New Beer Friday 1/23/15

January has been brutally slow in the local beer world, but we've managed to put together a nice list of local options to help get the weekend started. Sadly, I've been "on the wagon" for most of the month so many of these beers, I have not tried. I have had a few from previous tastings, but those I've not tried are prefaced with "described as", these are the descriptions of the beer's producers.  

Bonneville Port Matcher Porter - Described as having sweet caramel malts and chocolate malt work together to give this dark English ale notes of bread, toffee and a hint of raisin. 4.0% ABV @ Bonneville, All Star Lanes and places with Bonneville seasonal handles.

Wasatch Rescue Dog American Brown Ale - Couldn't find any tasting notes on this one. If you've had it, please share your thoughts. 4.0% ABV @ Wasatch locations and where Wasatch has seasonal taps.

Alameda Barn Owl Imperial Brown - Is described as being brewed in the style of southern English brown ale, only much stronger (7.9% ABV). A myriad of specialty malts impart a smooth, layered flavor with notes of chocolate, caramel, and biscuit shining through. The perfect beer to celebrate the beginning of spring. @ Slackwater

New Belgium Yuzu Imperial Berliner Weisse - Pours a hazy, orange straw color with a small to moderate head. The nose is yeasty with Apple and Chardonnay. The taste is mostly yeast with some tart vine berries. Not as sour as I was hoping for. A bit more tartness would have made the fruit really shine. Yeast notes come next with a hint of floral hops. Somewhat dry finish. 8.0% ABV

Payette Pale Ale - Pours a semi-hazy amber/orange with a bright frothy head. The nose is floral with grapefruit and lemongrass notes. Malty notes way in the back. The taste is typical of a pale ale: graham cracker sweetness followed by floral and citrus hops. Finishes moderately dry. It's not a brilliant pale ale by any means, try Payettes's Rodeo Rye instead. 4.8% @ Slackwater

Payette North Fork Lager - Pours a very clear golden straw color with an average amount of head. The nose has herbal hops with a bit of toasty malt in the back. The taste starts with toasty crackers then transitions to herbal and grassy Euro hops. The hop bitterness is a little more subdued than I prefer in a lager but it's crisp and refreshing non the less. Still, it finishes with a nice lingering dryness. 4.4% ABV @ Slackwater


Returning Favorires

Uinta Tinder Rauchbier
Bohemian Grätzer
Avenues Proper Ro-Rye


Just in case your not aware Kyle Tremmel, Beer Consultant and former local brewer has suddenly disappeared and gone off the grid. Kyle is known for helping to get the Beer Bar off the ground and is currently contracted with Ogden's Barrelhouse as their Beer Consultant. Kyle failed to show up for work at the Barrelhouse earlier this week and has deactivated his mobile phone and suspended all of his social media accounts. This move is out of character for him, his family and we his friends are understandably concerned for his well being. There's a chance he may have left for the the North West. Kyle drives a black Subaru Legacy with the plate number X473CU. Any info should be directed to South Salt Lake Police 1-801-412-3600.

Vernal Imperial Stout and IPA

Back in 2011 when we first became aware of Vernal Brewing Co.'s plans to bring locally made craft brews to Eastern Utah, the owners always stated that they intended to package their beer for wider state distribution. Well, it looks like they're about to make good on that promise. I've received information that two new bottled beers are on coming on the horizon.

Vernal Brewing Imperial Stout and Vernal Brewing 50 Caliber IPA are in the planning stages and should be headed our way in the next few months. These are are both brewed to style ales (high point) and will be available at DABC stores in the coming months. We'll keep you up to date as to when they're going to be available.

Cheers!

Iron Rooster Imperial Stout

You'd be surprised how popular Imperial Stouts have become over the last few years. Most of the local breweries that produce them can hardly keep them on the shelves and many of those are coveted across the country.

Roosters Brewing is now throwing their hat into the local "Impy Game" with the creation of their up and coming, Iron Rooster Imperial Stout. No idea yet on the specifics of this high alcohol bomb because it's currently in the fermenters. Look for a beer full of huge roasted, chocolate and burnt malt flavors with an ABV well over 8%. We'll keep you up to date on it's release. Love the artwork for the label.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 1/9/15

Thanks for hanging in there during this slow time of the year, things look to be gathering momentum in the coming weeks. Look for a lot of changes in the coming months!

Ninkasi Expo58 - Pours a crystal clear straw yellow color with a fizzy cap of foam. The nose has some slight spicy yeast esters with a bit of floral hops. The flavor starts with malty with a bit of wood dryness. A bit of clove comes next with a hint of sulfur. The end has some floral and spicy hops notes. The finish is dry and light. 5.0% ABV
 
The Annex Kettle Sour IPA -  Pours a somewhat hazy apricot color with a thin to moderate amount of foam. Citrus and floral hops dominate the nose with a bit of sour dryness beneath. Look for sour green apples on the tongue with a bit of flowery bitterness and resiny citrus peel slightly underneath. The beer is not overwhelming sour, but there is some puckering. 4.0% ABV @ The Annex

Wasatch Brewmaster Special: Gose - Haven't tried this one yet. Look for lemony tartness with a light to moderate sodium finish. I believe this is the first beer produced on premises in the brewpubs's pilot system. 4.0% ABV @ Wasatch Brewpub in Sugarhouse 

Hive Rhubarb Wine -  It's described as having a slightly sweet nose capturing the essence of berries and floral notes. However, don’t let the nose fool you, this wine is unexpectedly dry with only a hint of sweetness which complements the berry notes in the wine. A soft and smooth wine with a slight tartness and subtle spice on the finish. Only 140 bottles produced.

The Annex's "Middle of the Firkin Wirkin' Week" firkin tapping has moved back to Fridays. So now I guess it's "End of the Firkin Wirkin' Week" Firkin? Today's offering will be their Bavarian Hefe with Lemon and Lime zest. I believe the tapping is at 4pm. 4.0% ABV

Returning Favorites
Desert Edge's Powdershot Porter and Desert Hell Helles 4.0% ABV


And congratulations go out to Salt Lake City's Beer Bar for making it into Draft Magazine's Top 100 Beer Bars issue. The feature's photo shows co-owner Richard Noel and praises Beer Bar's dedication to innovation, proper glassware and temperature specific storage. Prost, Beer Bar!

Cheers!

The Annex Sour IPA

Sour IPAs are one of those weird hybrid beer styles that should not work. One of the basic characteristics of a proper IPA is the caramel malt profile that provides a base for the resinous hops to build upon. Sour beers tend to shine best when you get that unripened tart fruitiness that you can feel deep within the jaw.

So whenever you cross styles like this one of the most important things to look for is balance and respecting the individual styles represented. It's not always easy to create a beer that can properly represent both styles equaly, but when it works it can be a thing of beauty.

The kids over at the Annex have done just that. They somehow managed to create a sour IPA that marries the best of both worlds. This new creation pours a somewhat hazy apricot color with a thin to moderate amount of foam. Citrus and floral hops dominate the nose with a bit of sour dryness beneath. Look for sour green apples on the tongue with a bit of flowery bitterness and resiny citrus peel slightly underneath. The beer is not overwhelming sour, but there is some puckering. A refreshing and bold way to start-off 2015. 4.0% This only at the Annex right now, it may end up at bars with an Annex seasonal handle.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 1/2/15

Bohemian Kölsch - The Kölsch style of beer is an ale/lager hybrid originating from the city of Köln (Cologne), Germany. It's basically fermented warm like an ale then lagered or (cold conditioned) for a couple of weeks to give it that bright/clean taste. The Bohemian take on this beer is brewed with specialty Köln malt and Hallertau hops and a yeast unique to this style. The result is a beer with subtle fruit esters and a clean malty finish. It's filtered for a brilliant golden blonde presentation and served in a traditional .3 liter "Stange" glass. Available at BOHO for a limited time. 4.0% ABV

Hoptah Session IPA - "brewed with large amounts of Citra, Centennial, and Chinook hops, this lower-alcohol IPA doesn’t sacrifice any flavor. A full body and slight caramel sweetness balance the pleasant, resinous hop bitterness". 3.9% ABV @ grocery/convenience stores

FYI: Fore the next four months Uinta's Brew House Pub will be closed for remodeling. Look for a bigger and better space sometime this spring. The retail/beer store will still be open. A new shop is being finished as we speak. You'll be able to buy most bottled and canned options. Sadly no growler fills will be availble durring the remodeling. We'll keep you informed as to the pubs re-launch as it's time gets closer.

Cheers!

Hoptah IPA

Last May we informed you that Black Diamond Brewing Co. out of Concord, California was entering the SLC market with a session IPA designed especially for our area. Well, it's finally here.

It looks like Hoptah Session IPA just hit grocery store shelves a few days before Christmas. I haven't tried it yet, but a few of you have. It's described as being "brewed with large amounts of Citra, Centennial, and Chinook hops, this lower-alcohol IPA doesn’t sacrifice any flavor. A full body and slight caramel sweetness balance the pleasant, resinous hop bitterness". Please share your impressions if you've tried it and where you found it.

Thanks to Quentin for the photo!

Prost!