Best of Tucson 1996: Best Pint Of Beer

Best Pint Of Beer

STAFF PICK: The good ol' days, if they existed at all, may have been a time when having a pint was a harmless, after-work, blue-collar activity; a chance to raise a glass with your mates and unwind from a hard day at the plant. As lovers of the hops, we all thought our ship had come in with the advent of the microbrew revolution. Be careful what you wish for. Unfortunately, like "alternative rock," microbrewing is being overwhelmed by inferior libations with dumb names and weak flavor to cash in on a market trend. Now, drinking beer has become, along with cigar smoking and land-raping, the yuppie Extreme Sports of the '90s. Who'd a thunk it...having a pint in a place with a dress code and stinky cheese (you know who you are).

Liberty Ale, possibly the best domestic beer made, is available on tap at just-folks Zachary's, 1019 E. Sixth St., for the month preceding July 4. The Anchor Brewing Co. is a major brewery, albeit a relatively small, maverick and distinguished one. Rejuvenated by washing machine family black sheep Fritz Maytag, Anchor kept domestic craft-brewing commercially alive during the Lite Reign of Coors and Anheuser Busch.

The first sip of Liberty Ale tends to snap you to attention. It has a cloudy, deep honey color and a combination of sharp, hoppy bitterness with a slight almond, fruity taste that makes for a nice contrast and an extraordinary beer, especially in Zachary's mammoth imperial pint; and at the Independence Day price of $3.25, a pint of Liberty Ale will assuredly set you free. Several pints and you may be primed to start a new revolution your own damned self.