Utah Brewery Map

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Utah's Pink Boots Collaboration Beer

Last Thursday on International Women's Day a group of Utah ladies got together to brew a special collaboration beer. The Ladies belong to Utah's newly formed chapter of the Pink Boots Society: a group that aims to raise awareness of women working in the brewing industry. Pink Boots also brings opportunities for women interested in brewing to network with one another.

Officially the event was called International Women's Collaboration Brew Day. For this special collaboration women from local breweries including: Kiitos, Epic, Uinta, RedRock, RoHa, Wasatch/Squatters, Proper, Talisman, Roosters and the in-planning Branagan's Brewery gathered at Roosters Brewing in Ogden and brewed a 7 bbl batch of a Cascadian Dark ale using hops that YCHHops made available for the event. This special hop blend included Palisade®, Simcoe®, Mosaic®, Citra® and Loral® hops. 

When finished this beer will be served at participating and non participating breweries and brew pubs around the Wasatch Front, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Pink Boots scholarship fund. As soon as Rooster's gives me the word, I'll pass it along to you and where you can find it.   



The ladies were kind enough to share some photos with me. It looks like it was quite a party.
Cheers!

Friday, March 09, 2018

New Beer Friday 3/9/18

 Have you heard about our Lord and Savior, New Beer Friday?

Talisman Adventures in IPA - A nice aroma of citrus peel and tropical fruit. The taste follows with more citrus like juices along with notes of mango and and a hint of pineapple. A damn tasty offering from Talisman. 6.0% ABV. Available at Talisman and Slackwater

Epic Club Lounge -  You only need one word to describe this one, Manhattan. It has flavors that are reminiscent of all of the ingredients in the cocktail right down to the whiskey, vermouth and bitters. Very tasty. On sale Saturday 3/10 at Epic’s Brewery, 10am.

Shades of Pale Aphrodite -  This Belgian style Blonde ale Has a nose of spicy caramel and apple peel. The taste is more akin to cookie dough with the added spiced caramel and herbal hops. This Belgian is less phenolic then some you may have tried, this has the added benefit of making it super drinkable. To me it’s more of an abbey ale, which I’m rather fond of. 6.5% ABV. Available at Shades of Pale.

Cigar City Guayabera -  This pale ale has a very nice citrus peel aroma, with a tiny bit of pine. The taste starts with more citrus peel that transitions into some tangerine sweetness. The end is massively better, which completely dries out the finish. This is a nice IPA, but it’s not a very good pale ale. The can does warn that it is “massively hopped up with citra hops”,  so at least you’ve been warned. 5.5% ABV. I had it at Beer Bar, It's also at the Bayou.

Cheers!

Thursday, March 08, 2018

Grid City Brewing Poised to Reinvigorate SLC's West Side

Utah's beer scene has been blowing up as of late. Not only are Saltfire and Toasted Barrel breweries weeks away from going online, but there are breweries scheduled to open in Ogden (UTOG Brewing) and St. George (St. George Brewing) by this summer as well. Those four breweries, plus the quartet of new 2017 breweries (RoHa, Kiitos, Salt Flats and Fisher) will see our local craft beer option multiply in factors that haven't been seen since pre-prohibition days.

If eight new breweries in two years isn't enough of a boom for you, what about a possible ninth brewery? Grid City Brewing Company is a new production brewery planned to be built on the southwest corner of 800 w. and S.Temple. The multi level brewery will have a tap room and kitchen that will serve a small menu, with a catwalk that wraps around the perimeter of the brewing operations to accommodate brewery tours and allow a birds eye view of the operations. A beer garden will offer patrons a view of Folsom trail in the Euclid neighborhood of SLC.

Grid City will be helmed by Justin Belliveau and partner Drew Reynolds with Head Brewer, Jeremy Gross running the beer operations. Gross has been a staple in the Utah scene, hwving worked at Uinta Brewing, Bohemian Brewing and the High West Distillery.

As the brewery takes shape, I'll feed you all the updates. Congrats, boys and thanks for helping to make Utah a more livable place. 

Cheers!

Source: Buildingsaltlake.com
Images courtesy: Grid City/Buildingsaltlake.com

Wednesday, March 07, 2018

Latitude 33 Brewing Debuting soon in Utah

It looks like Latitude 33 Brewing Company out of San Diego has inked a deal to bring their suds to Utah. The brewery opened in 2012 in Green Flash Brewing’s former facility in the city of Vista. It has one of larger production brewhouses in the county and plans on leveraging that capacity to grow its distribution footprint.  Latitude 33 Brewing Company is dedicated to producing American and European-style craft ales and lagers.

Utah Craft Beverages is their distributor for our region, the beers are just awaiting DABC approval before hitting bars and shelves. As soon As that happens, I'll spread the word. Here is what you can look forward to.

HONEY HIPS

ALE BREWED WITH HONEY & SPICES

She may be sweet as honey, but this daring brew packs a punch. Honey Hips conjures aromas of making her seductively drinkable.
This lady has a fierce passion for unparalleled craft and is bold enough to make your head turn.clover honey and refreshing citrus with a touch of sweetness,


BLONDE CARTEL

GOLDEN BLONDE ALE

Like the perfect crew, Blonde Cartel has a perfectly balanced cast of characters. It’s a flavorful blonde ale with the right amount of bitterness.
At first you’ll experience a floral hop character then a slightly biscuit-like malt flavor. Taste for yourself how this blonde is pulling off unparalleled refreshment.

MANGOVEZA

TROPICAL MANGO IPA

In tribute to our southern neighbors, we crafted an unparalleled contrast of sweet and heat with Mangoveza. Fruity bitterness upfront followed by a burst of habanero warmth provides a well-balanced IPA—unlike any other spicy ale.
Come explore the uncharted territories of this invigorating IPA.

BLOOD ORANGE IPA

AMERICAN IPA

On our relentless pursuit to bring the world unparalleled craft, we discovered a hidden treasure with our Blood Orange IPA.
As blood orange stands above everyday citrus, it is not your typical citrus infused IPA. With a crisp entry and slightly sweet finish, Blood Orange IPA has fans raving.


Cheers!

Monday, March 05, 2018

New Brews, Soon for You: Shades of Pale

In this edition of New Brews, Soon for You, we're featuring new stuff from Shades of Pale Brewing Company. Owner/Head Brewer, Trent Farger and Cellerman/Biologist/ Brewer, Marcio Buffolo want you to know they're serious about their commitment to bring high end craft suds to Utah's beer nerds. Beginning this week, the South Salt Lake City brewery will be introducing four new beers that will range from cocktail-like to barrel aged.    

Aphrodite: Belgian Style Blonde Ale - Low but present bitterness, light to medium body, spice and fruit esters. Easy drinking beer. 6.5% ABV.

Cerberus: Belgian Style Quadrupel Ale - The base beer here has appeared before in SOP's Bourbon Barrel Quad. This an opportunity to get to know the solo act. This beer is amber in color, with caramel, raisin, plum and stone fruit flavors. Smooth but boozy with 13% ABV.

Mojito: A Mojito inspired barrel aged beer - This beer is inspired by the traditional Cuban cocktail of  the same name. It's a slightly tart beer, aged in rum barrels with mint and lemon peel added. Refreshing and intense. Like a mojito. 4% ABV.

Brett Saison Gin barrel Aged - French saison barrel aged in Gin barrels with Brettaromyces for 14 months. Smooth, slightly tart, dry but with a lot of spices, fruits aroma. This new barrels aged beer is said to have many wine like qualities with sourness you can only get from long months of barrel time. This one is highly anticipated by sour beer fans. 6.5% ABV.


All indications are that Aphrodite will be the first to be released (sometime this week). The other three will gradually hit the market throughout March and April of 2018. I'm really looking forward trying these. What are your thoughts on these new additions?

Cheers!

Labels provided by Shades of Pale

Friday, March 02, 2018

New Beer Friday 3/2/18

2 Row Apricot Sour - There's a medium dose of lemony tartness with some noticeable apricot. Apricot is a little subtle for the level of tartness here, but if you like 'em tart this, you'll love this. 7.9%. At 2 Row and better beer pubs.

Full Sail: Session EZ IPA -  This session NE style IPA has a great fruity profile with a nice dose of citrus. Can’t go wrong here. 4.8%. Had it at Beer Bar.

Kiitos NEIPA - This new addition to Kiitos’ lineup is super tropical and fruity as well. It’s super fresh and it has Kiitos’ pop top can. 7.3% at Kiitos.

Deschutes Swivel Head Red IPA - I have not tried this one yet. 6.5%. At select DABC stores.

Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing IPA - Again, Another solid NE style IPA. This one has a slightly more better finish than the previous IPAs mentioned. Very nice. 6.7%  I had it at Beer Bar.

RoHa Brewing Project Belgian Pale Ale - This has the typical farmhouse nose, but is easy on the pallet. Not overly fruity and drinks like a pale ale.  If you want to introduce your taste buds to a mellow Belgian beer, this is the ticket. 4.0%. Available at RoHa.

Cheers!

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

New Brews, Soon for You: RoHa, Roosters, Uinta and Saltfire

In today's New Brews, Soon for You file we have seven up and coming beers from four breweries. This looks like a really interesting bunch of beers. Can't wait to get my hands on these.

We're going to start with another addition to Saltfire's initial line-up. Last week I brought you the first peek of South Salt Lake's newest brews. Today, I have an additional beer to add to those. Dirty Chai Stout is described as a "spiced coffee stout" that is made Indian chai spice and Nicaraguan coffee roasted by Blue Copper Coffee Roasters. Yes!

Roosters Brewing Co., has a series of limited release beers coming soon as well. Beer from their "Pilot Brews" label will feature a new Double IPA, a high point Amber Ale and a high point Blackberry Cream Ale. Stay close for their release dates.

The RoHa Brewing Project will be releasing a new Belgian style Nights Out. This is described as a robust stout made with Belgian yeast and spices. it will be packaged in 12 ounce cans and will have an ABV of 8.7%.
stout called

Uinta Brewing has a pair of interesting new beers on the horizon as well. I guess we'll start with their limited release beer called Ancient Ale. The only info we have right now on this one is that it's made with "ancient grains and honey". This beer could end up going in any direction. I'm curious to see what they come up with. Look for it in 12 ounce cans.

The other newbie from Uinta is called Crimson Tart. This ale will be brewed with natural
pomegranate; no idea on what the base beer will be. This beer will also come in 12 ounce cans. This is also a limited release beer and there appears to be no ABV listed for either of these Uinta beers.

That's a nice, round selection of new brews coming soon to you, eh?

Cheers!

All labels found at Shipcomplient.com

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

St. George Brewing Company in Utah?

*I added updated info on this post in the comments section below. Cheers!
 
I pride myself on having a semi-descent grasp on Utah's craft beer scene. So I was a little taken back this morning when I came across this federally approved label for beer from a supposedly from a brewery in St. George Utah.

The brewery label is from a brewery called St. George Brewing Company This is not to be confused by the brewery of the same name in Hampton, Va. The beer is an amber ale called Vegas Style that has an ABV of 5.0%. The label doesn't list an address or any manufacturer info. I'm guessing this is contract beer; because I can't find any record of brewery or entity in Utah with this name.

If anyone has any info on this, on know it's origins please share so I can get on with my day.

Cheers!

Image found at Shipcomplient.com

Friday, February 23, 2018

New Beer Friday 2/23/18


Okay beer nerds, listen up. You’re going to have to put a little more planning into your Saturday beer shopping schedule. Three coveted beer releases are happening at the same time: Squatters 529, Strap Tank’s IPA and Fisher’s Anniversary IPA all three go on sale at 10am Saturday (11am for Strap Tank). I’ve tried all but Strap’s, here are your New Beer Friday tasting notes to help aid in your plan of attack.

Desert Edge Irish Red on Nitro - This is an easy drinking amber ale with light caramel and toasty malt flavors. It has low hops and bitterness with a light roasted dryness in the finish. Served on nitrogen it's smooth and creamy Mmmmmmm! Stop in for a pint or two! Available at Desert Edge

Proper Professor Plum - Toast off the bat with mellow maltiness. The Plum is subtle and in the background. It accents the base beer with nice, mellow tartness. 4.0% Available at Proper

Uinta RS Ale IPA - This new session IPA; designed specifically for Real Salt Lake is pretty much all west coast. It's full of citrus peel mango and resinous pine. Fantastic flavors with a mellow kick. 4.0% Available at Uinta's pub, Beer Bar and eventually everywhere.

Fisher Anniversary IPA - This is Fisher's second high point IPA and it's another winner. Hopped mostly with Galaxy and Citra hops with doses of Citra and Simcoe this limited edition IPA has shloads of tropical fruits, including citrus, papaya and pine apple. 6.8%. On sale at 10am Saturday 2/24

Wasatch Haze Craze - Another full flavored session IPA from Wasatch. This East Coast style beer is again, full of wonderful tropical flavors. with great pithy citrus notes. You need some of this! 4.0%. Available at Wasatch Brew Pub in Park City and the West Side Tavern (UBC) in SLC.

Strap Tank IPA - Sadly this is being bottle this morning and I havn't had the oportunity to try Strap Tank's first high point IPA. If I know Brewmaster, Mike Dymowski (and I do) he will kill it. 7.0%. On sale at 11am Saturday 2/24

Returning Favorites:

Squatters 529 - My tongue got a preview of this year's version yesterday. Look for tart cherry with moderate doses of funky yeast all wrapped in a blanket of fruity and tart balsamic. One of the better versions Squatters has produced in a while. Buy extras for cellering. 7.1%. On sale at 10am Saturday 2/24.

I will discuss these beers and other beer related toipics with Mick and Allen today at 3:30pm on KBER 101. Please check it out!

Cheers!

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

New Brews, Soon for You: Saltfire Brewing Company

I (along with many of you) have been patiently waiting for Saltfire Brewing Company's brewing  machine to go online. It will be the first of many Utah based breweries to open up in 2018. As always, I have a sneak peak of the tasty treats that await us in the coming weeks.

The labels look great, it looks like Saltfire has decided to go with 500 ml bottles (thank you) and will debut with the following ales and lager:

12 Monkeys Double IPA - Pictured above, this beer is described as being a pale orange color with flavors of blueberries, papaya, grapefruit and resinous pine. It will hit the ABV dial at 9.1%. A "hazy" right out of the gate? I know that will make many of you nerdy N.E. style boys and girls very happy.

NZED Pilsner - Will be a New Zealand style Pilsner that will reflect it's German roosts with a dose  of  those unique New Zealand hops. Look for hints of tropical flavors, including mango along with  lemon and lime flavors. This will dial in at a refreshing 5.4% ABV. You all know how I love a hoppy lager.

A Series of Singularities IPA - This will be Saltfire's rotating single hop series. You will likely see these change out every quarter - or whenever Head Brewer, Patrick Bourque feels like it. Look for a different hop blast every rotation. Keep track of your favorites and I'm guessing suggestions are accepted.

That's it, you know there will be more variety to come in the coming months; what do you think of their debut suds? And please stay close, I'll have the official release dates published here as soon as they're made available.

Cheers!

Images found at Shipcomplient.com

Friday, February 16, 2018

New Beer Friday: 2/16/18

Happy New Beer Friday! Last week I told you about Kiitos' Vanilla and Coffee Imperial stouts. They were unable to get those packaged last week, but they are going to be available this Saturday at 10am.

Kiitos Vanilla Imperial Stout:The vanilla here is fantastic and it works very well with the beer's rich roasted notes and malt sweetness. Loved it! 11.0% ABV. Available at Kiitos starting 10am Saturday Morning.

Kiitos Coffee Imperial Stout: The nose is huge with coffee and it follows in the taste. another wonderful adition to Kiitos' Impy line-up. 11.0% ABV. Available at Kiitos starting 10am Saturday Morning.

Kiitos Hazy: Looks like OJ, the taste is a melange of citrus fruits and pith. quite tasty. 4.0% ABV.

Strap Tank Barrel Aged Saison:  Spicy yeast in the nose with vinious sweetness and oak.The taste has some saison funk and tartness - including some damp straw and chardonnay notes. Towards the end there's some pear and oak with some lingering yeast in the finish. Very tasty stuff! 11.6% ABV.
If you want some of Strap Tank’s BA Stout or Saison and are unable to make it to Springville, Beer Bar has some in stock.

Stone Loral & Dr. Rudi's Inevitable Adventure DIPA:  The nose grass, pine, mango and citrus. The taste is much more subdued than the aroma, it's got tasty mango and tangerine, with nice pine notes in the end. It tatses lite but it's not. the ABV is 8.9%. Found at Beerhive. 

Fisher TurnBurner IPL: Great hoppy lager. Spicy/grassy hops with a bit of citrus & berry. Buy this! 4.0% ABV. Available at Fisher.

Fisher Pale #7: Old School Pale: An old school 2000's Pale Ale. There's a lot of pine with a smidge of citrus peel. Nice. 4.0% ABV.

Mare Island Coal Shed Stout: A very English stout. Metallic, char, toffee and coffee. Nice. 6.7% ABV. Found at Beer Bar.

Mare Island Saginaw Golden Ale: Did not try. 4.3% ABV. Found at Beer Bar.

Mare Island Hydraulic Sandwich IPA: Nose is super buttery. Taste is less so, but it’s still there. Tons of malt and a fairly bitter finish but not much hop profile to speak of. Pass. 7.1% ABV. Found at Beer Bar.

Cheers!

Thursday, February 15, 2018

The 4th Annual Lagerpalooza

It's time to start getting your lager recipes ready because the 4th Annual Lagerpalooza will be here before you know it. If you're not familiar; Lagerpalooza is Utah preeminent home brew competition designed to showcase that art of lagering beer.

Home brewers enter their beers to be judged by qualified industry and BJCP judges. The "Best of Show" beer will be brewed and packaged by the Bohemian Brewery and will be the featured beer for the next Lagerpaloozer. Last year's Best of Show was a pre-prohibition style lager that will be made available as a Pro/Am beer for all to enjoy.

Registration is open now, the judging and festivities will happen on Sunday, May 6th. All of the information for participants can be found at this link. I hope to see you there.

Cheers!


Wednesday, February 14, 2018

New Brews, Soon for You: An Epic Quartet

Today's New Brews, Soon for You file is all about Epic Brewing Company. Here a sneak peak of what you can expect to see in the coming weeks.

Pictured Above is the RiNo American Pale Ale. This will be full of those citrus qualities people are loving in their IPAs along with the maltiness that make pale ales so delicious. This will come in at an appropriate 5.8% ABV.

Club Lounge is Epic's newest barrel aged beer. Made with cherries, cocoa nibs and a variety of spices; this Belgian style ale is currently resting in wood and is waiting for it's debut.We'll get a better idea of what the ABV is when it's done maturating.

There's new addition to Epic's Brainless Series: Brainless Passion is an obvious name for this passion fruit enhanced Belgian style golden strong ale. Some of Epic's Brainless fruit beers hit wine barrels for a length of time, some don't. This one isn't specific on if it's getting the barrel treatment or not. I'll update this when I have more info. ABV - TBD.

Our fourth beer comes from the newest member of the Epic family. The West Swell India Pale Ale is one of the newest packaged brews from Telegraph Brewing Co., since being purchased by Epic. This IPA comes in a beautiful can that will likely be an all west coast style IPA. The ABV will be at a perfect 6.7%. There will be some Telegraph beers coming to Utah, Hopefully this will be one of them.

On a side note in regards to Telegraph Brewing. Epic has moved six of it's foudres from its Denver brewery to Santa Barbara to help Telegraph enhance it's sour beer program. Just a little extra info to help get your mouth watering this morning.

Cheers!

Monday, February 12, 2018

A Toasted Barrel Brewery Preview

This morning I have a preview of what you can initially expect from Toasted Barrel Brewery: Utah's first brewery dedicated to spontaneous and wild fermented ales. If you're not familiar with the processes of these niche beers; I'll oversimplify by saying, they take a while. So when the brewery goes on line in the coming months, they'll need some "fast beers" to get the ball rolling.

Above you can see the label for Toasted Barrel's Utah Double Wheat IPA. It will have an ABV of 8% and come in 22oz. bottles.

The Four Seasons Saison will be a rotating beer that will feature different flavor profiles every quarter. Saisons are yeast driven and this one will be on the drier side. This will be a 4.0% beer, so you may see this on draft as well as 22oz. bottles.     

Doll Face IPA won't be your typical IPA. This Belgian influenced ale will have a wheat base like the Utah Double but will have the addition of sweet orange peel, coriander and a special yeast blend. Hops will of course be center stage on this one. this beer will dial in at 6.5% ABV and also be in 22oz bottles.

Not all sour beers take an obnoxious amount of barrel time. The Weisse Man will be Toasted Barrels Berliner Weisse. Berliners utilize lactobacillus to tarten-up the beer. It imparts a nice lemony profile that takes as much time to make as any ale. At 4.0% it likely be a refreshing treat. 22oz bottle and draft are your deliver systems here.

If you want to see these beers and their wild fermented siblings much sooner than later, please consider helping out Toasted Barrel with their relatively small Kickstarter campaign. The brewery is looking for an infusion of quick cash to help it cover additional costs and clear some extra hurdles. Helping them to meet their goal could mean the difference between an opening in March versus this summer. Backer will receive gifts of varying levels including a bar stool with your name on it. Here's the link to their Kick starter. Let's get this beer train moving people!

By the way, you may have noticed the map at the top of the page. I've created a map of Utah's Craft Beer location around the state. It includes Breweries, Brew Pubs, Beer Pubs, and Home Brew Shops. I hope you'll find it useful.

Cheers!

Friday, February 09, 2018

New Beer Friday 2/9/18


Kiitos Blueberry Sour: This one is a bit more subtle in the tart department than the Blackberry version. This allows more of the blueberry to come through. it's pretty nice. 4.0% ABV. Available now at Kiitos
 

Kiitos Imperial Stout: Deep roasted flavors with cocoa powder and coffee. Sweet malts and char round out the end. Alcohol is well hidden. 11.0% ABV. Available at Kiitos starting 10am Saturday Morning.
 

Kiitos Barrel Aged Imperial Stout: 12.5% Available at Kiitos starting 10am Saturday Morning.

Kiitos L’il Sis Pale Ale: Nice citrus and tropical flavors. really easy drinking pale. 4.0% ABV available now at Kiitos
 

Kiitos Vanilla Imperial Stout:11.0% ABV. Available at Kiitos starting 10am Saturday Morning.

Kiitos Coffee Imperial Stout: 11.0% ABV. Available at Kiitos starting 10am Saturday Morning.
 

Zion Brewery Mystery Canyon: This Dark Lager is on tap right now. I have no notes on this one. 4.0% ABV. Available at Zion Canyon Brewing.
 

Ninkasi Prismatic IPA: Tropical citrus flavors dominate. Some bitter citrus beer in the finish. Nice beer. 5.9% ABV. avaiable at Beer Bar.


Innis & Gun French Oak: This Scottish ale has lots of toffee vanilla and oak. If you want a great example of how wood affects the taste of beer this would be an excellent example. 6.6% ABV. Available at Beer Bar.

Innis & Gun Rum Barrel: Flavors of malt, peat, rum, caramel, smoke and wood. Agian, a very well made beer. 6.8% ABV.
Available at Beer Bar.

I'll be discussing these beers and other this afternoon on KBER 101 with Mick and Allen at 3:30pm. Please tune in! 

Cheers! 



Thursday, February 08, 2018

New Brews, Soon for You: 2 Row's Imperial Coffee Stout

By now you've probably figured out that when 2 Row Brewing Company goes to market with a new beer, they never go at it half-assed. In fact, I guess you could say that this newest entry into their beer catalog could be considered "whole-assed"!

In today's New Brews Soon for You file we have another big beer from Brian Coleman's Willey Wonka Beer Factory. It's Not Just for Breakfast is an Imperial Stout brewed with coffee and chocolate. Compared to 2 Row's Dark Alley (13.4%), this Impy is a subtle 8.3% ABV. The addition of oatmeal will likely make it silky smooth and full bodied.

Look for this stout in the coming weeks. Can't wait!

Cheers!

Image found at shipcompliant.com

Friday, February 02, 2018

New Beer Friday 02/02/18


It's getting warm enough to move your workouts outdoors; if that's the case then you're probably good to start with the warm weather beers as well. Luckily my fitness tracker monitors both parts of my life. This week's new beers are are mostly geared to the crushable end of the spectrum. Happy New Beer Friday!

Kiitos Barley Wine: The aroma is sweet and fruity with caramel malt, dark bread, brown sugar, raisin, fig and chocolate. The tastes starts with brown sugar, prune and fig. There's an herbal quality mid point with a bit of earthy tang which transitions to a bite of piney hops that provides a rather clean finish for such a malty beer. 11.1% ABV. Available at Kiitos.

Squatters Milky Way NEIPA: Lotsa citrus and tropical flavors happening in this surprisingly medium bodied 4% offering. The added pith flavors make it taste especially juicy. Limited at Squatters.

Desert Edge Beehive Brown Ale: This is an English style brown ale with flavors of toffee, toasty malt and chocolate. Low hops and bitterness let the smooth nutty malt flavor stand out for a malty but dry beer. 4.0% ABV. Available at Desert Edge.

Uinta Crisp Apple: Missed out on this one, I'll try and get some note for later. If I were to guess? I'd say, tart green apple flavor. On draft at the brewery and at Harmons. Soon, everywhere else. 4.0% ABV.  

Proper Sláinte Session Stout: This is the draft version of Proper's Grand Sláinte Stout. Look for big roasted components along with cocoa and char. 4.0% ABV. Available at Proper Brewing

Melvin Experimental J-Hole: This beer is basically a sweet citrus bomb. There's a lot of  grapefruit peel and orange marmalade with pant-loads of resinous piney hops for balance. 7.0% ABV. Available at Beer Bar, Bayou, Beehive, Dick n Dixie's and Slackwater.

Melvin Hop Shocker IIPA: This Mosaic and Simcoe hopped bomb is brewed with 100% Lupulin powder; which creates a tropical melange that is surprisingly balanced for a Melvin beer. There's plenty of dank Euro grass in the finish, helping out in that regard. 8.0% ABV. Available at Beer Bar, Bayou, Beehive, Dick n Dixie's and Slackwater. 

Radeberger Pilsner: Sweet grains combined with nice toasted cereal and herbal hops. The finish is moderately grassy. A nice German style pilsner. 4.8% ABV. Available at Beer Bar

Shiner Farmhouse Rye:  The nose has some fruity yeast aromas, not much else. The taste has mostly sweet malt, that little bit of fruitiness on the nose doesn't make an encore. There is some biscuit-like malts coming thru and it finishes with a semi spicy rye finish. If you're hoping for a farmhouse beer, you're not likely to find those funky characteristics here. Think spicy pils. 4.0% ABV. Available at DABC Stores.

Rogue Straight Outta Newport... Oregon: Aroma is fruity with citrus peel. The taste is juicy as well with big citrusy hops along with notes of peach. A nice harmonious beer. 8.7% ABV. Available Beer Bar, BeerHive

Schofferhofer Pomegranate Hefeweizen: I haven't tried this one yet. I have to admit, I am curious though. The grapefruit version has been known to hit the spot for me on occasion. It's a very lite 2.5% ABV. Available at Beer Bar and Bayou.

I'll be discussing these beers and other this afternoon on KBER 101 with Mick and Allen at 3:30pm. Please tune in!

Cheers!

Thursday, February 01, 2018

The Utah Beer Blog Super Bowl LLI Prediction Engine


Beer will always lead the way, no matter how you implement its magical properties into your life you can depend on it to provide you answers. Whenever I put this damn  Super Bowl Prediction Engine to the test it always works out (not really). This year will be no exception. Using the 2016 data from the Brewers Association, I take the number of breweries and divide that by the gallons consumer per adult in the participating team's state. This delivers the prophetic score. That being said, here is your 2018 formula.  

Massachusetts 110 ÷ 3.8 = 29

Pennsylvania 205 ÷ 12.9 = 16

You don't have to agree, but the holy suds have spoken! If I were you, I'd  go out ASAP and bet the family farm on this gift from the beer gods. Actually my lawyer says, you shouldn't do that. But if you do? I get all credit when it works and non of the blame if it doesn't.

Cheers and Good Luck!

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Kiitos Barley Wine Goes on Sale Today

Kiitos has announced that it's releasing a new barley wine today. Since Epic and Proper Brewing are the only other local breweries that makes straight-up barley wines (Uinta has discontinued Anniversary Barley wine) this is a big deal for local beer drinkers. Simply called Kiitos Barley Wine, it has an ABV of 11.1%  and it is set to go on sale at 11am today. Tasting notes to come!

Cheers!

Friday, January 26, 2018

New Beer Friday 1/26/18

"Dryuary" is finally over. Happy New Beer Friday!
 
Avenues Proper Brett Kriek: The aroma is big with dough, Brettanomyces and cherry. The flavor has musty dough, a fair amount of Brett funk and pie cherries rounding it out. It finishes with that nutty cherry flavor. The cherry flavor is very fresh. This is a full on brett beer. If your not a fan of brett funk you my not like this one. I think it's pretty great. 4.0% ABV. Only at Avenues Proper.

Wasatch Elemental Wit: Brewed as a traditional Belgian Wit Beer with souring bacterium from Squatters' Fifth Element. The aroma is full of yeasty esters and lemon and spices. The flavor has a descent amount of tart orange with grains of paradise and a hint of funk in the back. Very tasty. 4.0% ABV. only available at Wasatch's Park City Brewpub and the West Side Tavern at The Utah Brewers Cooperative. The tap handle at the West Side Tavern says "Session Sour".

New Belgium VooDoo Juicy Haze: I haven't tried this one yet. It's described as having a melange of tangerine, papaya, pineapple, and lemon. The mouthfeel is somewhat soft, but with fairly prickly carbonation. 7.5% ABV. Available at select DABC stores.

Great Basin Wild Horse Altbier: I haven't tried this one yet. Alts are primarily toasty and malty. 4.8% ABV. Available at select DABC stores.

Great Basin Ichthyosaur "Icky" IPA: Piney aroma with floral undertones.Traces of caramel. The taste follows with pine and floral hops; malts come through faintly with notes of cracker and caramel. Finishes with a citrus and more pine.6.4% ABV

Cheers!

Thursday, January 25, 2018

SLC's Brewery Mile

This week in my Beer Nerd column for City Weekly, I invite you to check out a mile long piece of real estate that I've dubbed "SLC's Brewery Mile". Cheers!

https://www.cityweekly.net/utah/the-citys-new-beer-mile/Content?oid=7457080

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Special Edition of Epic's S.O.B Available on Friday

If you're a fan of Epic's Son of a Baptist coffee stout, you know that it's custom made for each market Epic sells it in. This means each market's version is a little different than all of the others. One of the advantages of having Epic's HQ in SLC is that we sometimes get access to these unique brews.

On Friday, January 26th Epic will be releases a small batch of Son of a Baptist in 22 ounce bombers. This version of SOB will feature Dallas' Cultivar coffee; the chosen coffee roaster for the Texas market. Normally, the SOBs that we enjoy in Utah are infused with local Blue Copper Coffee, so this is a great opportunity to compare.

If you're not familiar with SOB: The nose is full of coffee, dark chocolate and molasses. The flavor is bittersweet dark chocolate with lots of roast, coffee and toffee. There's a bit of ash in the finish. 8.2% ABV.

Don't wait too long to pull the trigger on this one.

Cheers!

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

New Brews Soon for You: Vernal and RPM

In this edition of New Brews Soon for You, we have three previews of coming brews. The first beer comes to us from Vernal Brewing Company. Their Bock Lager is pretty self explanatory. Bocks are the traditional Lenten beer, used by monastic monks to get them through their forty days of fasting during Lent. I imagine this high caloric malty lager will arrive sometime then. It will have an ABV of 7.0%. Yum!

Next we have two new canned offering from RPM Brewing. Both of these beers are currently available at the Garage in Draper (RPM's brewpub). The Salt Flats Hefeweizen will be a bready, yeast driven 4% beer that will appeal to those looking to stimulate their palates while keeping that clean German beer feel.

Along with the Hefe, RPM will also be bring you their Top Gear Amber Ale. This will be a hop forward American Amber that will have IBUs that pop into the 80s. This beer is also available to try at the Garage.  

All three of these caned beers will likely hit the market in the first quarter of 2018. Stay close for their official releases.

Cheers!

Images found at Shipcomplient.com

Monday, January 22, 2018

The 2nd Annual “For the Love of Beer” Festival

Roosters Brewing Company invites you to the 2nd Annual “For the Love of Beer” Festival on Saturday, February 3rd and Sunday February 4th. As luck would have it, Super Bowl Sunday is on February 4th which means in addition to “For the Love of Beer” there will also be a “Beer Bowl”, a traditional Super Bowl party with a craft beer twist.


Along with Roosters there will be four other local breweries pouring suds for the event; Red Rock Brewing, Kiitos Brewing, Talisman Brewing Company and Mountain West Hard Cider. Beehive Cheese and Daily Rise Coffee will be there too.

Purchase your tickets sooner than later because it sold out very fast last year. Tickets can be purchased here.


Sat, Feb 3, 2018, 4:00 PM -- 8:00 PM
Sun, Feb 4, 2018, 4:00 PM -- 8:00 PM

Location:
Union Grill
315 24th Street
Ogden, UT 84401


Cheers!

Friday, January 19, 2018

New Beer Friday 1/19/18

Holly Hell it's been a slow January. I apologize for the Utah Beer news drought, but there's not a lot happening right now. Thankfully, we still have new suds hitting every week. Please enjoy this week's New Beer Friday offerings.

2 Row Raspberry Sour: Three new beers in three weeks! You've gotta love Brian Coleman's passion and tenacity when it comes to his beers. This week's new offering is a bit of a departure from Utah's IPA machine. This raspberry sour is just as it sounds. Think: Unripened raspberries with a bit of lemon.The alcohol is substantial for a fruit sour, dialing in at 8.1% ABV. You can get it at the brewery and at the better beer pubs, including Slackwater, Beerhive, Bayou .

The RoHa Brewing Project has added two new draft handles You can find the following on them.

RoHa Americano: This American ale is infused with coffee and is brewed with espresso and coffee. There's a nice blend of light malt flavor and subtle coffee. Mostly made with cold brew, so there's not a lot of coffee nose but full on coffee in it's flavor. 4.0% ABV. Available at RoHa starting today.

RoHa D Street Brown Ale: This is an American Brown. It's slightly hoppy with toasted malt and caramel. It finishes with notes of chocolate. A tasty session ale. 4.0% ABV. Available at RoHa starting today.

Sierra Nevada Hop Bullet:  Using a new technique, the kids at Sierra Nevada hit this beer with a double-barreled blast of Magnum hops and lupulin dust—pure, concentrated hop flavor—directly into the tank to emphasize the intense pine and citrus flavors of classic West Coast hops. It comes in at 8.0% ABV and is available and many DABC stores and better beer pubs. 

Snake River Earned It - NEIPA:  This “hazy” IPA is brewed with Citra, Mosiac, El Dorado and Loral hops come together to make a citrusy and floral aroma. A low bitterness and light malt body make this beer very drinkable. 6.5% ABV. Available at Beerhive, Bayou, Pizza NoNo, Outpost Spirits and Slackwater.

Returning Favorite

Squatters Fifth Element: Utah's original wild ale makes its long awaited return. This wild saison pours a cloudy apricot/straw color with a fizzy white head that reduced to a thin froth. The nose has a bit a of barnyard funkiness to it with hints of lemon and yeast spices. The tastes starts with light citrus notes then transitions into funky tart notes that are somewhat fruity. Next comes a dry oakiness that compliments the tartness well. The finish is a combination a champagne like dryness and bitter florals.This goes on sale Saturday morning at 10am at Squatters Brew Pub. There's a two bottle limit on this one.

Cheers!

Friday, January 12, 2018

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!

Friday, January 05, 2018

New Beer Friday 1/5/18

It's the first New Beer Friday of 2018! Appropriately, it's all local. Get out of the inversion and into a pub to to enjoy these great new offerings.

2 Row Coast to Coast IPA: This has a sweet, light fruity aroma. The flavor is very much the same with a dryer less intense bitter finish. 7.2% ABV. Available at 2 Row and your finer beer pubs.

Kiitos Vanilla Nut Cream Ale: I have no notes for this one. By the name I think you can figure out how it's going to taste. 4.0% ABV. Available at Kiitos.

Kiitos Citra's Lil' Sis Pale Ale: This pale is a blend of 3 unnamed hops from the north west. Delicate floral, kiwi and lemon grass notes. Dry hopped with citra and comet. 4.0% ABV. Available at Kiitos.

Desert Edge Vienna Lager: Described as a light copper colored lager with a bready malt and a light spicy hop character. 4.0% ABV. Available at

Desert Edge N.Z. Pale Ale: Described as a hoppy pale ale brewed with New Zealand Wai-iti and Waimea hops. This unfiltered pale ale has a biscuity malt flavor balanced by the bright citrus and tropical fruit flavors of the hops. Medium bitterness and dry finish. 4.0% ABV. Available at

Fisher Sour Power: A crisp, ass puckering lemony thang much like the first generation Sour Power.  4.0% ABV. Available at Fisher.

Fisher Hop Drop Sour: The same base beer as Sour Power. It's very tart, but dry hopped with simcoe. Fruity nose from the hops. Tastes like sour grass! 4.0% ABV. Available at Fisher.

What did I miss?

Cheers!

Thursday, January 04, 2018

New Brews Soon For You: Chasing Tail Orange Golden Ale

Squatters is teaming up with Best Friends Animal Society for this naval orange version of their Chasing Tail Pale Ale. Full of Celeia and Galena hops this hop forward unfiltered golden ale will push the limits of Chasing Tail's flavor profile. Besides 12 ounce cans this will have a limited run in Squatters' quart sized crowlers.

The ABV in Squatters Chasing Tail Orange Golden Ale gets a boost as well, now at 5.2% from the standard 4.0%. I'm guessing that a portion of the sales from this beer will go to Best Friends Animal Society.

Best Friends Animal Society is the only national animal welfare organization dedicated to ending the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters. To help Save Them All, Best Friends works with shelters, rescue groups and our members nationwide.

Sounds tasty, and they've got a great cause. stay close for it's release.

Cheers!

Image found at Shipcomplient.com