New Beer Friday 10/6/23

Alert! This is NOT a test. New Beer Friday will direct you where to go during this beer emergency. Proceed in a calm manner to your local brewery, pub or tavern. 

As we're in the midst of hop harvest season we thought it'd be a good idea to do a deep dive on some of the new wet/fresh hop beers in the market. We'll have a panel of enthusiasts picking them apart in a blind tasting. The Hop barrage begins at today at 2pm on 99.9fm KUAA, the home of Beer Nerd Radio.   

Desert Edge  - The Norseman: Made with a Norwegian farmhouse yeast, dry hopped with Talus hops, has notes of a hazy pale ale but with a touch of farmhouse flavor. 5.0% - Available at Desert Edge.

SaltFire - A Series of Singularities (Cashmere): Herbal up front with citrus in back. Some spices from the yeast with a round malt bill. 7.3% - Available at Saltfire.

Prodigy - Oktoberfest Märzen: The aroma is malty caramel. The taste is more on the malty side. Definitely sweet as well. A biscuit/cracker malts profile that has medium-to mild carbonation. Overall, it's a solid mix of sweetness with malt in an overall pleasing package. 5.0% - Only at Prodigy.

Level Crossing - Rising Hope: 100% of proceeds from this year's Rising Hope will support research for pediatric cancer. This west coast orange blossom pale ale smells like a bowl an oranges. Tastes the same too. A medium amount of caramel malt with a big citrus profile; purée & hops combined. Such a damn tasty pale. 5.0% - available at both Level Crossing locations.

Offset - Cold Barrel-Aged Tmavé Pivo: This is Offsets Czech Dark lager, cold aged for 4 months in an oak barrel. Base beer is chocolate forward, low amounts of roast and coffee, spicy/floral notes from the Saaz which balances out with a medium backbone finishing gravity. The oak brings along hints of vanilla and softness from the oak as well as a hint of tannins that compliment the complexity of the beer. 

TF - How’s Barry?: It’s a salad of berries & stone fruits. The tartness from the Marionberry & Blackberry start you off with Plum & Cherry rounding out the back end. You get some of that nutty-cherry flavor in the finish as well. Some hop bitterness too, as this is an IPA. No Lactose. 7.7% - Available at TF starting today.

Equilibrium - MMM...OSA: This pale ale with orange zest is actually EQ's Photon American Pale Ale conditioned on freshly zested oranges at a rate of 6 oranges per barrel. 4.8% - Found at Slackwater. 

Equilibrium - Wavelength: This IPA pours bright yellow with aromas of citrus and stone fruit with crushable flavors of mango and berry with a light refreshing finish.6.5%  - Found at Slackwater.  

Here are this week's Small Batch Beers from Hopkins Brewing.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 9/29/23

We're back, after a long weekend attending the Great American Beer Festival. Congrats go out to Uinta's Golden Spike Hef (Bronze), Proper's Steamy Wonder (Silver), Silver Reef's Black Hill (Bronze) and TF for their Helles (Silver). While we were gone we missed a few from last week, so here they are along with the new newness from this week. 

Participants from GABF aren't the only ones celebrating this week, Salt Flats Brewing and Distilling have some great news to share as well. Beer Nerd Radio will have the full story today at 2pm on KUAA. This will be an interesting show. See you at 2pm.    

Uinta - Trop Nosh XXXperimental IPA: Great fruity aroma. Floral & tropical for the most part. Flavor follows with a WCIPA malt profile that blurs into an NEIPA tropical profile. It's right in the middle of the two styles, and I imagine that's what Uinta was shooting for. Nice stuff.

Uinta - Huckfleisch: I think this is Uinta's first Märzen. Caramel, vanilla & more toasted bread. THIS needs to find its way out of R&D and into regular production next year. 5.0% - Available at Uinta.

Uinta - Knusprig: This Munich Dunkel is bready & toasty with some nice balancing caramel. Yeast esters are light. The toasty grains here are so damn fresh tasting, I could drink this all day.  5.0% - Available at Uinta.

Uinta - Flüssigkeit: This Hefeweizen is the traditional German style. Light banana & clove from the yeast. Doughy & quite light & crisp. Light body for the style. Still quite delish. 5.0% - Available at Uinta.

Uinta - Skänken: This Gose has a medium/low tartness. Slightly salty without being briny. Finish tangy. One of the better Goses I've had in a while.- 5.0% - Available at Uinta.

Hopkins/Tsuki Sake - Kanpai To The Moon: This traditional Japanese-style rice lager was fermented on Koji rice, and brewed in collaboration with Tsuki Sake. This lager features a golden-straw appearance with a light and crisp body full of unique savory and slightly tart notes. This is dry - not like a traditional Japanese lager though. The koji adds some sweetness for sure & it takes you back to malts-ville in a roundabout kinda way. Co2 is bright & crisp. Brewed with Pink Boots Hop Blend. Mikey Likey. 5.0% - Only at Hopkins.

RoHa - Strata Off The Vine IPA: Made with 60 lbs. of fresh from the farm Strata wet hops. Notes of dank strawberry, passion fruit, Grapefruit & herbal sage. Finish is bitter for sure. Tasty stuff. 5.0% - Available at RoHa.

RoHa - Hodge Podge Fresh Hop: This pale ale is a literal hodge-podge of hops from Copper Moose Farms & many, many backyards from Wasatch Front & Back. Mostly floral & herbal profiles as these are mostly wild hops. Sooo cool! 5.0% - Available at RoHa.

Fisher- Hop Orchard: This new beer features a new hop from the Hop Breeding Company called 1019. It's moderately bitter, oily with a myriad of complex aromas and flavors; coconut is undeniably a huge aroma component to this beer. Flavor-wise it turned out very peachy. So peachy, in fact, that people think there are peaches in it. That peachiness is a fairly unique flavor to garner from a single hop varietal. A very interesting pale ale. 5.0% - Only at Fisher.

Squatters - Broadway Red IPA: Missed this one. 5.0% 

Policy Kings - URMOM.COM: This Gose was brewed with coriander, Himalayan pink salt and then prickly pear puree added at fermentation. It's made to be a tart Ale with a slight saltiness on the backend and balanced fruity pear notes. 

Ogden Beer/UTOG/Talisman - Smashing Pumpkins: Look for an amber hued ale with allspice and hints of cinnamon. A round mouthfeel with medium to light body. 5.0% - Available at Ogden Beer, Talisman and UTOG. 

SaltFire - Wet Hop Lupulin Dew:  Missed this one. 5.0% 

Offset - Fresh Hop Simcoe: Missed this one. 5.0% 

Offset - Table Bier (Dry Blonde Ale): High Oil Cascade and Hersbrucker hops deliver a beautiful bouquet of citrus oil and floral notes with just a touch of earthiness. A slightly elevated bitterness more akin to a Pils than a Blonde Ale keeps the drinkability high and really cleanses the palate, inviting the next sip. 4.5% -Available at Offset 

Desert Edge - The Haze Between: Tart tangerine and lime Lime give this one a very refreshing finish throughout. The malt is well balanced and not cloying or medicinal. You can pick out all the fruit too if looking for it, but can also just lose yourself in the blend. This was the most tart of the Nectars so far, which is a plus. Very Tasty. 5.0% - Only at Desert Edge.

Roosters - Ogtoberfest Lager: This lager is dry-hopped with domestic Tettnang hops and accentuated with caramel malt and a lovely fruity floral hop aroma. 5.0% - At all Roosters Locations. 

Stone - 27th Anniversary Lemon Shark Double IPA: Missed this one. 9.5% - Found at Beerhive , Bayou, Slackwater.

Payette - Ember S'mores Porter: Missed this Porter 6.0% - Found at Slackwater, HandleBar. 

Odell - Big Sippin' Sour Ale: Missed this imperial Sour Ale. 8.0% - Found at Salckwater.

Lumberbeard Boysenberry Apricot Zuff: Fruited Kettle Sour ale brewed with boysenberry and apricot. Brilliantly pink and with a fruity and balanced sour profile. 6.3% - Found at Slackwater. 

Equilibrium - Astral Projection Into Multiple Galaxies: This collaboration with Widowmaker Brewing uses a hop combination of Galaxy, Strata, and Apollo Hops. It pours milky yellow with aromas of passionfruit creamsicles, lemongrass, and pineapple and a flavor profile of mango, orange sherbet, dank passionfruit, grapefruit, and lime PEZ candy with assorted melon salad notes. 8.5% - Found at Slackwater, Beerhive.

Revision - Hot Tub Jamboree: Made with Mosaic, Cryo Mosaic, Citra and Strata, which bring vibes of citrus, peach, strawberry, passion fruit and a hint of dank smoothness. 6.7% - Found at Slackwater

Cascade - Tartini! Sour Ale: This sour golden ale was aged in an oak foudres followed by an infusion of botanicals consisting of juniper berry, orange peel, orris root, angelica root, coriander and dried rose petal. 5.4% - Found at Slackwater, The Bayou.

 

Founders - Oktoberfest Marzen: Pours a gorgeous copper hue with a rich, malty and slightly sweet backbone. 6.0% - Found at Slackwater. 

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 9/15/23

Trying to get away from it all? Then New Beer Friday is your gateway to escape the your prison of the bland. 

On today's Beer Nerd Radio, we do a deep dive into one of the more polarizing beer styles you're likely to come across, pumpkin/spice beers. Steph and I will host a round table of "experts" and we invite you to listen live as we fight, pull haired try to figure out if these field beers are legit or a fad. it starts at 2pm today (Friday) on 99.9fm KUAA. 

TF - Three Sisters: This spon beer was fermented via cool ship at the Three Sisters Garden at Blue Sky Ranch, Utah. The lambic-like qualities are gueuze-esque with sweet grainy notes on top of cheesy fruits & dusty/woody sour notes. Finishes w/ hints of rubber. Sour level is medium/high. 6.8% - Available at TF starting today.

TF - New Day Pilz: This one primarily driven by Halletau & Saphir with a whole salad of new world hops backing up the band. Basically you’re gunna find a ton of orange, grass, herbs, melon & berries. It’s a lot to take in for a lager, but worth it. 6.0% - Available at TF starting today.

Ogden Beer/Fisher - Meanwhile In Ogden: Another craft American light lager with actual flavor. Malt bill is solid, full of toasted crackers & whole grain bread. Hops are mostly traditional Euro with hints of citrus from the Saphir and Saaz hops. 5.0% - Brewed at Ogden Beer Co. Available at Fisher as well. 

Proper - Daydrinker: Dialing in a whopping 2.2% this light American rye is mostly hop driven with some surprising dankness. It very light, don’t get me wrong, but it’s happening. If you need a mid-work beer or something to hydrate you while recreating this is up your zip code. Available at Proper and Proper Moab.

Red Rock - Space Boogie: This double IPA features Nectaron, Citra Incognito and Galaxy hops. It's a very good showcase of the Nectaron hops. The hop combo adds tropical flavors of stone fruit, melon, and slight herbal notes with some orange underneath. Nice berry flavors from the thiolized yeast. Very tasty stuff. 8.2% Available at Red Rock.

Wasatch - Top Of Main Series (Black Lager): Aroma is nutty with light cocoa shavings over a smooth, bready core. Taste is beyond smooth, drinking at first like a line drive moving fast to that signature light roast flavor of carafa. Opens to even more smooth lager malt with nutty, coffee, and cocoa accents but always centered on drinkability. Maybe a smidge of caramel but for the most part an excellent black lager. 5.0% - Available at Wasatch Park City and Wasatch/Squatters on 300 w.

UTOG - Harvest Moon: Missed this Harvest pale ale that features a double dry-hopping of Mosaic and El Dorado hops. 5.0% Available at UTOG.

Bewilder - Du Hops Mich: There's really no such thing as a German IPA, but if you use German malt, yeast and hops... well, it works. This was made with German Pilsner malt, Kolsch yeast and a salad of Callista, Ariana, Hull Melon hops. The result is an IPA with an aroma of green melon and unripe berry/fruits, almost catty like, with some white grape noted and malt sweetness. Nice West Coast approach with minimal malt sweetness and a slight bitter finish. Pleasant lingering feel. This under Bewilder's Brew Lab label. 7.1% Only at Bewilder.

Uinta - Pickle Gose: This has an official name, but nobody could seem to remember it. 🤷‍♂️ Nice & briny, good dill weed flavor too. I get cucumber as well in the finish. A little Tabasco & it’d be perfect. If you like these, you’ll enjoy this. If not, stay clear. 5.0% - small batch, only at Uinta.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 9/8/23

Stuck in a rut? Wanna get away? New Beer Friday will lead you to your happy place. 

The RoHa Brewing Project visits the radio pub at 2pm today. Rob Phillips and Head Brewer, Karsen Moon will join us to talk about RoHa's history and their new direction. It starts at 2pm on 99.9FM KUAA.

Offset Bier is celebrating its 2nd anniversary today and have a bunch of new beers, two of them being brand new. If you're near Park City's, City Park (south pavilion) from 3-8pm you can enjoy live music, food and of course beer. For all ages. Congrats Offset!

Offset - Simcoe: Simcoe focused Hazy WC IPA. 2022 Simcoe T-90 in the kettle, Trial 702 Simcoe in tbe whirlpool, and more T-90 in the dry hop. Followed by a massive addition of fresh wet Citra from Jackson Hop Farms in Wilder, ID. Juicy Fruit gum, stone fruit, pine, fresh hop herbaciousness. 7.0% - Available at Offset.

Offset - Drawn To The Dark: This Triple Mashed Baltic Porter was brewed in May of last year and after an extended lagering time in stainless was laid to rest in 6 year Bourbon barrels from a local "western" themed distillery. After 13 months in barrels it was blended back into stainless for additional lagering and eventually packaged in 375ml bottles. Notes of chocolate covered cherries, toffee, vanilla, and bourbon. Dangerously smooth for 13% due to its slow cold fermentation and extended lagering. Available at Offset.

Saltfire - Headhunter: This Double IPA has some floral hops in the aroma, kinda light. Big malty base - full bodied feel. Taste is bold & astringent with mint, grass & spicy hops. Alcohol adds to mix creating a hoppy elixir that is lingering long into the finish. 8.0% - Available at Saltfire

RoHa - (Brewers Select) Tactical Fanny Pack: This new Double IPA has big fruity yeast profile to begin with lots of melon, mango & citrus. Hops are mostly citrus peel, spicy & herbal. Lingering bitterness throughout the finish. Love the fruitiness from the yeast. Tastes like real fruit. 8.1% - Available at RoHa.

Grid City - Coconut Mango Whole Flower Dry-Hopped nitro Pale Ale: Coconut & mango are prominent for sure. Not much pale ale shining though. It goes down quite easy and finishes with more coconut. It’s a bit mango sweet, not much pale ale. 5.0% - Only at Grid City

Grid City - India Pale Ale: This is Grid City’s official house IPA. This has all of the fruity yeast & hop components that you’ll find in GC’s Imp Pale, but with a slightly different malt bill and a shload of Mosaic. Big citrus w/ fruity malts & hnts of pine. WCIPA. 7.1% - Only at Grid City

SL Brewing - Berenstein Beer: This German-style Altbier pours amber with a faint head that lasts. The most minimal of lace. Some earth and spice hops blend into the rich nutty and toasted aroma. A slight sweetness, fair bitterness, some bready malt stickiness. Almond butter on toast. A solid effort.

Stone - Enjoy-By 10/31/23 DIPA: Packaged last week, so it would be redundant to say, “it’s damn fresh”. It’s damn fresh…. It’s not overpowering. A WCIPA with plenty of citrus that’s not harsh & delivers that hop salad that the Enjoy-Bys are known for. Some pine & berries as well. 9.4% - Found at The Bayou, Beerhive.

Pipeworks Oktoberfest: Missed this one. 5.3% - Found at Slackwater.

De Leite - Cuvée Soeur'Ise: This Triple Kriek was aged for 6 months on cherries. The cherry influences the oak wine barrels as well, where it adds further to woody souring and softening. The result is called a triple-kriek ‘pur sang’. 8.0% - Found at The Bayou.

De Leite - Fils à Papa N°15: This Belgian Blonde was made with "Raspberry - Gin-infused" and was aged on malt whiskey barrels. 6.0%  - Found at The Bayou.

De Leite - Cuvée Mam'zelle: This "Sour Triple Barrel-aged" ale was aged a few months in matured in oak wine barrels, which provided a deep but soft-bitter tannin aftertaste. The taste is full and complex because the brewers induced a controlled souring during the ripening process. The Mam'zelle is by origin a blonde beer. The reason why she is called "high-blonde"? 8.5% - Found at The Bayou.

Left Hand - Pumpkin Spice (Nitro): This pumpkin beer was made with pumpkin spices and coffee. 7.0%

Revision - Invitation To Party: Sabro provides tropical hop flavors and aromas of ripe pineapple and a touch of coconut, while Vic Secret lends distinct citrus character, all floating on a pillowy malt cushion. 8.5% - Found at Handle Bar.

Here are this week's Small Batch Beers from Hopkins Brewing.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 9/1/23

Welcome to September: the time of harvest beers. While we have no harvest beers to speak of yet, they are being brewed as we speak. To tide us over we have a mostly fruity New Beer Friday with no hop bombs that I'm aware of. If I missed something please let me know.

Beer Nerd Radio welcomes our beer family from the south, Silver Reef Brewing. The Silver Reef Empire not only includes beer, but spirits, wine and even casinos. Mike Key one of the Grand Poobah's of Silver Reef will be joining Steph and I in the radio pub starting at 2pm on 99.9FM KUAA. 

Proper - Live Terri: Terri: a collaborator/artist with Proper was recently diagnosed with leukemia. To help fund her medical treatment, this special beer was created. Terri’s beer is an American Krystallweizen with “lemon & berry”. Proceeds from all sales of "Love, Terri" will go directly to the Terri O'Brien benefit fund. 5.0% - Available now at Proper.

Shades - Blackberry PB&J: The peanut butter part comes across as toasted nuts rather than PB. The “J” part is spot on for Shades signature fruit sour base. Not too jammy, but tart and slightly sweet. The peanut butter part is a bit askew for me which takes me out of the vibe they're creating. Tasty stuff. 6.5% - Available now at Shades 

TF - Golfer’s Delight: grainy, husky. Some corn. It’s an actual light lager with flavor.   If the name doesn’t give away the intent, you’d think this was designed for time spent in the sun, while recreating at a leisurely pace. That’s what you get, but also much more. You get actual flavor too. Husky grain, corn, floral hops and quenchability. 5.0% - Available on draft and in cans at TF today.

Cascade - Gose Roselle: This Gose-style ale was aged in oak barrels for up to 10 months before infusing with roselle hibiscus, fresh Meyer lemon zest, ground coriander and Oregon coast sea salt. 5.0% - Found at the Bayou.

Prairie - Neapolitan Squeeze: Missed this sour Ale with cacao nibs, vanilla, strawberry, and lactose 4.7% - Found on draft at The Bayou.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 8/25/23

This classic magazine cover from National Lampoon was respectfully repurposed this week to draw you into this week's New Beer Friday. Did it work? It's a full weekend of new beer and a good variety too. Have a great weekend!

Our guest on Beer Nerd Radio this afternoon is David Jimenez of Tastmasters fame. We'll cover podcasts, influencers, social media and of course beer. Check us out today at 2pm on 99.9fm KUAA.   

Epic - Hopsters: This tastes like Epic stole all of hops on the planet and artfully crammed them into this can. Chewy hops and cannabis-notes. Dank and resiny with a massive citrus zest punch, combined with melon and berries. It’s a Double WCIPA with some haze so the bitterness is full but not obscene. This alcohol is present, but it is a DIPA, so mission accomplished. Finishes dry for the most part because of the Amarillo, Centennial, Magnum Terps & Hopburst. Not for the NEIPA crowd. This was fun to drink. 9.5% - Available at Epic starting today.

Red Rock - Bending Branch: This Peach Hefeweizen features 650 lbs of real peaches. it has an orange hue with a moderate haze and effervescence. Head poured a finger of creamy white foam. Light aroma with a little bit of wheat and peach. Not much in the way of hefeweizen esters. Still, it's a refreshing aroma. The peach is a little more pronounced in the flavor than in the aroma, which in this case is good thing. Otherwise, it's much more like an American pale wheat ale than a German hefeweizen. which works just fine. Medium body with a nice carbonation and creaminess. Not bad. This is a nicely refreshing brew on a hot day like today. Connoisseurs of fruit beers will love this one. 5.0% - Exclusive to Harmon's Grocery Stores.

Red Rock - Quite Frankly: This American-style Pilsner features Incognito, Lupomax hops. In the aroma I get herbal/floral quality along with lemon, fruit rind, and bread crust. The flavor is nice. Earthy, herbal, a bit of hop resin/oil, and of course bready. Some bright lemon, as well. The feel is medium body but still drinks like a typical bready lager. Dry and with full carbonation. A nice little surprise. 5.0% - Available at Red Rock Locations.

RoHa - Lighthouse Rules: They're calling this a "foggy IPA". It features Citra and Mosaic hops and and it looks like a witbier.  Two of my favorite hops in one classic combo. Citrus pops with some hints of pine, berry & melon. It’s all simple. I’d call it a “white pale ale”, due to the mellow malt bill & the overall Basic hops/malt bill. Soooo nice! 5.0% - Available at RoHa

Proper - Riled Up Red: Brewed in honor of ESPN 700's Bill Riley, this unofficial Utah Utes football inspired ale is a classic American red ale. I'm definitely getting those Cascade hops. Malt profile is solid and not thin. The overall balance is excellent. Haven’t had an old school red like this in a while. 🤘Go Utes! 🏈🙌

Uinta - Euro Pils: I'm not sure if this is the actual name, but this hits taps for the first time today. 5.0% - Only at Uinta.

SL Brewing - Slippery Otter: This nitro vanilla porter has aromas of dark malts along with hints of chocolate and vanilla. The taste has flavors of dark malts with notes of cola and light vanilla, the latter of which are most noticeable towards the finish. It feels just about medium-bodied and very smooth on the palate. 5.0% - Only at SL Brewing. 

Beer Zombies - Hwhip (Double Blueberry Double Cherry): All of the goddamn tarts are happing here. The base beer is sour. Then pile-on Blueberries & Cherry. It doesn’t say anything lactose sugars on the can, just “vanilla”, so I assume it’s safe for non-lactoids. That being said, it’s decadently berry forward 8.0% - Only at Beer Zombies.

Beer Zombies - Vrykolakas: This Triple IPA Light citrus aroma. Quite fruity compared to Epic’s Hopsters which was a hoppy beast. This is different kind of beast with more soft fruity notes: citrus, pineapple, melon etc. big malt profile - stone fruit comes to mind. Finishes fruity & boozy. Oy! 10.5% - Only at Beer Zombies.

Mason - Sand and Sound: This classic WCIPA is made with Stratta, Citra and El Dorata hops. Look for cannabis aromatics with a palate of sage, grapefruit and passion fruit flavors. 6.5% - Found at Slackwater.

Mason/Kings Brewing - Three-Peat Re-Peat: This collaboration TRIPA features Motueka, Mosaic and Cashmere hops. Look for a ton of stone fruit and citrus peel. 10.5% - Found at Slackwater 

Mason/Seek Brewing - iPOP! Tropical: This collaboration fruit beer features guava, passion-fruit and strawberry. Light and crisp. 5.5% - Found at Slackwater. 

Boulevard - Bob's '47 Oktoberfest: Missed this one. 

Brewery Ommegang - All Hollow's Treat: By the name you'd think this was a pumpkin beer. Nope. What we have here is a more of a Reese's Peanut Buttercup clone in beer form. Look for dark chocolate, creamy peanut butter and vanilla. 7.6% - Found at Slackwater.

Here are this week's Small Batch Beers from Hopkins Brewing.

Cheers!
 

New Beer Friday 8/18/23

Not only is it New Beer Friday, it's a Utah Beer Fest weekend. For info on the fest, please see below. Also this weekend in SLC is the 2nd annual Kensington Street Festival is on August 19th. Kensington will be closed from Main to Major street (in front of RoHa) with live music, food trucks, artists, live muralists and more.

Beer Nerd Radio gets into donut pairing heaven as we welcome Dolly's Donuts to the radio pub. Dolly's is the only donut shop that I'm aware of that sells beer alongside their confections. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

RoHa - Skippers Delight: This amber lager opens with a firm fig undertones as it parses through notes of nutty brown bread and toasty bread crusts over the middle; a touch of caramel brings a deft sweetness lingering into a close of white bread and honey. Taste brings forth stewed fig and brown bread upfront, with floral hops and a touch of minerality over the mid-palate into honeysuckle, light cereal grain, and honey fading with the finish. 5.0% Available at RoHa

Salt Lake Brewing - U-Da-Ho: The mixture of fruity, piney and green hop aromas with no single aspect sticking out the most. The taste seems to be similar to the aroma, but much lighter and it starts off with a medium amount of sweetness with the hops still being the first to show up and they impart the same aspects that they did in the aroma. the finish there's a medium amount of bitterness with a equal amount of hoppy and malt flavors in the aftertaste. 5.0% - Only at Salt Lake BC.

Uinta - Killing Time: This small batch hoppy Kolsch has great toasty malts with some fruitiness from the yeast. Hops here are big. Slightly citrusy, mostly herbal. It’s a great combo and it all works quite well here. 5.0% - Only at Uinta.

TF - Circus Series Foeder Aged Yuzu and Budah's Hands: This beer utilizes 12 different Brett strains. This one of the more approachable Brett beers I've had in some time. This is presented in a clear bottle - no hops happening here. The nose is lightly bretty with some vague citrus aromas. Upon first swig, you get a mix between a tangy lemon, bitter grapefruit and sweet orange. The best description that I can come up with for what comes next is "ocean". It's not briny but a trick from the funk and the fruit. It ends with more barn funky and yeast spices. Defintely Brett forward. The Buddha’s Hand fruit and yuzu doesn’t taste strong at all. 7.5% - Available at TF starting today.

Offset - Thiols Terps & Love: This new lager features a combo of New Zealand hops: Nelson Sauvin, NZ Cascade and Peacharine. Oh my. This is a full-on-sensory assault. The dank. The fruit. Oils… the cannabis-ish rawness of the hops. Then you add thiolized fruit component from the yeast: full of berries melon. Goddamn! This is fun to drink The ABV is perfect at 6.0% BRILLIANT! Available at Offset now, also at The Bayou.

Saltfire - Mobius Trip (Farmhouse Brett Saison): This is the first release from Saltfire foeder #2. Some funk, wheat and light balsamic. The saison yeast is still present and the sour level is a solid medium. There’s a good dose of wood and peachy notes, along with some floral qualities from the old world hops. Really tasty. I’m curious to see what this is like in a year. 

SaltFire - Deep Dive Series Pils: This is a smaller version of NZED. NZ hopped Pils with nice citrus & herbal qualities. 5.0% - available now at Saltfire.

SaltFire - Deep Dive Series Hefeweizen: 5.0% - Nice. Traditional German style. Clove & banana, in that order. available now at Saltfire.

SaltFire - Deep Dive Series Summer Session: Smell is citrus and p[ale malts some baked bread. Taste is floral and tropical some herbal hops with a nice malt finish. Earthy clean hoppy and malty.5.0% - available now at Saltfire.

SaltFire - Deep Dive Series Stout: A little acrid. Some molasses & roasted malts. Lacks the smoothness of of an Irish-dry stout. 5.0% - available now at Saltfire.

Helper - Total Rise Hazy IPA: Pours a hazy golden orange. Lots of citrus in the nose, including oranges, lemon peel, and grapefruit, and some tropical fruit like pineapple. Very light malt presence. Lots of juicy citrus up-front, slightly unsweetened. You get orange variants, lemon and lime peel, mango, pineapple, and then grapefruit comes in on the back end along with a little bit of malt. Stays on the very slightly bitter side of the spectrum, but only slightly. You get some good drying on the finish that helps keep the bitterness well under control. 7.5% - Available at Helper Beer.

Helper - Slow Fade: Missed this "big tart beer". 9.0% - Available at Helper Beer.

Salt Flats - Oktoberfest: New recipe and it’s brilliant. Think it’s too early for autumn beers?… You’d be wrong! Drink them as soon as they hit, and you’ll be the better for it. This Viennese is toasty, slightly nutty with a hint a malt sweetness. Hops are grassy/herbal and spot on. 5.0% - Available at Salt Flats and Garage Grill locations.

The Utah Beer Festival is happening this weekend. Saturday, August 19 and Sunday, August 20 at Granary Live and Granary Square. Located at 742 S. 500 West. Look for over 200 different beers, ciders, hard seltzers and kombuchas available to sample as well as several draft varieties. https://www.utahbeerfestival.com/

Roosters Brewing Company announces the launch of Summer Fest, a sensational celebration of craft beers and seasonal pairings at the following locations: Ogden 25th St, Ogden B Street (21+), and Layton. From August 15 until Labor Day, the community is invited to join us in this flavorful experience focusing on four distinct beers accompanied by perfectly matched seasonal food pairings.  

As the summer winds down, there's no finer way to savor the remaining days of the season than by sipping on refreshing craft beers. Roosters has curated a unique lineup to cater to every beer lover’s palate. Summer Fest is set to bring people together in a relaxed and inviting environment, offering a perfect opportunity to explore and indulge in the world of craft brews and their fresh seasonal food pairings.

"Summer Fest embodies our dedication to crafting exceptional brews and creating memorable dining moments," said Kim Bowsher, the CEO of Roosters Hospitality Group. "We can't wait to welcome our community to join us in experiencing the flavors of summer."

Highlights of Summer Fest include:

The Beer Lineup:

1. Razzle Dazzle Pils: A classic Czech-style pilsner finished with a burst of raspberries, creating a harmonious blend of refreshing and complex flavors.
2. Identity Crisis Cold IPA: Discover a unique twist with this Session West Coast Style Hazy Cold IPA, where hoppy notes meet a cool, crisp finish.
3. Little Wit of Citrus: Delight in the refreshing Witbier brewed with lemon and bitter orange peel, offering a citrusy zing that perfectly complements summer vibes.
4. Mexican Tamarind Gose: Experience the fusion of the classic sour Gose profile with an intriguing touch of tamarind and subtle smoky hints of chipotle peppers.

Savor the Pairings:

1. Arugula & Grilled Peach Salad: A perfect mix of arugula's spicy kick and the sweetness of grilled peaches, enhanced by Beehive Cheese’s award-winning Seahive cheddar cheese & basil balsamic vinaigrette.
2. The "BLT" Burger: Featuring a thick-cut pork belly ("B" for belly), this mouthwatering burger comes with the local Uinta beefsteak tomato, bibb lettuce, and a side of crispy fries.
3. Fried Chicken Basket: A classic comfort favorite, this buttermilk fried half bird is paired with cut-buttered summer corn & crispy peppered slaw. 

Join us at one of the Roosters locations including our family-friendly brewpubs in Ogden and Layton or our 21+ taproom B Street. Enjoy the Summer Fest experience until Labor Day. For more information and to find the nearest Roosters restaurant, visit https://fb.me/e/14cWFZuet. 

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 8/4/23

It's a teensy New Beer Friday with two new IPAs going on sale. Both of these are delicious and are on point. 

On the heels of IPA Day yesterday Beer Nerd Radio is coincidenatlly doing a deep dive on IPAs today at 2pm with Bewilder's Cody and Steven. Hit us up at 99.9fm in SLC or stream the hell out of us at KUAAFM.org/

   

Offset - HBC586: Quite zesty IPA for sure. It's mostly citrus with an emphasis on orange and lemon. Definitely a west coast stvle with broad caramel & some vague herbs. I'm glad I let it warm a bit, getting the full-on sensory assault with this one. 6.5% - Available at Offset, The Bayou.

Bewilder - Brew- Lab IPA #3: Mango and orange off the bat. A little melon comes next with a bit of peach rounding it out. Bitterness is low but detectable. Nice & round in the mouth as well. Excellent stuff! 6.5% - Available at Bewilder.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 7/28/23

 

We're talking spirits today on Beer Nerd Radio. James Fowler founder of Sugarhouse Distillery joins us this afternoon. James makes some of the best locally made whiskeys. This should be a brilliant conversation. It starts at 2pm on 99.9FM KUAA.  

Offset - Silver Dagger: This New World Lager features Riwaka and Saphir hops. The result is a really nice light, low bitterness, lager with just a hint of modern hop character. Riwaka brings that exotic floral and lime with Saphir adding a bit of spicy lemon zest. 

Fisher - Drown in Sound: The smell has the pine and hops combined powerfully up front with a strong sense of malts trying to come through. The taste has a wonderful combination of pine, hops and malts with a bit of a floral/citrus aspect coming out as the beer warms. The palate is light with nothing harsh on the tongue - just an all around good feel, solid. Overall, great beer that I would come back to. 5.0% - Only at Fisher.

Ogden Beer - Panther Fang: Cherry, Pineapple and Passion Fruit create a great fruit salad of flavors on a medium tart base sour beer. Damn Tasty. 5.0% - only at Ogden Beer.

SL Brewing - Tropical Thunder: This new session IPA features Zeus, cascade, Mosaic hops. Pours a hazy light straw color with good head and lacing. Smell is citrus ,lemon/lime spritzers with baked bread . Taste is light citrus with melon and grapefruit. Medium carbonation, and full flavored for the ABV,well done. 5.0% - Only at SL Brewing. 

TF/Meanwhile - Cowboy Goth: This collaboration lager with Austin Texas' Meanwhile Brewing is hopped with Saphir Mandarin Bavaria & Hallertau Mittenfru - lagered for 7 weeks. Definitely getting the prominent tangerine note others have mentioned as well as a light note of bitter citrus pith. I also get fresh cut grass and a nice light spiciness. The malt bill plays a supporting role exhibiting just the right amount of bready-sweetness to balance the spicy bitterness coming from the hops. 5.5%

Bewilder - Smoked Peach Cobbler: Mostly peach aroma with some light smoke. It’s on nitro too, that’s a plus. Tastes similar to the nose. Mostly peach with light smoke. Vanilla rounds it adding to the creaminess from the nitrogen. Quite nice. 5.0%

Bewilder - Habanero Mango Gose: Look for a tart and mildly salty ale with a bit of Habanero for a little heat and mango puree. 5.0% - Available at Bewilder.

Kloster Ettal - Helles: Missed this. 7.2% - Found at the Bayou 

Kloster Ettal - Dunkel: Missed this. 5.0% - Found at the Bayou  

Kloster Ettal - Curator: Missed this. 7.0% - Found at the Bayou 

Here are this week's Small Batch Beers from Hopkins Brewing.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 7/21/23

Well this is awkward. Actually this week's meme is awkward, not New Beer Friday. NBF has a diverse selection of beers this week. Enjoy 'em right into your Pie and Beer Day Holiday.

This week on Beer Nerd Radio, we celebrate one damn year of ruining your Friday afternoons with my long-winded bullshit and Steph's exuberant giggles. Today we welcome back Marcio Buffalo of Mountain West Cider and we will get into yeast! No that's beer nerdy shit! It all starts at 2pm on 99.9FM KUAA. 

Grid City - (Sentence Series) Blueberry, Coffee, Bourbon Vanilla Infused Nitro Honey Cream Ale: The aptly name series has a new addition this week Aroma pops with coffee. Flavor however: starts with big berry tartness and gradually transitions into the rich coffee from the nose. It's a great blend, though the vanilla gets a little lost on it all. 5.0%

TF - 2023 Grisette: Fermented with Pinot noir grapes, strawberries, Bulgarian rose petals - aged in Zinfandel barrels. The aroma is very vinious and oaky plenty of buttery oak to go around. The sweet Zin barrels combined with the Pinot grapes create a nice sangria of wine flavors. The beer provides the fruitier aspects giving this light beer a complex beer/wine hybrid flavor. Some nice grape must tannins in the finish. TF is presenting this in a clear 750ml bottle. 5.7% - Available at TF starting today.

Bewilder - Chick Flip: This Pink Boots beer features the 6th annual blend of hops that feature Loral, Ekuanot, and HBC 586 cones. On the tongue, this has a lot of chewy oat-like malt combined with dank and grassy hoppiness, melding notes of light tropical fruit cocktail with some bright citrus and herbal elements. Pineapple-like intensity combines with lime, tangerine, passion fruit and mango. Kind of a chalky mid-palate that gets a bit indefinite here and there, but I really like the complex hop elements up front and in the finish. 5.0% - Available at Bewilder starting today.

Strap Tank - El Session Clasica: This session IPA is described as being full of vibrant citrus-berry-piney notes that won't tire your taste buds. It's a classic craft beer with a twist - a testament to our commitment to quality within boundaries. 5.0% 

Strap Tank - Cucumber Pilsner: Look for the sweetness of melon with the crispness of cucumber for a truly unique pilsner experience. 5.0%

Wasatch - Ruby Rapture Red IPA: Nice Red IPA. Malt with bright berry notes. A little citrus rears its head midway, with pine rounding it out. Wish more brewerirs would do Red IPAs especially in autumn. Found at Wasatch/Squatters SLC. 

Squatters - Strawberry & Cream Oat Pale Ale: This debuts today. No notes on this one. Please note: this is Not Salt Lake Brewing Company's beer (formerly squatters). This is Wasatch/Squatters. 5.0% Available at Wasatch/Squatters SLC. 

Chappell - Strawberry Rhubarb Gose: Missed this one. 5.0% - Available at Chappell Brewing.

Silver Reef - Koval Pilsner: Missed this one. 5.0% Found at Silver Reef, Slackwater.

Silver Reef - Pie And Beer Day Blueberry Blonde: Missed this one. Thanks for making a Pie and Beer Day brew! 5.0% Found at Silver Reef, Slackwater.

Vernal - The Boys Berries: Missed this White Stout. 5.0% 

Mountain West - Tropical Crush: Passionfruit dominates this new cider from MW Hard Cider. Nice dry/tart character that's low in tannins and big on tropical fruits. Very tasty. 6.8% - Available today at Mountain West Cider.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 7/14/23

Today episode of Beer Nerd Radio shine a light on Utah's own Simplicity Canned Cocktails. We'll explore this hot, new segment of the adult beverage business With Co-owners Chris And Rebecca Weed. It all starts at 2pm on 99.9fm KUAA. 

Fisher - The Crest Express: The Fisher gang partnered up with Level Nine Sports to create this new American Pale Ale. The hop profile in this pale ale generates big flavor with assertive bitterness, adding significant citrus zest and cantaloupe fruit character. Lemongrass and herbal tea. Bitterness round it out. Nice pale ale. 5.0% - Available at Fisher.

Fisher - The Unbearable Lightness of Beer: The aroma is malty, with caramel and toasted bread, plus some piney hops. The taste is the same. Sweet malt honey-like flavors, some toasty bread, and some tangerine flavors. There is some grassy bitterness in the finish. 5.0%. Available at Fisher.

2 Row - Flashback: This new double IPA features Centennial, Amarillo and Simcoe hops. A classic hazy appearance. Mostly fruity smell that was a nice prelude to the similar flavor. Can't put my finger on the tropical fruit but the nondescript fruity flavor was nicely balanced by the mix of hops that added the faintest bit of bitterness. Overall: I'm very happy with this DIPA, especially if you are looking for variations from the common "citrus" dominant hazy IPA profile. 8.0% - Available at 2 Row.

Salt Lake Brewing - Kafka Black Lager: Loads of dark cocoa with light malt sweetness and light floral hops. A little more Saaz spiciness would round this tasty lager out. 5.0% - Only at SL Brewing.

Equilibrium - Temporal Loops: Made with apricots and peaches this Sour IPA has great stone fruit aromas with flavors of peach, apricot jam, light pear, and orange. There's a touch of hoppy bite that melds with its tart finish. 7.0% - Found at The Bayou and Slackwater.

Equilibrium - Juice Mission: This has assorted citrus flavors, pineapple and papaya with some melon. A touch of grapefruit zest rounds it out. Alcohol is well hidden. 8.5% - Found at The Bayou and Slackwater.

Lumberbeard - Something, Something, Hazy: Missed this Hazy IPA brewed with El Dorado and Vic Secret hops. 7.0% - Found at The Bayou and Slackwater.

Some of you have been asking for NA Beers, here's a few new Brewdogs that just hit the market. These were found at Salt and Hops.

Brewdog - Punk AF:

Brewdog - Nanny State:

Brewdog - Hazy AF:

Brewdog - Elvis AF:

Here are this week's Small Batch Beers from Hopkins Brewing.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 7/7/23

That damn Nelly Olesen makes me so mad! I think I need a beer... Luckily decaliters of new suds await us this weekend and most of them begin with IP and end in A. 

Did you know there's a local purveyor of seasoned barrels? Northeast Barrel Company joins Steph and I on today's Beer Nerd Radio. Admittedly, my barrel knowledge is not what it should be so I think this will be a very informative hour. It all starts at 2pm on 99.9FM KUAA.

Park City - Kickturn: This Double IPA features Mosaic, Stratta, Cashmere and Chinook hops. Pours a hazy pale yellow with soapy head. Aroma is juicy. fruity and slightly tart. Notes of citrus, jamsine, mango and some floral hints. Taste is fruity, juicy and a bit sweet. Notes of jasmine, mango, citrus, peach, melon and some floral hints. Soft bitterness, and very easy to drink. Mouthfeel is medium, soft and pillowy with good carbonation. Overall, a terrific and extremely drinkable DIPA. 8.1% 

Epic - Small Batch Series IPA: The first beer in Epic’s new line of Small Batch IPAs starts of with a spicy, citrus & melon West Coast Style DIPA that has has an almost American Red Ale fruitiness that is approachable and dangerous at the same time. The yeast and malt create a great bed for the yeast to work on. As previously mentioned the hops add citrus and melon, but it’s the melange of the four that really makes this fruit salad pop. Bitterness is there, but it’s medium/low; enough for balance - which increases overall drinkability. A great first entry for this new series. 9.7% 

Helper - Circle Back: This West Coast IPA has mild to medium aromas of fresh wet orange pulped orange peel. It's deep and resinous with a sharp pine & flower aroma underneath the resin. Flavor follows the nose with orange and grapefruit that mostly that has support from pineapple and apricot. Heavy and malty upfront. Some Caramel and Crystal malts come through the middle. As the malt fades it allows some citrus nectar resin to come forth that is reminiscent of fresh and concentrated orange peel. Bitter, but also sweet and heavy. 7.1% - Only at Helper Beer.

TF - Blueberry Pancakes: You’d think the blueberry part of this big-ass pastry stout would get completely lost in the roasted malt, cocoa, maple and high west whiskey barrels, but it does make a strong appearance. In fact, it’s one of the more prominent flavors. This summer stout is full bodied and full of presence. Did I want this beer on a 90° July day? Probably not. I’m I glad I had it? Absolutely. 12.0% - Available at TF starting today.

TF - Dark Czech: Pours out a clear mahogany color with two fingers of frothy latte-colored head. Smells a bit like a cross between pumpernickel, challah, and banana bread with a touch of chocolate and a Saaz hop sting. Dark rustic yeasty bread is also dominant on the palate. Basically, it plays out exactly like how you'd expect an imaginary cross between a Czech pils and a dark Dunkel to be. Bread, yeast, Saaz spice, in a solid clean crisp combo. 5.0% - Only on Draft at TF.

Great Divide - Strawberry Rhubarb: Straw with a pinkish hint in color, with a large fluffy head. Smells of sweetened strawberry. Taste includes strawberry but the rhubarb levels out the sweetness and gives it a hint of sour. Flavor is good, well balanced. 6.2% - Found at Slackwater.

Left Hand - Key Lime Pie Nitro: Nitro, canned. Give it a hard pour. Lovely waterfall rising in the glass. Nicely fluffy nitro head. Key lime sourness is followed by vanilla and graham crackers. Tasty stuff! 7.3% - Found at Slackwater.

Prairie - Pineapple Whip Treat: Yellow straw in color with a hazy complexion. Aroma of pineapple, vanilla, and marshmallow. It taste the same with more pineapple, lactose and marshmallow. The mouth is light and smooth. 4.6% - Found at Slackwater.

Lumberbeard - Flavor Nuggets V11: Seems like we just got V10! ....and we did. Oh well, V11 is brewed with Azacca, Galaxy and Bru-1 hops. Look for notes of pineapple and mango. 6.8% - Found at Slackwater. 

Lumberbeard - Couples Skate: Bright hazy gold with an off-white head. Mosaic and a moderate dose of tropical fruit; blueberry, orange, green melon, lemon & lime, minor strawberry, present pale malt sweetness, smooth and fruity.  A tasty double NEIPA with a good malty base and plenty of tropical hops. If you like Mosaic you should dig this. 8.2% - Found at Slackwater.

Lumberbeard - Kiwi Krispy: A good dose of Nelson in this Pils. Some of the more herbal qualities of the Motueka shine, but for the most part this is a Nelson Savin Pils. So nice!!! 5.2% - Found at Handlebar.

Revision - Super Secret Stache: Great citrus peel flavors are tasty and a little bitter. Some pineapple and peach as well. Tasty. 8.1% - Found at Handlebar.

Revision - Snarf Snarf: Aroma orange, pine, grapefruit rind, and lactose? One of the sweeter tasting IPAs from Revision. Notes of orange and grapefruit persist, but its not just that rind, it’s actually a sweeter variety of grapefruit compared to the pithy rind like grapefruit notes. Has enough bitterness to keep the mouth feel from being cloying. 8.0% - Found at Slackwater. 

Cheers!