I spent the day driving all over Sedona, hiking and being a total tourist by taking tons of photos of the beautiful scenery. I had driven by Oak Creek once without even noticing it was there and then a second pass, it caught my eye. It is in the coolest little shopping area down in a holler, right on the river. I have no idea if it is in a holler or not, I just wanted to say that, but it is near the Oak Creek on Hwy 179.
There is a wall that runs all along the road, so you can't really see in there very well, but some of the names of establishments are on a sign and that is how I saw it. When you go in, it is as if you are in an old Mexican neighborhood with small walkways and cobblestone streets with open areas that have fountains and archways. It's called Tlaquepaque and if you've never been there, you need to go. There are many shops, art stores and food. Nestled in this location is Oak Creek Brewery and I couldn't be happier that I stopped in. The brewery is upstairs and had a ton of ambiance and high end to it. I was impressed with the bar area and the dining. I was just in for a beer as it was barely after lunch, and I chose this place over another brew pub I had seen earlier. I think I made a good choice.
They were changing out barrels on their taps at the time, so only two of their own beers were available. Luckily for me, one was the Village Nut Brown Ale. It was fantastic. They advertise it with plenty of nutty flavor and a hint of spice, all of which is true. Very smooth and flavorful. With an IBU of 21, it went down easy and I could've had several more, but with all the driving I was going to do, I chose to be a good boy. Two of their beers have won Gold Medals from the North American Brewers Association, with the Village Nut being one of those. What I think is their flagship, the Forty-niner Gold Lager, has also won a gold and their Horseshoe Hefeweizen, won a gold' at the North American Beer Festival. I did ask for a taster of the Porter they had on tap as well and thought it to be delicious. It's an English ale and though some porters get to be too full-bodied for a spring day, this was perfect.
Oak Creek Brewery is a home run. Of course, in Sedona, you better be a home run or you might be in trouble. It's hard to find a bad restaurant in town and they seem to try to outclass one another. I'd tell everyone to try this place out. In fairness, I did not eat there, but I find the silver lining in that. I now have yet another reason to go there next time. I even grabbed a t-shirt this time. So, I recommend it for their beer, which is brewed on site, and for their style and uniqueness. The whole shopping area will make it more of an experience than just a stop for food and beer. You can spend an hour before or after eating and it's probably pretty neat at night. Pretty neat sounds so midwestern. Anyway, I'm hyped on Oak Creek Brewery.
Add comment
Comments