New Beer Friday 2/27/26

Mom knows best! A glass of New Beer Friday has a full weekend supply of vitamin squee! It just what grow'd up boys and girls need. Cheers and have a great end of February.

Jimmy Brown of Fiddler's is in the Radio Pub this afternoon on KUAA. Fiddler's Elbow is an SLC institution! We'll get into the history and what's new at one of our favorite Sugar House haunts. Hit us up at 2pm today (Friday). KUAAfm.org/ 

Fisher - Nine Years of Nectar: Happy No. 9 to the Fisher team! To celebrate this milestone Fisher created this special Nectaron hopped IPA. It has a stone fruit nose with some herbal hops. Taste follows with nice round peach followed by zest and herbal/grass hops. Firm bitterness rounds it out. The finish is hoppy and lingering. Alcohol is well hidden. 6.5% - Available at Fisher now.

Fisher - Hopsicle: Light aroma, some citrus. From there all the swigs are tangerine forward. A nice brisk tasting pale ale. Finish has a bit of orange along with a pinch of that famous Citra onion flavor. 5.0% Available at Fisher.

RoHa - 222 Sunshine IPA: This Amarillo, Centennial & Citra hop IPA is full of what you’d expect: grapefruit, grass & a hint of pineapple. The malts are nice & toasty with light malt sweetness. The end is dry with a light amount of lingering bitterness. 7.2% - Available today at RoHa.: 

Offset -  So Out It's In: This version is referred to as "Wet Hop West Coast IPA". So, how is it possible to have a Wet Hop beer in February? Well the fine folks at Yakima Chief Hops figured out how to flash freeze wet hops just off the bine and then run them through their super cold Cryo pelletizing line. They store them frozen and sent them to Offset via overnight delivery on dry ice so they could be put into the brew as soon as they arrived.

This beer features a ton of Simcoe, Columbus, and Mosaic in the kettle and whirlpool in order to lay that resinous WC IPA backbone. Then it was heavily dry hopped with cryo-fresh Citra, Krush, and Mosaic. The result is a dry, bitter, WCIPA with explosive aromatics. Lots of sweet melon and berry notes abound with some citrus and plenty of sticky dankness from the Mosaic. Does it tastes exactly like the fresh hop beers offered during Hop Harvest every year? Not quite, but it's not far off. 7.0% Available at Offset now in cans to-go, and to enjoy onsite.

Home Range - Sobremesa: This oak-aged Botanical Saison has some locally grown botanicals: lemon balm, sage and juniper berries. Brewed with Home Range's unique Saison culture and aged in one of their two oak foeders. This lovely beer starts with light herbal notes on the nose, followed by earthy, herbal, sweet lemon flavors. Ends with a nice white pepper finish and warm gin-like character. 6.7% - Only available at Home Range.

Level Crossing - Broken Knee ESB: Missed this traditional English ESB. 5.0% Only on draft at Level Crossing at The Post. 

Shades - First Crush: This cranberry lime sour ale is bright with tart cranberry and lime zest. Lactose rounds it all out with creamy sweetness taking the edge off of the tartness from the cranberries and lime. This looks to be a contract brew and doesn't appear to be made with Shades' trusted Kveik yeast. 6.5% - Available only at DABS stores for now.

If you're curious about what's happening with Shades, here's what I know from my brief correspondence with Trent Fargher, Co-owner of Shades. Shades Brewing is on hold, until a judge rules in their case (which should be soon), construction on their new Evanston, WY brewery is on hold due to the litigation as well. Shades on State is still open, however you may also be aware that their former space on 300 w. in SLC is now the Engine Room Bar Pub and Bistro. It's unclear if Shades will reopen a Utah brewpub, even if the courts decide in their favor. Any thoughts?   

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

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 2/20/26

Forget about what the competition is doing, focus on the task at hand! New Beer Friday is offering up some gold medal brews perfect for these wintry days. 

HomeBrewtah, Utah's newest Home-brew competition is in the Radio Pub this afternoon. Head Honcho, Kelsey Booth will be joining Steph and Mikey as we help to primed for the coming home-brew battle. 2pm today on 99.9fm KUAA. KUAAfm.org/  

Proper - White Out: This new white stout pours very clear, an almost roasty coffee aroma. Toasty at first. Coffee comes in next with some medium roast character. It’s pretty ambiguous, but if I had a blindfold on, I’d say this was an English brown ale. Which, is solid praise. The tough part of “white stouts”, is that they’re either just that, a white stout? or a cream ale with coffee. It’s up to you to decide on which one it is I guess. 5.0% - Available at Proper downtown.

Grid City - Sentence Series: Blueberry (Coffee, Madagascar Vanilla Infused Nitro Honey Cream Ale): This is not the beer they made a few years back. This version has coffee added. Mostly coffee/vanilla nose. Same flavorwise. More coffee with some blueberry. Finishes with coffee and vanilla. 5.0% - Available at Grid City.   

Top Of Main - TNT (Tangerine and Terpenes): Built on a crisp blonde ale base, this one is all about bright citrus and dialed in aroma. The brewers used tangerine juice and a Tropical Grapefruit-T1 terpene blend to push fresh orange oil, grapefruit zest, and light resin notes without cranking up the bitterness. At 4.0%, it stays light, clean, and seriously refreshing. Avaiable at Top of Main and Squatters Roadhouse Grill in Park City only.

Cheers!
 

New Beer Friday The 13th (Valentine's Day Edition) 2/13/26

There are too many themes for this New Beer Friday The 13th (Valentine's Day Edition). We all know what your Beer Nerd Sweetheart desires, so keep it simple, stupid! The following beers will make your significant other squeal with delight. 

Should you need a special place to celebrate Valentine's Day (or not), might we recommend Cucina Wine Bar? They're the guest on today's (Friday) Beer Nerd Radio. You'll be surprised by the food and beverage offerings that this staple of SLC's Avenues Neighborhood provides. we'll get into starting at 2pm on 99.9fm KUAA. or stream us here at KUAAfm.org/  

Proper - Becker's American Lager: This is a resurrection (of a sort) of the Iconic Becker's Beer brand from Utah's beer past. Becker Beer and Malting Co. was founded in 1890 by German immigrants John S. Becker and his sons and became the longest-operating brewery in the state, surviving Prohibition, but ultimately closed in 1965 due to a "difficult regulatory environment" in Utah. In 2020, Ogden River Brewing featuring "Becker's Best" beers, which led to a trademark dispute with the Becker family descendants in 2022. This version was brewed in collaboration with the Becker descendants. We'll have full tasting notes on this beer on today's (Friday) Beer Nerd Radio. 5.0% - Only available at Snowbasin Resort currently.

Proper - Winter Heater: Spiced aroma–holidays specifically. Well hopped with some clove as well. Hard to tell where one starts and the other begins. Dry and herbal with a somewhat bitter finish. I don’t love it, but I really kinda dig it! 5.0% - Available at Proper

Talisman - Heartbreaker: This new ale is described as a white chocolate cherry stout. It was brewed with dark cherries, cocoa nibs and coffee beans. Just in time for Valentine's Day. Now in Co2 cans and on their Nitro tap. 5.0% - Only available at Talisman.

Bewilder - Is It Cake?: This ale is channeling Red Velvet Cake. It starts with a good dose of cocoa nibs, with a hint of nutmeg then to a hint of vanilla. The base is firm and malty with light balancing hops. Cocoa is a wee heavy. Love the name. 5.0% - Available at Bewilder.

Bewilder - POG Sour: Featuring Passion Fruit, Orange and Guava, this sour is lightly tart allowing all of the fruits to shine through respectively. Very easy drinking sour ale. 5.0% - Available at Bewilder. 

Park City - Beverly Pils 84098: This new West Coast Pils features a hop bill of Dolcita and Mosaic. A lightly crackery pils malt backbone providing structure. Dolcita shows up mid-palate with a rounded fruit sweetness, while Mosaic adds a juicy pop of berry and tropical notes. The hops are expressive but never heavy—allowing the lager yeast character and malt to remain center stage. 5.0% - Only at PC Brewing.

RoHa - Fools Gold: Toasty grains up front. There’s a cool fruity/estery yeast called Verdant that’s adding some nice notes of apricot, tropical fruits and citrus. The hops add pineapple and pear. The toasted malt is prominent and provides a dry finish. 5.0% - Only at RoHa.

TF Brewing- Stark Imperial Pilsner: Big cracker and toast from the malts. Good amount of sweetness that you wouldn’t normally expect from a TF lager. The hops show up to counter malt. Big grass and herbal hops - almost chewy and resiny. They have to be, to keep it all in check. Tasty pils. 7.5% - Available at TF starting today. 

Ciders

Second Summit - Marionberry Calamansi: Super fruity aroma! Smells great. From there it’s a solid grudge match between the marionberry and vague citrus zest. The berry is semi tart with a brash zesty quality that is soo damn fresh tasting. This tastes like spring in February. Which it kinda is. 6.5% - Only at Second Summit. 

Second Summit - Prickly Pear Habanero: Looks like pink grapefruit. YES! It’s like you always imagined a prickly pear would taste (before you had one). So much berry fruitiness. Then some scratchy peppers hit. Not annoying, just “prickly”. This works on many levels. Fruity with a peppery zap. Yum! 6.5% - Only at Second Summit. 

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

Cheers!

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.