2012 Utah Beerfest Update

Over previous discussions about City Weekly's Utah Beer Fest we've discussed why so many have left the festival with a bad taste in their mouth, for many that bad taste did not taste like beer.... Literally, they never got to try a beer.

Long lines and a limited amount of participating breweries left many pissed of and outraged. My take has always been that this market (the Wasatch Front & Back) is much too large a market to to support a beer fest of such limited scope.

There are 1.7 million people living along the Wasatch Front alone and that's not including Summit, Morgan & Wasatch Counties. Even if 0.5% of this population base decided to show up there would be in the neighborhood of 8,500 thirsty people in attendance.  That's a lot of people for 13 breweries to handle. Compare that to the 2012 Mountain Brewers Festival in Idaho Falls. 6500+ in attendance with over 90 breweries pouring. The lines were long there, but not so long you couldn't wait for your sample.

One of many solutions discussed was get more (out of state) breweries to participate. It looks like that's about to happen.

The problem for out of state breweries, to attend was not that nobody wanted to, it was a cost thing. No brewery wants to spend the money on thousands of bottles to ship to Utah when it could save more money and resources sending kegs. Well, as we all know our antiquated liquor laws just can't handle that. Beer over 4.0% ABV absofuckinglutly may not be poured from a keg... and there's the rub.

But something strange happened, many out of state breweries found that the people of Utah like their beer, so much in fact that their sales to the state were actually kinda strong; and being the good business people they are, they want to promote their products even if it means coming down to our level.

Sorry for all the diarrhea of the keyboard that I just inflicted upon you... Here's the beer news! Sierra Nevada, Widmer, Kona, RedHook & Full Sail breweries will likely be pouring their stuff along side Utah's own breweries this Sunday.  Not only will they be pouring but Full Sail will be debuting a new "specially made for Utah" 4.0% beer called Sail Ale.

There's no denying that craft beer is big in Utah, and barring any outrage from Sen. Valentine, it looks like this is the shape of things to come. If any more breweries are added to the list we'll let you know.

Cheers!

Whew! That was a long way to go to say "five new breweries attending". Thanks for hanging in there.

New Beer Friday 7/13/12

Yeah, I'm still here, it's just been a brutally slow July in the Utah Beer universe. Today for New Beer Friday we have Full Sail's Berliner Weisse.

If your not familiar with the style, Berliner Weisse's are one of rare sour or "tart" ales made in Germany. It's a wheat beer made with both traditional warm-fermenting yeasts and lactobacillus cultures. They have a rapidly vanishing head and a clear, pale golden straw-colored appearance. The taste is refreshing, tart, sour and acidic, with a lemony-citric fruit sharpness and almost no hop bitterness.

This beer pours a light yellow with very little foam. The nose is of wheat, lemon, hay and some hints of lactic acid. The taste starts Lightly tart with a bready sweetness and hints of corn flavors. The finish is grainy and grassy  with a yogurt tartness.  Even though this beer is 4.0% ABV it is only available at liquor stores. Go figure.

Prost!

New Beer Friday!!! 6/8/12

It's a "big ass" New Beer Friday! We haven't had one of the these in a while, so strap in, it may get bumpy.

Sierra Nevada's Hoptimum: Mikey wait long time for this one! Sweet caramel tones quickly give way to BIG aromas of floral, piney, and citrusy hops, hints of resin, orange, grapefruit, lemon and grass make for a BIG nose. The BIG hoppy flavors of citrus, pine, and grass all carry over onto the pallet before blending very well with a sweet caramel malty backbone, hints of alcohol linger in the finish. Hopitumum is well balanced for a staggering 100 IBU brew, and features a medium-full body and moderate levels of carbonation. BIG, BOLD, DELICIOUS! @Beerhive & Liquor stores in the coming weeks

Lagunitas Imperial Red Ale:  The nose is a tropical fruit hop bomb with rich, malts beneath. The taste is aggressively tropical-hoppy at first, but has a sweeter, maltier finish than an IPA would have. The mouthfeel is fairly heavy and well-carbonated. Overall, this is a solid hoppy red. Very, very tasty! @Beerhive

Widmer Hefeweizen: Yeasty aroma of wheat, floral notes, dough, and lemon cookies. Tastes of lemon cookies, wheat, floral notes, dough, yeasty, citrus juice and a bitter, dry finish with a yeasty coating comes through. Medium body, creamy with light carbonation. A wonderful Hefe. @Beerhive & Liquor stores in the coming weeks

Widmer Drop Top Amber: A bit of bready malt in the nose, with some vaguely tart fruity character, accompanied by a balanced, freshly herbal hop presence. The taste has a somewhat biscuity flavor up front with some caramel sweetness. Surprisingly tart in the end, although not over the top. Hop bitterness is middle-of-the-road, with a balanced fruity and herbal flavor. Not bad. @Beerhive & Liquor stores in the coming weeks

Widmer Rotator IPA (Shaddock):  Made with grapefruit peel, it has light grapefruit in the nose with a sweet grainy malt is present. Seems rather spicy and earthy as well. The hop bitterness balances well with the lightly sweet caramel and biscuity malt. Pine, grass, and earthy hops are up front, and yet finish with a nice citrus and spicy punch. A very tasty offering. @Beerhive & Liquor stores in the coming weeks

Kona Longboard: The nose is very clean with slight notes of grain and grass. The tastes follows suit with notes of bread and grain, light herbs and a little bite of hops to even things out. Mouthfeel is pretty good and refreshing. A very nice light-bodied lager. @Beerhive & Liquor stores in the coming weeks

Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale: The nose is of bread/biscuit-like malt and some subdued hop aromas. Taste is of citrus zest and floral hops up front with a solid malt backbone. Mild bitterness on the palate after each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp and clean mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good pale ale with a nice balance between the malt and hops in the taste. @Beerhive & Liquor stores in the coming weeks

RedHook ESB: You may have had this in the past and thought, "this ain't so great". It's worth revisiting, a lot of the previous flaws have been fixed. The nose has faint aromas of floral/fruity hops with a little bit of toasty malts in the background. Pretty nice balance, but just not enough of either one really jump out. Caramel malts are frontrunners on the flavor. This finishes with a pretty decent bitter hop flavor. Again, this one is pretty balanced. The feel is light with good lively carbonation. Overall not bad. @Beerhive & Liquor stores in the coming weeks

Long Hammer IPA: The nose is hoppy, floral with some grassiness and lemon notes. The taste definitely has the hops come out strong. The mouthfeel is well carbonated and medium bodied and finishes with some of the grassiness and hops. Overall, not a bad IPA, and for an IPA, I would have this again. @Beerhive & Liquor stores in the coming weeks

Full Sail Phil's Existential Alt: Malty nose with some caramel notes; it's heavier on the biscuit/bread than on the caramel/sweet side. There is also a dash of earthy/noble hop character. The taste is a creamy concoction of bread and caramel, with a little bit of biscuit at the end and a balanced bitterness. More tilted to the caramel side than the aroma, I rather like the flavor. Mouthfeel is medium with a good, creamy carbonation. I like it. @ Liquor stores now

Angry Orchard Apple Ginger: I judged this at the Mountain Brewers Festival. We gave it a gold medal. Good ginger notes that don't overpower the base cider. Quite tasty and different. @ Liquor stores now

Angry Orchard Crisp Cider: We gave this one the Silver Medal. The names says it all. Crisp and dry apples. Very tasty. @ Liquor stores now

Go get 'em!

Cheers!

Birthday Suit Debuts Today

I have yet to be disappointed by any of Uinta's Crooked Line beers. They are all pretty unique and all are above average in my opinion. Birthday Suit is Uinta's greatest departure from what they've traditionally done in more than one way. Uinta has never made a fruit beer or a sour. Birthday Suit fills these gaps in their portfolio nicely.

Pours a clear, yet robust Blood Orange color with a champagne like head that dissipates quickly to sturdy ring. The nose is complex - sour, dry cherry, tart, dusty with hints of wood, florals and some pale malt. The taste is all about cherry, but not overwhelmingly so. It starts out with tart cherry and light oak. Slightly sweet grain notes come next and transition into a finish full of florals and tannins.

The mouthfeel is light to medium, dry yet somehow juicy, sour but not puckering. The 5.7% abv is hardly noticeable, making it both quaffable and quenchable. Overall, another winner from Uinta.

Available starting today for $11.99 at Uinta's bottle shop. Next week in liquor stores. 1st 40 bottles sold will be autographed by label artist Travis Bone.

It's Friday! and that means new beer (besides Birthday Suit).

I mentioned Epic's Glutenator the other day. There are some new gluten free beers from New Planet Brewing out of Colorado. New Planet specializes in gluten free beer. I saw some of their labels at the 3rd east wine store in SLC.

Our brother in beer, Douglas spotted Full Sail's ESB (Brewers Share Series) at the Wine Store on 3rd East. Dougie describes it.... "Pours a clear copper hue with a medium white head. A sweet nose of floral hops and caramel, somewhat dusty. A nice quaffable flavor with distinct sweet and somewhat bitter hops, dry caramel malts, light fruit. Very drinkable. A big ESB".

Also today Shades of Pale and the No Name Saloon, "Butchers" are teaming up to bring you a limited release - 10 cases of Ready to Fly Amber Ale brewed to help support the women Ski Jumpers from Park City. No Name will donate $500 of the proceeds to the Jumpers.

Come on out and try a 22oz bomber of Ready to Fly Amber Ale for 5 Bucks. Only 120 bottles left so come early and donate to the Women Jumpers. Go Team USA!

Is this enough for your weekend!

Cheers!

Low Carb Beers You May Have Never Considered

A year ago I decided that it was time to getting my fat ass back in to shape. For the last decade my body had been expanding like bloated dough under a heat lamp. The cause was the same that many Americans are faced with, high chloric diets and little to no exercise.

For a craft beer lover loosing the LBS's is not an easy thing. Beer is the antithesis for trying to loose weight. It is a very nutritious beverage, high in calories and carbohydrates. I never sought out the "low carb beers" over the last year because.... Well, that's not beer, at least the beer I know and love. But it got me to thinking, what is the lowest carb beer option for a beer snob like myself?

After minutes of research I found that there is no real data on the beer style that I found to be the least naturally made carbohydrate laden ale. The Lambic.

There are many styles of Lambic. The basic lambic is a cloudy, uncarbonated, bracingly sour beer that is generally about two to three years old. Unlike conventional ales and lagers, which are fermented by carefully cultivated strains of brewer's yeasts, Lambic beers are produced by spontaneous fermentation and are exposed to wild yeasts and bacteria such as Brettanomyces bruxellensis (brett) and B. lambicus.

These "wild yeasts" used in the fermentation of these products eats sugars that regular beer yeasts can't. There are a lot of sweet lambics out there - Lindemans for example - that are loaded with sugar. The unfruited versions (gueuze) from Hanssens, Cantillon, Oud Beersel and Drie Fonteinen will have the lowest sugars.

These aren't a practical every day option for the Utah beer lover. Unless you have an iron pallet. The high tartness and acidity will wear on the stoutest of tongues, but when your in need of beer that's full on flavor, that won't shit all over your diet, you have a friend in the "Brett based beer".

Some "brett beer" recommendations available in Utah are Squatters 529, Epic's Elder Brett, Lindeman's Gueuze and Lindeman's Cuvée René.

Some other more traditional low carb craft brands include, Full Sail's Session Premium Lager and New Belgium's Skinny Dip.

As I pointed out earlier, there is no hard data on the carbohydrate levels in sour beers (that I could find), theses observations are based on the known functions of the the yeast strains discussed.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 9/2/11

Whew... man, what a crazy beer week. I don't know if you noticed, but you don't fuck with a Utahans beerfest. Christ, many of you brought your "A" games to the forum along with throwing stars, nunchakus and baseball bats when it came to the Utah Beerfest analysis.

You were also full of piss and vinegar when it came to Senator Valentine's pious bullshit on X96's Radio From Hell Show. After all the frustration & irritation of the past week, we're gunna make sure it ends right.

This weeks new beer selections are as yummy as they are different.

First off is Full Sail's Elevation IIPA: The nose is very floral and grassy with a mild sugary sweetness. The taste starts with citrusy grapefruit up front, floral and perfumey hops take over coming in behind the initial citrus hit. Smoothing sugary sweetness underneath the hops and into the finish. Not the best or the worst IIPA I've had but it's a limited edition, so it'll likely not be available again.

Next is Deschutes' Black Butte XXIII Porter: This is "the shit". Pours brown with hints of tinted ruby red on the sides. The nose is slightly vinous with notes of cocoa, vanilla and oak. The taste starts with intense cocoa, roasted malts, molasses and oak. The end is full of vanilla, cinnamon and bourbon. The finish is bitter and boozy. The flavors are spot on for the style. Everything is nicely balanced. A great beer that will just get better with age.

Both are in select liquor stores around the state.

Also, Uinta is still waiting on the state to approve their Jacked Imperial Pumpkin Ale. As soon as it gets the green light we'll let you know.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday and High Praise at Squatters

I've got your Friday fix. Who loves ya, Baby?!

North Coast Brewing Old Stock: Sweet caramel nose with a hint of alcohol. The taste strts with more of the same. Sweet caramel malt, with some roasted notes in there. Next comes chocolate, plum and coffee. The warmer this one gets the more complex it becomes. Well balanced, the alcohol is well hidden. The ABV can vary depending on which vintage you get. 10-13% ABV.

Full Sail Imperial Gold: The nose is full of chocolate, coffee, and oak and boozy. The flavor starts with a lot of rich chocolate, espresso, and molasses sweetness. Bourbon notes come next with a light dose of vanilla and booze in the end. Quite tasty. 10.5% ABV.

Full Sail Bump in the Night: An Herbal citrus stands out with a bit of roastiness and licorice. The taste follows the nose. The hops are at the forefront. Grapefruit, backed up by some herbal qualities hit first. Some coffee and dark malts follow beneath the hops creating a bit of a balance. Licorice and chocolate notes are in the end. The finish is dry and bitter. 6.5% ABV

Lucifer: Not new, but it has been absent for a few years. The nose is of apple, pear, spicy yeast and just a hint of bubblegum. The taste is fairly citrusy up front, with some breadyness and a nice malt sweetness. The end has banana and pepper notes. 8.0% ABV

In other news. Squatters' own Jennifer Talley has won the Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Craft Brewing. Jen is the first woman ever to earn this recognition.

If you've ever tried her beers; then you know she's some kind of uncanny beer enchantress that can bend any form of intoxicant to her will. Either that or she's just plain "scary talented". Maybe a little of both. Regardless, she's at the top of her game right now if your not checking out her beers at Squatters, it's your bloody loss! (photo shown is not actual award)

Cheers!

Photo Courtesy: Jay Brooks 2008

New Beer Friday 10/01/10

We haven't had a New beer Friday in a while, so I'm pleased to announce these new beers. Some are long overdue.

Epic Brainless on Peaches. Haven't had it yet. It's most likely being bottled as you read this. It's Epic's award winning Brainless Belgian put into oak barrels and aged with fresh peaches. Should be available sometime this afternoon (10-1-10). Available at the Brewery.

Big Sky Trout Slayer. This is a straw colored filtered wheat ale, fermented at cool temperatures, with Palisade, Glacier, and Mt. Hood hops. It's a smooth drinkable session beer. 4.7%ABV. Available DABC.

Pike Monk's Uncle Tripel. The aroma has notes of pineapple, mango, white pepper and coriander. The flavor has a honey sweetness upfront, along with some spices (white pepper, clove, coriander), as well as apple, pear, white grape and alcohol. 9.0% ABV. Available at the Beerhive, Bayou.

Full Sail Sanctuary Belgian Dubble. Rich malt aromas followed by the flavors of biscuit and roast that are rounded by a rich sweet malt character. With a light chewy finish. 7%ABV. Available at the Beerhive, Bayou.

Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary - Charlie, Fred And Ken's Bock. This one is long overdue. released last May this beer is a collaboration between Charlie Papazian and Fred Eckhart. Two men who launched a thousand breweries. Their writing on the art of homebrewing and steadfast promotion of beer culture helped propel the craft brewing movement. Charlie and Fred agreed to work Sierra Nevada on this special ale in honor of SN's 30th anniversary. It's an Imperial Helles Bock. Bold yet balanced with distinct toasted malt character, moderate sweetness and clean and floral hops. 8.3%ABV. Available at the Beerhive, Bayou.

Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary - Jack And Ken's Ale. Another overdue beer. Released last July this is the third in the Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Series. A collaboration between Jack McAuliffe and SN's Ken Grossman. McAuliffe was the first American "micro" brewer. His tiny New Albion Brewery in Sonoma, California inspired countless dreamers to start small-scale breweries of their own. Jack agreed to guest brew this very special ale. This Black Barleywine Ale is a nod to the legendary ales New Albion served at their legendary summer solstice parties. Rich with bittersweet and roasted malt flavors, balanced with whole-cone American hops, this robust ale should age gracefully for years. 10.2%ABV. Available at the Beerhive, Bayou.

The fourth and final beer in Sierra Nevada's 30th Anniversary Series is set to be released in a couple of weeks. It shouldn't take as long to get this one in state. But the way things go around here... don't hold your breath.

Cheers!

More New Beer 5/19/10

Remember last Friday when I said "there was new beer for you"? well I didn't know the half of it. Here are some of the yummy additions to that incomplete list.

Chambly Noire: a smooth and creamy dark beer with a beige and persistent head. Its torrefaction aromas and slight bitterness enable it to perfectly accompany various fish dishes, strong cheeses and chocolate desserts. (Bayou, State)

Full Sail Hop Pursuit: A crisp blonde extra pale ale with a medium malt body. The malts are chased by a ton of hop flavor and a zing of bitterness. (Bayou, State)

Konings Hoeven: Its flavor is full, mild and pleasantly bitter. From one of the seven beer producing monasteries. (Bayou)

Le Merle Saison: A rustic ale, pale in color, inspired by the rich brewing traditions of the Flanders region. Abundant hops and a Belgian yeast strain contribute exotic aromas and tropical fruit notes. (Bayou)

Meantime London Porter: Aroma is chocolate malt, coffee, roasty. Good medium body with easy drinking roasty malt, chocolate and sweet creamy roasty finish. (Bayou)

Rogue Double Mocha Porter: Has an aroma of dark chocolate, roasted, malts, and notes of vanilla. Very smooth an silky. Finish brings a lingering chocolate flavor. (Bayou)

St. Feuillien's Saison: . Lemon, orange and dusty Belgian yeast aromas. Sharp with sweet citrus upfront, turning peppery in the middle into a nice, mild hop bite. (Bayou)

Cheers!

Hell's Keep and Other Favorites Return

Hell's Keep returns today. This Belgian style strong ale from Squatters was originally released for the first time in March of '09 at Squatters Pub Downtown. It was apparently such a big hit that they decided to move the production over to the Utah Brewers Cooperative facility so they could take care of the massive bottling project. Hell's Keep is 7.75 ABV and comes in a 750 ML bottles.

Poured into a tulip: a lightly hazy honey/orange with a dense 3 fingers of white foam, which fade into a moderate sized cap. The nose is lemony coupled with dusty-oak and a wild yeastiness. The taste starts with dry apricot and pear followed by spicy malty grains. The end is lemony with notes of straw and wheat. The finish is nice and dry with a lite champagne like carbonation. This beer is very crisp and refreshing. Just so easy going down and incredibly light on the palate. The the 7.7% ABV doesn't have any burn and is well hidden.

Also available today at the Beerhive, Hop Henge from Descutes. This is a great double IPA. It's nicely balanced with a flavor-profile consisting of citrus and pine hops wrapped in a somewhat light blanket of a biscuity malt peaches and mangos. Delish!

There's more.... Andrew spotted some of the Full Sail Imperial stout and Top Sail Bourbon Barrel Porter at the 3rd east Wine Store. Have we given you enough to talk about?!!!

Cheers and have a great weekend.

New This Week

More new beer is available for you at your local liquor store. This weeks new arrivals are.

SAMUEL ADAMS BLACK LAGER
FULL SAIL GRANDSUN OF SPOT
SAMUEL SMITH ORGANIC RASPBERRY

Since this is becoming a regular thing, should I continue to update you guys through a semi regular post such as this, or provide a column over to the right that has a permanent list of the new beers to the area. Your thoughts...

Cheers!

Give in to the Dark Side

If your a fan of Black Lagers the next couple of weeks will give you a chance to indulge your dark side.

Our first black bier comes to us courtesy of Hoppers and Brewmaster Donovan Steele. Dono's "Double Black Lager" went on tap yesterday. It pours a dark brown with garnet highlights just a hint of cocoa powder or dark chocolate in the finish, yet creamy smooth and dangerously easy to drink. All German except for the water and the brewer. It's tastes even better on Tuesdays, thanks to "$2.50 Tuesdays". Go figure.

Next is Mike's Pro/Am Black Lager from RedRock. The name says it all. Home Brewer extraordinaire Mike Johnson has teamed up with RedRock's Brewmaster Kevin Templin for this American Take on the style. I believe this beer will be entered in the Pro/Am competition at the Great American Beer Festival next month. I've tried Mike's Beer. They're chances a very good.

Finally there is Full Sail Brewing's Sessions Black Lager. An appealing medium bodied black beer with a nice amber malt base, light roastiness amid the caramel toast. An excellent example an American Dark Lager style, a cousin to the German Schwarz.

These are all available right now. The Session black lager is at state liquor stores.
Prost!

Moab's Triple & Black Imperial IPA

Sometimes breweries and brewpubs outside of the Wasatch Front tend to get overlooked in beer news. Well here's some good news for all regarding Moab Brewing.

Looks like our brothers and sisters in the desert are joining the high ABV revolution that's been going on in the state.

Within the next few weeks Moab Brewing will introduce two brand new ales, their first high ABV beers ever. The first is a Belgian style Triple and the second is a Black Imperial IPA. Black IPA's are the new, hot style around the country. Mixing the roastiness of porters with the leafiness of IPA's. You wouldn't think the two styles wouldn't meld very well together, but ohhh man they do! Trust me I had my fill of them this weekend. It'll be nice to have a local beer riding the crest of this trend earlier than later.

RedRock has one on tap right now that's quite tasty, go check it out.

I'm still gathering info, no word yet on where they'll be sold (brewpub or Liquor stores), or their names. But I do know that they are in the states distribution system.

Also new to liquor stores Full Sail Brewing's Keelhauler Scottish Ale. Should be available any day now. More to come. Cheers!

Third Beer of Xmas: Wassail

For the third beer of Xmas that my barkeep gave to me(please sing along). Full Sail's Wassail! When this winter warmer comes around, you need to snatch 'em up quick. Utah only gets one frig'n pallet a year, then buh-bye. Trust me, this is one delicious beer.

Pours a dark maraschino brown with a nice bulging cap of foam. The nose is very pleasant with citrus rind, toasted malt, caramel and allspice. The flavor starts spicy with orange and clove. Toffee and a hint of chocolate round out the middle complement the spiciness. The end is all hops with sturdy grapefruit and pine notes. The finish is a little boozy; which is surprising because the label lists it at 6.5% abv.

This is one of those ales that had me raising an eye brow at the first swig, but by the fourth, I was hooked. This is yet another outstanding winter warmer that is far more than just malt and hops. Wassail is one of Full Sail's best beers and should be a no-brainer this holiday season.

It's a good thing we're spreading out our little "experiment" over twelve days. I suspect most of us would be tits-up on the Berber by day eight. Cheers.

Wreck the Halls

At this point in my Beer-a-thon I was starting to feel the effects of all this holiday cheer Wreck the Halls from Full Sail Brewing isn't new to Utah but this seasonal ale is defiantly worth checking out.

Poured a dark copper color with a moderate, foamy cap. The nose was sharp with pine and citrus zest. Very nice. The taste started sharp with a huge citrusy hop smack with a full malty backbone. The finish was bitter slightly fruity and boozy with apples and oranges. The hops zest hangs in to the very end. I wish that the nose could have come through a little more in the taste. Mmmm... This beer me like. A solid performer, defiantly worth checking out this holiday season.