New Beer Friday 11/16/18

In the immortal words of Positive Force - "we all got the funk (We got it), we got the funk, yeah".
'Nuf said. Happy New Beer Friday!

Talisman - Funky: This is Talisman's first barrel aged sour beer. It was created using Saccharomyces Cerevisiae during primary fermentation and then moved to barrels where it underwent a secondary fermentation with Brettanomyces Bruxellensis. It was aged in the barrels for 10 months picking up some great barrel notes and allowing the brett-brux to work its magic.

Talisman's Funky is described as having all the classic Brett-Brux characteristics of leather, tart cherry, and barnyard with a pleasant amount of funkiness. It is a complex yet balanced beer that also has characteristics of plum, oaky wood, and faint hints of earthy spiciness. It has mild to moderate acidity that helps balance the funkiness and has a great lingering finish that is both dry and crisp. This is an EXTREMELY limited release; one bottle per person and there will be no holds. Funky goes on sale Saturday morning (11/17) at 11am.

Toasted Barrel - Imperial Pumpkin Saison: Haven't had this one yet it. It's described as being made with real pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamon. 10.5%. This is set to debut tomorrow at Brewstillery.

Four Sons - Black Currant Sour K: Lemony tartness as you'd expect from a Berliner style sour, then a good dose of black currants come in adding a smidge of sweetness and more berry tartness. Super tasty and refreshing. 4.0%. Found at Beer Bar.

Mother Earth - Four Seasons Autumn: This oat forward Imperial stout has the added benefit of toasted coconut to round out the the more roasty aspects of this beer. The result is a very enjoyable coconut/vanilla stout that's smooth and dangerously drinkable.12.5% - Currently available at Beerhive and Bayou

Cheers!

It's Time for the 2018 Utah Beer Blog's Holiday Bottle Share

Sorry, the Holiday Bottle share is full. Please feel free to request to be on the stand-by list. There are always cancellations, people will be added in the order received. Thanks again.

It's time for the biggest damn bottle share of them all - the 2018 Utah Beer Blog's Holiday Beer Tasting. Back in 2009, a handful of us local beer nerds decided that our cellars were too fat with brilliant beers and came to the realization that we were all better off sharing them rather than hoarding them.  Our aim was simple - bring a bottle to share and get to know the rest of our beer community. I don't think any of us were prepared for the enthusiastic responses we received to our invitation - the scope and generosity of those who attended blew us away.

First of all, this is the only invite to the bottle share. If you're reading this you know about the party. I'm sorry but my social media pages have thousands of followers; Facebook, Instagram and Twitter aren't conducive to having an intimate party of this size.

This year we are donating to the Utah Food Bank. Please plan on bringing a non-perishable food item with you. 

Other than that concept is simple. Bring a nice beer, cider or mead. It can be in a bottle, can, jug, keg or jeroboam as long as it's "special" to you and you think it would be nice to share. It doesn't have to be rare - expensive or outrageous. Just something that you enjoy. That being said, it is in poor taste to show up with a six pack of grocery store beer and ignore it while you enjoy the rarer beers on the table. You know who you are.   

Homebrew is absolutely welcome! We have some incredibly talented homebrewers in the area, if you've got something that you'd like to share please bring it. Give us a heads up if it's kegged so we can make sure we have the appropriate amount of room.

If you have a tasters glass or a piece of stemware please bring it, you'll be glad you did. Plastic cups will be provided but I'd hate for anyone to have to use them.

You are not allowed to open a beer that you did not bring. 

The Holiday Tasting will be held at a private home and it's location will be given out only to those who RSVP. We will have to put a cap on the number of people attending due to the size of the venue. So get your RSVP in ASAP.

We'd ask that this be limited to "Beer People". People who know beer or are interested in learning more about craft beer. Please feel free to bring a guest (two max) if you don't want to come solo.

Speaking of "Beer People". Some of our local craft brewers will be in attendance as well as industry professionals. It'll be a nice opportunity for you to get to know them - and they you.

Plan ahead for your ride home. In previous years we've been hit with serious stormy weather, while it made for a beautiful Holiday evening, it created some difficulty getting people out the door and to their home's safely.

So, here's the info your gunna need.

Date: December 15, 2018

Please RSVP to utahbeer@gmail.com (we filled up in 6 hours last year)

Absolutely no one under 21.

What: 1-2 bottles for tasting and sharing - tasters glass or stemware.

Non-perishable food item for the Utah Food Bank.


If you feel like bringing food to share, it will be appreciated but not required.

Questions and RSVP: utahbeer@gmail.com

Again, this post is the only invite to the gathering.

The Family and I are really looking forward to seeing you!

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 11/9/18

What a weird week; though it was good to see everyone involved in the political process. No matter where you fall politically, I think we can all agree we all deserve a beer this weekend. Happy New Beer Friday! Desert Edge - Alpha Coffee Lager:  This kelllerbier has cold brewed coffee added from Alpha Coffee, a veteran owned roaster that sends coffee to deployed troops. For every Alpha Coffee Lager that Desert Edge sells, DE will donate money to send 100lbs of Coffee. The beer is toasty and slightly malty with a pleasant coffee flavor that works quite well with the base beer. Great beer, great cause. 4.0% - Available at Desert Edge. Anchor - Our Special Ale 2018: This is the the 44th year of this beer and every year has been different. This version has a nice caramelized chocolaty quality with vague spices, estery banana and a good dose of piney hops. 6.9%. Available at DABC Rogue - Yellow Snow Pilsner: The beer is malt forward with biscuit notes and caramel sweetness. Hints of lemongrass and spruce emerge next; the hop balance isn't quite up to the levels it should be at it tends to rely a bit too much on the spruce tips for bittering. Not a bad beer; I like the spruce but it needs balance. Rogue - Counter Currant: This beer is defiantly fruit driven with black currants dominating the flavor profile. The fruit is tart and pleasant with a small dose of malt. You do get a tiny smack of hops in the end. Not bad. 6.4% - Available at DABC Snake River - Alpha Prime: Assertive grapefruit and pine combines nicely with tropical flavors and medium bitterness. The malt profile id pleasant and balanced with the hops. Nice IPA. 7.5% - Available at Slackwater Caldera - Dry Hop Orange: Toffee malts are present, with a hint of butter. A big than I'd orange pith taste comes in next, stomping out some of the malt's flaws. The end has a good dose of bitterness. 5.6% - Available at DABC, Beer Bar Caldera - Hopportunity Knocks: Orange and grapefruit flavors with pith; balanced by an interesting toffee malt profile - very floral with some pine in addition to the citrus - moderately bitter, but mostly sweet. 6.8% - Available at DABC, Beer Bar Caldera - IPA: Malt forward; caramel and toffee followed by floral & citrus hops. Bitter finish & aftertaste. Mouthfeel is medium bodied moderate carbonation is creamy. 6.1% - Available at DABC, Beer Bar Caldera Mosaic IPA: Grapefruit peel is noticeable right off the bat. From there a good dose a buttery malt sweetness comes in. The end has a medium amount of hop bitterness. There a major diacetyl problem here (buttered popcorn). Not too good.   Caldera - Pale Ale: The aroma is citrusy with some pine hops and a good deal of bready malts. The taste is more bready malts and toffee upfront followed by some light citrus and pine. Bready finish. 5.5% - Available at DABC, Beer Bar Caldera - Ashland  Amber Ale: The nose was malty and sweet with caramel hints. Taste was malty with toffee and caramel notes with  grassy hops on the back of the tongue. Mouthfeel was full and creamy. 5.4% - Available at DABC, Beer Bar Samuel Smith - Yorkshire Stingo: Missed out on this one. 8.0% Available at Slackwater. On a side note: If you missed out on Squatters' Fifth Element release last weekend, well.... actually you didn't. There are still quite a few bottles left; so there ya go, get on that shit! Cheers!

New Beer - Brewery Friday 11/2/18

Three new breweries in three weeks? I'm pretty confident that this has never happened in Utah and it may never happen again. Salt lake's T.F. Brewing lasted only seven days as the new newness; passing the baton to Ogden's Cerveza Zólupez - a nano brewery that will specialize in craft brews with a south of the boarder flair. Congrats to Javier Chavez's on his new brewery.

Cerveza Zólupez Amber Ale: I haven't had this one yet. It's described a s being brewed with Piloncillo (Mexican brown sugar), and Mexican canela (cinnamon sticks). Giving it a malty, rich caramelly taste- balanced- with a good whiff and aroma of cinnamon. Two different batches of this beer was made.  #1 (5.12%) - #2 (8.12%) Available at Cerveza Zólupez tomorrow (11/3)


Cerveza Zólupez IPA: I haven't had this one yet. It's described a s being brewed with Blue Organic Agave from Mexico, and real lime peel (not concentrated lime flavor.) The lime peel, with the Citra hops, gives this IPA a hop forward fruit taste on the palate, and aroma lift to the nose. 7.63% - Available at Cerveza Zólupez  tomorrow (11/3)


 Epic Quadruple Baptist: The fourth incarnation (technically fifth) does not disappoint. The previous adjuncts of barrel aged coconut, cacao, and coffee is now combined with barrel aged almond creating a silky and smooth incarnation of Big Bad Baptist. The almond addition almost gives the whole chocolate/coffee/whiskey things and almost oat like quality that really sets it apart. If you're a fan of this series this one is a must for you. The version I had an ABV of 11.2%, but some are as high as 12.7% and as low as 10.3%  Available at Epic and soon to better beer pubs.

T.F. Brewing Northern Red Pale Ale: This is reminiscent of an old school pale. It has a medium light malt profile with hops that are citrus like to start then transition to more of a pine/herbal bitterness. Finishes dry. 4.0% - Available at T.F. Brewing.

2 Row Raspberry Sticks: If you're a fan of chocolate raspberry sticks, then you'll love this new holiday beer from 2 Row. This beer mimics the holiday treat quite well. It's got a good balance of raspberry and chocolate; the raspberry is particularly tart and fruity. The chocolate part come courtesy of Millcreek Cacao Roasters, it's adds a nice silky element to the stout. A very nice beer. 8.3% - Available at 2 Row, Bayou and Beerhive 

Proper - Country Mack's Harvest Pale Ale: This just hit my radar this morning. It's described as an old school American Pale Ale made with six different hops; including Meridian, Wolf and Dr. Rudi Hops. It's said to be bitter and dank with notes of vanilla and crackery malts. 4.0% - Available at Proper.

Toasted Barrel Oread Barrel 1: I missed these. A Brett Farmhouse ale aged in Waterpocket Distllery's Oread Botanical Liqueur. Look for notes of orange peel, anise, sage and lemon. 9.2% - Available at Toasted Barrel

Toasted Barrel Oread Barrel 2: Same beer, same barrel with a different balance of beer and barrel. Look for notes of orange peel, anise, sage and lemon. 9.2% - Available at Toasted Barrel.

Toasted Barrel Oread Barrel 3: Same beer, same barrel with a different balance of beer and barrel. Look for notes of orange peel, anise, sage and lemon. 9.2% - Available at Toasted Barrel.

Odell Isolation Ale: Has a nice aroma with caramel, citrus, and spices. The taste is sweet and malty with a slight bitterness. Starts with caramel, citrus, spices, and toasted malt. This is a malt driven beer that has enough bitterness to keep the the overall experience from getting too cloying. 6.0% - Available at Beer Bar, DABC.

Odell Whiskey Barrel Aged Lugene: The original Lugene was mothballed last year. This stout is a nicely round chocolate stout that can be on the sweet side. Lot's of barrel notes including wood and vanilla. It's full of chocolate,and lactose along with some light notes of coffee, and surprising amount of hops on the back end. Almost has a liqueur feel. Available at Beer Bar, DABC.

Saison Dupont: Light notes of clove, pink peppercorns, and a phenolic note cutting in. Nice peppery note at the front of the tongue, hint of bubble gum and sweetness, and a nice crisp finish. Super clean and refreshing. 6.5% - Available at the Bayou.

Speaking of the Bayou; they just got in a bunch of sour Belgian beers from Brouwerij Boon. I haven't had any of these yet, but my mouth is watering just thinking about them. These are in limited supply. get 'em before they're gone.

Boon Frambois
Boon Oude Gueze
Boon Oude Gueze Black Label
Boon Oude Gueze Mariage Parfait
Boon Oude Gueze - VAT 109
Brouwerij Van Steenberge - Tripel Van De Garre

Cheers!

New Beer/Brewery Friday 10/26/18

It seems like it's only been a week since we had a New Beer/Brewery Friday - because it has. Policy Kings' brief 10 day reign as the new guys is already over as the T.F. (Templin Family) Brewing Co. officially debuts today. Congrats to the Templin Family on making their dream a reality!

TF Brewing - Zitrone Wheat Ale: Pours straw yellow with aromas of floral hops and bread. The taste starts with malt and cereal, then it transitions to some subtle floral bitterness. Towards the end you get a some earthy flavor. Smooth and crisp; a nice wheat ale.4.0% Available at T.F. Brewing.

TF Brewing - Granary Kellerbier: Gold in color with orange highlights from the lack of filtering. The nose has creamy cereal-like malt, hints of wheat bread and fresh grassy herbs. The taste starts with floral hops, and whole grains. The flavors evolve into fresh biscuit while herbal-grassy hops build towards the end. The finish is creamy with some caramelized malt and a hint of sodium from the gas. So tasty! 4.0% Available at T.F. Brewing.

TF Brewing - Ethereal Leichte Weisse: hazy gold with a fluffy white head. Aroma mostly of wheat with some banana spice, and citrus as well. The taste starts with a nice balance of  wheat and yeast; with notes of banana, but also some orange and a little clove. This is nice play on the style and having it super fresh made it that much better. 4.0% Available at T.F. Brewing.

TF Brewing - American Avenue Pale Ale: Pours asemi-hazy orange color with a nose of adequate has floral and citrus. The flavor starts with bread and biscuit followed by a balanced citrusy hop character that complements the malt well. The mouthfeel is medium/light bodied, smooth, and well carbonated.
This is a nicely balanced, drinkable, enjoyable beer. The malt character is solid and the hops are intense and complementary. 4.0% Available at T.F. Brewing.

TF Brewing  - My Son Nitro Oat Porter: Dark brown, almost black with chestnut highlights with a beautiful khaki nitro foam cap. Aromas of chocolate, coffee and some toffee. Flavors are chocolate forward, both milk and bittersweet, with a jolt of bitter roasted coffee, crème and roasted grains throughout. A dry, light body keeps the drinkability sky high. The finish is smooth and dry. A solid nitro porter. 4.0% Available at T.F. Brewing.

TF Brewing - Ferda Double IPA: The only "high point" brew to debut at T.F. this week. It has a nice amber color with orage highlights and an aroma packed with floral, citrus, and berry notes. Well-balanced flavors, melding light cereal grains and strong yet restrained hop bitterness; low-key alcohol presence. Smooth, warm and toasty mouthfeel; fair amount of residual sugars yet not cloying.
A well-rounded DIPA bringing on lots of balanced flavors in the finish. 8.2% Available at T.F. Brewing.

Also today: Epic Brewing Company is having a party to re-launch their former "tapless taproom" and debut a new look for their core Utah brands. The brewery's pub was once only able to sit a mere six people which made it near impossible to get in on a busy day. Seating now has more than quadrupled and a line of taps should be in shortly.

2nd Tracks Sports will be set up outside today, offering ski tunings and a gear sale to get you ready for the ski season. Social Axe Throwing will also be set up on site to axe the old labels. Guests will have a chance to win prizes by throwing axes at the old bottle labels. The party starts at 6pm at the SLC brewery. Hope to see you there!

Cheers!

Your SLC Beer Event Calendar 10/24/18

I've compiled a list of things that are happening around Salt Lake City that will be happening over the next couple of months. Contacts the individual event organizers for more details.


Epic Taproom Grand Re-Opening: Oct 26th - Epic will be celebrating a few new changes on Friday October 26th by offering a selection of samples from the newly rebranded Utah series in the expanded and remodeled taproom with pairings of their famous paninis. 2nd Tracks Sports will be set up outside offering ski tunings and a gear sale to get you ready for the freshies. Social Axe Throwing will also be set up on site to axe the old labels. Guests will have a chance to win prizes by throwing axes at the old bottle labels. Both the retail, beer-to-go, and the taproom will be open seven days a week.

Craftoberfest: Oct 27th - The South Salt Lake Arts Council is celebrating the fact that soon they will have seven local breweries and distilleries in SSL offering craft beer and spirits! They will all be showcasing their products at Craftoberfest, along with craft sodas from Quench It! We will also be unveiling our Barrel and Keg art project by local artists! Live music by the Nate Robinson Trio & Thornton Jenkins, a trio of musicians from Mokie! Food trucks too! No tickets required. 193 w. 2100 s.

Beer Bourbon and BBQ: The Gateway Saturday, Oct 27th 4-10pm. Sample scary good bourbon, beer and BBQ while listening to the best U92 DJs. Costume contests, games and good times.
This event is free to attend, food from the likes of T's Bar & Grill, Bandera Brisket Texas Barbecue, Smokey Roberson's or Miss Essie's Southern BBQ. Bourbon from Outlaw Distillery Waterpocket Distillery, Ogden's Own Distillery Trendsetters, Dented Brick Distillery and brews from Shades of Pale Beer, Proper Brewing Co, Mountain West Hard Cider and Red Rock Brewing -- just to name a few. All samples are available to purchase on an individual basis.

Green Urban Lunchbox Hard Cider Release: Nov 17th - Join Mountain West Hard Cider and The Green Urban Lunch Box for their special release of GULB Hard Cider! This hyper-local, bottle-conditioned hard cider not only tastes good, but makes you feel good too! And we're not just talking about the 6.9% ABV either ... This hard cider was made from apples picked right from your neighbors yards! Pressed fresh at the cidery -- this is one cider that gives back to an incredible non-profit, providing fruit and vegetable shares, classes on urban farming, and other awesome community outreach endeavors. And guess what? For every bottle sold, Mountain West Hard Cider donates $5 back to The Green Urban Lunch Box. So good on YOU!

Slug Mag's Brewstillery: Nov 17th - SLUG Mag's Brewstillery, A Local Beer and Spirits Festival, celebrates Utah's breweries and distilleries by offering tastings of local beer and spirits. Featuring local food trucks, local artisans and crafters, a Gaming Area sponsored by Social Axe Throwing and local music—this 21+ only event has something for everyone to enjoy. SLUG Mag's Brewstillery, is now a bi-annual event happening each Spring and Fall. At the Union Event Center. Visit SLUGMag.com for more information about Brewstillery.

Utah Brewfest: Dec 1st - This seems to be part beer festival and part convention.Come to Utah Brew Fest if you: Love drinking unique craft beers - Are a current or aspiring brewer - Are interested in distilling spirituous liquors - Want to learn about bringing your creations to market - Enjoy having a good time and meeting cool people! Happening at Impact Hub in SLC. More info to to come.

Prost!   

New Beer/Brewery Friday 10/19/18

I loves me some New Beer/Brewery Friday. This edition features new beers from Cedar City's new Policy Kings Brewing Co. It's another good week for beer in Utah.

Speaking of new breweries; I've updated the Utah Brewery Map above, cleaned it up and added some logos on the pins to make it easier on the eye. You may see some interesting additions. Any feedback is welcome.

Policy Kings IPA: I've not tried this. Look for a west coast style IPA. 8.5% Available at Policy Kings

Policy Kings NE IPA: I've not tried this. Look for a North East Style IPA. It's described by some as having a little more bitterness than is typical for style 6.5%. Available at Policy Kings

Policy Kings Wheat Ale: I've not tried this. Look for a bready and toasty ale with little yeast esters. 6.5%. Available at Policy Kings

Fisher Whups Pale Ale: This "wet hop" pale ale was made with fresh Idaho 7 hops and boy does it taste fresh. It's simple clean and citrusy with medium bitterness. Made me wet.... er.... a fan, a wet hop fan I mean. 4.0%. Available at Fisher

Fisher Democracy Pale Ale: . medium malt sweetness with a salad of citrus, floral and piney hops. Another crushable pale ale. 4.0%. Available at Fisher

Fisher RYEot: Quite light in color. Another tasty pale ale, though the rye component is a little subdued. I'd love to taste more of the spic rye  4.0%. Available at Fisher.

New Belgium Oakspire: This beer is fairly malt forward with a good amount of oak and toasty flavors. The wood adds a slight vanilla quality. The ABV is very well hidden, be careful of this one. 9.0%. Found at Beer Bar, Dick n Dixies.

New Belgium Sour Saison: A medium amount of sourness here. I don't get a lot of saison here, but you can tell it's definitely a Belgian style base beer. Tasty. 7.0%. Found at Beer Bar, Beerhive.

New Belgium Honey Orange Tripel: Tastes of Orange peel, candied sugar, white bread, peach and vanilla. Definitely on the sweeter side of the style, but it's pleasing nonetheless. The honey is most prevelent in the finish. with some spicy notes from the yeast. 10.0%. Found at Beer Bar, Beerhive.

Cheers!