The Swill: Oak Creek Gold Lager, Amber Ale, Pale Ale, and Nut Brown Ale

The Still: Oak Creek Brewing Company

Sedona, Arizona

http://www.oakcreekbrew.com/

The Drill:

Gold Lager: Pilsner, 12oz bottle, 4.5% ABV

Amber Ale: Amber Ale, 12oz bottle, 6.0% ABV

Pale Ale: Pale Ale, 12oz bottle, 5.0% ABV

Nut Brown Ale: Brown Ale, 12oz bottle, 6.0% ABV

The Spill: All of Oak Creek's brews are very standard for their ilks, and all denote a pretty good textbook definition of the characteristics of each class of beer. The lager is light, and just a touch buttery, the amber is wheaty and sweet, the pale is bold with hops, and the brown is mellow and nutty. Not the most adventurous fare, but having them on tap if you're ever in Sedona will be a journey worth taking. Try them with an equally various appetizer sampler if you're a beginner who wants to start learning how to pair beer with food.

Says Bill: This was another stop for Holly and me on our honeymoon. We ordered an 8 beer sampler that also included their hefeweizen, porter, stout, and either an IPA or a Belgian. They all came in these cute miniature steins that I wanted to buy and take home. Alas, they weren't for sale. My main course was the Brewmaster's Special, which was a three-sausage sampler served over giant piles of sauerkraut and garlic mashed potatoes. 8 beers x 3 sausages = 24 hours of being able to live that way. Too bad the honeymoon had to end.

Refill?: Everything's better on tap. Particularly when you're on vacation: Lager 2, Amber 2.5, Pale 2, Brown 2.5 taps out of 5.