Kona:
Fire Rock
Long Board
Kona Aloha Series (Seasonal)
Widmer:
Rotator Series (Seasonal)
Hefewizen
Red Hook:
Pilsner
Long Hammer
ESB
This beers are not available as of today, but should be showing up in the next week or so.
Also, Round Two of the Utah Beer Challenge is finally under way! It looks like there are already a few tough choices.
Cheers!
4 comments:
A few tough match ups today.
MY sweet 16 predictions! I’m currently drinking a ridiculously good German helles homebrew so any objections to my predications come with the usual subjective/inebriated disclaimer – and my lame attempts at narrating the choices in a March Madness tone.
Bohemian Cherny Bock Vs. Shade/pale 4-play porter (both are underwhelming too me) - , Chernys slightly more interesting and well know PREDICTION: Cherny by a landslide.
Moab Oatmeal Stout Vs. Desert Edge Latter day stout (well matched and both competitive) – PREDICTION: Desert Edge takes an early lead and holds off the opponent to win.
Epics Big Bad Baptist Vs Uinta Cockeyed Cooper –(oh, like boxing the heavy weight bouts are over rated) hence the big beers too often get the big votes – both are fine… but Big Bad Baptist is “over coffee’d” to a fault and takes from any other subtleties of the beer they were going for. While I won’t vote for it. PREDICTION: BBB wins convincingly with help from the bigger is better voters down in the paint.
RedRock Elephino Vs. Red Rock Le Quatre – two interpub rivals duking it out early in the brackets both are easily deserving the Sweet 16 but only one will move on. While both are executed well - it in the end it will come down to creative play that the winner brings PREDICTION: RedRock Le Quatre - but it will be a buzzer beater.
Uinta Dubhe Imp Black Vs. Groggs Porter – This one was over before it started…PREDICTION: the dank imperial crushes and wins – to be honest Dubhe is mostly just a interesting beer – “I barely want to finish one as the hemp flavor gets heavy and drole on my palette” none the less after I forget for awhile it’s a welcome and I’m glad they are put out in 12oz bags..err bottles.
Wasatch Pumpkin Ale Vs. Shade/Pale Wheat – does Cinderella get her sweet 16th? Wasatch ale has some tradition in the solid but lack luster pumpkin ale -, but the belle of the ball is PREDICTION: Shades of Pale Jackwagon Wheat – It nails an often less understood beer the “American Wheat beer” with drinkability and light nutty profile, or are the beer snobs hopelessly mired in German Heffe taste profiles to let her into the dance. While I think this ones obvious to me, it will be close
Shade of Pale ready to Fly Vs Bohemian Bavarian Weiss – unknown territory on this one as I have not imbibed either beer, my moneys on PREDICTION: Shades of Pale Ready to Fly – when it comes to decoction brewing bohemian knows their stuff and does the old world brews right. However a Weiss beers are a whole different game plan. The momentum leading up to this is already with Ready to Fly and thats all it will take to the next round.
Roosters Junction City chocolate Stout Vs. Squatters Barrel of Russians – Again A big beer outscoring with deep flavor and size. My prediction is Squatters Barrel of Russians. It’s a shame that Roosters two-bit amber (I love it) was also knocked out early in another stacked bracket by another big player. Truth be told – the Barrel of Russians is too young and the whiskey too strong right now. – Meanwhile the Chocolate stouts doesn’t live up to the name (it’s not that chocolatey – most in nose only)
MY sweet 16 predictions! I’m currently drinking a ridiculously good German helles homebrew so any objections to my predications come with the usual subjective/inebriated disclaimer – and my lame attempts at narrating the choices in a March Madness tone.
Epic Smoked & Oaked Vs. Squatters 529 – whoa what a matchup two team recruiting ringers from Belgium - a big team falls to the full court press of sour funk! PREDICTION: Squatters 529. What a game though – smok’n a Belgian and done well – but the 529 is as well executed too and I’d mostly rather drink it
Bohemian Viennese Lager Vs. Wasatch Devastator – Hrmmm… This shouldn’t be close but I fear the upset is a real deal in this matchup. Viennese lager brings the talent and solid lager profile that compares well to any Viennese lager while Devastator well how can I say SUCKS nicely? – I know its mostly personal really - compare a Devistator to an Optimator and it simply dies an I just can’t get past pretense that this is a great Double bock. PREDICTION: Viennese Lager
Uinta Labyrinth Black Vs. Moab Black Imperial - I’ve drunk the Unita but not the Moab it not really fair to rate but I suspect with foreign awards going to Uinta Labryrth it will win but it will be too close to call. PREDICTION: Uinta’s Labyrinth
Squatters Fifth Element Vs. Epic Hopulent IPA – Really? These two didn’t find opposing brackets? Anyway. (sec need to refill my glass……ah…..ok back to it.) I simply love a good sour presence on the court and fifth element is plain hard court funk/sour/oak…(side note it’s awesome with some candied toffee nuts btw). BUT, PREDICTION: Hopulent IPA is soo Big time pro well done malty/hoppy drink all the time/ buy cases for party’s kinda thing. These two should have met in the finals. This was the finals and whoever takes it wins the tourney.
Hoppers Summerset Vs Squatters Outer Darkness – another two beers coming from completely different play books. But, none the less an interesting matchup. The underdog is definitely Summerset, but it shouldn’t be. Hopper is moving out from diaper dandy status and starting to make name with GABF win despite its goofy name/location/marketing ---“hoppers” really? Anyway Summerset was my best Utah summer beer 2011, and it surprised me how well it worked. A light peppery saison with bright citra hops but no excessive bitterness. The beer didn’t age well as sasions are prone to be anyway but I had it early in its release and then 3 months later it was less impressive. Outer darkness I had when in first came out and even had another conditioned in my basement @ 63 for a year did’t really change much. A solid roasty Russian imperial. But I wanted it to be more. This one I’m choosing over my own bias PPREDICTION: Outer Darkness – simple put the big team has the marketing and fan base.
Red Rock Reve Vs. Zion Canyon Jamaican – not much to say in this lopsided duel. The match will be a Reve highlite reel. And Zion Canyon Jamaican suffers from playing too much in the NIT (not in Town) league . PREDICTION Reve
Desert Edge Utah Pale Vs Bohemian Czech Pils – its all about building a team up from the base and Bohemians’ flag ship Czech Pils builds its body from a sold double decoction setup. I feel is less about taking any away from a pale ale effort as much as the Czech pils is simply a juggernaught and won’t be taken down by average competition. PREDICTION: Bohemians Czech Pils - not close
Epics Copper Cone Ale Vs. Moab Triple Ale – Last matchup will be interesting and likely close, but no contest in my opinion. Moabs triple is straight forward the taste in on track but lacks depth flavor and body I want in a triple. Copper Cone on the other hand takes APA and pushes in a strong direction towards the big hops and malt while I prefer a more mellow APA it none the less impressments in execution. PERDICTION: Epic’s Copper Cone
Making me choose between the Big Bad Baptist and the Cockeyed Cooper is just cruel.
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