New Beer Friday 7/3/20

Welcome to July. I know that we had all hoped that most craft beer establishments would have been opened by now, I guess we'll just have to slap a big asterisk on this year and be grateful for what we get. Some of the things we did get this week was a new Utah style "lambic", some beers that will raise a little coin for charity and some new to our market beers. I'll take that any day.

Don't forget to stock up today. Many places will be closed tomorrow.

Toasted Barrel - To Be Home: Fermented with cultures taken from our own Utah air. The nose is oaky and dusty with some funk and vinegar. Some toast, vegital notes and barnyard funk start us off. Hints of apple and honey come next. There's some cotton candy floating around in there as well. The finish is mostly white wine vinegar with husky wheat notes and it finishes fairly dry. 7.0% - Very limited and only at Toasted Barrel.

Red Rock - All Together: This is part of an world wide open-ended beer collaboration that was put together by Other Half Brewing. 100% of the net proceeds go to the Tip Your Server Program.You'll rememebr TF Brewing also made this beer. Anyway this beer is really aggressively hopped and is full of citrus and tropical flavors, malts are honey-like and the whole package is very well balanced. AT 6.5%, I could kill 1000 ml. no problem (and probably will). Don't wait too long to pick this one up - there's no limit on what the RR beer store can sell.

Saltfire - Black is Beautiful:  The Black is Beautiful Initiative is a collaborative effort amongst the brewing community and its patrons in an attempt to bring awareness to the injustices that people of color face on a daily basis. This beer is an oatmeal stout - you can tell by the silky pour. The aroma is char with some metallic copper . Taste-wise this is very coffee driven even though there's no coffee. It's quite smooth with caramel and cocoa finishing it out.  Proceeds from Saltfire's version of this collaboration beer will go to support the Black Lives Matter Utah Chapter and the Utah ACLU. Only available at Saltfire.

Talisman - Hot Girl Summer: This a honey wheat beer made with lavender. 5.0% - Limited - only at Talisman.

Talisman - Just For Brandi: Apparently Brandi wanted a blueberry sour ale. It looks like she got one. 5.0% Limited - only at Talisman.

Strap Tank - Orange Hopsicle: Aggressively hopped with whirlpooled Mandrina Bavaria and post dry-hopped with the same - with a ton of sweet orange peel. This is a goddamn Creamsicle. 5.0% - Only at Strap Tank (Lehi). 

Strap Tank - Sweet A$$: This hazy pale ale is hopped only with Nelson Sauvin hops. There's a shload of white grape, gooseberry and Tropical notes. Extremely juicy. 5.0% only at Strap Tank (Springville). 

Bonneville - Sun Twist: This version of Sun Twist is slightly different than previous year's. Look for a slight kettle soured tartness with fresh lemon and ginger. Perfect for a warm day. 5.0% - only at Bonneville.

Bewilder - Mango Blonde: This one debuts today. Given the name I think you know what to expect. 5.0% - at Bewilder

Bewilder - El Guapo: This is a Vienna lager made with whiskey barrel aged coffee. The coffee isn't in your face and you can still detect the base beer. The whiskey element is subtle and is more pronounced as it warms. 5.0% - at Bewilder.

Fisher - Cedar Mesa: A citrus and pine driven pale ale made with Strata and Sabro hops. Medium bitterness. 5.0% - only crowlers to go from Fisher.

Fisher -  Moon Boots: This one is more tropical and fruity. Bitterness is low with a silky body. 5.0% - only crowlers to go from Fisher.

Policy Kings - Pass Da Haze: Dry-hopped with Warrior and Mandrina Bavaria hops. Look for a citrus and tropical flavors, including pineapple and mango. Low bitterness. 5.0% - only at Policy Kings.

Epic - Hard Coconut Water: I don't think anyone has tried this yet. It's coconut with a kick and is strangely refreshing. The current version is 5.5%. in the coming weeks you'll also see a 5.0% version as well in grocery stores. For now it's only at Epic starting today.

Godspeed Otsukaresama: Some lightly toasted and sweet malts blend with herbal notes from the hops. There's a hint of citrus as well with some barely noticeable apple peel. Finishes semi-dry. A very nice Dortmunder. 4.8% - Only at the Bayou (to go sales only).

The Bruery - Wit the Funk: Missed this one. It's brewed with orange peel and coriander and fermented with wit yeast, brettanomyces, and Terreux's house mixed culture. Aged in oak foeders until final maturation, the result is a complex beer that's tart, funky, oaky, citrusy, and super drinkable. 5.4% - Available at Slackwater (Sandy)

Offshoot - Pils: These guys are new to the market and hail from Placentia, CA. This new Pils is different than most you've tried as it's dry-hopped with Citra, Nelson, Simcoe and Sterling.  The result is A a more citrus and berry forward lager That has a much more Neo-American feel. 5.7% - Available at Slackwater (Sandy)

Offshoot - Retreat: This hazy double IPA is hopped heavily with fruit-forward Mosaic, Cashmere and El Dorado. Laced with delicate and aromatic tropical notes along with a bright berry medley and a crisp mouthfeel. 8.6% - Available at Slackwater (Sandy)

Kawaba - Snow Weizen: Another new brewery to the market comes all the way from Gunma, Japan. This comes off as across between a witbier and weizenbock. The nose is sweet with honey and biscuit. The flavor is dominated by more wheat and honey flavors. Not too estery. 5.2% - Available at Slackwater (Sandy)

Kawaba - Twilight Ale: Kawaba calles this a “JPA” (Japanese Pale Ale). Bitter but light hop aroma and soft bitterness compared to regular Pales or IPAs. A nice balance of hop bitterness, malt and umami. 5.2% - Available at Slackwater (Sandy)

Prairie Artisan Ales - Rainbow Sherbet: Missed this one. Look for tart flavors of raspberry, pineapple and orange. 5.2% - Available at Slackwater (Sandy)

Prairie Artisan Ales - Vape Tricks: Tart, lactic nose, followed by cherry candies.

Not overly sour in the mouth; tart, cherry and green apple levels of tart. Lighter end of medium bodied beer, mild carbonation but not overly bubbly, dry. 5.9% - Available at Slackwater (Sandy).

The following are available From Hopkins Brewing. click on the image to enlarge.

Cheers and have a safe holiday!

New Beer Friday 6/26/20

No IPAs? That rare for New Beer Friday and frankly it's quite refreshing to see such a well rounded list of none hop bombs. Enjoy this week's beers.

Saltfire Mobius Trip 'Utah Peaches': Very golden in color. The peach really comes through in the nose, smells very fresh, oaky and funky. They must have used a lot of peaches because the stone fruit keeps-on-keep'n-on right into the taste. The peach is complimented by some ghostly wine character that seems tanic but it's probably just in my head. The sourness is medium to light and the Jamaican rum barrel boozines is head swirling.  I dig this one. 8.0%. There seems to be plenty at the brewery but don't wait too long. 

TF Brewing - Rye Lager: The rye bursts through with such a great malt profile. There’s a smoothness to this beer that is met with the rye spiciness, and a clean finish. It could go wrong in so many ways but doesn’t. (if it was more chewy I don’t think i'd enjoy it as much). Great mouthfeel, the rye dominates and shines. 5.0% - Available at TF.

Fisher - Turn the Phaze: This pale ale is hazy, hoppy, fruity and juicy. Featuring notes of mango, pineapple and strawberry.  5.0% - Only at Fisher.

Fisher - Holy - Coyote: This is a juniper berry infused pale ale, brewed with golden oats, Cascade Centennial and Amarillo. 5.0% - Only at Fisher.

Proper - Blackberry Sour Ranger: The name says it all. The tartness has a medium intensity that boarders on full. The blackberry is fruity enough to punch through and is pleasant. I like the Sour Rangers series, this is a nice addition. 5.0% - at Proper.

Toasted Barrel - Scottish Red Ale: A malt forward ale with toffee and caramel - hints of peppery yeast as well. Hops are subtle with a citrusy profile. 5.0% - Available at Toasted Barrel.

2 Row - Honey Habenero: The aroma is minimal with chilies, honey, yeast and pale malt. The taste starts with semisweet pale malt and a good dose of honey. The habenero is spicy, but not uncomfortable. The finish is firmly bitter and dry.If you like chili beers this is an excellent option.

Shades - Tamarind Ale: This is highly fruity with white grape, lime, lemon, crab-apple and gooseberry. Tangy, tart and approaching a full out sour taste, the ale stops shy and allows the creaminess of wheat to balance and support the fruit. The spice of tamarind applies an earthy, herbal and citrusy tartness. Very nice! 6.5% - Available at Shades.   

Stone - Peak Conditions: Yeah, I said there were no new IPAs this week, then this popped up after I already wrote the introduction. So sue me! This beer is heavy with pink grapefruit - tastes really fresh. It's listed at 8.1% but you'd never know it. The flavors round out with passion fruit, orange and guava. I could drink this all day. Found at Beerhive.

The Bruery - Bakery Oatmeal Cookie: They really did a great job with the accuracy of the cookie taste. The malt taste is more like the light flavor of oatmeal and raisins than the typical dark malt expected. Dark toasted malt, raisins, cinnamon, sweetened oatmeal. Lingering cookie finish that really does taste like an oatmeal cookie. 10.2% Found at Slackwater (Ogden)

The Bruery - Gose are Red: This is a classic gose. A hint of salt on the tongue, followed by grainy wheat, grapes, lemon juice and acidic tartness that is short of sour. 5.6% found at Slackwater (Ogden)

Boulevard - Smooth Fuzz: Missed this one. It's described as a melange of Belgian-style ales, aged in oak barrels and foeders for up to 36 months. Tart and funky, Smooth Fuzz rested on whole apricots prior to infuse juicy stone fruit flavors which mingle with the mixed fermentation character provided by our house lactobacillus and brettanomyces cultures. 8.0% Found at Slackwater (Sandy)

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 6/19/20

Tomorrow is the Summer Solstice - you'd never know it by the temperatures outside. I'm not complaining, this is damn near perfect weather for me. It's also excellent beer drinking weather too; warm enough for the light summer beer with enough evening chill to bring on the heavier beer cravings. Take a look at the list this week and you'll see it fits in perfectly to what I was just talking about.

Fisher - Bock: This beer was resurrected from Fisher's early 20th Century glory days. It's not an exact clone, but I trust Colby's brewing prowess to dial it in. It even comes in a retro looking Bock crowler.  5.0% - Available at Fisher.

Fisher - Plumango Sour: Very tart up front some nice mango notes. The plum gets a little lost in the base beer but it's overall a nice flavor combo that light and refreshing. Look for a malt sweet beer with with lighter alcohol than the typical bock. 5.0% In crowlers to go at Fisher.

Fisher - Staring into the Rye: There's a good dose of rye on top of a solid caramel base. Hops are herbal, sharp and balancing. Nice beer.  5.0% In crowlers to go at Fisher.

Toasted Barrel - Double Juicy IPA: Missed this one. Brewed with four different hop varietals, creating a low bitterness NEIPA.  8.5% - At Toasted Barrel today.

Shades -  PB&J: I was expecting a peanut butter bomb al la Belching Beaver, but the nut addition is pretty subtle. With a tart base beer - plus the addition of strawberry, think too much peanut butter would have made it a muddled mess. It's pretty drinkable considering what it is. 6.5% - Only a Shades.

Heber Valley - Mint n' Chocolate Stout: If you going to make a chocolate stout in the summer you'd better find a way to make it somewhat refreshing. The addition of mint may be the key. This is out now and only at the brewery in Heber. 5.0%

UTOG - Dry Bavarian Hefeweizen: They dialed down the sweetness a bit for this normally sweet wheatbier. It's time you experimented with the drier side of Hefes. 5.0% - only at UTOG.

Talisman - Adventures in IPA #6: This Juicy IPA was brewed with Citra, Amarillo and El Dorado hops. This will go fast! 5.0% - Available at Talisman. 

Lone Pine - Oh-J: This double IPA has an opaque medium orange gold color with bright citrus aromas of orange and grapefruit. Vibrant orange and light citrus in the taste with spicy citrus rind. In the finish there's a nice lingering citrus twang. 8.1% Found at Slackwater.

Returning Favorites

Red Rock - Paardebloem: It's been about a year and a half since the last batch hit. This batch may be tough to obtain for home consumption, but I've been assured that there will be plenty going to the main brewpub and RR's restaurants to take care of the dine-in crowd. This year you can expect honey sweetness with peach, apricot and pear notes. There's a hint of funk and tartness lurking beneath the fruitiness. There's a good dose of bitterness from the greens as well. A sit warms the vinious aspe t from the barrel pop out. Finishes slightly warm and boozy. 9.2% Goes on sale Friday (today) in the restaurants, Saturday at the production brewery.

Proper - Recommend Rye: Continuing with their greatest hits, Proper is re-introducing another of it's OG beers. This week we return to Recommend Rye. This is a saison at it base with rye spiciness that compliments the esters the Belgian yeast creates. This is slightly tweaked from the last time you had it so it's time to schlep your ass over there and try out the new batch. 5.7% Only at Proper.

Epic/Commons - Common Interests:  You thought this collaboration beer between Epic and the now defunct Commons Brewing was all gone. Oh how wrong you were. There's a limited amount of crowlers available in SLC for this special foedered melon sour.  This has a light-straw color with just a hint of green in the highlights. Sweet honeydew rind, clean earth and oak hit the nose. The first sip is bright with citrus-tartness, lime and pith, that fades quickly to a cooling ripe-melon-sweetness with hints of cereal grain, tilled earth and root cellar. The effervescence lifts quickly off the palate taking the acidity but leaving hints of honeydew and the harvest season. 

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 6/12/20

Breweries are slowly opening their doors; allowing people inside. Get out and enjoy what they have to offer, but keep in mind there are still restrictions in place and expect the unexpected when venturing out. Now on to New Beer Friday!

Epic - Big Bad Baptist Reserve 2020: This beastly blend is aged in first use Templeton Rye barrels, Willett Rye and Willett Whiskey barrels. Hints of coconut combined with sweet cocoa and coffee start you off. From there it's all about the rye whiskey. It's not super overpowering, but it's assertive enough to for me to identify the type of whiskey used. It's hides it's 13.2% ABV very well, so be aware of that. At Epic now.

Bewilder - Kolsch: The nose is mostly herbal with some cracker-like aromas. There's a good amount of toasty grains with some citrus herbal grass. The finish is clean and mostly dry. 5.0% - Available today at Bewilder

Talisman - Berry Salty: This has a hazy straw color with a minimal off-white head that disappears quickly. Aroma is fruity. Tastes of vague berries with some sodium. Finishes with a tart bitterness. 5.0% - Available at Talisman.

Talisman Summa Sippin': Missed this one. It's a fruited sour as well. 4.9% - Available at Talisman.

Shades - India Masala: There's definitely an abundant amount of spices in the nose: cinnamon and evidently curry coalesce into a hearty, extremely potent nose bomb. The tart base is medium in strength with some lightly sweet curry. I find myself enjoying it as a unique experiment in unapologetic spice overdose. I appreciate that Shades is flexing it's creative muscles. Available at Shades. Not vegan friendly.

Toasted Barrel - Mango Milkshake IPA: There's a good dose of peach flavors from the malt. The mango is subtle, as is the lactose addition. The hops are all late additions, so the bitterness is low as well. A nice representation of the style. This 8.0% beer hides its alcohol as well, so I'll say again, watch your drinking speed. Not vegan friendly.

Mountain West Cider - Sweet Alice: Missed this. This is a Peach cider with turmeric. On sale now at Mountain West Cider.

Destihl - Piña Coladas Gose: Missed this one. Look for pineapple and coconut for a tropical twist on this classic sour ale. 5.7% - Found at DABC. Not vegan friendly.

Returning Favorites

Proper - Instigator: Proper has been resurrecting some of their OG beers and their adding some tweeks, so If you think you know these beers, think again. Instigator is a Helles Bock (Maibock), full of malty and nutty qualities. It's sweet but has enough hop bitterness to keep it from becoming too much so. Medium-full bodied. Very smooth. 6.0% (formerly 5.5%). Available at Proper 

Roosters - Rooster Tail: This newest incarnation is hopped with Idaho Gem and Motueka. Defiantly worth checking out. On sale now at All Roosters locations.

What did I miss? Please share what you've found.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 6/5/20

No matter where you fall in this long overdue societal upheaval; at least here, in this small corner of the interwebs, I think that we can all agree that craft beer is the unifying factor. And if we can all find common ground here, we can find it anywhere. So let's all unify around all of the liquid happiness we have swirling around us this week.

Shades - Pleasantly Pickled: The dill is of course most prominent. The pineapple is fairly subdued, with the chilies taking the rest of the load. This is quite different than many of the other kveiks that you've had from Shades and it's due to the low lactose levels and the intensity of the herbs and spices used. It's good on its own or as a cocktail mixer. Think: cheleda, bloody mary, margarita or as a pickle back. 6.5% - Only at Shades.

Cerveza Zólupez - Lager Mexicano: Before the pandemic Zólupez owner, Javier Chavez Jr. traveled to the city of Monterrey in Northern Mexico to make a collaborative beer with one of that regions premier brewers, Cerveceria Cabrito. Using Chavez's lager recipe they produced a classic Mexican lager. Ironically these lager have their roots in traditional German beers. This lager has a subtle malt profile with Saaz hops providing a slight zest. at 5.0% it's pleasantly dry and very crushable. This beer is just hitting the Ogden area and will so be in wide release.

Toasted Barrel - Pineapple Smoothie: Missed this one. However I understand this to be a barrel aged sour with the characteristics of of a kettle soured smoothie style ale. I'm very curious. Only at Toasted Barrel.

Bewilder - Mexican Lager: Sweet and grainy malts add a soft bread-like maltiness with a touch of toast. The hops are Nobel-like and add some nice grassiness and spice. Very drinkable on a warm June afternoon. 5.0% - Only at Bewilder.

Level Crossing - Berry Hazy: This is an American style pale, with a good amount of citrus qualities from the hops. The berry medley used adds a complimentary fruitiness that works extremely well with the base beer and it never falters until the end of the swig. 5.0% - Only at Level Crossing.

Four Peaks - Gilt Lifter: I don't know if this is the right style of beer (Scottish Ale) to take you into the low cal/carb game. There are some nice sugary notes but, you really want those big toffee flavors in styles like this. This more of a pool or recreating beer. 3.4% - Found at Harmons.

Great Divide Car Camper: Nice grapefruit notes, good aromatics with hint of dank bitterness detected. Dry hopped grapefruit is upfront and forward with some piney elements as well. The malt profile is light which makes the beer finish failed dry. Pretty good, you could kill a few of these no problem. 5.0% - Found at Harmons.

Deschutes - Lil' Squeezy: Citrusy hops with bread hops that creep into cracker territory. The taste starts somewhat herbal with some caramel and tropical fruits. Hints of citrus and melon with a long dry finish. 5.0% - found at Harmons.

New Belgium - VooDoo Ranger American Haze: Some star citrus fruitiness in the nose with some cereal like grains. The flavor follows with low bitterness. 5.0% - Found at Harmons.

Firestone Walker - Fly Jack: Herbal nose with some grapefruit. Upon first sip there's  lot of grapefruit, with some earthy hops as well. The flavor has more citrus hops with some lemongrass as well. Notes of pineapple linger towards the end. finishes with some orange pith. Another entry into the low-cal beer game.

Returning Favorites:

TF - Who's Barry?: In this new iteration look for a slight reduction in lactose sweetness with an increase in overall berry fruitiness. Slightly more tannic which helps it keep that fresh fruitiness. The mouthfeel seems to have a creamier feel as well.

Hopkins Chile Mangose: This beer was originally made as a collaboration with Salt Flats for last year's Utah Brewers Guild Collaboration Festival. This version has been bumped up to 5.0%. The chilies provide more flavor than heat in this sour based beer. Ever tried mango dusted with chiles? it's very much like that; with less intensity. A wonderful beer. Only at Hopkins.

Hopkins also has a huge selection of small batch beers to offer this weekend.  Check these out!


Cheers!

New Beer Friday 5/29/20

As breweries and restaurants begin to open, you'll start to see some of these brewery exclusive beers make their way into the market. If you see something I missed please share. Happy new Beer Friday.  

Level Crossing - The Black Album: This is part of Level Crossing's Black Feather Series. This is a black imperial rye IPA. The aroma is hugely dank, herbal and grainy with dense, bready malts. Flavor profile is less sticky, and a little more bold in regards to the malts  – there's a good dose of roast and char swirling around throughout. Dank, herbal, floral, zesty hops open up playing off of the bready, nutty, roastier malts flavors. The bitterness is medium to high and pretty much rules the beer from the back-end to the finish. Overall, a solid BIPA, with big hopiness. 9.2% For sale Saturday at 11am.

Fisher - Sister Brown Ale: The nose was nutty and malty, more so than others, but not overly expressive. There were hints of nuts, some pine, and even some malt - all blending quite well. Mouthfeel was carbonated lightly, medium- to light-bodied, and even had a spicy after-feel. Overall, this was a solid nut brown ale, relatively full of flavor. 5.0% - Available at Fisher

Epic- Bourbon Barrel Chocolate Raspberry Stout: This very limited brew is only available in SLC. It’s as described in the name with an ABV of 10.5% - Only at Epic in 22 ounce bottles. 

Policy Kings - Pass the Haze: Have not tried this one. 5.0% - Available at

Heber Valley- PEACH Better Get My MANGO: Have not tried this one. 5.0% - Available at Heber Valley.

Mountain West - Pomme Paloma: This cider is a take on the Paloma cocktail. Made with the Pink Boots hop blend along with fresh grapefruit juice. It's unlike any cider you've tried.  Sadly, I've been informed that this has already sold out, however another batch will be in the works down the road.

Stone - Buenaveza: This lager is made with lime and salt - Available at DABC stores.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 5/22/19

Full disclosure: I've been out of town and didn't get a chance to try much of what is out this week. That's too bad, because there's a lot of interesting sounding stuff out this week. I'll be back this evening, don't drink 'em all before I get back!

Toasted Barrel - Oak Aged Pilsner: I'm big on pilsners right now. I'm curious to see how this one came out. 5.0% Only at Toasted Barrel

Uinta - Free Form Rose Ale: This is the latest offering from Uinta's Free Form line of lower calorie beers. Look for a lightly tart ale with slight fruitiness. 4.3%

Proper Fault Line Red IPA: Yeah, yeah this isns't exactly new. However it hasn't been made in quite a while and on top that it was never a 5.0% beer. So, I'm calling it new ya jerk! This has a good amount of malt to it, almost toffe like the hops are aggressive and start with citrus peel. They soon change over to resiny pine and finishes off with a balancing bitter bite. I generally like hoppy reds to be a little more fruity; this one is dry and I crushed all 16 ounces of it in 5 minutes. Good stuff. 6.9% - Available at Proper.

Bohemian - Best of Show Dopple Bock: This was the winner of last year's Lagerpalooza. True to form, Bohemian said they'd make the winner and they have. Look for this clean, toffee driven malt machine at Bohemian Brewing. Dials in at a big 9.3%.

Policy Kings - Chai Saison: This is listed at 14% on Untappd. Seriously? That doesn't sound right. If it is, it's probably the one of the biggest saison ever made. 

Kiitos - Pineapple Mango Fruit Milkshake: I'm generally a fan of this series. They're always as described and not to sweet, relaying on the Fruit to do most of the lifting. 5.0%

Heber Valley - Coconut Girl: This is a Belgian style blonde ale brewed with coconut. 5.0%

Sawtooth - Pika: This is a peanut butter milk stout. It dials in at 5.0% and is already popping up at grocery and c-stores around SLC.  Sawtooth is from Hailey, Idaho and their brand new to the Utah market.

Modern Times - Star Cloud: Just hit SLC yesterday, This a hazy made with Citra hops. 6.8% - Available at DABC and possibly some of the opening better beer bars.

In case you missed it last week Epic's new CBD Free IPA is now in 22 ounce bottles, so there's an option for your as well.

Cheers!