New Beer Friday 7/12/19

The heat is on, and the beers this week reflect it. I'm not saying these are all quenchers; I will say that if you need an attitude adjustment there plenty here to get the job done. Happy New Beer Friday!

Uinta - Tu Meka Tart: This has an herbaceous/fruited yogurt aroma with a lemony tart base. The New Zealand hop blend adds some perceived fruitiness and bitterness adding to the lactic twang. It finishes slightly puckering. Nice beer.  6.7% - Available at Uinta. DABC next week.

2 Row - Seeing Stars:. Pours a murky orange with thick white head. Aroma is tropical fruits with some grapefruit. Huge tropical fruit flavor with mango, papaya, pineapple and also some tangerine. Another excellent NEIPA from 2 Row. 8.3% - Available at 2 Row, Beehive, Dick n Dixie's

Shades - Tai Tom Kha: This may have already sold out, so make a call before heading out. The subtle tart base creates a nice platform for the coconut, ginger and lemongrass. A restrained amount of lactic sugar helps sweeten it up a bit - adding balance to it all. Another winner. 6.3% - Available at Shades 

Kiitos - Rimando Pale Ale: I missed out on it. I'll try to have something for you later on KBER 101 at 2:20pm 5.0% - Available at Kiitos, I also found it at the Bayou.

Mother Earth/Fremont - 4 Seasons Hazy IPA: It has a peachy nose with some peach/passion fruit vibes at the beginning of the taste. Pineapple and citrus peel round it out. Minimal bitterness in the finish. seems a little light in body for as turbid as it is. Nice. 7.5% - Found at Beerhive

Great Basin - Cerveza Chilebeso: Missed this one. I'll try to have something for you later on KBER 101 at 2:20pm. 5.5% - Found at Bayou. 

Kiitos - Hard Lime Setzer: Nice lime flavor. It looks like real fruit by it's appearance. Very refreshing. 4.0% - Available at Kiitos on draft only.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 4/26/19

Our New Beer Friday family may not be traditional, but we are interesting AF! This week's selection may not be huge but it's diverse a hell. Have an excellent weekend!

Proper - Hopothetical: This New England style IPA has a descent fruity/tropical nose that's full of the aromas most of you love. The taste has an Orange Julius vibe that is creamy, fruity and juicy. Very little bitterness; the 'juice' is really all that lingers. Crisp, medium body. 6.1% - Available at Proper and Craft.

UTOG Scottish Ale: This seems to be like a "wee peat" style of Scotch Ale. The aroma is malty with a bit of smoke, with little in the way of hops (which is appropriate). The taste starts lightly malty with toffee notes then transitions to a more smokey profile. The smoke comes of as phenolic and medicinal - sort of like a Band-Aid. 4.0% - Available at UTOG.    

UTOG - Kolsch: This unfiltered Kolsch a hazy golden yellow appearance. The aroma is mostly light, toasted grains.

Shades Kveik #6: Apricot and peach are the featured flavors here. Of course the kveik base is nicely tart but the stone fruits used here pretty much run the show. Though the flavors can be somewhat similar, the apricots to me steal the show. Very fruity and tasty with zero bitterness. 6.3% - Available at Shades and most beer pubs.

Mother Earth - Four Seasons Imperial Stout: Missed this one; and it makes me sad, because it sounds delicious. This imperial stout is aged in bourbon barrels and was brewed with tart cherries and liquid cocoa. Sounds tasty, eh? 11.7% - Available at Beerhive, Slackwater.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 6/29/18

New Beer Friday really does care. Do You? This week we have an eclectic range of suds along with a local favorite that will be making it's final appearance.

Shade's Kviek #1: The aroma is very hoppy with citrus overtones noticeable lemon tartness. The taste is lightly piney and hoppy with hints of citrus and berry. All IPA upfront, tart in the middle with a lemony ice tea finish. 6.5%. Available Saturday at Shades Brewing.

2 Row Blood Orange Sour: Not tried this one yet. The only place I know of that has this is the Bayou; don't even have the ABV on this one. I hope to have more info for you this afternoon on New Beer Friday with Mick and Allen on KBER 101 at 3:30pm.

Epic Utah Session Series - Passion Fruit: Brilliantly clear appearance. Passion fruit and a little sulfur in the nose. The taste is mostly passion fruit with some Belgian-ish yeast spices. Hint of surfer in the finish that fades after a while. 4.0% ABV. Available at Beerhive, soon everywhere there's an Epic seasonal handle.   

Proper/Sawtooth Puddleduck: This draft collaboration was brewed with Sawtooth Brewery from Hailey, ID. This is a light colored, wheat-based ale using a ton of fruit-forward hops and a special yeast favored for its use in hazy IPAs. The result is full bodied and juicy with notes of mango, melon, lychee and strawberry. Available only at the Main Street brewery.

Anchor's Nelson Pale Ale: The aroma is grassy and funky, with orange, melon and blueberry. The flavor starts with citrus peel, pine and melon . Some vanilla and a vague berry round out the back end. Overall this is a very nice and complex pale ale. 5.3%. Available at DABC.

Odell Onolicious: This has a tart lemony base with a good dose of passion fruit, mango and guava. The flavors get a little muddled but you get the idea that this is a tart fruity salad in a glass.6.5%. Found at Beer Bar. 

Odell Friek: This has a dusty dry raspberry aroma with a hint of cherry. The taste has raspberry and tart cherry; it's more tart than sweet. Some nice citrus notes round it out with a noticeable amount of oak, and a lingering funk. A nice barrel-aged fruited sour. 6.5%. Found at Beer Bar.

Mother Earth Call Me Ginger: The aroma is mostly big candied ginger. The taste is much more subtle with semi-sweet malts and light dose of ginger root. Next comes a nice balancing dose of lemon peel that serves mostly to keep the root in check. I liked it more than I thought I would. 4.8%. Found at Beer Bar.

Full Sail's Citrus Maxima: Missed out on this one. 5.7%. Available at DABC.

Upslope's Rocky Mountain Kölsch: Missed out on this one. 5.1%. Available at DABC.

Crazy Mountain's Lava Lake Wit: Brand new to our marketThe nose has crackers with floral, spicy and citrus hops. Tastes of earthy floral hops, pale malt and a hint of spice. A nice Witbier. 5.2%.  Available at DABC.

Crazy Mountain's Hookiebobb IPA: The aroma is floral and citrus with some candied fruit and pineapple. The taste is citrus and pine with a lingering, pithy bitterness. A bit chewy with a touch of crackery sweetness. A nice IPA. 6.7%. Available at DABC

Stone Enjoy by 7/4/18: Lotsa peach and tropical flavors going on here. The hops are big and assertive with a descent dose of malt backing it up. It's got an ABV of 9.4%, so don't drink this one on an empty stomach. As usual we're getting this one late, so drink 'em up by Independence Day.  Should start popping up in bars and stores later today.

Returning Favorites

Elder Brett: It looks like our favorite Elder is coming home from his mission for the very last time. This is the last batch of Epic's original barrel aged sour and it will only be avaiable in SLC starting today. Elder Brett's aroma is rich with the musty, barnyard-like character that “Brett” is famous for as well as some remnants notes of white wine. The flavor also has wonderful amounts of fruity notes both from the yeast and hints of peach, all rounded out with a pleasant and refreshing acidity and incredible drinkability for an 9.5% beer. We will miss you.

Litha Imperial Saison: The nose is earthy with some funky peppery saison yeast countered by zesty rye spices, bread, alcohol and light tropical fruit. The taste starts with a bit of pepper, clove and and coriander followed by estery fruits. Brady malts come next witha touch of alcohol. The end has a nice balance berries and tropical hops. Finishes semi-dry. 8.0%. Available Proper Brewing.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 3/16/18

All I can say about this New Beer Friday batch of beers is that they are all full flavored beasts. If you like your beer subtle and light, these will not make you happy. Let's proceed.

Bohemian SIMPL (Session India Munich Pale Lager) - This very hoppy lager has a huge grassy and spicy nose. The taste has a huge blast of herbal, grassy and spicy hops that play off the mildly sweet toasted grains. I love lagers like this, the Mandarina Bavaria and Hallertauer Blanc hops create a incredibly complex flavor profile. If you like hoppy lagers, you love this. 4.0% ABV. Available at Bohemian

Squatters Chasing Tail Orange - I hope you like orange, because that's what you're going to get with this new brew from Squatters. It starts with a orange soda like flavor. Not as cloying as orange soda but it has that syrupy feel. As you get through to the end more orange peel comes through with a bit of pith. 5.2%  ABV. Available at Squatters/Wasatch locations now - soon to DABC stores.

Rogue Paradise Pucker - Sour and tart dominate both the aroma and flavor. The addition of passion fruit, orange peels, and guava work well with the lacto tartness. The result is a nicely tart and fruity concoction. 6.0% ABV. Available at select DABC stores

Mother Earth/Melvin Four Seasons Collaboration - This beer is massively hoppy and dank as shit. From the aroma to the palate you're senses will be assaulted with big chewy citrus and tropical fruits. The bitterness is high as well, countering the moderate amount of malt sweetness. There are six different hop editions here, featuring Citra and Mosaic and Lupulin Powder. 8.5% ABV. Available at Slackwater, Beerhive and The Bayou.

Proper's Mr. Wolf - This is a pale ale that features Styrian Wolf hops. These have subtle floral flavors like rose, orange blossom, and geranium, and also has a pleasing amount of earthy dankness. 4.0% ABV. Available at Proper Brewing.

Proper is also re-releasing  Czech Your Head - Only difference this year is that Proper is introducing some Mountain Malt along with the pilsener and adding some Tettnanger along with the Saaz hops. This will be a year-round beer, and it will be in Proper's bottle shop shelves today. 5.6% ABV

Remember, If your out and about this St. Patrick's Day, please avoid the green beer and embrace something craft.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 1/12/18

RoHa State Room Brew: This beer was done specially for The Stateroom, the local music venue in SLC.  It described as "combining all the essential beer flavors you need while dancing and listening to the show.  A nice bright red color with a subdued malt character and a hop flavor in the end enough to keep you drinking but not overpowering.  It has great balance to make sure it can quenches your thirst". Think of it as "Gig beer". 4.0% ABV. Only at RoHa and the State Room.


2 Row New Zeangland IIIPA: Yet another IPA is here from 2 Row this one is a Triple IPA made in the New England style with a variety of New Zealand hops (including Motueka), hence the name. It's described as having a "sweet light fruity aroma, flavor is the same with a dryer soft bitter finish". 10.1% ABV. This is available pretty much at any craft beer bar and of course at the brewery.

Mother Earth Four Seasons 2017 Winter BBA Brown Ale: From Mother Earth - "What started as an award winning Imperial Brown eventually made its way into Mother Earth's barrel program, thanks to a dependable base recipe and customer following, they decided to double mash it, which involves using wort instead of water to gain a higher ABV and more complex favor. Finally, they threw in some brown sugar to add a light molasses favor and age the beer in toasted oak barrels to create the perfect winter-warmer". 12.0% ABV. Available at the Beerhive, Beer Bar.

Strap Tank Barrel Aged Saison:  This Saison is described as having layers of farmhouse funk that complement perfectly the aromas and tannins of Cabernet from the barrel. At least one strain of Brettanomyces was picked up, created notes of barnyard funk, pineapple and hay that we couldn’t be happier to discover as we blended the final mix. Like a wine-beer hybrid, it pours apricot-orange with an off-white head. Balanced bitterness & healthily carbonated". 11.6% ABV, This beer goes on sale Saturday morning (1/13) at 11:00am. Only available at Strap Tank.

I know I missed something, help a brother out with the info!

Prost!

New Beer Friday the 13th Part Deux

Be warned, I'm feeling a little ornery on this New Beer Friday morning. I desperately need a little attitude adjustment. Any suggestions?

2 Row Breakfast Stout: The newest entry from 2 Row has a nice aroma of coffee and some herbal hops. The Taste follows with some smoked molasses added and cocoa as well. The end is surprisingly hoppy and herbal. It's slightly over-hopped which seems to muddle the coffee flavors in my opinion. It looks like it's quite a hit. Don't wait too long, it moving fast! 7.8% ABV  Available at 2 Row and your better beer bars and restaurants.

Lagunitas Eroica: Th is new beer from Lagunitas pours a light amber color with little head retention. The nose tart and oaky with a bit of vinegar. It tastes mildly tart with oak-y red wine and tart cherry. A bit of vinegar in the end as well. It finishes dry with lingering sour notes. It's light and tasty, though I'm note sure what this beer is trying to be. Fuck it. Let it just be a tasty, tart beer. 8.0% ABV. Available at  Dick n Dixie's, Beerhive with more places being added.

Firestone Walker 2017 Helldorado: This "light barley wine" has notes caramel, vanilla and bourbon. Big malt sweetness hits right off the bat. with nutty cereal and caramel. Some honey flavors try to push out next but it's soon overtaken by oak-y bourbon. Most of the bitterness seems to come from the wood rather than hops. Seems to lack some of the balance it had from previous years. Still; a fine barley wine in any regard. Available at Dick n Dixie's and Beer Bar.

Talisman Witches Brew: I haven't hooked up with this witch yet. This is a Kolsch at it's base. And it's brewed with cranberries, orange peel and typical fall spices. 6.1% ABV. Available at Talisman's Brewery.

Mother Earth Four Seasons Autumn: I haven't had this one yet. I just couldn't commit to 22 ounces of 11.7% beer, solo. This is a barrel aged version of their Sin Tax Peanut butter Stout. I'm currious to see how this one works out. Have you had it? Please share, if you have. Available at Beerhive, Beer Bar, La Ferrovia, The Bayou.

Park City Oktoberfest: Caramel sweetness, a little nutty with Nilla Wafer notes and some grassy herbal hops. A nice seasonal offering from Park City Brewery. 4.0% ABV. Available at PCB's Brewery and Beer Bar.

Great Divide Chai Yeti: This new edition to Great Divide's Yeti series has dark chocolate and bitter cocoa notes with smooth chai and autumn spices rounding it out. It has some sweet latte qualities that chai fans will love. 9.5% ABV.  I found it at Beer Bar.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 9/1/17

Welcome to September. You can officially start drink those autumn beers with out feeling guilty. Our New Beer Friday selections today cover a wide range of flavors. Please enjoy.

New Belgium - VooDoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin: Caramel, pumpkin and cinnamon dominate the nose here. Peppers are also present. The tastes follows suit with sweet pumpkin and caramel. Cinnamon and peppers round out the end. I don't think the spices are too overpowering, it's a nice change of pace for a pumpkin ale. 6.4% ABV. @ DABC

Prost Brewing - Marzen: The nose here has nutty toffee with light grassy aromas. The flavor has toffee, nutty cake and toasty biscuit. Mild grassy/floral hops round out the end. A solid example of an Oktoberfest. 5.8% ABV. @ DABC

Shades of Pale - Slick City Citrus IPA (Nelson Savin, Mosaic): The nose has tropical aromas accentuated with pine and berries. The taste has passion fruit, papaya and dank citrus. Finishes sharply with pine and bready malts. Great IPA, should be a new regular recipe. 7.0% ABV. @ SOP, Soon to DABC

Shades of Pale - Berliner Weisse: The nose is basically sour wheat. The taste is medium to high lemon tartness. Very nice and puckering. 4.0% ABV. @ SOP

Proper Revenge Double IPA: I'm not 100% sure when this beer goes on sale. It could be today or tomorrow. I'll update you when it hits. This is on sale now @ Proper

Red Rock - Juice Almighty Session NEIPA: I haven't had this yet. My pals that have had it say it's nice, tropical and juicy. @ Red Rock

Mother Earth - Bourbon Barrel Aged Strong Scotch Ale: Big Toffee sweetness infused with medium to lite bourbon flavors. Finishes sweet and oak-y. 11% ABV @ Beerhive

What did I miss? Please share.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 7/14/17

Happy New Beer Friday! Please select your choice from the options above. Don't screw this up, your weekend may depend upon it.

Mother Earth - Born Blonde Ale: Not tried this one yet. look for a lightly malty palate. Most have a subdued fruitiness. Hop character is of the noble variety, or similar. 4.8% ABV @Slackwater, Beerhive, Bayou.

Mother Earth -  Say when IPA: A Passion Fruit enhanced IPA - with light flavors of citrus and herbal leafy hops. Low bitterness. 7.5% ABV @ @Slackwater, Beerhive, Bayou.

Magic Hat - Ticket to Rye IPA: Not tried this one yet. Described as having rye spice, nicely woven into a hearty, bitter backup from an entire band of Nugget hops.7.1% ABV @ DABC

Firestone Walker - West Side Bivo:  Starts out tasting of lemon and tangerine hops. Mild hops come next with toasty cedar and floral hops rounding it out. Fairly bitter finish. 6.5% ABV @Slackwater, Beerhive, Bayou & Beer Bar

Stone - W00t Stout 2017: Wonderful vanilla and cocoa nibs up front. A nice pecan nuttiness shows up late, just before a nice bourbon swirl rounds it out. 13.5% ABV @Slackwater, Beerhive, Bayou & Beer Bar

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 10/7/16

It's the week of the Great American Beer Festival! Which means I'm suffering through this ocean of craft beer - Toiling! Just to bring you all, news of what great beerie things may be making it's way to our little Utah shaped corner of the universe. As I'm writing this from out of state, I'm assured the following yummy new beers are stocked and ready to go. If I missed anything please share the "beer love".

Please tune into KBER 101 at 3:30pm for my New Beer Friday and GABF reports. Also please follow me on Twitter (@utahbeer) to see how Utah's craft beers fare in the ultimate national competition.

One more thing. Keep a look out on the Utah Beer Facebook page for live drunken check-ins from the festival and various exclusive parties. My wife guarantees that I'll be an embarrassing gooey mess. Plus it'll be great blackmail ammo for all of you to use against me. Let's begin!

Let's begin!

2 Row Sour Saison - This beer was just bottled yesterday and I can't wait to try it! New Head Brewer, Clay Turnbow designed this This kettle sour beer made with a new saison base that features a a French saison yeast strain and is hopped with citrusy American hops. Look for that signature lemony tartness to back it up. 6.0% ABV @ @ Row's Bottleshop.

Robinson Brewing/Iron Maiden Trooper - Described as having caramel malt flavors and citric notes from a unique blend of Bobec, Goldings and Cascade hops dominate this deep golden ale with a subtle hint of lemon. 4.7% ABV @ Slackwater

RedRock Marvella - Peach and bubblegum dominate this Belgian style Tripel. This is the first real Tripel to come out of RedRock. (Reve is technically a wild ale).

Mother Earth Righteously Hopped Red - The malts have a nice berry fruitiness that plays well with the citrusy hops. Has a slight hoppy/nutty finish. 6.0% ABV @ BeerHive

Great Divide Claymore Scotch Ale - Big toffee malts with very little in the way of hop character. It all rounds out with very subtle smoke baking it all up. Medium to full body. Very tasty! 7.7% ABV @ Beerhive.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 4/22/16

I've been doing New Beer Friday for quite a few years now, it still blows me away that there are still so many new options hitting bars and store shelves on a weekly basis. I wish I could try them all before Friday, but I'm only one man. Here's your latest, New Beer Friday lineup. 

Bohemian Cottonwood Common (Brewers Stache Series) -Haven't tried this one yet. This beer is Boho's interpretation on a California Steam Beer. They are typically malty with some mild fruitiness and have an assertive hop bitterness. 4.0% ABV @ Bohemian

2 Row Bier De Garde - Dried fruit aromas in the nose with some light floral notes. The taste starts with big bubble gum flavors,  rich dark fruits and some dried apricot. Herbal bitterness and some phenols from the yeast round out the end balancing out the palate. Medium body. A great tasting Bier De Garde. 7.0% ABV. @ 2 Row, Beerhive, Bayou

Proper Brewing Hop vs Hop - Haven't tried this one yet. For the first version of this beer Brew master Rio Connolly decided to go with Crystal and Summit hop varieties. 7.1% ABV @ Proper Brewing, Beer Bar, 

Proper Brewing Halfway to Concord - (an old-timey phrase meaning you've had a few) is a Colonial-style porter brewed with molasses, corn, and rye. Session-strength with just the right amount of body, this is the perfect "warm weather porter" 4.0% ABV @ Proper Brewing

Lagunitas Waldo's Special Ale - Pours a orange-ish, with a nose of strong pine resin, dank hops, grapefruit and herbal notes. The taste starts with a blast of pine resin and dank hop bitterness. Grapefruit grass, pineapple, mango and vanilla, round out the back end. Finishes lemony and herbal.
Full bodied, alcohol is hidden well but will rear it's head as it warms. 11.5% ABV @ Beerhive, Beer Bar

Mother Earth Sweet Spot IPA - Graham cracker like maltiness with notes of passion fruit, melon, green berry and a light floral dankness. Finishes with a bit of peppery bitterness. Nice IPA. 6.7% ABV. @ Bayou, BeerHive  

Full Sail Bourbon Barrel Wheatwine Ale - Haven't tried this one yet. Thanks for the locator Brady! 12.0% ABV @ 300 w. Wine Store

Full Sail Classic IPA - Haven't tried this one yet. Not sure if this is just a re-branding of their regular IPA. @DABC

Upslope Oatmeal Stout - Haven't tried this one yet. 5.0% ABV. @ DABC

Blue Moon Belgian Table Pils - Haven't tried this one yet. 4.0% ABV. @ Grocery/Convenience Stores

Estrella Jalisco - This light-flavored Mexican pilsner from Guadalajara, Jalisco is very popular south of the boarder and is now available in the states. 4.0% ABV @ Grocery/Convenience Stores.

Don't forget, we do New Beer Friday reviews and discussions on KBER 101, every Friday afternoon at 3:30pm with Mick and Allen. Check it out if you can.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday - House of Cards Edition

The Mormon Francis Underwood's star may be on the rise, but that doesn't mean he has to piss all over your weekend. Here are some tasty, barley based treats to keep your spirits up!
  
Green Flash Jibe Session IPA - pours it clear golden color with a nose that is floral with some citrus and grass. The taste is piney and earthy upfront with toasty malt notes. The end is mostly piney with some floral bitterness.  Finishes quite dry. Overall this IPA is thin, even for Utah standards.  If you're a fan of Green Flash then it's definitely worth your time. 4.0% ABV @Smith's & Harmon's Grocery Stores.

New Belgium Fat Tire - This is the new 4% version that is mow available in Utah.  I haven't tried it yet,  should start showing up at most grocery stores and convenient stores around the state.

New Belgium Pumpkick - Pours a deep but clear amber color. The nose is mostly pumpkin pie spices. The taste has more of a yam character rather than pumpkin. She does not force the spices are subtle though. Drinkable but not my favorite of the pumpkin beers  that I've come across. 6.0% ABV @Bayou, Beer Bar, BeerHive

Descutes Zarabanda Saison - Pours a clear dark gold with a thin, dissipating head. The nose is full of spices and citrus. Lots of yeast, malt, lemon lime, pretty complex. The flavor is spicy yeast, pepper, very herbal, grass, grains, citrus lemon and lime. The finish is clean, crisp, very drinkable. 6.1% ABV @ Bayou, Slackwater

Rogue Pumpkin Patch Ale - Pours a dark amber/orange color. The nose has vanilla, pumpkin spices, clove, allspice, and nutmeg. The tastes starts with vanilla, clove, cinnamon, and pumpkin flesh. Caramel malts come next with some hop bitterness and coriander rounding it out. It's okay, but thinner than expected 5.6% ABV @ Bayou

Sea Dog Sunfish Wheat - Pours a pale straw color with a medium thin head. The nose is big with floral notes and heavy peach. The taste starts out very sweet with flavors of orange and peach, then some mild breadiness comes in from the wheat. It's alight beer but the peach is quite overwhelming. 4.6% ABV @ Bayou

Upslope Brown Ale - The nose is a nice mix of nuts and roasted malts with a little hint of caramel and molasses. The nutty maltiness from the nose  continues through to the tongue with just enough caramel in there to weigh the beer down and a mild, bitter twang at the end. The finish is long toasty. 6.7% ABV @ Bayou, Beer Bar

Mother Earth Belgian Quad - Pours a mostly clears amber/brown color. The nose is a bit boozy with dark fruits and a hint of whiskey. Taste wise this is more akin to a barley wine than a Belgian quad. deep toffe notes and dark spicy fruits create an almost English barlewine feel. The alcohol for the most part is masked nicely. 12% ABV @ BeerHive

Green Flash Soul Style IPA - Pours clear golden color with a finger of head. The nose is strong with citrus, floral and some malty sweetness. The taste gets more complex with some melon flavor up front then more resiny flavors of citrus and floral. Finishes nicely with bitterness of hops dominating but some sweetness from malt. Overall, a nice IPA. 6.8% ABV @ Slackwater

Prost!

New Beer Friday 6/12/15

Sorry that New Beer Friday has been absent the last few weeks. Between a slow release schedule and a little "me" time, things got lost. Well, it's back now - in all of it's twisted glory... tall tales and all. Oh and by the way, The Upslope beers are here!

Uinta Contrail White: Pours a somewhat cloudy straw color. The nose is doughy with hints of coriander. The taste is similar with doughy bread and dry crackers. Coriander spiciness comes next with a moderate amount of florals and grass rounding out the end. 4.0% ABV @grocery

Ballast Point Even Keel: Pours a golden amber color with a nose that citrusy and floral. The taste starts with tangerine rind and grapefruit. Thin malts come next - the end is quite bitter and dry. It's nice, I was hoping for a little more from a Ballast Point offering. 3.8% ABV @Bayou, Beer Bar on draft. Should be available in can a some grocery.

Rogue VooDoo Doughnut Lemon Chiffon Crueller: Me no try yet. 6.9% ABV @better beer bars and some DABC

Rogue Brutal IPA: pours a light amber color with a citrusy nose - whiffs of malt as well. Nice balance  of caramel malts and citrus peel. A very easy drinking IPA. 5.8% ABV @most better beer bars and DABC

Full Sail Cascade Pilsner: pours a brilliantly clear golden yellow with a nose of toast, citrus and pine. The taste follows with nice toasty grains and bright cirus from the cascade hops. A bit of malt sweetness comes next with pine rounding out the end. A wonderfully drinkable American lager. 4.5% ABV @Bayou, DABC

Mother Earth Big Mother: Pours a hazy apricot color with a big fruity citrus nose - a little boozy too. The taste starts fruity with some mango and apricot. Big juicy hops come next, full of grapefruit and tangerine. Chewy caramel comes next with a little alcohol heat. For a 10.8% IPA it's pretty well balanced. Just don't underestimate it. @Beerhive

Upslope Craft Lager: Yup! They're here. Pours a crystal clear pale yellow color with a nose of toast, grain and grass. The taste is grainy sweet with a slight corny flavor. Hop are grassy and spicy. Nice, very drinkable lager. 4.8% ABV @Beer Bar

Upslope India Pale Ale: Pours A somewhat dark amber color with a nose of citrus peel and pine – hints of chewy malts as well. The taste is malty up front with a hint of toffee. Big bitter citrus rind comes next with a bit of pine resin in the end. This is more like a strong pale ale to me - rather than an IPA. Nice beer. 7.2% ABV @Beer Bar

Upslope Brown Ale: Me no try yet. 6.7% ABV @Beer Bar

Did I miss anything? Let me know. 

Cheers!

New Beer Friday: Boxing Day Edition

I hope, Santa was good to you... If not? Mikey will be! Every Friday is Xmas around here. My sleigh...er Volvo is always full of cheers for all of good girls and boys that are willing to pony up the quatloos for a bit of liquid happiness. If your burnt out on all of yesterday's stresses he's some relief for your body and mind.

RedRock American Session IPA - This showed up at limited grocery stores Christmas Eve, so I didn't have the opportunity to try it. My guess is that it's somewhat similar to RedRock's IPA Junior, a session IPA that's been poured at the brewpub for years. If you've already tried it let us know how it is. 4.0% ABV
 
Squatters: Take Out Rye IPA - Dark amber in color. Nice piney floral nose. A fair amount of fruity rye spiciness on the tongue. Hops are full and bitter. Mostly pine with some bitter citrus peel. Was hoping for a little more tropical hops to pair with the malt fruitiness. Good but not as great as some of their IPAs. 6.25% ABV @ Beer Bar, The Beer Store, Squatters Bottleshop. Wide distribution soon.

Mother Earth: Four Seasons Of Mother Earth - Winter (2014) Deep amber in color with some ruby highlights. The nose is very Christmas-y with cinnamon, pine and various dark spices. The taste is full of nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger blanced with a nice dose of toffee malts. Subtle hazelnut and rich spicy hops came next with a bit of coconut and Bourbon rounding out the back end. This beer reminds me of Bourbon gingerbread cookies. It's rich full flavors explode on the tongue. One of the few Holiday brews that truly hits the mark.  11% ABV @ BeerHive 

Returning Favorites

Epic Blue Law Porter -  Porter made with black berries and spruce tips picked from trees on Utah's Capitol grounds. This wasn't released last year, so it's been absent for a while. @ Epic, The Annex, some better beer bars.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday the 13th!

Happy Friday everyone! Some of these may have been out for a while as I was on vacation last week and missed New Beer Friday.

Avenues Proper Marmalade Wheat: Named for Salt Lake's Marmalade neighborhood and inspired by a simple breakfast of toast with orange jam, this wheat ale is packed with flavor. The unfiltered beer pours a hazy orange with a white head and has a toasty wheat and citrus aroma. They used two kinds of dried orange peel, whole fresh oranges, Simcoe hops famed for their tangerine flavors and house-toasted wheat in the brewing process. The flavor starts warm and rich with little caramel sweetness in the body and a lasting, slightly bitter finish. The sharp orange flavors pair with the bready wheat to make a nicely balanced pint. For fans of pale ales and wit beers alike! 4.0% ABV @Avenues Proper

Bonneville Sun Twist: This refreshingly light beer was brewed with lemon peel and ginger to commemorate the birth of Head Brewer Dave Watson's first child! Congratulations Dave and Lindsay! 4.0% ABV @ Bonneville - Avenues Proper

Squatters Strawberry Kolsch: Somewhat hazy straw color. The nose is mostly malty with a bit of lemon and strawberry The taste starts toasty and malty with some cereal notes. A bit o' honey comes next with a tiny burst of strawberry in the finish. I thought the strawberry was pretty subtle, other thought it was quite pronounced. I thought it was a nice summer beer. What did you think? 4.0% ABV @ Squatters Brewpub

Mother Earth Pin Up Pale Ale: The nose is floral with big pine notes. The tastes starts with a little mango fruitiness and a dank spiciness. Herbal and cirtusy hops come next with a resiny pine citrus finish. Thin-ish body quite drinkable! 5.6% ABV @ Beerhive

Mother Earth Big Mother Triple: This has a great nose of boozy tropical and citrus fruit with some grape notes as well. This is a complex "triple IPA", with orange, grapefruit, melon, and grape flavors leading the way. There's also some sweet bread, high bitterness, and definite alcohol harshness. A definite American interpretation an the style. 10.8% ABV  @ Beerhive

Payette Outlaw IPA:  Golden/orange in color with slight haze. The nose has juicy citrus with bitter orange and grapefruit rind. hint of malt as well. The taste starts with nice grapefruit up front with a bit of sweet malt lingering in the background. Citrus peel and toast round out the end. finishes on the dry side. Quite tasty! 6.5% ABV

Firestone Walker Easy Jack: The nose has lots of grapefruit with some tropical elements. A hint of malt as well. The taste starts with clean grapefruit and lemongrass. Malt sweetness is at a minimum which creates a dry lime-like finish. A very clean and focused beer. 4.5% ABV

For Firkin Friday at the Bayou today, Hoppers is offering up the Aussie Lager. It's double dry hopped with Australian Summer hops. Once during conditioning and again in the firkin. It's light amber/orange in color. Malts have a toast and honey like flavor. The hops have an apricot flavor with a mild tropical   flower aroma and pine resin in the finish. Sounds perfect for a warm day like today. Tapping is at 3pm. 4.0% ABV




If I missed something new, please share!

Prost!

New Beer Friday 2/28/14

The Mother Earth Beers are finally here! The Beerhive received four of the San Diego brewery's more popular labels.

Mother Earth Sin Tax Imperial Stout - The nose has a "whiff" of peanut butter with notes of coffee and chocolate. The taste is strong with coffee and chocolate. There's a hint of the PB in the end. Not too boozy for an Imperial Stout. 8.7 ABV. @Beerhive

Mother Earth Cali' Creamin' Vanilla Cream Ale - The nose is similar to Honey Grahams with vanilla notes. The tastes is fairly sweet with vanilla and malt.  There is a mild amount of grassy hop bitterness in the end. Overall, if your a fan of vanilla (which I am) you'll like this beer. The vanilla presence is pleasant. 5.2% ABV @Beerhive

Mother Earth Kismet - The nose has orange, grapefruit, peach, little white grape (Mother Earth must really love Nelson Sauvin hops). Taste is big with grapefruit, melon, and white grapes. Floral herbs come next with rye notes and more of that graham cracker sweetness. The finish is fairly bitter and dry. Damn tasty! 7.0% ABV @Beerhive

Mother Earth Hop Diggity -  The nose has nice citrus peel notes with an herbal pine resins. The taste starts with grapefruit,  melon and berries. Floral bitterness picks up from there as a graham cracker sweetness balances it out. It finishes relatively dry. A really nice and approachable DIPA. 8.0% ABV @Beerhive

Payette Rodeo Rye Pale Ale - Yes, they're here! This is quite a nice pale ale, Citra hops give it a tropical fruit nose that is full of passion fruit, peaches and mangoes with a malt profile that has that nice spicy, rye kick. 4.0% ABV. Found at Whole Foods, where else?

Squatters Means Business Lager - Named for one of my favorite people at Squatters, Jessica Means. The nose is of toasted malts and honey. The flavors starts with wheat crackers and tangerine. sweet malt comes next with a smack of herbal bitterness in the end. Finishes mildly bitter. 4.0% ABV @Squatters

Roosters Grizzly Brown Ale - Not had a chance to get to this one yet. Anyone? @Roosters

Bohemian Steam Beer - It's a brilliant copper colored beer boasting smooth caramel malt notes but with noticeable hop bitterness and finish.4.0% ABV @Bohemian

Desert Edge Citra in Red returns - If you've not experienced this citrusy, fruity delight you have my pity. 4.0% ABV @Desert Edge

Epic Copper Cone #56 - This version is made with Amarillo hops. Great pale ale. The malt and hop combo is right on. fruity and malty. Definitely one of the better versions of this beer. Absolutely love it! 7.0% ABV @Epic Brewing SLC, Denver

Cheers!

Mother Earth Brew Co. Arriving Soon

New beers will soon be entering the state via the Beehive. Del Vance (owner) informed me that he has struck a deal with Mother Earth Brew Co. out of San Diego to bring some of their portfolio of beers to the Beerhive.

Mother Earth Brew Co. was founded in 2008 with the goal; to create distinguished, hand crafted beers that stimulate sensory conversation and to promote the art and science of craft beer making.. Their brewery not only houses a 6,000 sq. foot Tap House but also has it's own Homebrew Supply Store.

Del tells me he's getting two of their nine IPAs, a Vanilla Cream Ale and one of their Stouts. They should be arriving at the Beerhive any day, we'll let you know when.

Note: There are two breweries in the U.S. that use the name "Mother Earth". These are the San Diego beers not the North Carolina brews.

Cheers!