Evanston's First Beer Festival

*****************click here for updated info************

It's looking like mid 2009 will be known as the Summer of the Beerfest. The city of Evanston, Wyoming will be hold it's first ever beer festival on Saturday, July 11, 2009. The name, times, etc., are still to be decided on by the committee, but it looks like things are a go.


This is a great town to hold a beerfest. It's proximity to the Wasatch Front provides a quick & easy drive, the city has plenty of lodging, The town is full of bars and most importantly it doesn't have Utah's bullshit beer restrictions. You could actually get a high abv Utah beer on tap! Wahoo! Not to mention other great regional craft beers to sample. We'll keep you up to date on all the particulars,but for now just mark the date on your calendar.

Also coming this summer is the annual Mountain Brewers Festival in Idaho Falls, Idaho. A slightly longer drive(2.5 hours from my door) but well worth checking out.


And making it's triumphant return in late summer the Utah Brewers Festival. No details are available yet on exactly when, but organizers tell me it'll be more like it was in the Good ol' days (mid-early nineties) when it was less about music (Blues & Brews Festival) and more about beer.
Cheers!

Suds Brothers Brewery

My wife and I went to Evenston, Wyoming last Saturday for a long overdue change of pace. We decided to to meet up with friends and attend, A Taste of Evenston. It's a little"get acquainted with Evenston" Street festival put on by the local chamber(plus it was a good excuse to pick up some out-of-state beers)

We had heard that Evenston had it's own brew pub, and of course we had to check it out.Suds Brothers looks small on the outside but is actually quite large. It occupies an old, unassuming retail space on towns old main street. If your not paying attention you might miss it. The inside has an "old west saloon" feel with a small five tank brewery in the back. With a little inspiration this could be quite an attractive place.Their tap selection wasn't too bad, on my visit they had an Amber Ale, Koelsch,Hefeweizen, IPA, smoked porter and an Alt.

The Amber, ironically poured an amber color with a creamy off-white head that stayed 'till the bottom of the cup. The nose was of light pale malts with a slight hop perfume. The taste started with caramel & moderate piney hops up front. A little nuttiness sneaks in as it warms. Finishes with malt sweetness & moderate piney hops.

The Altbier poured a clear amber/brown with thin foam cap. The nose mainly consisted of dry malts. The flavor has some nice roasted overtones and carries a bit of hop bite to bitter the malt base. Good drinkability.

The food was... okay my nachos weren't the best but my wife's patty melt was very good. The place seems to do a brisk local business, and apparently fills up in the evening. I probably won't make many special trips up there for just to visit, but I'll defiantly stop in when I'm in the area.

Due to it's proximity to Salt Lake(a mere 1 hr 15 min. from mi casa) I'm adding it to the brewpub links even though it's not a Utah brewery... Why the hell not, it's closer than some places, the beer is not too bad and it's not restricted to Utah's 4.0% draft cap. Please check 'em out. Cheers!