New Beer Friday 6/5/20

No matter where you fall in this long overdue societal upheaval; at least here, in this small corner of the interwebs, I think that we can all agree that craft beer is the unifying factor. And if we can all find common ground here, we can find it anywhere. So let's all unify around all of the liquid happiness we have swirling around us this week.

Shades - Pleasantly Pickled: The dill is of course most prominent. The pineapple is fairly subdued, with the chilies taking the rest of the load. This is quite different than many of the other kveiks that you've had from Shades and it's due to the low lactose levels and the intensity of the herbs and spices used. It's good on its own or as a cocktail mixer. Think: cheleda, bloody mary, margarita or as a pickle back. 6.5% - Only at Shades.

Cerveza Zólupez - Lager Mexicano: Before the pandemic Zólupez owner, Javier Chavez Jr. traveled to the city of Monterrey in Northern Mexico to make a collaborative beer with one of that regions premier brewers, Cerveceria Cabrito. Using Chavez's lager recipe they produced a classic Mexican lager. Ironically these lager have their roots in traditional German beers. This lager has a subtle malt profile with Saaz hops providing a slight zest. at 5.0% it's pleasantly dry and very crushable. This beer is just hitting the Ogden area and will so be in wide release.

Toasted Barrel - Pineapple Smoothie: Missed this one. However I understand this to be a barrel aged sour with the characteristics of of a kettle soured smoothie style ale. I'm very curious. Only at Toasted Barrel.

Bewilder - Mexican Lager: Sweet and grainy malts add a soft bread-like maltiness with a touch of toast. The hops are Nobel-like and add some nice grassiness and spice. Very drinkable on a warm June afternoon. 5.0% - Only at Bewilder.

Level Crossing - Berry Hazy: This is an American style pale, with a good amount of citrus qualities from the hops. The berry medley used adds a complimentary fruitiness that works extremely well with the base beer and it never falters until the end of the swig. 5.0% - Only at Level Crossing.

Four Peaks - Gilt Lifter: I don't know if this is the right style of beer (Scottish Ale) to take you into the low cal/carb game. There are some nice sugary notes but, you really want those big toffee flavors in styles like this. This more of a pool or recreating beer. 3.4% - Found at Harmons.

Great Divide Car Camper: Nice grapefruit notes, good aromatics with hint of dank bitterness detected. Dry hopped grapefruit is upfront and forward with some piney elements as well. The malt profile is light which makes the beer finish failed dry. Pretty good, you could kill a few of these no problem. 5.0% - Found at Harmons.

Deschutes - Lil' Squeezy: Citrusy hops with bread hops that creep into cracker territory. The taste starts somewhat herbal with some caramel and tropical fruits. Hints of citrus and melon with a long dry finish. 5.0% - found at Harmons.

New Belgium - VooDoo Ranger American Haze: Some star citrus fruitiness in the nose with some cereal like grains. The flavor follows with low bitterness. 5.0% - Found at Harmons.

Firestone Walker - Fly Jack: Herbal nose with some grapefruit. Upon first sip there's  lot of grapefruit, with some earthy hops as well. The flavor has more citrus hops with some lemongrass as well. Notes of pineapple linger towards the end. finishes with some orange pith. Another entry into the low-cal beer game.

Returning Favorites:

TF - Who's Barry?: In this new iteration look for a slight reduction in lactose sweetness with an increase in overall berry fruitiness. Slightly more tannic which helps it keep that fresh fruitiness. The mouthfeel seems to have a creamier feel as well.

Hopkins Chile Mangose: This beer was originally made as a collaboration with Salt Flats for last year's Utah Brewers Guild Collaboration Festival. This version has been bumped up to 5.0%. The chilies provide more flavor than heat in this sour based beer. Ever tried mango dusted with chiles? it's very much like that; with less intensity. A wonderful beer. Only at Hopkins.

Hopkins also has a huge selection of small batch beers to offer this weekend.  Check these out!


Cheers!

New Beer Friday 06/07/19

Boy, you miss one New Beer Friday and people start sending out the rescue dogs. Thanks for the concern though, everything is fine, I just went on vacation. This week we're back - big as ever with new suds to help get your weekend rolling.

Kiitos - Barrel Select Imperial Stout: Starts off with the sweet bourbon over roasted coffee and cocoa bean. The taste replicates the aroma boozy bourbon sweetness that slides into the finish. On the palate, this one sits at about a medium body with a great sipping quality about it.This is a beast at 13.2% - Available at Kiitos.

Kiitos - Huell Melon Pale: Named for the hops used, this pale ale starts with a grassy, euro-hop profile that then transitions into green melon rind. The malt sweetness is light and complimentary. Finishes quite bitter. 4.0% - Available at Kiitos.  

2 Row - Extra: This copper hued lager has a light grain sweetness, that is also vaguely nutty and toasty. The hops are nice and floral with a hint of spice. This is super crushable and a highly drinkable lager. 5.0% - Available at  2 Row.

Fisher - Doc Sarvis: This pale ale has a grassy hop character, almost noble-like hop flavor with citrus peel and pineapple. It's got a nice hop flavor that turns a bit spicy towards the finish. 4.0% - Available at Fisher.

UTOG/Zolupez - Mandarina Kolsch: This new collaboration between Ogden's newest beer purveyors was just released yesterday, Sadly I missed it. Mandarina Bavaria hops have an intense pineapple, lemon and citrus flavors with a resinous, herbal followup. Should be tasty brew. 4.0% - Available at UTOG. 

Talisman 3rd Anniversary Ale: This Flanders Red Wild Sour Ale was aged for 15 months in Pinot Noir Wine Barrels from Talisman Wines in Northern California. It will be released today at 11am in the brewery's bottle shop. 9.5% - Available at Talisman.

Toasted Barrel - Imperial Stout: This hit yesterday at the brewery and I missed it. 8.7% - Available at Toasted Barrel.

Elevation - Pineapple Acide: Mildly tart with mild pineapple notes and malts. There's some slight wheat cracker tones as well; finishing with a hint of spicy hop bitterness. 4.5% - Found at Bayou and DABC

Stone - Enjoy By 07/04/19: Piney, herbal and zesty up front with some sweet chewy malts backing it up. It's quite bitter in the finish, showcasing a huge hop bill. Probably not their best offering, but it's still pretty good. 9.4% - Found at Beerhive.

I'm sure I missed something, help us all out if I did. Cheers!

New Beer Friday 3/15/19

Saint Patrick's Day is Sunday, but it will likely be celebrated all weekend long. There's no need for green beer, when you have a full board of new beers to choose from this week. Enjoy your weekend and please be safe!

 Zólupez - Hibiscus Wheat Beer: Inspired by Mexican Agua de Jamaica - brewed with coriander, chamomile/aka manzanilla, orange peel, and Pineapple Pale Ale (inspired by Tepache Mexicano- brewed with brown sugar. 5.3%. Available 3/16 at Zólupez Beer Store.

Zólupe Pale Ale: Described as having sweet fruity Pineapple notes, balanced with the hoppiness of a true pale ale. The unusual fresh aftertaste that hangs around after each sip derives from yerba buena (spearmint), the Mexican herb used a traditional “cure all.” Although unfiltered, nice clear appearance, solid head retention. Inspired by Mexican Tepache (a traditional fermented Pineapple beverage). Naturally bottle conditioned. ABV. 5.25%. Small batch 12 oz. bottles available Saturday 3/16 at Zólupez Beer Store.

Uinta Test Phaze IPA: The unique hop profile in this beer comes from an experimental hop that will likely never be used again. It starts grassy and herbal, then transitions into a good dose of citrus peel, then wraps up with pleasant melon notes. There's a slight hoppy bite in the end as well. One of the more unique tasting IPAs out there. 6.5%. Available at Uinta.

Odell 180 Shilling:  A hearty roasted malt base balanced by subtle earthy hops and aged on oak to create notes of toffee, plum, vanilla and dried cherry. 9.6%. Avaialble Beer Bar, Beerhive

Odell Bull Proof: This barrel aged imperial stout has a nutty chocolate Aroma. Taste of almonds, hazelnuts, dark chocolate and a hint of coffee. A little marshmallow in the slightly boozy finish.

Rogue Outta Line: The aroma is full of pineapple and orange peel. The starts with ripe pineapple, orange along with other tropical fruits. malt profile is honey-like and balancing. Finishes with a nice hop bite. Nice IPA. 6.9%. Available at Beer Bar, DABC

Upslope Blackberry Lemon Kettle Sour: Missed this one. Look for Blackberry and lemon (duh) and low bitterness. 4.2%. Available at the Bayou

New Belgium Mural: Slight pink hue with a fruity and sour aroma. The flavor starts mildly tart with a light malty base. Hbiscus pretty much, lime, melon and some unidentified elements. Beer Bar, Dick n Dixie’s

The following are "beer adjacent". They're not beer, but may appeal to beer drinkers. 

Squatters Grandeur Peak: Grapefruit aroma with light grapefruit peel in the taste. It watery because it's an alcohol based seltzer water. Defiantly a summertime pool beverage.  4.0%. Available at the UBC's West side Tavern.

Lagunitas - Hop: This sparkling water has heavy hop aromatics with citrus flavored water. This will give Mormons and non alcohol drinkers a good idea of why beer nerds like IPAs, This is a good non-alcoholic representation of what we are talking about. 0% ABV. Found at Harmon's.

Returning favorite

Epic - Elder Brett: I know we keep saying this but this may be the last release of this beer. This batch was hidden away for over a year and you can defiantly taste it. It's very tart with an almost balsamic fruitiness. Considering its age, this one is perfect for drinking now. Cellering this one may make it a bit too over the top.

Cheers!

New Beer - Brewery Friday 11/2/18

Three new breweries in three weeks? I'm pretty confident that this has never happened in Utah and it may never happen again. Salt lake's T.F. Brewing lasted only seven days as the new newness; passing the baton to Ogden's Cerveza Zólupez - a nano brewery that will specialize in craft brews with a south of the boarder flair. Congrats to Javier Chavez's on his new brewery.

Cerveza Zólupez Amber Ale: I haven't had this one yet. It's described a s being brewed with Piloncillo (Mexican brown sugar), and Mexican canela (cinnamon sticks). Giving it a malty, rich caramelly taste- balanced- with a good whiff and aroma of cinnamon. Two different batches of this beer was made.  #1 (5.12%) - #2 (8.12%) Available at Cerveza Zólupez tomorrow (11/3)


Cerveza Zólupez IPA: I haven't had this one yet. It's described a s being brewed with Blue Organic Agave from Mexico, and real lime peel (not concentrated lime flavor.) The lime peel, with the Citra hops, gives this IPA a hop forward fruit taste on the palate, and aroma lift to the nose. 7.63% - Available at Cerveza Zólupez  tomorrow (11/3)


 Epic Quadruple Baptist: The fourth incarnation (technically fifth) does not disappoint. The previous adjuncts of barrel aged coconut, cacao, and coffee is now combined with barrel aged almond creating a silky and smooth incarnation of Big Bad Baptist. The almond addition almost gives the whole chocolate/coffee/whiskey things and almost oat like quality that really sets it apart. If you're a fan of this series this one is a must for you. The version I had an ABV of 11.2%, but some are as high as 12.7% and as low as 10.3%  Available at Epic and soon to better beer pubs.

T.F. Brewing Northern Red Pale Ale: This is reminiscent of an old school pale. It has a medium light malt profile with hops that are citrus like to start then transition to more of a pine/herbal bitterness. Finishes dry. 4.0% - Available at T.F. Brewing.

2 Row Raspberry Sticks: If you're a fan of chocolate raspberry sticks, then you'll love this new holiday beer from 2 Row. This beer mimics the holiday treat quite well. It's got a good balance of raspberry and chocolate; the raspberry is particularly tart and fruity. The chocolate part come courtesy of Millcreek Cacao Roasters, it's adds a nice silky element to the stout. A very nice beer. 8.3% - Available at 2 Row, Bayou and Beerhive 

Proper - Country Mack's Harvest Pale Ale: This just hit my radar this morning. It's described as an old school American Pale Ale made with six different hops; including Meridian, Wolf and Dr. Rudi Hops. It's said to be bitter and dank with notes of vanilla and crackery malts. 4.0% - Available at Proper.

Toasted Barrel Oread Barrel 1: I missed these. A Brett Farmhouse ale aged in Waterpocket Distllery's Oread Botanical Liqueur. Look for notes of orange peel, anise, sage and lemon. 9.2% - Available at Toasted Barrel

Toasted Barrel Oread Barrel 2: Same beer, same barrel with a different balance of beer and barrel. Look for notes of orange peel, anise, sage and lemon. 9.2% - Available at Toasted Barrel.

Toasted Barrel Oread Barrel 3: Same beer, same barrel with a different balance of beer and barrel. Look for notes of orange peel, anise, sage and lemon. 9.2% - Available at Toasted Barrel.

Odell Isolation Ale: Has a nice aroma with caramel, citrus, and spices. The taste is sweet and malty with a slight bitterness. Starts with caramel, citrus, spices, and toasted malt. This is a malt driven beer that has enough bitterness to keep the the overall experience from getting too cloying. 6.0% - Available at Beer Bar, DABC.

Odell Whiskey Barrel Aged Lugene: The original Lugene was mothballed last year. This stout is a nicely round chocolate stout that can be on the sweet side. Lot's of barrel notes including wood and vanilla. It's full of chocolate,and lactose along with some light notes of coffee, and surprising amount of hops on the back end. Almost has a liqueur feel. Available at Beer Bar, DABC.

Saison Dupont: Light notes of clove, pink peppercorns, and a phenolic note cutting in. Nice peppery note at the front of the tongue, hint of bubble gum and sweetness, and a nice crisp finish. Super clean and refreshing. 6.5% - Available at the Bayou.

Speaking of the Bayou; they just got in a bunch of sour Belgian beers from Brouwerij Boon. I haven't had any of these yet, but my mouth is watering just thinking about them. These are in limited supply. get 'em before they're gone.

Boon Frambois
Boon Oude Gueze
Boon Oude Gueze Black Label
Boon Oude Gueze Mariage Parfait
Boon Oude Gueze - VAT 109
Brouwerij Van Steenberge - Tripel Van De Garre

Cheers!

Two New Breweries on the Horizon

Just when you thought the pack was at capacity, I bring word of two new players in the craft beer world that are vying for your hard earned beer dollars.

The first brewery is another addition to Ogden's beer scene. Cerveza Zólupez Beer Company will be a small batch craft brewery: Dedicated to Mexican-style artisan cervezas. Very small handmade batches will be the focus with limited beer selection and pequeño inventory. The brewery is owned by Javier Chavez Jr. an Ogden resident and attorney. His beer recipes will be influenced by the beer and food heritage de México. Javier beers will be using ingredients traditionally found in Mexican culture. Cerveza Zólupez's construction is  underway and received it's alcohol manufacturing license from the DABC yesterday. Javier plans to open Cerveza Zólupez later this year. Felicidades, Javier!

The other brewery was tracked down by Utah beer lover and photographer DJ Benway. DJ found a brewery called Emigration Brewing Company. By all appearances it appears to be appropriately located in Emigration Canyon and looks to be located at the old Santa Fe Restaurant - located next Ruth's Diner. Their website suggests that the owners may already be active in Utah's hospitality/restaurant industry and has some financial backing. 

As I get more info on Emigration and Cerveza Zólupez I'll be sure to pass it on.

And just in case your keeping score - Cerveza Zólupez would join Saltfire, Toasted Barrel, Templin Family Brewing and Saint George Brewing as Utah's 2018 new breweries. Assuming all goes as planned by the individual breweries.

In related news: Saint George Brewing received its alcohol manufacturing license from the DABC yesterday, the Templin Family Brewing received their liquor license from the DABC as well, and Policy Kings Brewery in Cedar City got their full-service bar license.

Salud!