The 2016 Mountain Brewers Festival and Craft Beer Week Begins

It's time for you to start thinking about getting your plans together for this year's Mountain Brewers Festival in Idaho Falls, Idaho. This is one of the biggest regional beer festivals in the west and one that many consider to be one of the best.

Previous years have seen upward of 70 participating breweries - pouring multiple beers from all over North America and Europe. Tickets this year are only sold in advance - they are available at Uinta Brewing, Bohemian Brewing and Rooster Brewing. You can also purchase online at www.mbbf.org - They are $30.

The festival takes place on Saturday June, 4th at the Sandy Downs Racetrack and is a 21+ event, so bring your I.D.s and leave the kids home. There are free shuttles to and from the hotels - you should use them.

Hope to see you there!

Also, today is the first day of American Craft Beer Week. I have the full week's schedule here - but will be posting the daily events with updates every day as well. Here is what is on tap for today.

Monday, May 16
RedRock Brewing
Beer Education Class/food pairs with Lauren Lerch at Red Rock Fashion Place 6PM.

Squatters/Wasatch
$2.50 drafts
Squatters Pub Brewery CAN Challenge: Can you taste a difference? Sample your way through a blind taste test of 4 Wasatch & Squatters craft beers available in both bottle and cans to celebrate American Craft Beer Week. The popular myth exists that packaging influences beer profiles, so see if you can tell the difference between the same beer packaged in bottles and cans. Class is approximately 2 hours long and guests who properly guess all 4 will receive a take home ACBW Glass.

Hoppers Brewing
$5 Growler Fills

Proper Brewing Co.
Tap takeover at The Ruin (all week)
All house beer pitchers at all 3 locations will be $10! (normally 12). This excludes guest taps at the Avenues, and any nitro beers (duh).

Uinta Brewing
Beer School with Head Brewer of Research & Development Isaac Winter. “Intro to IPA’s” will feature a history of the style, a walk-though of a variety of hops used in our different beers (including a chance to smell and see these hops) discussion of flavor development and a tasting of our IPA’s. $10 admission will pay for the samples, and the class is free. 6pm – 7pm in the Uinta Brewhouse Pub. 

Hop Nosh Tangerine promo @ Dick n’ Dixies around 5:30 for after work crowd

Blind Taste Testing flights. Receive 4 samples of Uinta beer (2 at a time) and guess 3 out of 4 beers correctly to win your choice of a Uinta Branded Wooden Sign and to be entered into a daily raffle for a limited edition Stainless Steel Stanley Growler.

801 cans are our featured beer of the week. Our 801 Pilsner doubles as a delicious beer and a community builder - proceeds from purchases benefit local non-profit Trails Utah $3/can.

Free tours will be available to the general public starting at 6pm. Groups will meet in the Pub and then be lead on a tour lasting 45 minutes.

Special Randall Beers will be available Monday night & Wednesday night.


Epic Brewing Brewing
All week: Free Brewery tours will be held Monday through Sunday at 4:00. First come first serve, limited to 10 people.

The first Straight up Saison release of 2016. Saisons are great summer dinner companions, pairing well with a wide range of light dishes, including salads, pasta, chicken & fish. This release is silky smooth with hints of lemon shortbread and fragrant herbs. It finishes slightly sweet with notes of citrus pith.

The Annex by Epic Brewing
All week: Featuring 2016 Straight up Saison paired with a small cheese plate of brie, honey, grapes and lavosh crackers.

Special release of Brett Pale Ale - featured all week: This beer is an untraditional Pale Ale fermented with Brettanomyces Bruxellensis, a unique “wild” yeast associated with the Brussels region of Belgium. The complex aroma combines pine, dandelion, hay, and wool. As a counterpoint to the aroma, the taste is bright and sharp with tangy orange-citrus and spice with underlying hints of dark rye and crust.

First tapping of the Utah Session Series Orchard Farmhouse Apple Ale - featured all week: This new addition to the Utah Session Series highlights the bright sweet flavors of Apples.

Cheers!