Utah Brewery Map

Friday, December 27, 2013

New Beer Friday 12/27/13


Sorry I'm late, I'm on vacation which means I get to sleep in, again my apologizes. We hope the Holidays are treating you all well, and if you didn't get enough cheer during the week we have some new beers that will go nicely with the weekend.

Bohemian Smoked Helles: Mesquite-esque smokiness in the nose with hints of biscuit beneath. The taste is full of sweet malt, and smoke with a hint of spicy hops. The mouthfeel is on the lighter side of medium. A very nice smoke beer. I could easily drink this on a regular basis. @Bohemian

Epic Old Sage Brett:
This is Epic's Utah Sage Saison aged in Brett dosed barrels for about 6-7 months. The Sage is quite prominent with nice smack of sour to accompany it. This is a very limited release. @Epic

Hoppers has the Cask for Firkin Friday at the Bayou: Pale Morning Ale dry hopped with New Zealand Rakau hops. The Rakau hops have a nice perfumy blossom bouquet, mango and pine apple like tropical fruit, and a hint pine resin. The base pale ale has cascade as a late kettle hop.


Raspberry Stinger Hard Apple Cider: The Hive Winery's Stinger hard cider which is partially sweetened with real Utah raspberry juice. The result is a lightly carbonated cider, with the prefect amount of fresh raspberry to blend beautifully with the rich apple flavor. Watch out, it is easy to get “stung” by this cider’s 6.95% alcohol content. Bottle (22 fl oz) - $8.95 Now Available at The Hive Winery.

Cheers!

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Attention Holiday Tasting Attendees!

Attention everyone who attended the Holiday Tasting! We have a set of keys that were left or lost. If your the owner of the mystery keys, drop me a line at utahbeer@gmail.com

Cheers!

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Happy......

Xmas
Festivus
Yule
Anastasia of Sirmium Feast Day
Malkh
Light Day
Kwanzaa
Mōdraniht or Mothers' Night
Saturnalia
Pancha Ganapati

Dies Natalis Solis Invicti

Whatever you celebrate today, surround yourselves with great company and great beer!

Cheers!

Friday, December 20, 2013

New Beer Friday 12/20/13

It's the last New Beer Friday before Christmas! We hope your stockings are stuffed with great beers!

Avenuues Proper's RagMan Ale: This is a Belgian style IPA that was brewed in honor of David Fetzer, a friend of the restaurant's owners who passed last year. Mr. Fetzer's birthday was this week and  a portion of the proceeds (25cents/pint $1/pitcher) will be going directly to the Davey Foundation. You can check out the details and the foundation itself at www.thedaveyfoundation.org 

Some returning favorites this week include.

BrewDog Punk IPA: This has nice grapefruit notes with a sturdy backbone of malty sweetness which is in perfect balance with the hop bitterness. Delicious and strong with great drinkability. 5.6% ABV @Bayou

BrewDog Hardcore IPA: This one has a much richer body than Punk IPA. Caramel malts and a bit of brown sugar combine with loads of pine, grapefruit and berries. Big and tasty! 9.2% ABV @Bayou

Today is a first for Firkin Friday at the Bayou. Roosters Brewing has joined the madness and will be providing one of their better offerings, Roosters Rosemary Porter. Tapping is at 3pm.

Cheers!

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Hellevation IPA

Since august of 2012, Roosters new bottle program has been slowly finding it's groove. Debuting with a Pale ale, ESB and a Bock the program didn't find it's stride until the release of their Honey Wheat ale last summer, which took of big. Now comes word the  Breweries will be offering a new bottled IPA called Hellevation.

It's not surprising they'd go the IPA route - it is the most popular craft beer style in the country and Utahans are starved for new craft beer lables. Hellevation will be hopped with Nugget and Cascade hops and should be available sometime in early 2014. Look for it at the Ogden/Layton brewpubs before it (hopefully) hits liquor stores.

And by the way, thanks to everyone that was able to make it out to the Holiday Tasting last Saturday. Holy Shit what a huge crowd! I'd like to also add that your generosity with your beer cellars never ceases to amaze me - what a great array of beers! I'll try to throw some photos up on the Utah Beer Facebook page in the coming days. Thanks Again!

Cheers!

Friday, December 13, 2013

New Beer Friday 12/13/13

One interesting new offering and some nice returning labels are available to you today for New Beer Friday's - Friday the 13th Edition.
Avenues Proper has released Foreign Gentleman Belgian Coffee Stout... on NITRO! This is a collaboration with Charming Beard Coffee in SLC.  Great coffee espesso notes with a hint of Belgo yeast spiciness. @ Avenues Proper
Centennial Steamer and Road Rage Rye return to the tap handles at Desert Edge today.
Firkin Friday at the Bayou is also provided by Desert Edge Brewing. Today's offering is Latter Day Stout on oak with cocoa nibs. 
Speaking of the Bayou, they have received
New Belgium: Lips Of Faith - Cigar City Collaboration (Ale Brewed With Chilies)
New Belgium: Hop Kitchen - Fresh Hop India Pale Ale
New Belgium Rampant IIPA
New Belgium: Abby
New Belgium: Trippel
New Belgium: Lips Of Faith - Wild2 Dubbel (Ale Brewed With Schisandra) 
Hop Henge Experimental IPA from Deschutes Brewing is back in the market as well, get 'em while they're fresh! @DABC, Beerhive
Cheers!

Thursday, December 12, 2013

The Annex is Making Beer

The Annex by Epic Brewing has completed the installation of their new seven barrel (217) gallon
brew house and has finally begun brewing.

If you haven't been by the Annex yet, the brew house is situated in the basement of the restaurant with an open section near the entrance, where patrons can view down into the brewery. The two kettle system was specifically designed to fit the available space and provide the flexibility needed to brew a wide range of beers styles.

Some of the initial beers produced at The Annex will be house-only draft beers. The lineup will include an American Golden Ale that will showcase individual hops, including newly developed varieties such as lemon drop. A classic Oatmeal Stout that will be dispensed on nitro and an aggressively hopped Belgian Saison. “The Annex brew house provides a unique opportunity to experiment with very small batches and explore the variety within a beer style,” says Brewmaster Kevin Crompton.

These new beers will be available on draft for the New Year along with Epic's full portfolio of Utah made beers.

Stay tuned there's an interesting new offering coming from Epic Brewing in the coming days that will completely arouse your inner beer geek.

Cheers!

Photo Courtesy (Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune)

Monday, December 09, 2013

Uinta's Tinder Rauchbier

Smoke Beers or Rauchbiers ("rauch" is German for smoke) are without a doubt an acquired taste in the beer world. I don't think I've ever come across a style of beer that has such a fervent following - while others have no use for it at all. I fall into the "Pro Rauchbier" camp. When they're made properly they are thing a beauty - imparting robust qualities from the smoke while providing spiciness and even brisket notes.

Its origins date back to the 1500's in the town of Bamberg, Germany. They typically have a dark ruby color and have similarities of Märzen biers. Green malts are dried over an open fire of beech wood, imparting a unique smokiness to the malt.

That's why I was happy to hear that Uinta's newest addition to their Crooked Line is to be a nice smoked lager. It's not a conventional choice, it's got a narrow audience, but the Crooked line isn't about conventionality. Tinder is made with German smoked malt from Bamberg; the beer will likely have notes of vanilla, coffee and toffee malts beneath the smoke - as well as slight earthy tastes, but the smoke will always be the star of the show.

Tinder is lagering as we speak and should be making it's debut in January, 2014. What are your thoughts?

Other great local Rauchbiers include RedRock's Bamberg Rauchbier and Desert Edge's Inversion.

Prost!

Friday, December 06, 2013

No, New Beer Friday....

It looks like it's another New Beer Friday, without any new beer. There are some nice returning favorites though, so at least we have that going for us.

Epic - Barley Wine: A nice mix of sweet malts, caramelized brown sugar with some grapefruit and pineapple bitterness. The end is a mix of toffee dark fruit and grapefruit with a hint of molasses and booze in the finish. @Epic

Squatters - Specialty English Pale Ale: A nice, highly quaffable English pale ale with floral and pine notes. @Squatters

Desert Edge - Holiday Raspberry Stout: This year Santa Haas made the stout with 145 pounds of raspberries and 15 pounds of cocoa nibs. It really has a nice balance between stout roastiness, raspberry aroma and flavor and a delicate chocolate flavor. @Desert Edge

The Firkins today at the Bayou and Poplar St. Pub are courtesy of Squatters. This week's offering is a Peach Witbier. If it's not too sweet and "peachy" I'll be all over it!

Cheers! 

Thursday, December 05, 2013

Today, Utah Gave Us Back Our Beer

There's a nice Op-Ed piece in the Salt Lake Tribune today about Utah's role role in putting an end to Prohibition. Please raise a glass today, weather at home or your favorite watering hole. Yeah, it's ironic - I guess that's what makes it so cool.

Cheers!

Wednesday, December 04, 2013

The Hop Bombshells' Holiday Fundraiser


Join the Hop Bombshells and celebrate the holidays by giving back! The areas only ladies home brew club invites you all to stop by Hoppers Grill & Brewing Co., to participate in a fundraiser to help the YWCA of Salt Lake City, The Road Home and the Utah Food Bank.

The Hop Bombshell's have put together a new 2014 pin-up style calendar, featuring some of the members of the club. $20 gets you a calendar signed by the Bombshells or you can bring in a bag of food, a blanket, or a jacket to receive $5 off the calendar. These donations will go to above mentioned charities.


That's not all, in addition to calandars the Bombshells are also raffling off a brand new, in the box electric "kiddie" Chevy Camaro. Be the hero this Holiday as you introduce the toddler or "mini person" in your life to the joys of being a full-on motorhead.

The event is at Hopper's on Sunday, Dec. 8 from 4-7 pm. There will obviously be beer and food.
This event is open to the public so invite your friends and help the ladies give back to the community. 

Cheers!

Tuesday, December 03, 2013

Uinta Brewing Company's Brighton Revolver IPA

There's a nice trend happening at our local ski destinations this year. Some of the resorts along the Wasatch Front & Back are teaming up with local breweries to produce unique beers - custom designed for the specific resorts. As of right now there are three ski resorts (Alta, Snowbird, Park City) and one ski lodge (Montage Deer Valley) with beers made from the Utah Brewers Cooperative. Now we can add one more destination getting into the beer game, Brighton Ski Resort.

If you happen to make it to the Bayou last Friday, you may have gotten an opportunity to try Brighton's new beer via Firkin. The new beer made by Uinta Brewing is called, Brighton Revolver Session IPA. This new brand is designed to be a rotating Session IPA that will change in hop profile throughout the ski season.
 

The first release, or “season opener”, was brewed with Mosaic and Cascade Hops which give it a bright,
floral & citrus essence. Full of ripe, fruity notes - I think it occupied my glass most of the night, it's damn tasty. The next rotation in the series is still being formulated, when it makes it way around we'll let you know.


It's available at Brighton Resort and a few tap handles around town, not in bottles or cans. If you see it, tell us where and tell us what you think.

Cheers!



Monday, November 25, 2013

The Sugar House Distillery

Today's post is not exactly beer related but it's a sign of where we are headed in the pursuit of locally produced adult beverages.

Great news! It looks like Utah has another small batch distillery on the way. The Sugar House Distillery, SLC's newest producer of adult beverages received it's federal permit two months ago on September, 23rd and is awaiting it's state permit to begin operations in the coming weeks. The distillery is planning to be up and running by Jan 1st if everything goes as planned in the Dec meeting with the State of Utah and will start off by making a vodka and will be releasing a honey whiskey shortly after opening.

While we're waiting for the new distillery to go online, SHD could use your help in deciding what their Logo should look like. Check out these options and visit their Facebook Page to lend your support. 

The Sugar House Distillery will be located at 2200 south and West Temple in Salt Lake City.

We'll bring you updates on their progress and specifics of the operation in the coming weeks. Welcome to the family!

Cheers!

Friday, November 22, 2013

New Beer Friday 11/22/13

When local beer geeks heard that New Belgium Beers were hitting the market, the first question people asked was, "are we gunna get more than just Fat Tire"? Well we all hoped that would be the case, today I can say, that is the case! - and the Beerhive just got quite a few regular and seasonal beers from NB. Here they are.

New Belgium: Lips Of Faith - Cigar City Collaboration (Ale Brewed With Chilies) - The nose is spicy with cinnamon fresh chiles. The taste starts with apple and a bit of roasted chile meat. An earthy bitterness comes next with spicy Belgian yeast rounding out the end. Interesting, but a little thin and light to hold my attention.

New Belgium: Hop Kitchen - Fresh Hop India Pale Ale - A nice nose of citrus, pine, grapefruit mingled with earthy New Belgium yeast. The taste follows the aroma. Citrus, bitter pine with floral hops that meld with a plain caramel malt flavors. The end is dominated by earthy yeast, citrus and floral hops. The finish is semi dry. Nice beer but it won't be so nice in a couple of weeks so drink it now.

New Belgium Rampant IIPA: The nose is primarily citrusy hops, followed by some sweet grainy malts. The tastes starts with citrusy hops with some bready caramel malts. Caramel and toasted malt tend to dominate in the middle. the end has hints of lemon and pine. Not too complex, malts tend to dominate over the hops.

New Belgium: Abby - The nose is of banana, maple syrup and some dark fruit with mild alcohol. Caramel and syrup in the beginning with notes of banana, some fruitiness. Spicey esters come next with toffee and a mild alcohol warming at the end. The flavor was left lingering on the taste buds for a nice long while along with the mild taste of alcohol. This is a really nice full bodied Abby style ale.

New Belgium: Trippel - The nose full of floral notes, clove, coriander, and some strong banana character. The taste starts ripe with banana and cookie dough. Corriander, and clove come next with as juicy citrus hops round out the finish. The alcohol is very well hidden. Again a nice interpretation on the style, very nice.

New Belgium: Lips Of Faith - Wild2 Dubbel (Ale Brewed With Schisandra) - The nose starts with raisins, molasses and some spicy banana. The taste follows with Belgian yeast, fig, raisin and gingerbread. The end is peppery and yeasty. Faint hints of sour funk appear in the finish. I don't normally gravitate to Dubbels but I like this.

Kona: Pipeline Porter - The nose is straight-up coffee. The taste is coffee with some cocoa, cola and some smoke in the finish. This is a straight forward coffee porter. If you like 'em you'll love this.

Pelican: Silverspot IPA - A nice hoppy nose with a light maltiness and a hint of spicy yeast. The taste starts sweet with malt and hints of toffee. Nice, floral and citrusy hops come next with a bit of earthiness. The hops are not as strong as they are in the nose, but the balance is nice. Quite a tasty example of the English style.

Wasatch: Park City Golden Anniversary Ale - I haven't tried this one yet, anyone? @ Beer Store - Squatters/Wasatch bottleshops. 

All of these are available at the Beerhive, get before they dissapear!

Cheers!

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

RedRock's 2013 Secale Returns Today

One of my favorite locally made beers returns today! Secale.

This beer is a bock at it's base, but has the addition of rye malt and is aged in High West Rye Whiskey barrels. Secale pours a dark ruby color with a moderate two fingers of off-white head. The nose has a dry roasted malt aroma along with a light rye spiciness. It's rounded out with a mild caramel malt and vanilla aroma. The taste starts with Caramel malts and toffee. Chocolate covered raisins come next come next with a dry rye spiciness. Hints of vanilla and whiskey come next in the end, as well as a subdued hop bitterness that balances the malty sweetness in the finish. The body is full and the whiskey notes become a bit more pronounced as it warms. The 8.5% abv is well hidden but sneaks up you quickly.

It will be available to purchase later today at the Brewhhouse, and available at the downtown location tonight.

Locally made beer combined with local whiskey? Xmas has come early!

Prost!

Monday, November 18, 2013

Snowbird Dunkelweizen

Debuting last September at Snowbird's Oktoberfest Celebration, Squatters' Snowbird Dunkelweizen proved to be a big hit among the attendees looking for a little extra German flare at the festival.

It's not surprising, Hefeweizens are very popular in the area and since Dunkels are akin to their wheaty cousin they seem like a natural fit. Brewed with darker barley malts (Dunkel means "dark") along with the wheat malt these beers are deliciously complex with low hop bitterness. The yeast used creates the clove and banana characters that are very similar to banana bread. Most are murky brown in appearance, another trait of the yeast.

You should start seeing Snowbird's Dunkel in the stores any day (currently at Squatters and the Beer Store) if it isn't already and I suspect it will be at one or two tap handles at Snowbird Resort. 4% ABV

Prost!

Friday, November 15, 2013

NOT New Beer Friday

Nothing really new out there today, but there are some interesting beers floating around that may do the job.

Roosters Hopfner: This amber-colored ale is brewed with locally grown hops, oregano, and a touch of lemon balm is one of weirdest seasonal beers you'll find. One word. "pizza".

Epic Hopulent with Lemon Drop Hops: Look for grassy, citrusy, lemon, citrus & pine in this version of Hopulent. Limited. Sorta new - sorta not, but it's pretty tasty! Batch #80 I believe.

Gordon Biersch Winter Bock: Cake with a touch of honey and spice notes, Nutmeg comes next with some dark fruits, the finish is dry and lightly sweet. A nice straight forward, drinkable lager.

Cheers!

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Salt Lake's Newest Brewery Arrives

Since mid-September, The Annex Gastropub/Brewery has been serving up food and Epic brews in the heart of Sugarhouse. Though the restaurant is doing well, it's only been operating at half of it's potential. The brewery part of the pub has been sitting empty waiting for new stainless steel tanks to fill it.

Finally Sugarhouse's first brewery is soon to be a reality. New beer making toys arrived earlier this week, and have already been placed into their new home. Though the Annex is owned and operated by Epic Brewing the beers being made at the new brewery will be unique to the Annex.

Though you'll still be able to get Epic's full range of locally produced beers (including Unsacred), look for new beers ranging in ABV from the the typical 4% to... whatever the system can handle. The new brewhouse is expected to go online in a couple of weeks and if all goes well we should start seeing new Annex beers by Christma-kwans-ukkah. Wahoo!

Also in Epic News - Epic Brewing was awarded two medals at the Great International Beer & Cider Competition in Providence, Rhode Island on November 8th.
Imperial IPA won Silver in the Strong Beer - Imperial IPA category.

Double Skull Doppelbock Lager won a Bronze in the Strong Beer - Doublebock category.
Cheers!

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

We're Already Full!

We filled up in less than 24 hours this year, but don't worry there are always cancellations. First come first serve on the cancellation list will get invites. So, don't wait. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

The 2013 Big-Ass Holiday Tasting

                                                    Sorry, We're Already Full

Back in 2009 a bunch of us Wasatch Front (and Back) folk got together over the Holidays to celebrate our love of craft beer. Our aim was simple - bring a bottle to share and get to know the rest of our beer community. I don't think any of us were prepared for the enthusiastic responses we received to our invitation - the scope and generosity of those who attended blew us away.

Now it's time to put out the invitation for my favorite part of the year - It's the 5th Annual Big-Ass Holiday Beer Tasting. The rules are always the same, but for new readers of the Utah Beer Blog here are the rules and info.

First of all this is the only invite to the gathering. If your reading this you know about the party if you missed it - I'm sorry. Social Media isn't conducive to having an intimate party of this size.

The concept is simple. Bring a nice beer, cider or mead. It can be in a bottle, can, jug, keg or jeroboam as long as it's "special" to you and you think it would be nice to share. It doesn't have to be rare - expensive or outrageous. Just something that you enjoy.

Homebrew is absolutely welcome! We have some incredibly talented homebrewers in the area, if you've got something that you'd like to share please bring it. Give us a heads up if it's kegged so we can make sure we have the appropriate amount of room.

If you have a tasters glass or a piece of stemware please bring it, you'll be glad you did. Plastic cups will be provided but I'd hate for anyone to have to use them.

The Holiday Tasting will be held at a private home and it's location will be given out only to those who RSVP. We will have to put a cap on the number of people attending due to the size of the venue. So get your RSVP in ASAP.

We'd ask that this be limited to "Beer People". People who know beer or are interested in learning more about craft beer. Please feel free to bring a guest if you don't want to come solo.

Speaking of "Beer People". Some of our local craft brewers will be in attendance as well as industry professionals. It'll be a nice opportunity for you to get to know them - and they you.


Plan ahead for your ride home. Last year we got hit with one Hell of winter storm, while it made for a beautiful Holiday evening, it created some difficulty getting people out the door and to their home's safely.

So, here's the info your gunna need.

Please RSVP to utahbeer@gmail.com (we filled up in 30 hours last year)

Absolutely no one under 21.

What: 1-2 bottles for tasting & sharing - tasters glass or stemware - some beer & snacks provided.

Where: Draper, Utah

When: The evening of Saturday December, 14th

Questions & RSVP: utahbeer@gmail.com

Don't hesitate to RSVP or ask questions! We usually fill up within a few days. Again, this post is the only invite to the gathering. Any questions?

Cheers!

Monday, November 11, 2013

Beer Geek Social Media

In an effort to better incorporate beer geek social media with their selection of beers the Bayou in SLC has added individual beer link on their website for users of Rate Beer and Untappd on thier mobile devices. The new features on the Bayou's website are simple enough - just identify the beer from the huge list of offerings tap the specific site you wish to be linked to and voilà, no searching or miss-spelled error notifications. It's just another thing to expand my beer geek reach while annoying my wife. 

And if your indecisive like me, there is also a random beer generator to help you consider something from the menu that you may never thought of. 

If your not using any beer related social media and want to give it a whirl and try me on Untappd - user name "utahbeer". from there you'll be able to hook-up with many like minded beer dorks.

Cheers!

Friday, November 08, 2013

New Beer Friday 11/8/13

You've been waiting for them forever, now they're finally here - the first batch of the (never come to Utah) New Belgium beers. For the first couple of weeks they're just going to be in some of the better beer bars around town - then they'll slowly start trickling into the liquor stores. Looks like they're in 22 oz. bottles. Hopefully we'll see 'em in 12 oz. bottles and cans eventually.

New Belgium Fat Tire: The nose is malty with a bready, biscuity character and a touch of floral hops in the background. The flavor mostly follows the nose. again, biscuity, bready malt with a few subtle, secondary floral hoppy notes... it does have a unique taste.

New Belgium Accumulation: The nose is a hoppy blend of grass, grapefruit and lemon with a touch of earthiness. The taste is similar, tart and grassy, but more earthy and with a pleasant spiciness as the flavor lingers on the tongue. Better than most White IPAs, still not better than Ghostrider.

To Øl Shameless Santa*: This is described as having a nose of dark fruit, pine and caramel with a taste of  dark fruit caramel and marzipan. The end rounds out with grapefruity hops.

To Øl Frost Bites IPA*:  This is descibed as having a nose of fresh pine, spruce, orange peel and grains. The taste is dry with spruce, pine, orange peel and an almost minty aftertaste with some grainy notes.

To Øl Snowball Saison*: Described as having a nose dominated by strong pine and citrus hops that mask the saison below. Taste has a nice bitter front, with some lemon peel and orange zest, big spicy peppery notes, slight fruity yeast notes,a slight funkiness and a bitter end.

Montage Mountain Ale: A golden Ale that's a lighter-flavored brew designed to be a year round offering at the resort. It is certain to be an après-ski favorite at Daly's Pub & Rec, the resort's gourmet gastro-pub.
Montage Mountain Ale is the result of a partnership between the resort and Wasatch Beers

Monty’s Belgian White Ale: is a private label bottled beer by Wasatch as well. Designed as a complement to Montage Mountain Ale. The cardamom and spice flavors pair well with the property's inventive culinary offerings. Monty's Belgian White Ale is only available at the resort's three dining outlets.

Firkin Friday at the Bayou: this week we have Rimnado's Wit from Unsacred (Epic) made with hibiscus.

Returning Beers
Uinta Sea Legs Baltic Porter: Pours a very murky, dark brown, almost black color with a small tan head. The nose is brilliant! full of toffee with some chocolate biscotti, a hint of Bourbon and espresso. The taste starts with sweet chocolate with some biscuity malt flavors. A bit of dark fruits with vanilla and subtle whiskey come next with a bit of dark chocolate and toffee in the finish. The alcohol is well hidden in this 8% beer.

Bohemian Munich Dark Lager: A classic example of a dark lager from the Bavarian city of Munich.  It pours a brilliant dark brown with flavors of toast and sweet malt. A touch of hops adds the perfect balance for a crisp, smooth finish.

Returning Holiday Beers
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
Ridgeway Bad Elf*
Ridgeway Very Bad Elf*
Ridgeway Seriously Bad Elf*
Ridgeway Criminally Bad Elf*
Ridgeway Insanely Bad Elf*
Ridgeway Lump of Coal*
Ridgeway Santa's Butt*
Ridgeway Warm Welcome*
Ridgeway Reindeer Droppings*
Ridgeway Reindeer Revolt*
Mikkeller Santa's Helper*
Mikkeller From/To*
Mikkeller Hoppin Lovin Xmas*
Struise Tsjeeses*
Kulmbacher Eisbock*
De Ranke Pere Noel*
Thiriez Noel*


Cheers!

*only at The Bayou

Monday, November 04, 2013

‘Hop Notch’ to ‘Hop Nosh’


In the beer world the most over used descriptor word depicted on a beer label is Hop. If it rhymes with Hop or if Hop can be utilized to substitute for another part of a word - it's likely to be adorning some label somewhere in the world. There are hundreds of labels from breweries all over the globe that try to provide the consumer with some clever, unique pun in association with a particular hoppy beer. And every day the field get's narrower and narrower.

Because there are such limited uses and just so many names available, people and entities are hunkering down and ready to go to legal blows to protect their "intellectual" property. Case in point, our beloved Hop Notch from Uinta Brewing. 

Uinta  has agreed to change the name of Hop Notch, the brewery’s best selling beer and one of the fastest-growing IPAs in the country, following a request from Massachusetts-based Notch Brewing, which owns trademark for the word “Notch” as it relates to beer and breweries. Notch Brewing claimed that Hop Notch was creating marketplace confusion.

Uinta will sell 66,000 barrels this year. Hop Notch comprises about 35 percent of the brewery’s total sales volume. By comparison, Notch Brewing, which produces under contract at Two Roads Brewing in Stratford, Conn. and Mercury Brewing in Ipswich, Mass., expects to produce 2,000 barrels of beer in 2013.

So basically Uinta could be spending it's money on useless litigation or concentrate on it's massive brewery expansion and making great beers. They chose the latter. In place of Notch you'll now see Nosh (meaning light meal). It still sorta works as a name and had we never brought it up you may have missed it. So welcome Hop Nosh to your fridges and watering holes - the “Hop Notch” to “Hop Nosh” transition will roll out with the new year.

It goes without saying, nothing inside the can, bottle or keg will change. I'll roll my eyes and shake my head at this legal stupidity, but as long as my tongue is happy, I could give a shit. 

Cheers!

Friday, November 01, 2013

New Beer Friday 11/1/13

Tenaya Creek - God of Thunder Baltic Porter: Nice nose full of espresso, roasted malts, chocolate and dark fruits.The taste is starts with roasted malts and dark fruits. Coffee notes come next with a nutty toffee end. Finishes smooth with chocolatle and a hint of booze. A nice, full bodied Porter. @Beerhive

Firestone Walker - Velvet Mirkin Bourbon Stout: Chocolate, The nose has dark fruits, but bourbon is most prevalent. The taste starts with chocolate and espresso, nice bourbon and oak characters come through next. with a finish that is surprisingly dry. This is not a big boozzy Impy Stout, so adjust you perceptions. Firestone Walker really know their barrel aging- a must try! @BeerHive

Deschutes - Black Butte XXV (25th Birthday Reserve):  The nose is of black currants, tart berries with a healthy doses of dark chocolate, coffee and bourbon. The taste starts with dark chocolates, pine bitterness and some tartness. Roasted notes of coffee come next with bourbon, black currants, dark fruits and rich chocolate. The finish is a bit boozy with a lingering tartness. @DABC - Bayou- Beerhive


Bear Republic - Café Racer 15 IIPA:  Nose is big with grapefruit, pine and big citra hops. Mild bready malt is beneath. The taste starts with juicy grapefruit and tropical hops. Spicy dankness and pine follows up in the middle. Bready briefly, then a nice dry, crisp resinous finish. Damn yummy! @ Beerhive - Bayou

John Smith's Extra Smooth Ale: The nitro can produces a finely foamed darkish ale. The nose was of faint malt, grain and dough. The taste has toasty malt with some light caramel followed by a mild, floral hop flavor. Leaves just a hint of bitterness on the tongue. @ Grocery (I saw it at Harmon's)

For Firkin Friday @ the Bayou, Hoppers presents Rockwell's Fireside Porter. It's full of smooth chocolate and dark crystal malt flavors with a light hop finish, cask refermented with real maple syrup and with lightly toasted American Oak.

Cheers!

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

A New Direction at Bohemian Brewing

Bohemian Brewing has been quietly making old world style beers at their beautiful log cabin inspired brewery in for the past 12 years. For the most part all of the beers coming out of the Midvale brewhouse have been 4% abv lagers that locals have embraced and visitors seek out.

Bohemian's mantra hasn't changed munch since it's founding back in 2001; Make a few beers, but make them well. For much of the of the early 21st century that was usually the case, there were four beers with limited special batch offerings. Over the past year that part of the story has changed, Bohemian's seasonal program has exploded with new monthly offerings and now comes word that the Czech founded brewery is finally releasing new true to style beers that aren't restricted to 4%.

Beginning sometime in early 2014 you'll have a couple of new offerings from Bohemian. A Dortmunder style Export Lager and and Bohemian's first ale in a can Altus Altbier.

Altbiers are usually dark copper color. They're brewed at a moderate temperature using ale yeast which gives the beer some fruitiness. It's matured at cooler temperatures which gives it a cleaner and crisper taste more akin to lagers.

Dortmunders are a German interpretation on the original Czech lagers. Similar to other pale lagers the beers are pale gold in color with moderate bitterness from noble hops and a well attenuated malt body. Higher carbonation tends to add a sharpness to the flavor of the hops - so brewers use less hops giving the beers a more subtle emphasis on the malt flavors.

It good to see Bohemian can still expand their offerings while keeping true to founder, Joe Petráš' original "old school brew" philosophy.

The cans shown above are still being tweaked but that's the basic look. I think they're pretty sharp looking and will really catch your eye while shopping. What do you think about Bohemian's new direction and look?

Prost!

Photo: Pete Petráš

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Squatters/Wasatch Release Cans


Remember this ad? It contained the aptly named slogan, "Nice Cans"! It was for the old St. Provo Girl brand from Squatters (now just Provo Girl) that had to go away in 2001 because tiny micro breweries were such a threat to international conglomerates. Yeah, we're talking about you St. Paulie Girl!

These were some of the first canned beers to feature products from the state of Utah since the 1960's. They were a little ahead of their time, while they sold - they never really caught on with beer snobs and they eventually went away.

Now craft cans are much more widely accepted with "reglar folk" and "beer dorks" alike. It's a better package for the product and it's much more conducive to Utah's active - high desert lifestyle.

Lead by Bohemian Brewing, Moab, Uinta and now the Utah Brewers Cooperative are now offering canned beer. Four local favorites (new & old) are (and will be) for sale now and ready for consumption. Hop Rising Double IPA and Full Suspension Pale Ale are the first beers from the Squatters camp and Ghostrider White IPA from the Wasatch side. Look for Wasatch's Apricot Hefeweizen in cans as well soon.

As of today, just Full Suspension and GhostRider are available and they're at the Beer Store - 1763 South 300 West, Salt Lake City. What do you think, Are you down with this canned beer trend?

We have more cool beer news set for tomorrow- Stay Tuned!

Cheers!

Monday, October 28, 2013

The Hop Bombshells Calendar



The odds are pretty good that those who drink great craft beer will look to take their love of suds to the next level and try to duplicate their favorite beers at home. Homebrewing cubs are popping up all over the state, bringing like minded people together to collaborate and share their love beer.

For the most part Homebrewing is seen as a man’s game, but there's one homebrew club out there changing the common perception of who Utah's homebrewers are. Since March of 2012, The Hop Bombshells Homebrew club has been fostering and empowering women of all walks of life to help every one of their members achieve her best brew possible.

The Hop Bombshells are not only about the best brew, but also about giving back to our community. and they could use your help. Some of the the "ladies in brew" have put themselves out there for all to see in a special charitable calendar, in a theme set around 1940's pin-up girls. It's a great looking calendar and the ladies are funny, cute and sexy.

The cost is $20 and a portion of the proceeds will go to a charity to be determined.The Holidays are coming up and this calendar is perfect for the Man Cave, Kitchen or Brewery. 

The HopBombshells Calendar is available at the Beernut and Salt City Homebrew Supply. Brilliant job ladies!

Cheers! 

The Hop Bombshells are (clockwise from left): Emily Park, Holly Russell, Brittany Nelson, Rose Flato, Becky Nix, Jamie Burnham and Tiffany Steele. Photo: John Barkiple & SLUG Magazine

Friday, October 25, 2013

New Beer Friday 10/25/13


Now that Mitt's secret "Mancave" has been exposed to the universe we thought a lil' New Beer Friday action would be the perfect thing to drown his sorrows - and who knows, he might actually stock it with some of these.

Bonneville Pumpkin Spice Ale: Made with Carabrown malt and lactose, it's described as pumpkin pie in a glass. The crew at Bonneville has been blending this new seasonal with Sir Malcom's Stout floated on top. They're calling it the "Trick or Treat" saying it tastes like chocolate pumpkin pie. 

For Firkin Friday at the Bayou - Desert Edge is offering their seasonal Citra in Red aged with Oak. The last time that DE had Citra In Red on tap I couldn't drink enough of it - curious to see how the wood affects the hop profile. Tapping at 3pm.

If your LDS Epic's new batch of Big Bad Baptist coffee/beer combo will send you reeling into a "word of wisdom-double threat-whammo-frenzy". It's back today as well. Mrs. Mikey gives it two huge "roasty" thumbs up!

Firestone Walker's Velevet Merlin Oatmeal Stout is back at the Beerhive.

Deschutes Jubelale and Full Sail's Wassail are both back, early for the holidays.

Cheers!

Friday, October 18, 2013

New Beer Friday 10/18/13

This week's New Beer Friday is more triumphant than a bad-ass Mormon Jebus saving a damsel, while riding a unicorn - Beer in hand. That's some pretty Triumphant shizzle yo!

Anchor Bigleaf Maple Autumn Amber: The nose is dominated by piney hops with dank dark fruits. The beer tastes the same. It starts with the pine and dark fruitiness but it also has a bit of maple flavor in the end. There’s a lingering bitterness undercut with a maple sweetness. Not really my style, but I am glad to see more seasonal offering coming from Anchor Brewing.

Squatters Gourd Almighty Pumpkin Ale: Typical Pumpkin ale flavor profile, but more subdued than some pumpkin beers in the market right now. If your not a fan of the style this one may be kinder to your palate.

Firkin Friday at the Bayou and at Poplar St. Pub has a new beer from Squatters, a Chocolate Witbier. I know Chocolate and Witbier is a bit of an oxymoron, but it does sound delicious. Should be tapped around 3pm.

A couple of returning beers from Avenues Proper include Benches Belgian Brown  as well as their session IPA, Hopspital.

Cheers!

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Oktoberfest Stuff for the Weekend

If you haven't had your fill of Oktoberfest celebrations - hold on we have more for you. This weekend there are couple of ways to get you lager on while enjoying some fine interpretations of Alpine cuisine.

First off is the Boho-Fest at Bohemian Brewery this Saturday Oct 19th. Bohemian will be pouring a shload of old school lagers with food & music.

Begining tomorrow - Friday, October 18th and Saturday October 19th Squatters is also having an Oktoberfest with live music from the Heidelberg Express Band from 7 – 10, traditional German food, and of course Oktoberfest mugs full of your favorite brew. Only at the SLC Brewpub.

Get out and hit one or both and try something new there are a lot of great fall beers being poured right now. I highly recommend Bohemian's brand new, Isar Rye.

Prost!

Wednesday, October 09, 2013

Bar-X's Beer Bar

From its days as a men's only bar to its national renown as a prime cocktail spot. Bar-X has been a notorious staple in downtown SLC since 1933.

Apparently the owners of Bar-X recently acquired the two properties immediately east on 200e. with plans to create a new beer bar called, err... Beer Bar? Now you may not know this about me, but I like beer & beer bars. This is really great news, SLC is really finding it's beer groove. We'll keep you updated as things progress.


Also, SLC's Becky Nix is this week's AHA Home Brewer of the Week. Becky, like many Utah transplants found home brewing out of frustration with her inability to find the styles she loved locally. Becky is a member of the the Hop Bombshells Home Brew Club and brews monthly. Congrats, Becky!

Cheers!

Tuesday, October 08, 2013

Epic's First 50 Firkin Fiasco List

I generally try to keep the news and discussions here to only those things that benefit the beer lovers of Utah, but I got my hands on the firkin list for Epic's big - First 50 Firkin Fiasco that takes place this Thursday (October 10th) at Epic's new Denver brewery, during the Great American Beer Festival.

Though I'm not permitted to publish the exact ingredients, I'm sure you can figure out what many of the firkins contain from the names listed. The modifications to each beer will be listed on each firkin at the big party.

The event will begin at 3:00pm and conclude by 11:00pm. The taproom will be open to the general public and will have 10 firkins available. A VIP pass will be offered for $55.00 which includes an event T-shirt, gift bag (glassware and logo goods) and access to the full brewery and all 50 firkins. The brewing staff from Salt Lake City and Denver will be on hand to discuss the beers, as VIP’s explore the brewery. Food vendors will be onsite during the event and passes will include a food voucher. The VIP passes are very limited, and are available for purchase from:  http://50firkins.eventbrite.com/

Epic is looking for 5 volunteers to help out at our First 50 Firkin Fiasco on Thursday, 10 from 2:30 - 10:00pm. They will hook you up with a custom event shirt and some sweet swag. You may even have a beer or fifty at some point. Email phil@epicbrewing.com if you're in Denver on Oct, 10th and have time to help.

We'd love to hook up with other "Utards" headed to GABF. Message us via the Utah Beer Facebook Page so we can "geek-out" together. Here's the list - these beers are "as is" a may or may not ever be duplicated again.

Clam Stout
825 w/ Coconut
825 Ice Cream Float
Big Bad Cherry
Spiced Cherry
After the Fact Brainless Pale Ale
Brainless on Curry
Chocolate Covered Raspberries
Big Bad Raspberries
Captain Crompton’s w/ Chinook
Apricot Cap’n
A(mber) B(eer au) L(apsang) S(ouchong)
Amber Chai
Black Pepper Double Skull
Cocoa Skulls
Orange Cow
Mint Cow
Imperial IPA w/ Coconut
Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkin Mole
Chipotle Pumpkin
Imperial Red w/ Fig and Grapefruit
Imperial Red w/ Cacao Nibs
Black Bark
Hibiscus Wheat
Lemon Fennel Wheat
Apple Pie à la Mild
PB&J Mild
Earl Grey Mild
Lavender Lager
South of the Border Pfeifferhorn
East of the Border Pfeifferhorn
Pepper Sage Rosemary and Thyme
Chipotle Jetty
Guayava Jetty
Bitter Date Jetty
Southern Spiral
Blue Hopu-berry
Hopu-cot
Oaked Mosaic
Ginger Citrus Mosaic
Imperial Kiwi IPA
Imperial Oaked IPA
Imperial Spiced Orange IPA
Fleeing the Elders
Witty Escape
Eastern Escape
BIPA w/ CTZ
Hopfenfestbier

Monday, October 07, 2013

More "Sin Taxes" for Beer Lovers

For lack of a better term, Rep. Jack Draxler, R-North Logan, hates beer drinkers. For the second time in 2013, the "anti-tax" Republican has proposed to run a bill to tie a potential tax increase on the cost of beer to the consumer price index. Earlier this year, Draxler not only tried to jack-up the tax on beer but also tried to increase the markup on liquor and wine that was associated with the beer tax bill.

His reasons are from the same ol' song and dance that you've heard a million times before - cut consumption while feeding the coffers. In fact, economists with the state of Utah said earlier this year that the estimated tax increase would have cut the states revenues by $465,000 a year from reduced drinking, which helped to kill the bill due to "tight economic times".

Draxler was quoted in the Salt Lake Tribune by saying, "I want to index the beer tax to the Consumer Price Index so that every year we don’t in real terms actually have a reduction due to inflation," Draxler said in an interview. "I do think that makes it more palatable. I think it addresses some of the concerns about the bill that was brought up last session."

He notes that last year the CPI was 2.9 percent. That would have raised Utah’s current beer tax of 41 cents a gallon by 1.19 cents if his bill had been in place. "So that would be only pennies [actually less] per sixpack of beer," Draxler says. "So it absolutely is not an oppressive tax, and it would probably raise somewhere around a quarter-million dollars. That’s not a lot of money when you spread it around the state for prevention and treatment programs, but it would help." 

The proposed tax is separate and apart from the sales tax at the retail level, which in Salt Lake County now averages 6.85 cents per dollar purchase.

If this proposed tax is such a minor hit to the consumer's pocket book why is he not going after a true revenue generating consumables? e.g. Soda Pop. You know the answer to that as well as I do. It would mean taxing himself, his family and those of his community that share his particular view on "wise words".

Remind your representatives that an election year is on the horizon and that bullshit "sin taxes" like these are bad for business and bad for Utah. Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, is among those suggesting the possibility of any new taxes are slim at best during the coming 45-day session, which begins in January 2014.  Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, has also said passing any new tax is unlikely in the coming session, given the election cycle.

Here are some links to help you find your Reps.
http://www.utah.gov/government/contactgov.htm
http://le.utah.gov/house2/representatives.jsp

Cheers!

Friday, October 04, 2013

New Beer Friday 10/4/13

Basically I'm slammed this morning. My real job demands my full attention this morning, so I'm gifting you this "half assed" New Beer Friday - live from Camp Williams.

Bonneville Oktoberfest: I first tried this at the Utah Brewers Guild's Oktoberfest last weekend. It's a strait forward Märzen with a little more toast than is typical, but it's quite drinkable. Brady & I dubbed it an Alt-oberfest. Check it out. @ Bonneville, Allstar Lanes & Beerhive

Avenues Proper Skittlebrau: I haven't tried yet. It's a saison at its base with a variety of berries added. Reaction is mixed on this one. What do you think? @ Avenues Proper

For Firkin Friday at the Bayou we have RedRock's Porter with Jack Mormon espresso beans. I could use this beer right-freaking-now!

Uinta's Wet 'n Wyld & Epic's Fest Devious Märzen are also back this week.

I'm sure I missed something, if I did please share the beer love.

Prost!


Thursday, October 03, 2013

Snowbasin Beer Festival

Help Snowbasin Resort close out the last weekend of their summer season with an ‘Oktoberfest’ style party this Saturday October 5th!  8 Local craft brews will be “on tap” to satisfy all your beer needs and wants. German food staples like bratwurst, special sausages and home-made sauerkraut will be ready hot off-the-grill while summer BBQ favorites like brisket, burgers and pulled pork will be available for purchase.

Entrance to the event is FREE. Beer Tokens will be available for purchase (must be 21 + with valid ID) at $2 each that can be redeemed for one 6oz sampler beer.  2 Tokens will get you 12oz of beer. Seasonal, specialty & high point beers will all be available to token holders.

Participating Local Utah Breweries:
Roosters Brewing Company
Uinta Brewing*
Bohemian Brewing
Moab Brewery
Red Rock Brewing
Squatters Beers
Unsacred Brewing
Wasatch Brewing

*Unita brewing will  be serving its Limited Reserve Beer called Wet ‘n Wyld for the first time in Utah!
No outside alcohol or outside food.  Tokens not redeemed at the end of the event will be considered void – no cash value.

Cheers!

Friday, September 27, 2013

New Beer Friday 9/27/13

Your going to have to venture out to the brewery or bar for these New Beer Friday offerings. Evertyhing available today is hard to find and far from typical.

Danish brewing legend Christian Skovdal Andersen was the founder and artistic force behind Ølfabrikken, until the brewery fell on some hard times. That didn’t stop Christian. After some saving and planning, he has now founded his own company, Beer Here, and the beer world is already talking about his new brews.

Beer Here Hopticulus: Hoptilicus is a barleywine hopped like a double IPA. The idea was to make a strong complex ale show casing both the hops and malts while retaining drinkability from the use of Danish beet sugar which ferments away leaving only alcohol drying the beer out. 9.0% ABV @ Bayou

Beer Here Kremlin Crude: This Russian Imperial Stout has vinous, rich nose is layered with malt, coffee, roasted grains and pungent smoke. Toffee from the malt and alcohol build to meet the hops, then the flavours melt together with Islay whiskey and dark sultana raisins. 10.0% ABV @ Bayou

Beer Here Rye Hopper: Called Hopfix in some markets, Rye Hopper started as a home brew recipe when Christian, founder of Beerhere started home brewing in the nineties. Wanting to brew a beer with rye, which is a stable grain of Danish cuisine he turned to the Internet and found a recipe from Denny Conn, award winning home brewer from Oregon. After brewing in the kitchen for a few years Christian started a brewery where the recipe lived on for a number of years as Ølfabrikken Rug IPA. When starting Beer Here in 2008, Hopfix would be one of the first beers to be brewed. In the intervening years the recipe has been continually modified but in its heart is it still based on Denny Rye IPA. 9.0% ABV @ Bayou

Beer Here SoD: A Baltic Porter full of dark chocolate, cocoa, carmel, figs and black fruit flavors. Full body with a smooth creamy mouthfeel.  An amazing example of this rare beer style. 7.5% ABV @ Bayou

Mikkeller SpontanCherry Frederiksdal: Mikkeller gets a little sour. SpontanCherry is an oak aged sour ale by the Danish gypsy brewery. Frederiksdal refers to the estate from which the beer gets its sour cherries.8.2% ABV @ Bayou

Mikkeller SpontanNoble: This Belgian Gueze style beer is aged in Sauternes Wine Barrels giving it an amazing wine/grape character which blends extremely well with the sour/tart gueze. 8.2% ABV @ Bayou

Mikkeller AK Alive: Only 1300 cases of this sour/wild ale by Mikkeller was Brewed at Anchorage Brewing Company. Based on Mikkeller's Wild Ale It's Alive, this beer has probably the strongest Funky Brettanomyces character of any of our wild beers. For fans of wild/funky beers only. 8.0% ABV @ Bayou

Christoffel Nobel: This Imperial Pilsner/Strong Pale Lager is dry-hopped with Brambling Cross.  91 points at ratebeer.com. The Bayou was only able to get 2 cases this time around. 8.7% ABV @ Bayou

Slaapmutske Triple Nightcap: Slaapmutske literally means ‘Sleeping Cap,’ (and, as an extension, ‘nightcap’) in Flemish. The name came about a few years ago when brewer Dany de Smet and his lovely wife, Marleen, were trying to soothe their crying baby, Jonas. When all else failed, Dany hit on the idea of giving the lad a short lick of a finger dipped into a glass of one of Dany’s beers. And with that, young Jonas was out like a light. Marleen declared the beer to be a real ‘slaapmutske,’ and thus, a brewery was born. 8.1% ABV @ Bayou

Fantôme Golden Ale: With a wonderfully musty and characterful aroma. There are many drinkers out there who believe this is the “Nectar of the Gods.” Certainly no other brewer makes beer like this, in Belgium or anywhere. How many beers of 8% plus offer such fresh fruitiness? A solid Belgian saison beer at its base, with an unusual overlay of fruitiness. 8% ABV @ Bayou


Deschutes Green Monster: 3 years ago, a batch of beer at Deschutes developed a "problem". The brewers decided to fill up some Oregon pinot barrels with the, gone astray beer and infect it with Brettanomyces,  Around the brewhouse it was known as "Green Monster," the name stuck and at the end of it's barrel aging the result is a monstrously fantastic, sour beer, with slight cherry and dried fruit aroma. In fact, the only scary thing about this beer is that it is SO LIMITED! The Beerhive managed to obtain about 5 cases. I imagine it won't last long. @ Beerhive


Bohemian Isar Rye: Predating the Reinheitsgebot of 1516, when rye was banned from brewing. is named after the main water way of Bavaria, the Isar River. This beer is made with 50% rye malt.and fermented with a traditional hefeweizen yeast strain. The result is a very full bodied 4% beer that takes from both the rich spiciness of the rye and the banana/clove esters from the yeast. You need to try this! @Bohemian

Don't forget about the Utah Brewers Guild's Oktoberfest tomorrow, starting at 1pm.

Cheers! 

Info: Mark Alston