Utah Brewery Map

Friday, October 31, 2014

New Beer Friday: Halloween Edition

Welcome to this special Halloween Edition of New Beer Friday! Today we have a new brews from local and out of state Booeries. See what I did there? I said, "booeries instead of "breweries".... because it's Halloween! ..... never mind, here are your beers.

Sadly, I've not had one of these beers. All descriptions are from the makers. The new beers from the Beer Bar are scheduled to arrive today and may not be available until after 5pm, so call first if your making a special trip.

Hoppers - Pumpkin Ale (Unspiced): Secret Agent and Hoppers Brewmaster Donovan Steele has a pumpkin ale - who doesn't, right? The difference is his has the pumpkin but no traditional pumpkin pie spices. The only spice like flavor is from the variety of hops used. The ale is made with fresh roasted pumpkin and pumpkin puree. Brown malt, caramel, honey malt, oats, and roasted barley to enhance the pumpkin flavors and texture. 4.0% ABV @ Hoppers

Oakshire Brewing - Watershed IPA: Brand new to the Utah market. Described as having a floral nose with lemon and hints of caramel. The taste has toasted grains followed by grapefruit, pine and some floral notes. 6.7% ABV @ Beer Bar

Base Camp - S'more Stout: Aromas of chocolate, coffee, fig, and smoke invite you in to a gigantic maltiness that is distinct in its smooth and refined character, with flavors of chocolate and hints of smoke mingling with rich caramel, fruit, and warming alcohol.  Top with a roasted marshmallow and you have the ultimate S’more experience! 7.7% ABV @ Beer Bar

Base Camp - Northwest Fest
: Base Camp's take on the malt-forward fest biers of Bavaria. Extensive malt aroma and taste trials over the last two years led us in crafting this recipe, a subtly-hopped amber lager that walks the line between dry and full-bodied, not too sweet but definitely not lacking in malty goodness.  Lagered on our in-house toasted oak to round out this brew’s flavor profile. 5.6% ABV @ Beer Bar

Hopworks - Fuggle IPX: Fuggle hops are typically floral and grassy so look for that along with a bit of light caramel malt. 6.0% ABV @ Beer Bar

Hopworks - Abominable Winter Ale: This is described as a Winter IPA. Look for toasty Munich and light caramel malts with a medley of citrus fruit notes from the hops. @ Beer Bar

Woodchuck - Granny Smith Cider: Brilliantly clear golden hue. The nose is simply apple. The taste is tart green apple. Not jaw locking tart but enough to feel in your cheeks. The are some tannin notes in the end. Very drinkable. 5.0% ABV draft @ Beer Bar (This one is on right now)

By the way, Heretic Brewing did confirm that they are bringing their beers to SLC in early 2015.

Cheers!

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Maple Mountain Halloween Party


Provo, Utah's Maple Mountain Brewing is still months away from going on line, however that's not stopping the the owners from keeping you excited about their new take on local beers. The Maple Mountain crew will be holding a Halloween party this Friday evening starting at 8pm at the brewery's future site. Donations will be appreciated as the fledgling brewery is looking for an injection of funds to to help them overcome some start-up hurdles so operations can move forward. Maple Mountain will have a few experimental brews on tap for people to enjoy. The address is 861s. 170e. Provo, Ut. Hope to see you there!

Also today, Uinta's popular Yard Sale Winter Lager is getting some new packaging. look for the new cans on store shelves in the coming days. Yard Sale is a great toasty amber lager full of Nobel Hop goodness. Always in my fridge. Formerly Gelande Amber Lager for those of you keeping score. 4.0% ABV.

Cheers!

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Middle of the Firkin Wirkin Work Week

The management at the Annex would like to reward you all for making it (relatively) unscathed to Wednesday. To celebrate this monumental achievement, "Middle of the Firkin Wirkin Work Week" was created to reward the working folk in the middle of the week.

This week's firkin is The Annex Bavarian Hefeweizen with Grapefruit Zest and Whole leaf Amarillo hops. They will again have a special small bites menu to go with the firkin. The tapping is at 4:00 pm and the firkin pints are a generous $3.

Cheers!

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Rumor of the Day: Heretic Brewing

2015 is likely going to be a big year for new craft brands coming into the state. Breweries from all over the west are discovering a huge Utah shaped hole in their distribution maps and are finding it's full previously undocumented money wielding beer nerds.

One brewery I'm hearing rumblings about is Heretic Brewing out of Pittsburg, CA. Heretic makes six year round offering and about a dozen seasonal beers. Their known for a DIPA named Evil Cousin and a Strong Ale called Evil Twin.

My sources are say early 2015. Take it for what it's worth, these rumors usually come to fruition, just not in the time frame normal humans are used to. Any thoughts on these beers?

Cheers!

Monday, October 27, 2014

2 Row Brewing Company

It's new brewery day! Yup, around here when we make a new brewery announcement it's like Christmas, Life Day and Mardi Gras all rolled up into one!

Our story begins here, on the internet. As many of you know, this is a dangerous place to be. Use cation when you tread here, what you do could have life altering consequences. Case in point: Brian Coleman - an unassuming local home brewer is bumping around on the inter webs and comes across a profession brewing system for sale.

Now most of us home brewers would have looked at this brewhouse system and thought, 'wow... maybe someday'. But Brian had to go and take it a step further and make contact with the seller. The result of his conversation was an out of this world bargain and an immediate trip to the East Coast of the United States. A week later after what could be described as the plot from Indian Jones and the Lost Crusade, Brian returns to the SLC with a shit load of stainless steel, hoses, fittings and a refrigeration system. It's at this point our hero says to himself,' I guess I'm getting into the brewing business'.

That's the somewhat vague and brief origins of 2 Row Brewing, Utah's next brewery. But starting a brewery is a lot more than having cool toys, you need some smarts in the kitchen and in the lab. If you've ever tried Brian's home brew you know that this boy has got skills. I've met few home brewers that have such attention to detail when it comes to the little things that make a big difference in the quality of any given beer.

Brian and his wife Dede have decided on Midvale to set up shop. 2 Row will be a 4% + ABV brewery that will cover the entire gambit of beers. The brewery will have it's own Package Agency so they will be able to sell be direct to the public.

The Coleman's are still in the process of gathering all the needed licenses/permits and are hoping to start brewing in the Spring of 2015.

2 Row will likely debut with four labels including an India Pale Ale, Double IPA and a Bier de Gard. Please show your support by liking 2 Row's Facebook page and keep checking in here for detailed updates. Congrats, Brian and Dede!

Prost!

Friday, October 24, 2014

New Beer Friday 10/24/14



New Belgium - Hop The Pond: Nice golden amber in color. The nose has some Mango and tangerine notes with light malt. The taste starts tropical as well with intense hop fruitiness and light caramel malt to balance it all out. The end is quite bitter with mostly pine resins.This is a really nice and drinkable Double IPA. The 8% ABV is well hidden, which could make it quite dangerous. @ Beerhive

Full Sail - Brewers Share Mathias’s Main Ingredient Oatmeal Stout: Pours black with a bi of tan head. The nose has some coffee and burnt toast aromas. The taste starts with a hint of sweetness that soon turns into char. The burnt flavors linger on a bit and transition into to lemon rind bitterness in the end. Finishes bone dry. Oatmeal stouts should have a serious smoothness and sweetness from the oats. This has non of that. It's way to dry and almost acrid. If you like American Stouts this may be more your style, if you into oatmeal stout look the other way. 5.5% ABV @ Beerhive

Sometimes these beers will pop-up at the DABC stores, you can never anticipate where or when, so if you come across any of them please fell free to come back here and spread the love.

Cheers!

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

The Second Annual Boho-Fest

The Second Annual Boho-Fest is coming up this Saturday, Oct 25th. The kids at Bohemian will be pouring a shload of their old school brews with the addition of great locally made brats. It will literally be a sausage fest with sausages from Siegfried's Delicatessen.

There will be live music, corn hole, heaters if it's cold and the ladies from Barley's Angels will also be there advocating for craft beers feminine side; offering a free pint glass full of beer with the purchase of a lifetime membership ($25).

If you've ever thought about getting into the home brewing game the guys from Salt City Brew Supply will be on hand to answer questions and provide tips.

Boho-Fest begins at 2pm and goes 'til 6pm at Bohemian's Brewery located at 94 e. 7200 s. You need to be 21+ to enter Boho-Fest, however the restaurant is open to all ages. Hope to see you there!

Prost!

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Epic's Element 29 American Pale Ale

Epic Brewing has a new Pale ale coming our way next month. Element 29 all Amarillo hopped American Pale Ale. Element 29 is named for Copper the 29th element in the periodic table.


Amarillo Hops tend to have full of big orange and tangerine notes. I got to try this ale at Epic's Denver taproom earlier this month. The appearance is copper colored of course with a nose full of
pleasant citrus and floral hops. The tastes starts with a bit of caramel and cookie dough with ripe peaches. Hops take over towards the end bringing forward floral and citrus zest. finishes moderately dry. 5.2% ABV

Element 29 is Epic's third canned beer and because it's only available in cans it will only be made in Epic's Denver brewery (that's where the canning line is) it is expected to hit Utah shelves in November. Because we live in Utah and the beer is made in Denver you will not be able to buy it at Epic's Bottleshop downtown. You can only buy beer at the bottleshop that's made in Utah. You may have noticed that you can't buy cans of Escape to Colorado and Hop Syndrome in cans there as well - only in DABC stores. Yeah, I know. We'll let you know when it pops into town.


Cheers!

Friday, October 17, 2014

New Beer Friday 10/17/14


Shipyard - Smashed Pumpkin: This was actually out last week but it got lost in last week's clutter. Slightly boozy nose with allspice, nutmeg and a bit of cinnamon. The taste is big and malty up front with assertive pumpkin spices. Big hop bitterness comes next rounding out the back end. The finish has a bit of alcohol heat. It's pretty good, There are better local options if you want a pumpkin beer though. 9.0% ABV @ Specialty Beer Bars and DABC

Avenues Proper - Little Sister Cerveza: A portion of this lager was brewed with specialty malted blue corn. Little Sister is described as having a golden color with pinkish/blue highlights. The flavor starts with light malt sweetness and a nutty corn chip flavor. The finish is hoppy and grassy with a bit of skunk for authenticity. 4.0% ABV @ Avenues Proper

Desert Edge - Put Away Wet: Clear dark brown in color. The nose is a little earthy and toasty citrus and floral notes. The taste is toasted and slightly malty with some chocolate and nutty flavors. finishes with a bit of floral bitterenss. Think wet-hopped Brown IPA. 4.0% ABV @ Desert Edge


Ninkasi is no longer exclusive to the Beer Bar. They did all the leg work, now you get to reap the benefits. Many of the beer bars in SLC are stocked up now and you should start seeing some in the DABC stores in the next couple of weeks. Here are some new arrivals.
 
Ninkasi Oktoberfest: The nose is grainy and earthy with some caramel aromas. The taste is toasty with some slight almond nuttiness. Vanilla wafers come next and big grassy hops round out the end. Finishes a little hoppy and dry. A little out of style but very drinkable. 5.9% ABV @ Beer Bar, Beerhive

Ninkasi Venn Dortmunder: Very bright and clear. The nose has biscuit and malt with slight citrus/grassy hops. The flavor follows the aroma with biscuit a bit of sweet malt and some bready notes. Big spicy hop bitterness comes next taking over creating a dry - yet unbalanced hoppy punch. Delicious! 5.1% ABV @ Beer Bar

Ninkasi Imperiale: Did not get around to this one. It's described as having roasted malt up front, with caramel, toffee, molasses and a touch of coffee smooth and creamy body warming the mouth. 9.1% ABV @ Beer Bar

The Annex has the Firkin at the Bayou today. It's their Milk Stout with added vanilla and milk sugars. Think Ice Cream! Tapping is a 3:30pm

The Annex is also serving a firkin at the brewpub. It's the Annex Irish Red with Vanilla Bean and Lactose. High krausened with Intermountain Wheat. Starting next week the Annex's Firkin night will move to Wednesdays with the debut of "Wirkin da Firkin". That firkin will feature the Annex's Milk Stout loved up with Chipotle Peppers.

The Holidays are here early with the return of RedRock's Griswald's Holiday Ale. This is always slightly different from year to year. @ RedRock locations

Cheers!

Friday, October 10, 2014

New Beer Friday: Wedding Edition

Got a wedding to go attend this weekend? I hear your calendars may have just doubled. Well my friend, it's a good thing you stopped by! Today we have all manner of liquid malty goodness to brighten up any party or to just help enjoy the day.

Last July we told you about the Summit Co. Land Conservancy's hikes to hunt for local wild hop populations. These hops are said to be descendants of plants that German immigrants brought to Summit County during the mining days of the 1800s. Through its Hops Hunters program, the Conservancy and hops-loving volunteer hikers identified viable wild hops populations on four Park City properties protected by the Conservancy—Empire Canyon, McPolin Farmlands, Virginia Mining Claims and the Rail Trail.

Wasatch brewers, the Conservancy and volunteers monitored these populations for peak brewing readiness for a few weeks and on August 27 harvested 42 pounds of wild hops cones, which Wasatch brewed into "Clothing Hoptional". I was under the impression that this beer was going to be part of the Hop Bandit seasonal that Wasatch has been making over last 5 or 6 years. Oh well, I'm always happy to be wrong in these circumstances.

Anyway, Clothing Hoptional is described as an unfiltered Golden Ale that pours a slightly hazy dark gold with a nice white head. The aroma has a hop character that is light citrus, piney, floral, and grassy along with light bready and caramel malt notes. The flavor follows the aroma with citrusy-floral and grassy hop flavors upfront followed by slightly sweet bready, caramel and honey-like malt notes, finishing with a slight bitterness to balance the beer out nicely. It is a nice, sessionable medium body 22 IBU beer. 4.0% ABV. Only available at Wasatch's Park City Brewpub and SugarHouse Brewpub.

Sierra Nevada Ovila Tripel: The nose has apple, citrus and Chardonay. The taste starts bready and sweet with some tangy fruity notes as well. Chardonnay grapes come next with peppercorn and clove rounding out the end. Finishes with a bit of spicy hops. Not as rich as some triples, which ups its drinkability. 8.8% ABV @ Beer Bar - DABC

Payette Bonanza Golden Ale: Golden Bronze in color with muted floral and citrus aromas. The taste starts with sweet biscuit and caramel. Slight floral and citrusy hops come next providing a nice balance to the ale. The finish is crisp and clean. A nice session ale. @ Grocery Stores

Beer from the monks of St Boniface and Andechs in Munich have made their way into Salt Lake City and are exclusively available right now at the Beer Bar. The brewery is the major income generator for the abbey. Here's what you'll find.

Klosterbrauerei Andechs - Doppelbock Dunkel: Pours a clear mahogany color with two fingers of tan head. The nose has toffee, caramel and hazelnut. The taste starts with fruity toffee and caramel. Nutty toasty grain flavors comes next with a bit of banana bread richness rounding out the end. The finish is toasty and slightly bitter. It's okay, could use a little more balance. 7.1 % ABV 

Klosterbrauerei Andechs - Vollbier Hell: The nose is grassy and spicy with noble hops, yeast and toast pilsener malt. The taste starts with biscuity, pilsener malt and some yeasty breadiness. Spicy noble hops come next with some grassy notes as well. Lemongrass fills the finish with a nice subtle bitterness. I'm not a huge Helles guy, but this one is quite good. Worth your time. 4.8% ABV

Klosterbrauerei Andechs - Weissbier Hell: The nose has a nice creamy wheat aroma with floral, orange juice and coriander. The taste starts with candy like toffee and creamy wheat notes. Toasty wheat and biscuit notes come next with hay and mild coriander and spices rounding out the end. Finishes semi dry with some lemon and orange zest. The Helles influences add a lot of character to this unusual Weissbier. 5.5% ABV

Klosterbrauerei Andechs - Weissbier Dunkel: Pours a dark mahogany color with a puffy white head. The nose has banana, cloves, caramel and Noble hops. The taste starts with nice yeasty notes, caramel and toffee. Chocolate malt and bready wheat come next with banana and spices rounding out the end. The finish is round and chewy. For a low ABV beer this brew is full bodied and hearty. 5.0% ABV.

From one of the largest in the breweries in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The Flensburger brewery was founded in 1888 and they credit the pristine underground glacier streams that hail from Northern Scandinavia for the beers consistently fresh taste. These are also exclusively at the Beer Bar.

Flensburger Pilsner: Pours a brilliantly clear straw color with a white foamy cap. The nose has a subtle grassy aroma with toasty crackers and grain beneath. The taste starts with sweet grains and toast. Slight earthy and sulfur notes come next with a sharp hop bitterness rounding out the back end. Great hoppy German pils with nice, smooth mouthfeel. 4.8% ABV

Flensburger Gold lager: Pours a clear gold color with a large white head that sticks around. The nose has apple and grape with mild grain notes. The taste starts grainy and toasty. Malt sweetness comes next with more white grape notes and a touch of grass and grain. Slight sulfur notes round out the end. Finishes semi dry. 4.8% ABV

Flensburger Weizen: Pours a hazy dark golden hue with a finger, foamy white head. The nose is doughy with tea and some cola notes. The taste starts like the nose with big doughy bread notes. Estery yeast flavors come next. The end is nutty with some biscuit notes. The finish is slightly bitter. It's ok. There are some off-flavors that I cant't quite identify. 5.1% ABV

Flensburger Dunkel: Pours a dark brown color with two fingers of frothy foam. The nose has molasses, tea leaves, cocoa and roasted malt grain. The taste starts with pecan nuttiness, toffee and some roasted grain notes. Cocoa comes next with some Nutella sweetness. The end has some leafy tea flavors as well as some floral notes. and some roasted grain. shells, a little light roasted malt grain, and tea leaf. 4.8% ABV

For Firkin Friday at the Bayou Hoppers has filled the barrel with their Dunkel Lager made with Vienna and Dark Munich malts with Hallertau Mittlefrau in the kettle. Dry hopped with New Zealand Pacific Jade. They have a nice pepper spice and a citrus rind and orange flavor. A little more pine like when dry hopped. Tapping is at 3:30pm

At 4:30pm the Annex will be tapping the Annex's Bavarian Hefeweizen made with White Turkish Figs. Sounds damn interesting!


Prost!

Thursday, October 09, 2014

Squatters' Beer Garden at SLC Farmers Market

If your headed to the Downtown Farmers Market this Saturday, look for something new. Squatters will be providing a Craft Beer Garden from 11:00AM-2:00PM. Squatters will be pouring 7 different drafts right in Historic Pioneer Park. Ever dreamed of pairing some of local vendors food with beer?  Now is your chance!

The draft list includes:
American Hefeweizen
Chasing Tail Golden Ale
Full Suspension Pale Ale
Organic Amber Ale
Vienna Marzen
Chocolate Rye
Simcoe Fresh Hop

Also, look for local food pairings, grab your favorite market vendor’s food and enjoy with a cold pint! Dottie’s biscuits, Grandaddy Dean’s, Bonaparte Grill, Thai Chef To-Go, or Tulie Bakery

Cheers!

Wednesday, October 08, 2014

Utah's 2014 Great American Beer Festival Winners


Yeah, I'm still here. My vacation was long and much needed but I have neglected you all for far too long and now it's time to get back into the beer groove. 

I got to spend some time in Denver at the Great American Beer Festival last week. The competition awarded 268 medals to some of the best commercial breweries in the United States, plus three GABF Pro-Am medals. There were 1,309 breweries participating in the competition from all 50 states and Washington D.C.. 5,507 beers were judged (Not including 89 pro/am entries). With all of these beers, the odds of coming away with and award becomes more & more difficult every year. Utah's brewers managed to walk away with 5 medals and a best booth award going to Uinta Brewing for their Beer Yurt.

All but one of the wining beers are available for purchase right now. Go out and enjoy some and support our locals. For a list of all of the winners click here
  
Category: 4 Fruit Wheat Beer - 65 Entries
Bronze: Wasatch Apricot Hefeweizen, Wasatch Brewery, Park City, UT

Category: 16 Experimental Beer - 79 Entries
Silver: RedRock Paardebloem, RedRock Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT

Category: 39 American-Style Amber Lager - 52 Entries
Rocket Bike Lager, Moab Brewery, Moab, UT

Category: 59 Ordinary or Special Bitter - 38 Entries
Silver: Cutthroat, Uinta Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT

Category: 77 Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale - 64 Entries
Gold: Squatters Hell’s Keep, Utah Brewers Cooperative, Salt Lake City, UT

Cheers!