Kellie Hwang

The Republic | azcentral.com

As Arizona's beer scene continues to grow, it can be hard to keep up with all the new breweries opening.

Luckily there's Arizona Beer Week, a 10-day run dedicated to tasty brews that is chock-full of events across the state. Now in its seventh year, the series hosted by the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild pays homage to the state's abundant and rapidly growing beer industry, anchored by the 17th annual Strong Beer Festival on Feb. 11.

"We focus on making great beer here in Arizona, and this is a chance for us to do something unique," said Rob Fullmer, executive director for the guild. "We have about 15 more breweries than we did last year."

Fullmer said he has challenged breweries and beer bars to host more creative events, rather than just offering discounts or giving away glassware. This year there's a wide variety of events including beer dinners, educational seminars, bike rides, craft workshops and dessert pairings. See the full calendar of more than 300 events at arizonabeerweek.com. We've picked out 13 highlights that are a great place to start.

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IN THE VALLEY

Strong Beer Festival

The popular event features more than 140 breweries, about 60 of which are from Arizona. Festival goers receive 40 tasting tickets and can pick from more than 400 different beers. Local bands will perform acoustic sets throughout the day, including Good Rust and Tommy Price & The Stilettos. VIP and Super VIP (includes Brewers Reception on Friday night) tickets are already sold out, but general admission is still available. Anyone interested should get their tickets soon.

Details: 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11. VIP ticket holders can enter 90 minutes before the event starts. Steele Indian School Park, 300 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. $45 for general admission. $10 for designated driver admission. arizonabeerweek.com/arizona-strong-beer-festival.

Mad Hatter Tea Party

Head down the rabbit hole for this unique event, featuring an "Alice in Wonderland"-inspired five-course lunch paired with tea-infused beers. Pairings include five-spice braised rabbit pie with That Brewery's AZ Trail Ale Green Tea, and ancho-rubbed venison loin with Huss Brewing Coffee Chai Tea. The event is kid-friendly, featuring a children's menu. Guests are encouraged to dress up according to the theme.

Details: 3-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18. Gertrude's, Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix. $40 per adult. 480-719-8600. gertrudesrestaurant.net.

30 Years of Arizona Brewing

Join Jerry Gantt, brewer at North Mountain Brewing, and Ed Sipos, author of "Brewing Arizona," for a chat about the history of beer in Arizona, beer tastings and a historic photo display. The event will take place outside in Patriot's Park at CityScape. Sipos' book will be available for purchase.

Details: 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8. CityScape, 1 E. Washington St., Phoenix. Free.

Brewers Roundtable

Pick the brains of some top Arizona brewers, while also enjoying a four-course beer dinner. The featured brewers are Gabe Wilson of SanTan Brewing Company, Brian Helton from Helton Brewing Co., Chad McClellan of Goldwater Brewing Co., and Rob Rodriguez from Two Brothers Brewing Company. The dinner will be prepared by SanTan's culinary team, with beer pairings from all four breweries.

Details: 6:30-9:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16. SanTan Brewing Company, 8 S. San Marcos Place, Chandler. $49 per adult. 480-917-8700, santanbrewing.com.

Pig Roast

Phoenix Ale Brewery teams up with Sonoran Brewing for this fun event in the courtyard at Central Kitchen. For $25, guests can enjoy spit-roasted pig, Phoenix Ale Brewery King George Amber baked beans, potato salad, fresh-baked white bread, bourbon-peach cobbler with vanilla gelato, and a pint of beer. There will be live music, too.

Details: 6-10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10. The Phoenix Ale Brewery Central Kitchen, 5813 N. Seventh St., Phoenix. $25. 602-313-8713, centralkitchenaz.com.

Hoppy Couples & Sour Singles

Enjoy some tasty brews on Valentine's Day, whether you're single or attached. Dubina Brewing from Glendale will showcase some special brews for the event, including the Bell Road IPA, Blood Orange Bell Road IPA, Gun N Goses, Mango Sour and Hibiscus Sour.

Details: 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14. Hopwerks, 2224 E. Williams Field Road, Gilbert. 480-814-1385.

Girl Scout Cookie Beer Pairing

Both Four Peaks taprooms will host this popular event, pairing Girl Scout cookies with Four Peaks beers. This year's pairings include Trefoils with Double Pumpkin Porter, Samoas with Barrel Aged Raj IPA and Savannah Smile with Pitchfork Pale Ale.

Details: 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9 at Four Peaks Grill & Tap, 15745 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale, 480-991-1795. Seatings at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10 at Four Peaks Tasting Room, 2401 S. Wilson St., Tempe. 480-634-2976, fourpeaks.com.

RELATED: 21 restaurants compete in Arizona's 2017 Girl Scout Cookie Dessert Challenge, Feb. 1-28

Beermuda PHX

Three Phoenix breweries playfully call themselves the "Beermuda," and host a pub crawl the second Saturday of each month. For Arizona Beer Week, they'll move the crawl to the Sunday after the Strong Beer Festival. Start at Helio Basin for brunch, then head to Wren House Brewing Company and then Helton Brewing Company. Arizona Brewery Tours will offer complimentary rides every 30 to 45 minutes, so you can enjoy your beers safely.

Details: Noon-4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12. Helio Basin Brewing Co., 3935 E. Thomas Road, Phoenix. Shuttle is free. 602-354-3525, heliobasinbrewing.com.

Boulders Beer Fest

The seventh annual beer festival will feature more than 70 types of beer to try, such as Ska Brewing's Pineapple Gose, Lagunitas Brewing Company's Dark Swan, SunUp Brewing Co's The Hoppler, and Dogfish Head's Siracusa Nera. Ticket holders receive 15 tastings and a souvenir sample cup.

Details: Noon-4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12. Boulders on Broadway, 530 W. Broadway Road, Tempe. $40. 480-921-9431, bouldersonbroadway.com.

Total Wine Beer Classes

Join representatives from various Arizona breweries for a two hour class that highlights local brewing culture and beer styles. Participants will try some beers from the breweries, and get some freebies to take home from Barrio Brewing Co., Mudshark Brewing Company, Sonoran Brewing, Grand Canyon Brewing Company, Lumberyard Brewing Company and Mother Road Brewing Company. Jeff Huss of Huss Brewing Company will lead his own class on Feb. 17 featuring seven Huss beers to taste and finger foods.

Details: Feb. 16-18. At various Total Wine & More locations throughout the Valley. Check the website for exact locations and times. $10. arizonabeerweek.com.

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AROUND ARIZONA

Prescott Collaboration Release

Great things can happen with people come together. Three Prescott breweries have made an Arizona Beer Week tradition of collaborating on a beer together. Prescott Brewing Company, Granite Mountain Brewing and Lonesome Valley Brewing have created the Dubbel Deuce, a Belgian dubbel with caramelized dates and agave syrup. Beer lovers can head to Granite Mountain Brewing for the release of this special beer.

Details: 4-9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9. Granite Mountain Brewing, 123 N. Cortez St., Prescott. 928-778-5535, granitemountainbrewing.com.

Tucson Craft Beer Crawl

Start at the beer garden on Fifth Avenue, where you'll check in, receive your wristband, tasting glass and beer crawl map. Tickets include 30 two-ounce tasting samples, and VIP ticket-holders get early entry, a food voucher and beer cocktail samples. Each location will have a different brewery serving its beers, including Dillinger Brewing Co., Borderlands Brewing Co., Tombstone Brewing Company, Freak'N Brewing Company and Thunder Canyon Brewery. This event sold out last year, so get your tickets soon.

Details: Noon-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18. $40-$45 for general admission, $70-$75 for VIP. $7 for designated driver. tucsoncraftbeercrawl.com.

7th Annual Beer and Whiskey Pairing

What's best to pair with beer? More booze, of course. Join Thomas Turner, master of whiskey for Diageo, and Lumberyard Brewing Company's lead brewer Gary Balzevich as they showcase various whiskeys and craft beers. Appetizers will also be served with the pairings.

Details: 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15. Lumberyard Brewing Company, 5 S. San Francisco St., Flagstaff. $25. 928-779-2739, lumberyardbrewingcompany.com.

Reach the reporter at kellie.hwang@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8690. Follow at twitter.com/KellieHwang.