Arizona Wilderness Pregame: Hazy IPAs, Surprising Barrel Aged Program & Episode 10 Chaos
For episode 10, we celebrated with a trip to Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. in downtown Phoenix before a Diamondbacks game, complete with hazy IPAs, barrel-aged surprises, duck fat fries, and plenty of off-the-rails laughs. From Dedra’s evolving beer palate to Adam’s “due diligence” flight of specialty beers, this episode was the perfect mix of craft beer, good food, and the kind of chaos that makes The Adam and Dedra Show what it is.
Adam & Dedra
6/4/20268 min read
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Episode 10: Arizona Wilderness, Diamondbacks Baseball, and the Great Duck Fat Fry Debate
Ten episodes.
Somehow, some way, The Adam and Dedra Show has officially made it to episode number 10. We celebrated the only way we know how: with beer, questionable spirit fingers, a Diamondbacks game, and a trip to one of our favorite downtown Phoenix brewery stops — Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.
Also, there may have been a Jersey aunt impression involved.
We’re not saying episode 10 went off the rails. We’re just saying the rails were briefly discussed, ignored, and then replaced with duck fat fries.
Starting the Show with Spirit Fingers and a San Diego IPA
Before we got into our Arizona Wilderness adventure, we kicked things off with a beer from Societe Brewing Company out of San Diego called Mini Super, a West Coast IPA coming in at 7.2%.
The can art alone deserved a moment. It had that perfect little corner-store vibe with scratchers, lighters, cup noodles, paletas, chips, and an ATM. Basically, if an ice cream truck and a mini mart had a very hoppy baby, this can would be it.
Dedra was especially locked in on the cup noodles, because apparently spicy chicken cup noodles are worth risking a sodium-induced medical event.
Her words, basically.
YOLO was said more than once during this episode, which feels appropriate for episode 10.
A Quick Shout Out to Breweries Doing Good
Before we got into the main brewery visit, Dedra gave a shout out to Homeland Brewing Company and their veteran beer program. They have a setup where customers can buy a beer for a veteran, and veterans can redeem one using a coin system.
That kind of thing deserves some love.
It’s a simple idea, but it says a lot about a brewery when they build something meaningful into the customer experience. Beer is fun, obviously, but beer that supports veterans? Even better.
Dedra also shouted out the Avondale Firefighters Charity because, in true Dedra fashion, she came prepared with a full wardrobe of community appreciation.
Adam was just trying to keep the episode moving.
He failed.
Pregaming the Diamondbacks Game at Arizona Wilderness
The main stop for this episode was Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. in downtown Phoenix, right in the Roosevelt Row area.
If you’ve never been to the downtown Phoenix location, it is built for a good time. The inside has plenty of seating, a long bar, picnic-style tables, and a laid-back brewery feel. But the outdoor space is where the place really opens up.
There’s a huge patio, shade, misters, an outdoor bar, and enough space to make you feel like you can hang out for a while without being crammed shoulder-to-shoulder with everyone else who also decided beer was a good idea before baseball.
Which, to be fair, it was.
We were there before a Diamondbacks game, and the D-backs actually won. This is important because historically, when Adam attends games, the team does not always thrive.
Coincidence? Maybe.
But we did leave early, and they won, so the evidence is complicated.
Allergies, Wind, and the Birth of “Glado”
A couple of episodes ago, Dedra had been battling allergies during the Smelter Town beer festival episode. This time, the Phoenix wind decided Adam needed a turn.
His voice got low.
Very low.
So naturally, Dedra compared him to “Gladys,” then decided the male version must be “Glado.”
We are not sure if Glado is a name, a condition, or a person who yells at neighborhood kids from a folding chair in the driveway, but it made sense at the time.
Then Dedra slipped into a full New Jersey aunt character that may or may not ever return.
We were reviewing beer. Technically.
The Hazy IPA Showdown Begins
Once we got to Arizona Wilderness, we started strong with hazy IPAs.
Adam went with Every Day is Earth Day, a double dry-hopped hazy double IPA at 8.4%.
Dedra went with Death to IPA, a hazy double IPA at 8%.
Starting at 8% is not always Dedra’s usual move, but there was food coming, a baseball game ahead, and apparently another YOLO available for use.
Both beers were solid, but they had different personalities. Adam’s had more of that hoppy, floral, dry-hop character, while Dedra’s leaned juicier and sweeter, which is usually more her style.
Dedra liked it, but she made it clear that Arizona Wilderness did not dethrone her current hazy champion: Citradelic Haze from Lake Pleasant Brewing.
That beer has apparently become the measuring stick for all future hazies. Lake Pleasant is now living rent-free in Dedra’s beer brain.
A Formal Apology to Lake Pleasant Brewing
We also realized that in our Smelter Town festival recap, we failed to properly mention that Lake Pleasant Brewing won the People’s Choice award.
They didn’t just win a polite little certificate, either. They won a belt.
A real champion-style belt.
And honestly, it was deserved. Their hazy was fantastic, and if Dedra had found their tent earlier in the day, there’s a solid chance she would have never made it to the rest of the festival.
So, Lake Pleasant Brewing, our apologies. You deserved the shout out.
Also, please keep making that hazy.
Arizona Wilderness’ Co-Op Beers: Adam’s “Due Diligence”
One of the coolest things Adam discovered at Arizona Wilderness was their Co-op membership program, which includes exclusive beer releases and barrel-aged options.
Naturally, when Adam saw specialty beers on the menu, he asked the server about them.
Then, when given options, he did the responsible thing.
He ordered all of them.
This was not indulgence. This was due diligence.
The flight included some big, interesting barrel-aged beers, including sours, a saison/farmhouse ale, a barleywine, and what Adam insists on calling an imperial porter even though the menu may have suggested otherwise.
Beer classification debates are part of the journey.
Barrel-Aged Sours, Rum Barrels, and Dedra Saying “Nope”
One of the first Co-op beers Adam talked about was Azure Dome, an 8% sour that blended two different barrel-aged sours, including rum and bourbon barrel influence.
Adam loved it.
Dedra did not.
To be clear, Dedra likes smoothie-style sours. Thick, fruity, dessert-like sours are welcome. Lighter, funkier, tart barrel-aged sours are apparently not invited to the party.
Adam described it as funky and tart.
Dedra described it more like a personal attack.
Then came Waterfall Tones, a 9.5% farmhouse ale or saison aged in rum barrels with a tiki cocktail kind of vibe.
Adam thought it was fun.
Dedra again declined to join the fan club.
At 9.5%, Adam argued it was fun to drink.
Dedra seemed to suggest that at 9.5%, “fun” might just be a survival strategy.
The Surprise Favorite: Vanilla Barleywine
The biggest surprise of the specialty beers was that Dedra actually liked the barleywine.
That may not sound dramatic, but for someone who is still developing her palate around stouts, barrel-aged beers, barleywines, and anything outside the hazy IPA comfort zone, this was a big moment.
This particular barleywine had vanilla and rum barrel character, but it was lighter than expected. It didn’t have the heavy, syrupy feel some barleywines can have, which probably helped.
Dedra’s beer journey is becoming one of the fun parts of the show. She started more firmly in hazy IPA territory, but now she’s trying stouts, barleywines, meads, and barrel-aged beers.
Some are winners.
Some are immediate regrets.
But the palate is evolving.
Let’s Talk About the Food
Arizona Wilderness is not just a beer stop. Their food is a big part of the experience, and we’ve had great burgers there before.
This time, we ordered the Wicked Chicken sandwich with duck fat fries.
The sandwich had chicken, bacon, jalapeño, sourdough, and a pub-style sauce. Overall, it had great flavor and disappeared quickly, which is usually a good sign.
Adam thought the chicken itself was a little dry, mostly because it was a thinner chicken breast. He’s become more of a chicken thigh guy when it comes to sandwiches because dark meat tends to bring more flavor and moisture.
Dedra agreed the sandwich was good but thought it could use more jalapeño.
Although, to be fair, she did get one bite where a chunk of chili somehow lodged itself in the back corner of her mouth under her tongue like it was trying to start a small fire in a place fire should not exist.
She took responsibility for that one.
Arizona Wilderness, you are cleared of wrongdoing.
Duck Fat Fries Are, In Fact, a Big Deal
Now let’s get to the fries.
Arizona Wilderness serves duck fat fries, and Dedra initially had the attitude of, “Okay, big deal.”
Then she ate them.
Turns out, yes, big deal.
The fries were crispy, flavorful, and not those sad pale potato sticks that show up at some places pretending to be fries. You know the ones. They look like they gave up halfway through the fryer.
We also had a brief discussion about shoestring fries, which Dedra does not appreciate because you have to eat several at a time to feel like you had one actual fry. Then suddenly you’re fistful-eating fries in public with ketchup on your face and your family pretending not to know you.
So, no. Shoestring fries are not the move.
Arizona Wilderness’ fries, however, were the move.
Homemade Ketchup: Respectfully, a Scoosh Too Sweet
Arizona Wilderness also makes their own ketchup, which is impressive.
Making ketchup from scratch is definitely above-and-beyond behavior.
That said, this one was a little sweet for us. Maybe it was the sugar level, maybe it was another ingredient, but it leaned sweeter than we personally prefer.
Could it be fixed?
Absolutely.
Just dial it back a scoosh.
And yes, “scoosh” is now an official measurement on this show.
The Downtown Phoenix Location Just Works
One of the reasons we keep going back to Arizona Wilderness downtown is because the space works so well.
The indoor area is comfortable, but the outdoor area is huge. There’s shade, airflow, misters, bar access outside, and plenty of seating. It feels like a place designed for Phoenix, especially in the Roosevelt Row area.
Dedra also pointed out something meaningful: they provide water to people experiencing homelessness downtown.
That matters.
Phoenix heat is no joke, especially in the summer, and seeing a business treat people with basic care and dignity says a lot.
Beer, food, patio, community awareness — that’s a strong combination.
From Camping Smoke to Brewery Patio
We’ve also been to the original Arizona Wilderness location in Gilbert years ago, and Dedra remembered that visit because we had just come back from actual camping.
Not “glamping.”
Not “we stayed in a cabin and posted one picture near a tree.”
Actual tent camping, fishing, campfire-smelling, probably-not-restaurant-ready camping.
So where did we go when we came back into town smelling like smoke, fish, and wilderness?
Arizona Wilderness.
Because if anyone was going to accept us in that condition, it was probably them.
They let us sit on the patio.
Which feels fair.
Final Thoughts: Episode 10 Was a Beautiful Mess
Episode 10 had a little bit of everything.
We had a West Coast IPA from San Diego, shout outs to veterans and firefighters, hazy IPAs at Arizona Wilderness, a Diamondbacks win, barrel-aged Co-op beers, duck fat fries, a chicken sandwich, homemade ketchup, Phoenix patio appreciation, and at least one character voice that may never be heard again.
Arizona Wilderness remains one of our favorite downtown Phoenix brewery stops. The beer list is always interesting, the food holds up, the patio is one of the best in the area, and the location makes it a perfect pregame stop before a Diamondbacks game.
And now, we’re off to the next adventure.
The next episode is taking us to Boston, and yes, there will be beer.
Until then, keep drinking.
We’re doing our part.
