While E-Rock has returned to ABQ, Stoutmeister kept busy visiting spring training ballparks and stopped by some of the remaining breweries in the Phoenix metro area.

Ballparks are not exactly bastions of the craft-brewing movement. They tend to stick to the same, dull macro-brews found at convenience stores and supermarkets across America.

With E-Rock in tow, I visited Goodyear Ballpark (home of the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds) last Monday afternoon, but failed to explore the grounds for beer offerings. We got inside the stadium late and just decided to enjoy the game rather than wander around. The Web site was no help, so Goodyear will remain a mystery until next spring as far as its beer content goes.

Tuesday’s stop was Camelback Ranch in Glendale, home of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox. As I was working, I could not partake, but compared to other ballparks in Maricopa County, this one was actually fairly well stocked with microbrews.

Beers from Full Sail, Shock Top, Blue Moon, Kona, Sierra Nevada, and Odell’s were all available at Camelback Ranch. Even Phoenix’s own Old World Brewery (see below) was on tap here.

This was in sharp contrast to Mesa’s Ho Ho Kam Park, the Chicago Cubs’ home, that only had Old Style in cans (sacrilege!) and pretty much relied solely on Bud and Miller varieties on tap. The lone microbrew of note was Firestone’s Double Barrel Ale, which was available in bombers at a stand behind the outfield berm.

The impressive Salt River Fields at Talking Stick complex (Arizona Diamondbacks/Colorado Rockies), just east of Scottsdale off the 101 freeway, was likewise free of microbrews. Leinenkugel had a few taps of their wheat and berry wheat beers available, but overall it was nothing special.

At least Maryvale, home to the Milwaukee Brewers, did not even pretend to have a wide selection. Other than Leinenkugel and the macros, even Gordon Biersch had just a concession stand but with none of their own beers on tap, just available in plastic bombers/bottles.

Then again, considering the price of beers at ballparks, it is probably best to focus on the games and fatten up on the unhealthy (but tasty) food and just go visit microbreweries afterward. At least that is what we did during our visit to the Phoenix metro area.

On to the breweries E-Rock missed …

Old World Brewery

Due to a sudden proliferation of car crashes in the Maryvale area, I had to abandon the direct route from the Brewers’ stadium to Interstate 10. Instead, with a little help from Google Maps, I went in search of OWB’s new location off of Van Buren, just west of the freeway and downtown Phoenix.

Located in an old post office building, Old World Brewery has been open for about six months or so, said brewer Matt Mercer, a onetime classmate of ABQ’s own Jeff Erway of La Cumbre. The OWB utilizes beer recipes from Northern Europe, relying more on malts than hops to produce the various styles on tap. While I was there they had Dark Knight Porter, plus the 4-Leaf Irish Red Ale and a robust Highlander Scotch Ale (8.9 percent ABV). I only tried a small sample of the Highlander as I had to get back on the road eventually; it was a flavorful, powerful batch with a ton of flavors that almost, but not quite, overwhelmed my palate. There could be only one … taste of this powerful potion. Cue the Queen soundtrack!

The porter was a thick, strong elixir that felt like a massive cooling entity, one that chased away the warm baseball sun and sank me into the calm of the night. The Irish red was almost a clone of the delicious version at Il Vicino, offering up less hops than a lot of reds and more smooth flavor.

The OWB is still getting back to being a fully functional brewery. Like many of its Maricopa County counterparts, it is aiming more as a beer distributor than a direct beer seller. The tasting room is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. most days. The neighborhood around OWB is a bit run down, but during the light of day go visit the OWB, it is one of the Phoenix metro area’s finest establishments.

SanTan Brewing, a second review

My final stop, beer-wise, in Maricopa County was reviewed by E-Rock back in January. Located in what passes for a downtown area in the suburb of Chandler, SanTan is an impressive joint with a lively crowd, a friendly waitstaff, lots of TVs to watch sports, and a solid selection of beer and good food.

I snagged three pints, relying on the old friend I was staying with to handle the driving. First up was the Sex Panther, the same double chocolate porter that E-Rock tried. He was not kidding about how good this flavorful beer was. The chocolate cancels out any bitterness that is often found in porters. It is sweet, but not overly so. “A good dessert beer” seemed to be the best quote to describe this from our group (so of course it was our first beer, because who doesn’t like dessert first?).

Next up were the Gordo Stout, a regular offering that was a little too light for my tastes. It seemed almost watered down. After that I enjoyed the Negro Nitron, a flavorful black IPA made with nitrogen. It featured a strong, robust taste with a good hops-to-malt balance. There was a slight bite at the front and a smooth, strong finish. It made for a good nightcap before the trek to Tucson on Friday.

Until I reach Pima County …

— Stoutmeister