By Lauren Herber, Staff Writer
Saturday, September 12 was Phoenix’s annual Urban Ale Trail, an unstructured craft beer bar crawl in downtown Phoenix. Each participating location offers a few samples of its craft beers for $1-$2 each with a complimentary snack. Having just moved downtown, I decided to check out the event so I could see what downtown Phoenix has to offer (as well as where to find the best IPA). Most of the bars were located on Jefferson Street near the
Photo courtesy of www.desertlivingtoday.com
Diamondbacks stadium, a bustling area that is conveniently close to the light rail. I bounced from bar to bar, having a great time but not being able to completely shake my anxiety about upcoming midterms. As I sat outside Squid Ink Sushi Bar, sipping Four Peaks White Ale Belgian Style Witbier and thinking about accounting, I started to wonder: if Thunderbird classes were craft beers, which beer would they be? If you are wondering what classes and beers have in common, look no further (told from the perspective of a first-year MAGAM student).
- Global Accounting: SanTan Devil’s Pale Ale
Why they’re similar: Drinking SanTan Devil is like the first month of accounting. The taste, at first, is refreshing and light. “Very smooth,” you think. “I could do this all day. I’m totally in control of this situation,” you think. And then the hops hit you from out of nowhere, making you do a double take. All of the sudden, this seemingly simple IPA proves itself to be much more complex than you thought. Think: Primo Benzina sending you for a tailspin after Aussie Pies.
Where you can find it: The Corner
- Global Institutions and Actors: Papago Orange Blossom
Why they’re similar: The first couple sips of this beer taste exactly like what you’d expect. It’s familiar territory: a light blonde with a hint of citrus. A few minutes pass, you chat with friends, and you take another sip of beer. But now: chocolate. You taste chocolate out of nowhere, and you’re wondering what happened and how you got so lost. Drinking this beer is like being in Institutions and Actors: you’re following along, understanding everything the professor is saying, but then you zone out for one minute and the next thing you know the white board is covered in a complicated chart with arrows pointing all over the place.
Where you can find it: The Strand Urban Italian
- States and Markets: Four Peaks Hop Knot IPA
Why they’re similar: Similar to class, this beer is complex; it has a lot of different flavors, some bold and some subtle, that mix together to create the end result. The hoppy-ness of this IPA is similar to the professor cold-calling on you at 9 AM on Thursday morning: not too bitter, but startling enough to make you sit up and pay attention.
Where you can find it: The Strand Urban Italian
- Global Theory: Four Peaks White Ale Belgian Style Witbier
Why they’re similar: This Four Peaks brew is simple, tasty, and refreshing. You down it quickly and order another; you’re sure you can handle it. But all of a sudden, this beer’s higher-than-average ABV (alcohol by volume) hits you and you’re unexpectedly tipsy. Like the Four Peaks Belgian, Global Theory takes a rapid jump in intensity. The first week you’re reading Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’, surprised and excited by how clear and straightforward the reading is…and then before you know it you’re 50 pages deep into Karl Marx, wondering how you got yourself into this mess and how to get out of it.
Where you can find it: Squid Ink Sushi Bar