New Beer Friday 7/25/14

Whoa! A busy morning and no interweb connection makes for a very, very late New Beer Friday. There are a couple of great beer to talk about today, so let's get to it.

New Belgium Transatlantique Kriek: The nose has a nice mix of cherry with light farmhouse funk and malt. The taste starts with tart and sour cherry. Next comes the funk with some sugary malt beneath. The end has a bit of tannin-ish notes with pale malt. Alcohol is a little noticeable. Finishes tart and dry.
 It has a nice flavor but could use a bit more depth. 8% ABV @ Bayou

Epic Escape to Colorado IPA:  The nose is sugary with tropical fruit notes and grass. The flavor starts with bright Mosaic citrus peel. Next comes some dank, earthy malts, with a hint of mango and pineapple. The end is dry with some resiny bite. This beer is simple and fresh tasting with a great hop character. The can does it great favors as well. Glad it's finally available for us Utahans.6.2% ABV @ DABC and better beer bars. Because it's made at Epic's Denver Brewery it cannot be sold at Epic's bottle shop downtown. Apparently their license only allows beers that are made on premises to be sold there. Whatever...

Shipyard Export Ale: The nose lemony, grassy with some graininess. The taste has a nutty maltiness with lemon peel and big floral notes. There's also a slight mineral bite towards the end. Finishes pretty clean with a lingering sweet aftertaste. @ Beer Bar

The Bayou's Firkin Friday offering today is Uinta Wyld dry-hopped with Simcoe hops. Can't go wrong there.4% ABV Tapping is at 3pm.

Cheers!

The 5th annual Utah Beer Festival

Huzzah! It's beerfest time again. Saturday, August 16th is the date for the the 5th annual Utah Beer Festival. This year's festival will be held at Washington Square (SLC's City & County Building) from 3pm-8pm (Early/VIP tickets: Gates open at 1:45pm, Beer at 2pm)

One of the advantages of having the fest at Washington Square is the amount of trees. it will likely be quite hot and the decision to hold it on the east side of the building (instead of the west) will help shade attendees from the sun as well.

General Admission Ticket: $15 ($25 day of) Includes admission, 5 tokens and taster mug.

Early Beer Drinker Ticket: $25 Includes an hour early admission into the festival, 8 tokens and taster mug.

VIP Ticket: $50 Includes all GA benefits, access to VIP lounge,  hour early admission into the festival and exclusive beer and food pairings by Whole Foods. Limited amount of tickets.

VIP Designated Driver Ticket: $20 Access to VIP Lounge, hour early entry, Whole Foods appetizer buffet.

Designated Driver Ticket: $5 Admission only.

Tickets have been dropped off to your local breweries today! $15 no service fees! Get them before they're gone. List of locations at utahbeerfestival.com.

The following breweries will be pouring their beers - both high and low point. As far as I know this isn't the final list, we'll update it as the date gets closer.


Uinta Brewing Co. Salt Lake, UT
Red Rock Salt Lake, UT
Moab Brewery  Moab, UT
The Annex by Epic Brewing Salt Lake, UT     
Epic Brewing Company Salt Lake, UT     
Desert Edge Brewery  Salt Lake, UT     
Bohemian  Salt Lake, UT     
Bonneville Brewery  Tooele, UT       
Squatters Craft Beers  Salt Lake, UT
Wastach Brewery   Salt Lake, UT
Vernal Brewing Co. Vernal, UT
Avenues Proper  Salt Lake, UT
Wing Nutz: Nut Job Beer Salt Lake, UT
Hopper's Grill & Brewing Co. Midvale, UT

Any thoughts about last year's festival at the Gallivan Center?

Cheers!

Photo: Professional Douche Bag - Do not attempt!

New Beer Friday: True Man Edition

Back in April 2013  we told you that Shipyard Brewing was entering the Utah market. We had no idea that it would take 15 months, but I guess that's the way things work here in Zion. Here's the first of those beers to pop up in the market. I haven't had a chance to try most of beers this week. Please share your thoughts on them if you have.

Shipyard Brewing Company - Smashed Blueberry: Dark brown in color. The nose is mild with berries, dark fruits and cocoa. The taste starts nutty with chocolate and coffee. The berries soon take over and carry on through the end. There are some hops detectable in the finish. Not exactly a "summer beer" but it's a pretty decent fruity porter. 9% ABV @ DABC

Hive - Blackberry Stinger Cider: Sadly I've not tried this one yet. I guess the name says it all. Anyone care to share their thoughts? 6.9% ABV

Roosters - Devil's Grip Blackberry Ale: Mikey no try either. It's described as having a cloudy apricot color with a bready nose full of of blackberry. Look for a sweet malt base on the tongue with plenty of pine and blackberry. 4.0% ABV @ Roosters locations

Lagunitas - A Little Sumpin' Extra! Ale: The nose has a nice tangerine/ripe orange aroma with a hint of malt and pine. The taste starts tropical with citrus up front and big sweet, bready malts. Pine resin notes come next with a hint of white pepper. The end is fresh and dry with more rind bitterness. Finishes dry - not too boozy. 8.74% ABV @ Beer Bar (limited supply)

Blue Moon - Pine in the Neck IPA: : Mikey no try. Described as having a rich malty backbone, supporting bright piney hops bitterness. 7.5% ABV

Blue Moon - Rounder Belgium Pale: Mikey no try. Described as having a nose that is slightly peppery with spice, caramel, and a bit of floral hop. Flavor is floral up front, moving to a sweet caramel and toffee finish with a lingering bitterness on the end. 5.6% ABV @ DABC

Cheers!

2014 Hops on the Hill

Tuesday evenings just got a little more pleasant. Hops on the Hill, Stein Eriksen Lodge/Deer Valley's popular craft beer pairing and concert has once again begun.

Each week a different brewery and band are featured providing beer lovers and foodies the opportunity to get together and experience all that great food, beer and music has to offer.

The beer tastings begin at 5pm - The free concerts begin at 6pm. Tasting Tickets are $35 in advance plus tax ($40 at door). Reservations may be made by calling 435-645-6455. Ticket price includes beer samples, food, and souvenir glass. Non-alcoholic tickets available for purchase at the door. 

Tuesday, July 22: Uinta Brewing with Mister Sister
Tuesday, July 29: Desert Edge with Motherlode Canyon Band
Tuesday, August 5: RedRock Brewing with Fastback
Tuesday, August 12: Bohemian Brewing with Marmalade Hill
Tuesday, August 19: Wasatch Beers with Utah County Swillers and Beer Band

This a great weekly event in a perfect mountain setting.

Cheers!

Ales for ALS and Citra in Red Return

Remember that great, quenching White IPA that Uinta made for ALS research last year? If you don't then you really missed out. No fear! It's back - great cause and all.

 Participant breweries from around the country received a special blend of experimental hops donated by B.T. Loftus Ranches and Hopunion. Last year using these hops, Uinta chose to brew a unique, Session Wheat IPA. It was a huge hit and they've decided to duplicate that same beer again this year.

Uinta's ALS Wheat Ale combines the flavors and body of a wheat ale with the hop characteristics of an IPA. Citrusy with subtle notes of pepper and white grape this wheat-IPA was brewed with forty percent malted wheat and dry hopped with the proprietary Ales for ALS™  experimental hop blend. A percentage of all proceeds will be donated to ALS Therapy Development Institute in support of developing effective treatment for Lou Gehrig's disease. More information on the Ales for ALS™ campaign can be found at www.alesforals.com.


This is a small batch series and is only available on tap at Uinta's Tavern and at special Uinta accounts. Should be popping up by the end of the week.

Speaking of great summer beers, Desert Edge's Citra in Red has also returned and is on tap right now.  This is an American red ale at it's base. The malts used provide a nice fruitiness that pairs perfectly with the citrus bitterness from the Citra hops. The result is a quenching full flavored 4% red ale that's like fruit salad in a glass.

It been a scorcher of a week. Trust me, you need these beers.

Cheers!

Sixth Annual Evanston Brewfest

To help get you in the mood for "Pie & Beer Day" next week the City of Evanston, Wyoming will be holding it's Sixth Annual Evanston Brewfest this Saturday July 19th. This has been a great little brewfest - over the last few years, more and more breweries have discovered this little jewel over the Wyoming border making it a huge hit for people who live along the Wasatch Front/Back.

Earlier this year organizers had decided to cancel the brewfest this summer and people weren't pleased. realizing it's popularity the organizers along with the Chamber of Commerce, have stepped up to keep the tradition alive.

The bad part of all of this is that there will be a much diminished showing of breweries. Getting a late start has reduced the participating breweries by two thirds. The good part is  Suds Brothers Brewery -  Prairie Fire Brewing - Snake River Brewing  - Uinta Brewing - Bohemian Brewery - Grand Teton Brewing Co. -  Shades of Pale Brewing -  Goose Island Brewing - Shocktop Brewing and Kona Brewing will be pouring.

Tickets are $30 for unlimited pours and the event will run from 12pm-5pm.

I'm not sure what the setup will be like this year. In 2013 the brewfest was changed from a spacious street festival to a claustrophobic park venue. The food vendors were kept was a very inconvenient block and a half away from the beer tents and the small park space created a "mosh pit" environment.  
I'm not sure if this was an experiment or something the city decided to screw with, but it made the experience less than appealing. As parents who brought their children in previous years quickly realized.

I'd recommend checking it out again this year, if it's a bust this year you may not have it at all next year. What was your experience like last year, was it the same as mine?

Cheers!

Photo: Stacey Fry Jaimez 2012

Pioneer Day for Some. Pie & Beer Day for Us!

Pioneer Day in Utah is a state holiday that takes place on July 24 each year to commemorate the entry of Brigham Young and his Mormon pioneers into Utah’s Salt Lake Valley in 1847. It was a difficult journey, many died and it's a feat that definitely deserves some recognition.

Some praise Pioneer Day more than others. If your part of that culture (Mormon) you likely consider it one of the more important holidays of the year. If not? Well your likely a minority thinker in our state.

About a decade ago some non-Mormons coined the phrase "Pie and Beer Day' be cause it sounds like Pioneer Day and it also contains two things all (mostly all) counter culture Utahans hold dear, pie and beer. The term quickly caught on and has now turned into a legitimate, counter Pioneer Day movement. It's not meant to be be offensive to Mormons it's more of a "Festivus for the Rest of Us" - something for us "normal' folk to do while we have this odd day off.

There are many private Pie and Beer Day gatherings around the state, if your looking for one but don't have a clan to celebrate with, we have a great option to help you rejoice. The Beer Bar, Salt Lake's newest craft beer hot spot is throwing a Pie and Beer Day bash on Thursday July 24th from 3pm - 5pm. Craft beer and pies from such great eateries such as Carlucci's, Copper Onion, Eva Boulangerie & Bakery, Tulie Bakery, Cafe Rio and Pago will be offered with a specialized beer pairing from the Beer Bar's own Kyle Trammell.

The cost is just $15 and proceeds go to help 90.9FM KRCL. The Beer Bar is located at 161e. 200s. in Salt Lake. Hope to see you there!

Also, former Uinta brewers and current Tenaya Creek Brewing owner, Tim Etter will be featured on this weeks episode of Brew Dogs. If your not familiar with Brew Dogs, it's a TV program that's currently on the Esquire Network that follows the owners of Scotland's Brewdog Brewery as they tour American cities looking to brew extreme beers in unconventional ways. Tim's episode (Las Vegas) has to do with making the world's most expensive beer. New Episodes air Wednesdays at 8pm. Check your local TV provider for channel info. Tenaya Creek's Beers are currently available at the Beerhive and Bayou.

Cheers!