Another New Beer Friday the 13th

There's nothing unlucky about this Friday the 13th. We've got great a great selection of local and regional brews on this New Beer Friday the 13th; sounds pretty damn lucky to me!

Kiitos Kiitoria: Lime zest upfront, slightly tart with some mild acidity. Cracker in the middle with a hint of hay and grass.  Finishes crisp and clean with a light but tangible salt presence. Nice summer quencher. This beer is the first of many from Kiitos that will have a percentage of the proceeds go to a different charity with every batch. 4.0%. Available at Kiitos.

Shades Kveik #3: Tart flavors of juicy tropical fruits, citrus and berry start you off. Then a light amount of lactose sweetness kicks in, followed by light flavors of vanilla. The addition of lactose takes the tartness and gives it a very nice sherbet/gelato feel. Delicious! 6.3%. Available at Shades.    

Talisman Raspberry Gose: Very strong raspberry flavor, lightly sweet wheat/malt flavors, and a tart berry and lemon finish. This is a great fruited gose. 4.0%. Available at Talisman

Epic Drama Juice NEIPA: This dank and fruity mix of Comet and Simcoe hops produced a super citrusy and juicy IPA that has a decent dose of bitterness that comes through as orange/grapefruit pith. Very Nice! 6.2%. Very limited - only available in special growlers at Epic.

Wasatch Lemon Coffee Cream Ale: An odd combo of flavors here. It's not unusual to serve espresso with lemon peel of zest and I think that's the inspiration here. The result is a crazy salad of fruit and smoked/grilled veggies. It’s not my thing, but I appreciate the creativity. 4.0%. Available at Wasatch Park City and the West Side Tavern.

Lagunitas Cherry Jane: The aroma is a pleasant blast of sweet cherries with mild funky Brett. The taste is cherry forward, sweet and spicy pie cherries dominate for the most part. The funky Brettanomyces adds a bit of sourness to take some of the edge off of the cherry sweetness. Finishes tart and semi-sweet. This is a great beer and a nice entry beer for those looking to get into American wild ales. 5.5%. I found it at Beer Bar, Beerhive.

Ska Brewing Rue B. Soho: Subtle grapefruit on the nose. The palate is light and subtle with toasted grains and tangy grapefruit. The grapefruit doesn't linger long, and neither does the ever-so-slight bitterness of the hops. It's like an IPL with grapefruit. 5.1%. Available at DABC.

Cheers and have an excellent weekend!

New Beer Friday 7/6/18

Whoa! It's damn smokey out there today; not to mention that it's going to get in the triple digits as well. You're definitely going to need something to lift your spirits from all of this bad air. Everything that I came across this week is more on the quenchable side of the beer spectrum, I hope you find these helpful.

Saltfire Saison De Trahison: The aroma contains clove, wheat malts and some citrus. The taste starts out bready with flavors of clove and a hearty malt character. Some caramel, and ginger root comes next with just a hint of lemony citrus coming through in the end. The hops presence is mild but complementary and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet and slightly bready. 6.3%. Available at Saltfire, Bayou and Dick n Dixie's.

Saltfire Charlotte Sometimes:  The nose is fruity and grainy, with some citrus peel, honey and earthy bread. The flavor opens mildly sweet with a peachy, fruity yeast note. There's citrus, a little bright, with honey, candied orange peel and a little grapefruit. 5.2% Available at Saltfire, Bayou and Dick n Dixie's.

Wasatch/Lauter Day Brewers - Raspberry Saison: Fresh raspberry in the nose. There is hint of spicy yeast as well. The taste is more fresh raspberry with a hint of the saison's yeast. It's not entirely noticeable, but it does add balance to the berry and helps round it out. finishes medium dry. 4.0%. Available at Wasatch Park City and at the UBC's West Side Tavern.


Odell Sunny Rain: The aroma is grassy and citrusy with a touch of acidity. The flavors start off with sweet malts, vague citrus and a touch of pineapple. A light dose of  tartness and moderate bitterness come next. The tartness is minimal, which gives the the juxtaposing citrus and fruit something to work with.  Very tasty! 6.0%. Found at Beer Bar.

Rogue 10 Hop IIPA: Missed out on this one. 10.1%. Available at DABC.

What did I miss? Please share.

Cheers!

New Utah Law Will Affect Your Beer Enjoyment

You will probably notice a change the the next time you hit your favorite brewpub. Thanks to the infinite wisdom from our religious overlords; all local eating establishments that fell into that gray area between bar and restaurant were forced to make a choice to be one or the other. Some places that did not require you to buy food with your pint will require you to do so - others may have gone the opposite way and have gone full 21 and over bar.

I learned a long time ago that no matter what advance may come our way in regards to legalizing adulthood our favorite prairie religion run legislature will most certainly bitch slap you back to the temperance movement with stupid shit such as this.

Please don't let these new designation dissuade you from enjoying these fine craft beer establishments; if they do, then they've already won.

Here is a list of your modified craft beer adulting options.  Restaurant = Food Required/Kids Allowed - Bar = No Food Requirement/No Kids Allowed:

2 Row Brewing Co. -  No change
A. Fisher Brewing Co. - Bar
Bohemian Brewery -  Restaurant
Bonneville Brewing Co. -  Restaurant
Desert Edge Brewpub - Restaurant
Epic Brewing at Dolce Sicilia - Restaurant
Epic Brewing Co.  - Bar
Grogg's (Pinnacle Brewing Co.) - No Change
Hoppers Brewpub - Restaurant
Kiitos Brewing Company - Bar
Moab Brewery - Restaurant
Mountain West Cider - No Change
Park City Brewery - Bar
Proper Brewing Co. - Bar
RedRock Brewing - Restaurant
RoHa Brewing Project - Bar
Roosters Brewing (Layton) - Restaurant
Roosters Brewing (Ogden) - Restaurant
Salt Flats Brewing Co.(AKA the Garage Grill) - Restaurant
Saltfire Brewing Co. - Bar
Shade Brewing Co. - Bar
Squatters Brewpub - Restaurant
Strap Tank Brewing Co. - Restaurant
Talisman Brewing Co. - Bar
The Avenues Proper Restaurant & Publick House - Restaurant w/separate bar
The Hop 'n Keg Brewery - Restaurant
Toasted Barrel Brewery - Bar
Uinta Brewery - Bar
Utah Brewers Co-op - Bar
Vernal Brewing Co. - Restaurant
Wasatch Brewpub - Restaurant
Zion Canyon Brewery - Restaurant

High West Distillery - Bar 

Let me know if there are any mistakes.

Dogfish Head Coming to Utah

The title says it all; the East Coast's kings of weird beer are sending their suds to the beehive state in the coming weeks. A little birdie from the east coast gave me a heads up the other day and I was able to confirm it with a local bar owner so it looks like it's about to be a done deal.

If you're not familiar with Dogfish Head Brewing: Founder Sam Calagione started Dogfish Head over 20 years ago in Milton, DE. He created a brewing culture that offers a wide selection of off-centered ale that have often skewed the boundaries of what beer could be. Some of their best known beers include  Dogfish Head 120 minute IPA, Palo Santo Marron, Burton Baton and Bitches Brew. I'm not sure what beers will hit the SLC market first, but I'd put a solid bet on Dogfish Head 90 Minute leading the charge.

As soon as I get better info, I'll pass it along. I'm sure this will make many East Coast transplants very happy.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 6/29/18

New Beer Friday really does care. Do You? This week we have an eclectic range of suds along with a local favorite that will be making it's final appearance.

Shade's Kviek #1: The aroma is very hoppy with citrus overtones noticeable lemon tartness. The taste is lightly piney and hoppy with hints of citrus and berry. All IPA upfront, tart in the middle with a lemony ice tea finish. 6.5%. Available Saturday at Shades Brewing.

2 Row Blood Orange Sour: Not tried this one yet. The only place I know of that has this is the Bayou; don't even have the ABV on this one. I hope to have more info for you this afternoon on New Beer Friday with Mick and Allen on KBER 101 at 3:30pm.

Epic Utah Session Series - Passion Fruit: Brilliantly clear appearance. Passion fruit and a little sulfur in the nose. The taste is mostly passion fruit with some Belgian-ish yeast spices. Hint of surfer in the finish that fades after a while. 4.0% ABV. Available at Beerhive, soon everywhere there's an Epic seasonal handle.   

Proper/Sawtooth Puddleduck: This draft collaboration was brewed with Sawtooth Brewery from Hailey, ID. This is a light colored, wheat-based ale using a ton of fruit-forward hops and a special yeast favored for its use in hazy IPAs. The result is full bodied and juicy with notes of mango, melon, lychee and strawberry. Available only at the Main Street brewery.

Anchor's Nelson Pale Ale: The aroma is grassy and funky, with orange, melon and blueberry. The flavor starts with citrus peel, pine and melon . Some vanilla and a vague berry round out the back end. Overall this is a very nice and complex pale ale. 5.3%. Available at DABC.

Odell Onolicious: This has a tart lemony base with a good dose of passion fruit, mango and guava. The flavors get a little muddled but you get the idea that this is a tart fruity salad in a glass.6.5%. Found at Beer Bar. 

Odell Friek: This has a dusty dry raspberry aroma with a hint of cherry. The taste has raspberry and tart cherry; it's more tart than sweet. Some nice citrus notes round it out with a noticeable amount of oak, and a lingering funk. A nice barrel-aged fruited sour. 6.5%. Found at Beer Bar.

Mother Earth Call Me Ginger: The aroma is mostly big candied ginger. The taste is much more subtle with semi-sweet malts and light dose of ginger root. Next comes a nice balancing dose of lemon peel that serves mostly to keep the root in check. I liked it more than I thought I would. 4.8%. Found at Beer Bar.

Full Sail's Citrus Maxima: Missed out on this one. 5.7%. Available at DABC.

Upslope's Rocky Mountain Kölsch: Missed out on this one. 5.1%. Available at DABC.

Crazy Mountain's Lava Lake Wit: Brand new to our marketThe nose has crackers with floral, spicy and citrus hops. Tastes of earthy floral hops, pale malt and a hint of spice. A nice Witbier. 5.2%.  Available at DABC.

Crazy Mountain's Hookiebobb IPA: The aroma is floral and citrus with some candied fruit and pineapple. The taste is citrus and pine with a lingering, pithy bitterness. A bit chewy with a touch of crackery sweetness. A nice IPA. 6.7%. Available at DABC

Stone Enjoy by 7/4/18: Lotsa peach and tropical flavors going on here. The hops are big and assertive with a descent dose of malt backing it up. It's got an ABV of 9.4%, so don't drink this one on an empty stomach. As usual we're getting this one late, so drink 'em up by Independence Day.  Should start popping up in bars and stores later today.

Returning Favorites

Elder Brett: It looks like our favorite Elder is coming home from his mission for the very last time. This is the last batch of Epic's original barrel aged sour and it will only be avaiable in SLC starting today. Elder Brett's aroma is rich with the musty, barnyard-like character that “Brett” is famous for as well as some remnants notes of white wine. The flavor also has wonderful amounts of fruity notes both from the yeast and hints of peach, all rounded out with a pleasant and refreshing acidity and incredible drinkability for an 9.5% beer. We will miss you.

Litha Imperial Saison: The nose is earthy with some funky peppery saison yeast countered by zesty rye spices, bread, alcohol and light tropical fruit. The taste starts with a bit of pepper, clove and and coriander followed by estery fruits. Brady malts come next witha touch of alcohol. The end has a nice balance berries and tropical hops. Finishes semi-dry. 8.0%. Available Proper Brewing.

Cheers!

Policy Kings Brewery Needs Your Help

To (the best of) my knowledge Cedar City, Utah has never had a brewery. I'm sure at some point in the state's distant pass a small brewery may have existed in the small Mormon founded mining community, but I can't find any trace of one. The nearest breweries I were able to located existed in nearby Beaver, Utah: The George Buchner Brewery,  A. A. Fischer Brewery and the Jas. Valentine Brewery. managed to stay afloat at different stages from 1874 - 1884.

Some Cedar City residents are looking to rectify this omission in the history books by finally bringing craft beer to the thirsty beer lovers of Southern Utah. The Policy Kings Brewery (named for the infamous Chicago gambling racketeers) is looking to build their new brewery/brewpub near Southern Utah University and could use an infusion of cash.

A Barnraiser campaign has been set up to help Policy Kings gain momentum. With your support, all funds will contribute to finishing construction to the building and equipment. This will also get the doors open faster. The funding effort will only be successful if they can reach $5,000 by 7/5/18. This isn't the final goal, but it's the minimum needed to keep the project alive.

If you have a few spare quatloos left in your beer fund consider throwing some their way. We all benefit from a broader craft beer community, right? Here's a link to their Barnraiser page along with their Facebook. Best of Luck, Policy Kings!

Cheers!

Epic's Special Pie and Beer Day Sour

To help celebrate Utah's beloved Pie and Beer Day, Epic Brewing Co. is releasing a special edition of their Oak And Orchard sour ale for the big day.

This unique version of Oak and Orchard will feature blueberry and boysenberry and should be available just in time for the July 24th celebration. It will of course be available at Epic's SLC brewery and should also be on hand at Beer Bar's Pie and Beer Day party as well.

Keep checking back for a complete list of all Pie and Beer Day events as the day gets closer.

Cheers!

Image found at Shipcompliant.com