New Beer Friday 2/6/26

New Beer Friday is just what the doctor ordered. This fine regiment of malted barley, lupulin with an added dose of road time is guaranteed to add vim and vigor to any beer weekend sessioneer's routine.

Carlos Munoz of SnowmoBAR is our guest in KUAA's radio pub. WTF is a SnowmoBAR and what are its connections with zombies and and happiness? All will be answered this afternoon (Friday) with Mikey and Steph on 99.9fm KUAA. The home of Beer Nerd Radio. KUAAfm.org/

Desert Edge - Distortion: This Double IPA is a textbook looking WCIPA. Earthy, piney, some citrus. Nice mouthfeel! Creamy almost, then some orange peel slips in. It doesn’t last long until the more piney aspects come from the hops. It’s not as aggressive as the nose implies. It’s well balanced for the style. 9.0% - Available now at Desert Edge.

Wolfdog/Ogden Beer - Togo: This Vienna lager has a nice malt profile. Not overly sweet, just enough toasty Vienna malt goodness to make it a session machine. Hops are Nobel/grassy herbal. Fantastic lager. 5.0% - Available now at Wolfdog - Next week at Ogden Beer.

Home Range - Space Glacier: This hazy pale ale is bursting with citrus, stone fruit, and sweet tropical flavors. Incredibly crushable, light, and hoppy without being too bitter.

Kiitos - West Coast Pilsner: Brewed with Citra, Simcoe, Strata, and Moutere. This is a marriage between an adequately, handsome Yankee and a stunningly beautiful European. All of that German elegance, combined with a wee bit of American attitude - creates a marriage of citrus, melon, herbal and grass. 5.0% - Available this afternoon at Kiitos on draft.

Returning Favorites 

Level Crossing Black - The Black Album: This is part of Level Crossing's Black Feather Series. This is a black imperial rye IPA. The aroma is hugely dank, herbal and grainy with dense, bready malts. Flavor profile is less sticky, and a little more bold regarding the malts  – there's a good dose of roast and char swirling around throughout. Dank, herbal, floral, zesty hops open up playing off of the bready, nutty, roastier malts flavors. The bitterness is medium to high and pretty much rules the beer from the back-end to the finish. Overall: a great BIPA, with a big hop profile. 9.2% - Available at both Level Crossing locations.

2 Row - Timberline: This new version of 2 Row's WCIPA is made with El Dorado, Amarillo, Citra, and Simcoe hops. Oh yeah, that nose screams WCIPA. Yeah, solid swig too. Lil bit of caramel from the malt. Chewy grapefruit peel & pine round it out. Nice dry lingering finish. 7.1% - Available at 2 Row.

RoHa - Mango IPA: Nice fruity aroma. The taste follows with a medium amount of mango flavor that works very well with the malt bill. Hops for the most part add a little citrus but mostly grass and herbal notes. Finishes mostly dry. 5.0%

Here are this week's Small Batch Beers from Hopkins Brewing.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 1/23/26

 

If these inversion days are making you sad, New Beer Friday is the perfect tonic to blow the blues away. These fine new beers will make impervious to the thick air. 

Andrea Latimer of Utah's own Bitters Lab sets up shop in the Beer Nerd's Radio Pub. Bitters aren't just a cocktail thing, they encompass a wide scope of culinary uses. We'll get into all the flavors and uses at 2p today (Friday) on 99.9fm KUAA. KUAAfm.org/ 

If you missed this bit of news this week: The RoHa Brewing Project has new owners. Shawn, Steele and Jeni Smith of Draper, Utah recently acquitted the SLC brewery and have officially taken control of the daily operations. As of today, there are no plans to change the name. And as luck would have it, a brilliant new IPA is out today. Congrats to the Smiths for their new craft beer  passion project and welcome to Utah's Craft Beer Scene.

Epic - Tropical Chasing Ghost: Debuts today. No notes tune into Beer Nerd Radio for live reactions. 

RoHa - Salt Lake Whalefishers: This new IPA features a hop bill of Cascade, Citra, Simcoe. It has a pithy citrus nose. Taste follows with more citrus and pith with a hint of pine and strawberry. Hints of lemon peel toward the end with a lightly bitter finish. Other that that light hop bitterness, it’s basically a textbook NEIPA. 7.4% - Available today at RoHa. 

2 Row - Munich Dunkel: Smells quite dry. Once on the tongue it's much maltier. Flavor-wise it's dominated by notes of bread, nuts, and perhaps a touch of chocolate. An enjoyable lager. 6.6% - Available at 2 Row.

Park City - The Last Dance Lager: Brewed for the last Sundance Film Festival in Utah. 5.0% - Only at PC Brewing.

Fisher - Purple Mountains: American Wheat Ale with Loganberry and Grapefruit. This beer defiantly has a murky purple appearance.They definatly didn’t skimp on the fruit here. Tons of Loganberry (never had loganberry). So, not sure where the berry starts and where the grapefruit ends. Enjoyable. 5.0% - Available at Fisher.

Here are this week's Small Batch Beers from Hopkins Brewing.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 1/16/26

Need Something to see besides inversions and ballrooms? We here at Utah Beer plumbing and exchange have a massive New Beer Friday list that'll keep you focused on the tasks at hand. 

This weekend we invite you to stop Bewilder Brewing's 6th Anniversary bash. There a new batch of Bewilder's Barrel-aged ESB available along with a new English Mild Pub Ale. Check out their socials for more info. Hope to run into this weekend. 

Second Summit Cider is back in the radio pub. Joe Bott and Brandon Baldridge are creating some incredible ciders, we'll catch-up and help fill in some of the gaps in your cider knowledge – and of course sample some of Second Summit's newest stuff. Steph and Mikey are on at 2pm every Friday on 99.9fm KUAA or at KUAAfm.org/  

Uinta - Test Phaze 004: This New England style IPA uses a blend of Dolcita and Alora that creates a swirl of peach, melon and citrus. HBC 630 hops maintains a tropical balance that aligns the system for a luxuriant journey through the hazy malts. 7.8% - Available starting today at Uinta, with wider distribution in the coming days.

Offset - Need To Know Basis: Offset is pretty good about sharing their hop and grain bills with us beer nerds. Not with this new series though. Called Need To Know Basis. This will be a line of experimental beers that showcases new ingredients and process without experimenting on their  regular beers quite as often. Basically: The Offset team doesn't want anything to sway or influence your drinking experience with these beers. I have no tasting notes on this "hoppy ale". 5.0% - Available at Offset Bier in Park City.

Red Rock - Landline: Don’t like a WCIPAs you won’t dig this. If you do? Well… lemee tell ya…This West Coast Double IPA was made with Mosaic, Simcoe, Nectaron and Strata. A DDH nose of melon and citrus. From there a firm malt bill with chewy, resiny hops smack with grapefruit peel, more melon and strawberry. Firm semi-bitter finish. Not for the meek. 8.8% - Available at all Red Rock locations.

Helper - Looped In: Another new Double WCIPA in SLC. This un is all classic WC. Looks great. Nose of orange peel & pine. First swig had big orange peel & pine. It’s backed by a good amount of caramel malt. Not crazy sweet, but this is an old school beast. Lingering finish. 9.2% - Found at Slackwater, Beer Bar, Bayou, Beehive and of course Helper Beer.  

Bewilder - Pub Ale: Brewed in part for Bewilder’s 6th Anniversary. This English Mild has a floral and piney nose. Great malt profile. No effort here. Slides down so well. The flowery hops are actually in balance (used to too many IPAs I guess) the Co2 is light - like a pub ale should be. 3.7% - Only at Bewilder. 

Saltfire - Spiced Peach Sour: This base beer comes from Saltfire's Blonde ale foeder. The nose here lights up the sides of my tongue and I haven’t even had a swig yet. It’s quite balanced once swigged. Round peach mellows the sour base. Super drinkable. The chai spices take over giving it an almost Indian Peach cobbler vibe. G’damn tasty foeder ale! 5.0% - Only at Saltfire. 

Kiitos - Japanese Rice Lager: Check before making the trip. This is scheduled to be out some time Friday. Oh my! This damn thing is crisp AF. Dry to the bone with just a hint a rice/malt sweetness. Hops are mostly lemon zest with a hint herbal smack. A bloody brilliant lager that I will be crushing for the forseeable future. 5.0% - Available at Both Kiitos locations. 

Kiitos - Nitro Coffee Stout: This dry coffee stout made with Kings Peak Coffee Roaster’s Mount Olympus Coffee Blend.Damn it! I love a coffee stout - this one does not disappoint. The coffee comes across as a medium light roast. Some fruity notes from the coffee, then you get a cocoa blast from the grains. Great balance and drinkability. Silky smoove too.

Park City - Tiramisu Stout: Look for dark and roasty ale with sweet espresso and rum flavors. A  touch of vanilla rounds it out. Yeah, sounds delish! 5.0% - Only at Park City Brewing.

Level Crossing - Dark Helmet: Nice roasty aroma. Tastes more subtle. Sure the cocoa and roasty malts are present, but it's slightly more crisp than a “dark beer”. Disappears so fast and finishes fairly clean. Nice example of the style. 5.0% - Available at Level Crossing on West Temple.

Wolfdog - Hat Trick: This new blonde ale is scheduled to be released this weekend. If you're going specifically for this beer, call to make sure it's ready. 5.0% - Only at Wolfdog.

Here are this week's Small Batch Beers from Hopkins Brewing.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 1/9/26

 

Has AI screwed-up your day? Maybe your police report? No worries New Beer Friday has chased down and apprehended many of the new brews that'll make any non-Dryuary participant scream to be arrested. Check out some of these fine local beers.

The Radio Pub welcomes back a pals from Utah's Pink Boots Chapter in this week's Beer Nerd Radio. Pink Boots has a much broader reach now and we'll get into it all with guests Gette, Kate and Kelsey. listen in at 2pm every Friday at 99.9fm KUAA or at KUAAfm.org/ 

Proper - The Knights Who Say WEE: You can always depend on Proper to come up with G’damn perfect names for their suds. This Scottish Wee Heavy is toffee heavy. Not as sweet as you might think. Great flowery hop presence taking some of the malt edge away. A solid balance. Served a wee cold though. 8.0% - Available at all Proper locations.

Proper - Paradise Lost: Hopped with Azacca and Mosaic. This American take on a Japanese style lager has a melon/strawberry aroma. This beer is dry AF, the hops work well with it though. Lotsa strawberry and melon like before, but the dryer malt profile here gives the flavors a more raw flavor profile. Tasty AF. 5.0% - Available at the Main Street Brewery.

SL Brewing/Squatters - Yuza Bruzu: Yup! If you love a citrus blast in your beer, look no further. This is basically a beermosa all in one. Tasty AF! 5.0% - Available at all SL Brewing/Squatters locations.

Here are this week's Small Batch Beers from Hopkins Brewing.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 1/2/26

Hope your holidays were just as you hoped. We here at the Utah Beer Sponge Emporium enjoyed way too much cheer. If you haven't made the choice to abstain from great beer this month we have a brilliant list of suds to make you wish you chose a dry April instead. Happy New Beer Friday!

Speaking of "Dryuary" folk, we have your back as well. Beer Nerd Radio has you covered with a visit from our friends at HK Brewing Collective. We'll provide sensory and info on some of the latest alternative non-boozy options out there for you. See? It's a lil bit of something for everyone. Mikey and Steph fire up the radio pub every Friday at 2pm on 99.9fm KUAA. KUAAfm.org/

Salt Lake Brewing/Squatters - Smoke On the Water: Super subtle smoke here. Nice malt character, just wish it was a bit sweeter. It’s an overall clean but dry ale. 5.0% - Available at SL Brewing/Squatters

Red Rock - Chooglin': Whoa! There’s a good dose of NZ hops here - Citra, Krush & Nelson Savin! It’s full of melon, diesel & chewy orange peel. It’s well hopped for sure. It doesn’t have a bitter finish, but it is damn resinous. Another winner from RR. 7.8% - Available at all Red Rock locations.

Fisher - Necking: Wahoo! Love me some Nectaron pale ale! Great stone fruit and citrus happen here. If you're a fan of this hop, it's worth checking out. 5.0% - Available at Fisher.

Offset - Centennial: Look for high citrus notes on the nose. It's a very terpy/floral lemon/yuzu note with some strawberry. Not the juicy/candy like aspect of a strawberry but more the seedy outer parts of the strawberry. The flavor follows but this is where the pine comes into play. It's really fun beer that's incredibly bright with tons of hop character that never weighs on the palate. 5.0% 

2 Row - Nut Brown Ale: Look for toasted nuts, caramel malt, cinnamon and clove spice. It's like a handful of spiced holiday nuts in a glass. Easy-drinking, comforting, and perfect for cooler days. 5.0% - Available now at 2 Row.

Red Rock - Chooglin': This citrus-forward hazy double IPA is loaded with Citra, Nelson Sauvin, and Krush hops. Look for waves of bright orange, tart grapefruit, fresh lime, and zesty pith with underlying notes of tropical fruit and berries. 7.8% - Available at all Red Rock locations.

Home Range - Tiny Home: Missed this smaller version of HR's Home IPA. 5.0% - Available at Home Range Brewing.

Kiitos - Fonio & Ube: Whoa! It’s weird in a good way. A slight nuttiness, followed by vanilla. The fruitiness from the Fonio takes over from there, giving it a vanilla/Lechee dreamsicle mash-up. It’s all from the Fonio & Ube. Then throw in that crazy purple tint from the Ube. 5.0% - Available at Kiitos in draft and cans.

TF - Dropshot Pale Ale: This New Zealand-style pale ale is hopped with Motueka, Nelson, Strata and a Citra hop dip. It's a medley of melon, berries and a nice hoppy herbal bite. It’s well hopped for sure showing off all that resiny hop goodness. 5.0% - Available on draft at TF.

Grid City - The Big Fruitcake (Style 2 - Batch 1 - 2025): A wee bit of whiskey aroma. It lives up to its name for sure. It's all American Barleywine. It has a good dose of cherry, orange and berries. Dates and fig roll in next with a solid blast of hops to dry it out and keep it becoming cloying. The barrel Definitely takes a back seat in this beer. It does come with a nice as well. 10.8% - Available at Grid City.

RoHa - Dog Tag (Fifth Tour): This year’s Veteran’s blend is comprised of Krush, Idaho 7, Citra and HBC-1134. It's citrusy for sure. Definitely some lemon with stone fruit and tropical flavors. Herbal toward the finish. Nicely done. 5.0% - Available at RoHa on draft.

Ogden Beer - More Kick: This nitro Porter has great cocoa and roasted malt flavors here. The nitro makes this silky AF. Ummm. I love this as much as nitro porter/stout can be loved. I'd have another pint if I could. 5.0% - Available at Ogden Beer.

New to the Market Beers

These Breweries are new to the market. we'll provide their locations but you'll have to do the research yourselves.

Heavy Reel Brewing (New Jersey) - Slackwater

Falling Knife Brewing - (New Jersey) - Slackwater

Stormbreaker Brewing - (Oregon) - Beer Bar 

Wayfinder Brewing - (Oregon) - Beer Bar 

Steeplejack Brewing - (Oregon) - Beer Bar 

Von Ebert Brewing - (Oregon) - Beer Bar 

By All Means Brewing - (Montana) - Slackwater, Bayou, Dick n Dixie's, Handlebar. 

Ārpus Brewing - (Latvia) - Slackwater 

Here are this week's Small Batch Beers from Hopkins Brewing.