All of this Bud Light drama makes me harken back to simpler days when hot bikini girls could clammer for the attention of a Bull Terrier. Those were more innocent times. (sarcasm implied).Anyway, if non-macro-light-lagers are more your speed and if variety is what you crave? The New Beer Friday "research squad" (me) was able to track down a cornucopia of flavors this week that should keep you busy throughout the weekend.
This is also a New Brewery Friday as Helper Beer (Not Brewing) has released there first beers! Welcome to the Utah Beer Family!
UTOG just celebrated their fourth birthday, so we figured it would be the perfect time to get them on Beer Nerd Radio and reminisce about how they got here and what's coming up next. That'll be at 2pm today on 99.9FM KUAA.
Helper Beer - Nitro Stout: This is the first beer to come out of Utah's newest brewery. Sad to have missed this. 5.0% - Only at Helper Beer Co.
Helper - Vista View: This American pale: Sad to have missed this. 5.0% - Only at Helper Beer Co.
Talisman - Adventures in IPA: This version in Talisman's rotating IPA series is a double IPA, made with Vic Secret, El Dorado, and Citra hops. It dials in at 8.4% and is only available at Talisman's beer store.
Salt Flats - Testarossa Red: Toasty and fruity malts with some citrus, berry and herbal hops. The whole package is quite authentic tasting and it goes down quite fast. Available at Salt Flats and both Garage Grill restaurants.
TF - Horse Thief: This is a representation in beer form of a cocktail made at Blue Sky Ranch in Wanship, called Horse Thief. The cocktail is a blend of Casa Noble Reposado Tequila, High West Campfire Whiskey, Green Chartreuse, Ginger Syrup, Lime juice and blackberries. Templin’s interpretation has a sour base beer with noticeable lime, chartreuse, berries and ginger way in the back. It’s quite a floral sour that has a very spring-like feel to it. Super quaffable and bright. No tequila was used in this beer. 4.8% - Only at TF.
Grid City - Toasted Coconut Vanilla Coffee Nitro Brown Ale: Brewed with SSL's Old Cuss Coffee House Blend Expresso. Nice coffee aroma, some coconut as well. Coffee Carries through in the taste. The coconut takes a backseat like in the aroma, but works quite well. This will jive coffee lovers. Great blend from Old Cuss Coffee 4.8% - Only at Grid City.
Strap Tank - Honey Bandit Belgian Blonde Ale: Honey Bandit is a Belgian Blond ale brewed with wildflower honey. Wildflower honey is a raw unfiltered honey which gives it a stronger flavor than clover honey. The Belgian blond has a ton of honey notes but also a grainy sweet malty character and a touch of earthy hop notes. It also has those classic Belgian yeast flavors, a little orange and lemon. 5.0%
Kiitos - Tropical Haze IPA: This latest version has massive melon & grape qualities. Probably from some potent strain of Thiolized yeast. Big mango & hints of citrus too. Some onion in the finish. Overall: it’s quite fun. 5.0% - On draft and in cans at Kiitos.
Kiitos - Finnish Olut Lager: This Amber Lager is a rotating series that is debuting with this amber lager. It comes across as a Vienna Lager, full of caramel and nutty and toasty grains. The finish is clean and dry. 5.0% - On Draft and in cans at Kiitos.
Proper - Disco Death Squad: This is a Helles at its base with prickly pear added and blood orange. The prickly pear seems to dominate, leaving the citrus towards the back of the palate. Light & fruity. 5.0% - Only on draft at all Proper locations.
Proper - Jet Ski: This juicy pale has a light body with nice citrus and papaya and pineapple flavors. Drinks quite well. Might have a new pool beer. 5.0% - Only on draft at all Proper locations.
Bewilder - Double ESB (non-barrel aged): We'll discuss this 9.8% ale live on Beer Nerd Radio this afternoon. Available at Bewilder today.
Mountain West Perry: Missed this 100 percent pear cider. 6.5% - Only at Mountain West.
Scion - Ginger & Lemon: Scion's Vice Verde cider, infused with real ginger & lemon, limited single-keg release! 6.20% - Only at Scion.
The following are exclusive to the Bayou - All notes are from their makers
Brasserie Gode - Biere Brut: A pale golden color and floral flavor, blends with a sparkling wine recipe well-known for its tiny bubbles and amazing brightness, crowned with a light and airy foam. From essences to substances, the brewing secrets, followed by a maturation on lees in the bottle for several months, give birth to an exceptional sparkling nectar, worthy of the greatest sparkling wines. A delicate and regular riddling process ("Remuage") on a Champagne rack brings the beer an absolute clarity.
Siren - Caribean Chocolate Mole: Chilli and chocolate is a classic combination, and we've opted for using Ancho, Pasilla and Guajilla varieties for a spectrum of beautiful flavour. Further layers of mole come in the form of spicy, cinnamon notes of Amburana, delicate nutmeg and luxurious vanilla. We're also using an experimental HBC472 hop, known for its barrel aged and vanilla character - so although we don't have a barrel aged beer in this year's selection, this creation definitely shares some of the sensibilities.
Epochal - The Primum Mobile: Porter fermented for over a year in neutral oak
It's powerful and has depth of roast that offers dark chocolate, espresso and nutmeg biscuits with inky black cherries and a subtly balsamic acidity. It has beautiful balance, concentration and finesse. 8.8%
Pohjala - Must Kuld: A rich porter with smooth honey notes. Brewed with lactose for that extra silky texture. Enjoy on its own or as a dessert at the end of a decadent meal. Contains barley malt and lactose. 7.8%
Pohjala/To Ol - Sticks and Stones: An Imperial Stout brewed with raspberry branch tea, raspberries, and liquorice - aged in Oloroso sherry and Ruby port barrels. 13.5%
Fantome - Dark Spiritus: A Dark Wintery Saison. Notes of black pepper, malt and a touch of clove.
Fantome - 5 Monkeys Somewhere: A Collaboration between Fantome and Saint Somewhere Brewing. Spiced, Bitter, Lit Belgian Blonde.
De Ranke - Vielle Provision: Vieille Provision is a storage beer made with a selection of the best barrels of old beer in our brewery. The beer also forms the basis for Cuvée De Ranke and Kriek De Ranke and matures for at least one year in oak barrels. Taste: The beer is mildly sour, with subtle woody notes. 7.5%
De Ranke - Mirakel: As big fans of the Geuze style, we wanted to try our hand at making a beer with spontaneous fermentation. With success, much to our surprise. In addition to its own Spierelambique, named after a small river that runs near the brewery, two other traditional lambics from the Pajottenland are mixed in Mirakel. It is a blend of lambics of one, two and three years old. 5.5%
De Ranke - Cuvee de Ranke: Cuvée De Ranke is a blended fermentation beer, a combination of beer aged in barrels and lambic. Taste: Full sour taste with a hint of oak due to wood aging. 7.0%
De Ranke - Noir De Dottingies: Noir de Dottignies is a complex, dark top-fermented beer, brewed with 7 different malts including chocolate and roasted malts. Taste: Firm roasted malt flavor with a soft hop bitterness. 8.5%
De Leite - Cuvee Mam'zelle: Trouble in paradise! A frivolous damsel enters the scene. It is a young lady that over a few months matured in oak wine barrels, which gave her a deep but soft-bitter tannin aftertaste. The taste is full and complex because the brewers induced a controlled souring during the ripening process. The Mam zelle is by origin a blond beer. Ripening gave her a soft red glow. This is the reason why she is called high-blond'. The alcohol percentage is 8.5 volume. Brewers maintain that she is 'untameable'.
De Leite - Sour'ise Kriek: The Enfant Terriple is put for 6 months on cherries: 250 g sour, un-pitted cherries per litre beer. During this time, the bacteria are given time to digest all sugars even further and to let the soft natural souring have its way. Meanwhile, the cherries slowly donate their blood-red colour and their succulent taste. Part of this cherry also is transferred to the oak wine barrels where it - in a grow-bed of lactobacillus - during a year adds further to a woody souring and softening. The result is a triple-kriek 'pur sang'.
De Leite - Fils A Papa 13: Blond Tripel on Whisky Barrels. water, barley malt (gluten), wheat malt (gluten), oats (gluten), rice, hops, yeast, herbs, sugar, whisky
Tommie Sjef is a beer blendery from Den Helder, the Netherlands. We make wild ales which are fermented and aged in wooden barrels. All our beers are fermented using our own wild yeast and bacteria culture. This gives the beer, after extensive ageing - 1,5 up to 4 years in oak barrels, its typical slightly sour taste, and eccentric aromas. A bottle of Tommie Sief often contains a blend of beers originating from a selection of barrels, differing in age. Every barrel develops differently, each showing its unique characteristics. It is the art of blending to add balance, depth and joy.
Tommie Sjet - Sprong: 75cl, 7.1% ABV, bottled on 10-10-2022. Ingredients: water, malted barley, wheat, hops, sage, wormwood, wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria.
Tommie Sjet - Druif (2022): 75cl, 8.2% ABV, bottled on 24-09-2022. Ingredients: water, organic malted barley, organic wheat, organic hops, organic red wine grapes (Kékfrankos), wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria.
Tommie Sjet - Franc: 75cl, 7.7% ABV, bottled on 06-02-2022. Ingredients: water, malted barley, wheat, wine grapes (Cabernet Franc, Kékfrankos), hops, wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria. Shop page
Tommie Sjet - Cuvée (2022): 75cl, 8.2% AB, bottled on 10-01-2022. Ingredients: water, malted barley, wheat, hops, wine grapes (Muscat, Pinot Blanc, Olasz Rizling), wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria.
If your curious to try the Utah Pink Boots beer, At Wits End you can now find it at
Level Crossing Brewing Co.
West Side Tavern
Chappell Brewing
Roosters B Street
Ogden Beer Company
Hopkins Brewing
HK Brewing Collective
Whew! - I mean, Cheers!
