 38:54

Until then, cheers, everybody.

Dedra 38:55

Cheers.

Adam 38:56

Hope you enjoyed this. Oh man, that's good. I've been holding that, I've been waiting for that last drink just because I've been staring at it and I'm like, if I have any more, that's gonna just be gone and our last cheers is gonna be non-existent.

Dedra 39:11

I was looking at that and I'm like, I was trying to get it get it off the bottom.

Adam 39:15

Everybody, please follow us on social media. We love to for you to reach out to us. Uh subscribe, please, to YouTube. And uh, if you're listening to this on a podcast, please give us a five-star review. Really goes a long way, and we really do appreciate it. So cheers, everybody. Thanks for spending this time with us.

Dedra 39:34

And uh if you're hoping, I hope you enjoyed it and that you plan your next trip out to Cottonwood and you go to uh go visit Smelter Town, go check out these places that we talked about, go get a coffee at Brewhaw, go check out Gee's burgers, get some pizza at Bocce, go get go to Nick's, get some seafood.

Adam 39:50

Yeah, enjoy life, love it.

Dedra 39:51

Stay at Ironhorse. Don't forget cactus cats.

Adam 39:55

Yes, go there, go support. Good night. But cheers, everybody. Thanks for uh spending this time with us, we appreciate it.