RedRock's 2013 Secale Returns Today

One of my favorite locally made beers returns today! Secale.

This beer is a bock at it's base, but has the addition of rye malt and is aged in High West Rye Whiskey barrels. Secale pours a dark ruby color with a moderate two fingers of off-white head. The nose has a dry roasted malt aroma along with a light rye spiciness. It's rounded out with a mild caramel malt and vanilla aroma. The taste starts with Caramel malts and toffee. Chocolate covered raisins come next come next with a dry rye spiciness. Hints of vanilla and whiskey come next in the end, as well as a subdued hop bitterness that balances the malty sweetness in the finish. The body is full and the whiskey notes become a bit more pronounced as it warms. The 8.5% abv is well hidden but sneaks up you quickly.

It will be available to purchase later today at the Brewhhouse, and available at the downtown location tonight.

Locally made beer combined with local whiskey? Xmas has come early!

Prost!

Lagunitas High West-ified Cappuccino Stout

The beer pictured above has a lot of people, "freaking the fuck out". It appears that Lagunitas Brewing got their hands on some of our locally made, High West Whiskey barrels and aged some of their Cappuccino Stout in them.

People have been asking me all weekend (if and where) it will be available in the state. I'd have to say, no it will not be for sale in Utah. It's likely High West's place in Park City will get a few bottles for sale or for the enjoyment of the distillers, but by the looks of the label, it's a "Ridiculously Limited Bottling" and that generally means, "not a chance in Hell - Utah"!

If anyone does happen to see some of this floating around, a little nudge in the proper direction would be helpful. Lagunitas has become one of the more popular breweries to enter the market in recent years, hopfully we will see more local collaborations with them.

Cheers!

A New Concept for Utah

There is a very interesting concept that is slowly taking hold here in Utah, a concept that has been around since commerce itself.  It's the radical  idea of selling what you make where you made it.

Now stay with me... I know I'm talking about stuff that makes String Theory sound like nursery rhymes here, but believe it or not there are places in this world where people can sell the things that they make, when they want to - where they're made (within reason of course). 

If you'll recall a few years back your favorite brewery could not sell it's customers all the products they made, especially if it was over 4.0% ABV. Now thanks to a little bit of rational thought from some lawmakers most breweries can now sell every beer in their portfolio from the very place their made.

Sundays and Holidays were a big bone of contention for many in the adult beverage industry. Utah is a tourism driven state and it was maddening for many to have to shut their doors during profitable times.

The High West Distillery was the first to convince our liquor overlords that Sundays & Holiday sales were beneficial to patrons and sellers alike. All they had to do was do one thing. Sell food. 

Within months nearly every class five packaging agency had gotten on board. And recently Epic Brewing came into compliance when they completed their own restaurant area at the brewery. So now you can buy Epic's beer 365 days a year (if they choose) and get a tasty sandwich. So come this Sunday January, 1st it looks like you'll be able to buy a beer at Epic - on a Sunday and a Holiday. What a concept Even for Utah.

Cheers!

A New Brewery Comes to Salt Lake

Well sort of... Gordon Biersch is opening a location in Salt Lake City, but your going to have to go to the SL International Airport to check it out. If your not familiar with The Gordon Biersch Brewing Company, they are a nation brewery chain that specializes in authentic, German-style beers.

SL International is an island of normalcy in Utah. It's likely this place could never exist outside of the confines of a "duty free zone". As Gordon Biersch make no 3.2 beer. Look for GB to arrive in late 2012, early 2013.

There's more. Squatters is partnering with Vino Vola to create the Vino Vola Alehouse. Vino Vola operates solely in airports around the country. Their concept is to showcase wine sampling flights and local ales in a comfortable post-security retreat for air travelers, combining a cozy wine lounge, restaurant, and boutique wine shop.

Vino Volo (derived from "wine flight" in Italian) offers wines from around the world by the glass, in tasting flights, and by the bottle for guests to take home or have shipped. This model will be modified to include select beers from many of Utah's Breweries.

Park City’s High West Distillery will also be slinging their spirits in the Airports very first Whiskey Bar.

Unless your heading out of town for business or for fun, it's likely you'll spend little time in these new adult friendly eateries because they are all in the concourse areas. Still, these are great opportunities to showcase some of the great things Utah Has to offer to the traveler that may not have time stick around town.

And there's a new poll. Sociology is fun!

Cheers!

Finally, Another Barleywine!

Back in the 90's there were very few high alcohol beers being made in Utah. They either came from Uinta or Wasatch and they numbered two or three. In 1998 Uinta Brewing Company brewed Utah's first really "big" commercial beer. The Anniversary Barleywine. Uinta's Barleywine reined supreme for over a decade being Utah's strongest beer and as the only Barleywine made in the state.

In recent months challengers have come along (Uinta among them) to knock off the award winning Anniversary Barleywine as Utah's "biggest beer". But no one has made a true Barleywine until now.

On Monday Epic Brewing release Utah's newest Barleywine. Barley Wine Release One is a 10.1% ABV American Style Barleywine. This first edition was brewed late last year and was aged for a couple of months in Highwest whiskey and rye barrels to give just a hint of barrel aged depth to the Barleywine.

Pours a reddish-brown with a big fluffy beige head. The nose is malty and boozy with pine and citrus. The taste starts with raisin, pumpernickel and some sherry notes. Resiny hops come next revealing a touch whiskey. The finish is sharp with alcohol and bitterness lingering on the tongue.

Definitely an American-style BarleyWine due to its punchy hoppiness. This newest offering is good fresh and young but six months to a year will add to it's complexity. $8.29 each 22 oz. bottle.

Also from Epic. Release #2 of the Impy Stout was released yesterday (1/25/11). It's 9.2% ABV is a little less boozy than release #1 and seems to be less on the fruity side. A different yeast was used and they upped the dark malts in the grain bill. Look for it at some State Liquor Stores sometime in February.

Epic also has 20 barrels of Imperial Stout aging in a mix of Stranahans and Highwest Whiskey Barrels. The final product could be a blend or go 100% barrel aged. Don't look for this one anytime soon.

If your local liquor stores aren't carrying any of these or any other local releases please ask the managers polity to bring some in for you.

Cheers!

Advocating for the "New" Utah

I'm not sure exactly what this is. It was found in the travel section at abcnews.com/.

It's not a news story, at least it's not formatted that way. It's about Utah's friendlier alcohol laws. It has interviews with Squatters' Jenny Talley & Jason Stock - the Beerhive's Del Vance and David Perkins of the High West Distillery. Enjoy.

Cheers!

Yet Another Distillery in Utah

Just weeks after the grand opening of the High West Distillery in Park City, comes word that another distillery is in the planning up in the mountain resort community.

Lespri Spirits would be the third entry into Utah's fledgling distilling community, behind the above mentioned High West and the newer Ogden's Own Distillery, makers of Underground; a Jägermeister-esque herbal liquor.

The founder of Club Lespri wants to start distilling vodka at their location in Prospector square, saying that it resembles in some ways the microbrewery market of years ago and that it could expand Park City's reputation as an imbibing place in a state that many outsiders perceive as being filled with teetotalers.

Scott Rogers, Club Lespri founder, said he wants the product to be "super premium botanical vodkas." According to his description, Lespri Spirits will purchase a neutral-grain spirit and then distill the spirit into vodka at the Sidewinder Drive restaurant-spa-health club.

Club Lespri has hired consultants to assist with the distillery, Rogers said, Club Lespri expects to test up to 12 recipes of vodka before deciding on five or six to produce and that the alcohols will be "vapor-infused vodka," but he does not consider them to be flavored vodkas.

Club Lespri is seeking state and federal permits to operate the distillery as it seeks an approval from City Hall. Rogers said he hopes the permits are granted by the end of 2009. Rogers wants to start making the vodka this winter and begin selling
the product by the end of the ski season.

Cheers!

Sourse: Jay Hamburger Park Record

Sap and Whiskey

I just spent last night watching a shload of sappy medical dramas filled with earnest, modern adult contemporary music; guaranteed send you strait into a diabetic coma!

My options are limited here. I either drink whiskey to heal from it - or I talk about. Its now 5am.. I guess I'm gunna have to talk about it.

So Damn-it, if I want to talk whiskey I'm gunna!

David Perkins at the High West Distillery in Park City got his hands on some 12 year old straight rye whiskey and 10 year old straight bourbon whiskey and has combined them to make one blended whiskey. He’s calling “Bourye”. Get it??? “bourbon” and “rye”.

The bourbon is a 10-year-old made
with 75% corn, 15% rye & 10% barley malt. The rye is a straight 12-year-old 95% rye, with 5% barley malt.

Should be available in the coming weeks. Sound pretty yummy!
Just the cure to get the Thursday-night sap out of your arteries. No offence to Mrs. Mikey.

Cheers!

The World's First Ski-In Gastro-Distillery.

This isn't really beer related but it's close... and pretty damn cool.

David Perkins' dream of a destination whiskey distillery is almost a reality. The High West Distillery and Saloon is just weeks away from from opening the world's first ski-in gastro-distillery.

Located in the historic National Garage and the Watts property at 703 Park Ave. near Park City's Town Lift. Perkins and his partner James Dumas have spared no expense in bringing the Park City treasure into the 21st century, while retaining 80 percent of its original materials - enough to keep it on the National Historic Registry.

The house which is adjacent to the garage now features several dining rooms and a bar. The historic garage or livery is large enough to host business and social groups and of course the 18-foot-tall German-made brass still.

High West actually has been distilling whiskey in a Salt Lake City warehouse for four years. High West rye and vodka has been for sale at Utah State Liquor Stores for a number of years and High West's Rendezvous Rye came home with Top Ten honors at the 2008 San Francisco World Spirits competition.

The High West Distillery and Saloon will be open to the public for tours, dining and sipping. It also will cater to private parties.

I can't wait to check out David's new place.

Cheers!

Ogden's Own Distillery

I can't believe this was below my radar as long as it was, but in my defense I concentrate more on beer with a minor in spirits. For a few years now High West Distillers out of Park City has had all the bragging rights on being Utah's only only local distillery.

Not no more. Ogden's Own Distillery is Ogden's first licensed distillery since before prohibition. This is a full-on distillery that concentrates only on spirits. UNDERGROUND is the distillery's debut spirit. Owner Distiller Timmy Smith describes it as a 40% alcohol Handcrafted Herbal Spirit, with an "interesting" herbal effect. And says it's best enjoyed chilled and as a shooter.
Smith says fans of UNDERGROUND are drinking it on the rocks and creating various concoctions.

Ogden's Own is working on being on liquor store shelves here in Utah by the end of June. As that gets closer expect to see more and more info. Salude!