New Beer Friday 2/23/24

We have botanical beers, lagers, IPAs and barrel-aged. It gunna be a great weekend.

Sad to say there will be no Beer Nerd Radio today. We'll be back next week.

RoHa - Red Snake Hoppy Red: toasty aroma. Hops are similar, with mostly pine, herbal and floral notes. They build on a solid malt base that is anchored in the mid-2000s full of C-hops and some new citrus. Old School - meets new. 5.0% - Only at RoHa.  

Deep Dive Series - Rose Hip And Raspberry Hefeweizen: The Rose Hips rule in this wheat beer for sure. This is a very botanical beer. The raspberry takes a back seat for sure, but the overall esthetic is a light and refreshing floral driven ale. Simple & unrefined. If botanical beers are on your radar. 5.0% - Only at Saltfire.

Bewilder - Doppelbock: This beer was aged on Madeira soaked oak chips and made with Best Malt’s Black Malt. Whoa, the Port is really nice here, tons of dark fig, plum and berries. The malt is quite smooth mostly cocoa and toffee coming through. The end is quite oaky with little hop presence. The 10.0% ABV is well hidden and full-bodied. 

Bewilder - Low Hanging Phruit: This New Zealand-Style Pils was made with Moutere. Nelson Sauvin and Nectaron hops. Tons of melon in the nose with earthy/dank hops, can’t wait to see where this is going. Oh my, love the stone fruit profile here. It’s hovering above some vague citrus and more melon. It’s well hopped and “tastes expensive”. There’s some strong alternative Pilsner game in our market right now, and lagers like this are a shining example. Mikey Likey. 5.0% - Only at Bewilder.

SL Brewing - Valley Girl IPA: This smells like pithy grapefruit, lemon, biscuity malt, orange zest, and lime. This has a really nice juicy hop character to it, while finishing dry and bitter in a nice way. There’s just a touch of malt character, but it props everything else up. This is quite good – it’s hard to get a pale ale to feel so full flavored while also finishing light and easy, and this beer bridges that well. 5.0% - Available at SL Brewing.

Red Rock - Pino Pils: This smells like lime zest, wheat, light citrus and grassy hops. I get tequila in this one – which is honestly just fine for me. There’s some really light earthiness  but it’s mostly lime, citrus, soft breadiness, and a touch of grassy bitterness. It’s really well done, especially for someone who isn’t wild about tequila. 5.0% - Available at Red Rock Downtown.

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

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 2/16/24

It's a New Beer Friday that features hop-less beers, Anchovy (sort of), Spelt and another steamer. It was good week.

Due to the positive response to the Hazy IPA show, Beer Nerd Radio continue to ride the wave as we hit the West Coast IPA trail. The most important hour of your beer life begins today at 2pm on 99.9fm KUAA. 

Bewilder - Hopless Romantic: This Belgian Saison features no hops and is instead bittered/enhanced with Hibiscus and Rose hips - then aged in Beehive Gin Barrels. The hibiscus adds a slight tartness and the rose hips are restrained - which keeps the beer from becoming too flowery. The gin barrel isn't too noticeable, until it warms a bit then it starts to shine with some woody/ juniper flavors. Very Nice stuff. 7.2% - Only at Bewilder.

TF - Foeder Circus Series (Rose Petals, Hibiscus and Chamomile): Whoa! Much more fruity than I anticipated. This is simple and complex. I think the camomile gives this a lot of depth and it adds a lot of field fruit flavors. I know that sounds a bit vague, but this is very different from anything I’ve had from TF before. The foeder aged sour base is represented, but not overdone. Very nice. 7.5% - Available at TF.

TF - Spelt Lager: There are some who think this should have been named, “He who spelt it dealt it”. For the record I agree. For now it is what it is. This new lager has the typical TF charms with more cereal grain flavors - Think Chex Mix or similar flavors. Hops are traditional with herbal and floral notes. And interesting take on a spelt beer. 5.0% - Available at TF.

Offset - Anchovy: This new single hop pale ale features a new hop called Anchovy. A very small amount of it is grown. Wow, what a crazy hop. It’s peach and melon up front then this vague berry thing starts happening towards the back. Nicely complex but not overwhelming. American hops have come a long way in the past 10 years. Beers like this are fun to drink. Mikey Likey. 5.0% - Available at Offset - Found at the Bayou.

Salt Flats - Millennial Centenial: This new take on the steamer features a pilsner malt bill with the addition of Anchor Steam yeast and Centennial hop hash. The result is a familiar pilsner flavor with a much more fruity yeast profile. The hop hash adds some citrus and floral notes that finish on the chewy/hoppy side. Quite tasty. 5.0% - Available at all Salt Flats locations.

RoHa - Coffee Porter: Missed this one, it debuts today. 5.0% - Only at RoHa.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 2/9/24

Happy New Beer Friday!

This week on Beer Nerd Radio, we nerd hard on Ciders with Marcio Buffalo and Rio Connelly.

So much new stuff coming our way. That today at 2pm on 99.9fm KUAA.

 

Shades - Aquarius Raspberry Stout: Raspberry forward for sure. This brew screams raspberry from the first sip. Theres some roasted malt in there for sure, but it’s the Raz that runs the show. Some cocoa in there as well, but this is a fruity beer that just happens to have a stout problem. 7.7%

Grid City - Inner Darkness Black Lager: This Czech-style black lager is whoa. Oh baby. Silky cocoa with no frills or complications. Just light roast, Pilsner malt and an easy Lukr pour. This may be my fav dark lager right now. Definitely in the Czech style. Ach můj!!!  4.8%

Uinta - Pro Line Series (My Inner Ian): Created by Uinta’s Head Brewer, Ian Fuller, this new Double Hazy features Sabro Lupomax, Citra, Mosaic, HBC 1019 and HBC 630. Super aromatic with citrus and peach. Flavor takes over from where the nose left off, but with a hell of a lot more melon and some berries. Low bitterness and explosive flavor here. This is money folks, damn delish. Giddyap! 8.0% Available at Uinta starting today.

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

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 2/2/24

Hops rule the first New Beer Friday in February. Yeah, there are one or two that don't fit the theme, but you get the gist.

Speaking of hops: Beer Nerd Radio goes nuts on the "hazies". How did they become so popular and who has the best local version based on a blind taste test? Allen Handy and Libby Taylor join Steph and Mikey on the most important hour of beer in your life Fridays at 2pm on 99.9FM KUAA. 

Offset - NZH-105: This New Zealand style pale ale features experimental hop NZH-105. Big tropical flavors that turn into stone fruit. Some earthy notes as well. The hops work quite well with the malt bill creating a hugely drinkable pale ale. 5.0%  

RoHa - Brewers Select (Stage Left IPA): Big hop aroma, very aromatic and weedy. Taste follows but much more intense with dank citrusy hops and more weed. Citrus tries to pop-in, but this WCIPA is so heavily hopped, subtly is out the door. I love this chewy, dank som' bits. Mikey Likey! 7.3% - Only at RoHa.

Red Rock - Citra Black: Pours a light brown head with good retention. Maroon brown in color. Lots of Citra and grassy aromas, roasted malts and chocolate on the nose. Roasted flavors, citrus notes and grassy hops up front. A big aftertaste of grassy hops, citrus flavors, some chocolate and some onion on the back of the palate. A good dose of bitterness as well. Really nice. This is a really good brew. A big lager with lots of chocolate flavor and hop character. A solid creation that I would love to drink on a regular basis. 7.8% - Available at Red Rock starting today.

Bewilder - Grounds Keeper: This small beer was made from the second runnings from the upcoming Scottish ale bewilder has in the tanks. This ale has a nice malt profile with little hop presence. It's a straight-up easy drinking malty session ale. Available starting today. 5.0% - Only at Bewilder.

Revision - Planetary Fog: This IPA features Amarillo, Mosaic, Citra, and Galaxy hops. 7.5% - Found at Slackwater

Prairie - Spicy Pickle Monster: Sour ale with spicy dill pickles, orange, lemon, and lime. 5.8% - Found at Slackwater 

Equilibrium - Tachyon IPA: pours a very hazy yellow with notes of dank apricot, tangerine, peach, mango, and pineapple. It tastes of juicy tropical fruits and hop resins. A smooth pointed bitterness with a touch of dryness. A soft and billowy mouth-feel rounds it out. 5.5% - Found at Slackwater and The Bayou.

Equilibrium - Tomorrow: This Citra and Mosaic American Pale Ale ale features notes of orange juice, pineapple, and grass. It tastes soft and tropical with a slight bready note and no trace of astringency. 4.0% - Found at Slackwater

Denver Beer - Graham Cracker Porter: Vanilla, smoke, and mulling spices on the nose. A dark pour with mild lacing, she is a rollercoaster of lush chocolate and fig fruits diving into a semi-dry finish of truffle and cherry. 5.6% - Found at Slackwater

LumberBeard - Bluetooth Sharpie: This Hazy IPA is brewed with Mosaic, Motueka, Nelson Sauvin, and Idaho Gem hops. Dank on the nose, bursting with tropical flavors on the pallet. 6.5% - Found at the Bayou.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 1/26/24

Happy New Beer Friday. How's your Dryuary going? Mine is much better since implementing "Moistuary". If you're ready to to get back in the game, there's a nice selection of beers this week, on top of all of the other new stuff you missed out on in the previous weeks. Welcome back!

On Beer Nerd Radio today we welcome Nicci Lyman from Firestone Walker to talk about FWs history in Utah and what's coming next. Also on today's show, Kelsey Boothe will be on to talk about the Homebrewtah Utah's newest home brew competition. Look for us (Steph too), today at 2pm on 99.9FM KUAA.

Hopkins - Spidey Senses Red IPA: Toasty berries and pine from the nose. Tastes malty with more berries, then pine & citrus pop-in, providing a good amount of lingering bitterness. Solid red ale with big IBUs. 5.0% - Only available at Hopkins.

Red Rock - Forbidden Fruit (POG): Passion fruit, orange and Guava is what you'll find in this new sour ale. This is only available in Harmons Grocery stores. I went to the pub downtown and there's none to be had. 5.0%. 

Bohemian - California Steam Lager: Wow. A very traditional take on the style. Excellent malt profile, slightly nutty and toasty with floral and pine backing it up. This might be my favorite Steam beer AND it’s fresh. 5.0% - Available at BoHo.

Shades - Hellion: You can tell its yeast driven by the amount of of clove here. Though yeast dominates, you do get some honey flavors from the malt. Hops are light and mostly floral. It’s a little more phenolic than I like but it’s a solid interpretation on the style. 5.0% - Available at Shades.

Wasatch/Squatters - Tuxedo Trixter: First of all, great coffee taste and aroma. Made with local Rimini coffee. Cream ale body with a nice malt profile. Coffee pretty much runs the show from here to the finish. Coffee Cream/White Stout, it all seems the same, but this is really special. Yum! 7.0% - Available at 3pm today.

Salt Lake Brewing - Sundance the Kid: This orange/vanilla cream ale (on nitro), is a good mix of the malty base beer, fruit & vanilla. It’s not sweet by any means; light vanilla, light citrus & malt. It might be too subtle for some, I found it perfect for the nerd not wanting a milkshake ale. 5.0% - Only at SL Brewing. 

Returning Favorite

Level Crossing - The Black Album: This is part of Level Crossing's Black Feather Series. This is a black imperial rye IPA. The aroma is hugely dank, herbal and grainy with dense, bready malts. Flavor profile is less sticky, and a little more bold in regards to the malts  – there's a good dose of roast and char swirling around throughout. Dank, herbal, floral, zesty hops open up playing off of the bready, nutty, roastier malts flavors. The bitterness is medium to high and pretty much rules the beer from the back-end to the finish. Overall: a great BIPA, with a big hop profile. 9.2% 

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

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 1/19/24

Some may question your tastes in things. New Beer Friday shouldn't be one of them. Stylistically, this week's offerings are quite broad - perfect for a grabbing your favorite vinyl and getting wide with a funky new brews.

Beer Nerd Radio today welcomes back Kevin Templin and TF's next generation of brewers. we'll discuss what coming and where TF's focus is heading. Look for it today at 2pm on 99.9FM KUAA.

Uinta - Be Rye Wit' Cha: This witbier made with rye Pretty sure this is a mix of wheat and rye. The rye really pops. Nice overall grain sweetness and spice. Don't get much in the way of orange peel, but the yeast is tame and not too phenolic. It's fairly true to style - less the rye. It's worth your time. 5.0% - A small batch available only at Uinta.  

Shades - Blueberry Coffee Cake Sour Ale: There's no coffee in coffee cake, so I was a bit surprised to get a nice dose of coffee. The base beer is Shades' tart Kveik ale with equal parts medium roast coffee and blueberry. It tastes fine, I just don't know if the tartness and coffee work well together. 6.5% - Available at Shades today.

Wasatch - Rice Crispy: The name for this new rice lager is spot-on! There's a dense head on this clear lager, you can tell by the shadow it casts in the liquid. Very little aroma. Fairly dry, but there's still plenty of malt/rice sweetness. I'd never complain about too much malt in this style but it doesn't seem dry enough. 5.0% - Only at Wasatch/Squatters.

Heber Valley - Fixed Grip Pale Ale: Missed this new pale ale. 5.0% Only at Heber Valley.

Policy Kings - Predators and Kings: This new amber lager features notes of caramel, chocolate or nuttiness. Low citrus hops. Low to moderate fruity esters. 5.0% - Only at Policy Kings.

Mason - Bangarang!: This Citra Hazy is super creamy. You can tell it's DDH. Citra explodes - and is fairly (hop) chewy. It's all Citra happening here. A good amount of malt sweetness, some "extra" sweetness as well. If you like creamy orange IPAs, you'll love this. 9.5% - Found at Slackwater. 

Mason - Even An Immortal: Apparently this IPA has traditionally dialed in at 10%. No longer. This beer is now 8.8%. Thank Thor! This was quite tasty, the Mosaic hops provides more depth than my previous Mason beer. Mosaic is a great hop, and it helps build on the Citra's rind character. - Found at Slackwater. 

Roosters is thrilled to announce its first-ever Winter Fest, a celebration of winter flavors through carefully curated craft beers and seasonal meal pairings. Winter Fest will take place at all Roosters Hospitality Group locations, including Roosters 25th St, Ogden B-street (21+), Roosters Layton, Union Grill, and The Coop, from January 15 to February 11. Winter Fest will showcase three exclusive custom-crafted beers expertly paired with seasonal dishes, creating a unique and unforgettable dining experience for patrons. The carefully chosen beer and meal pairings include:

1. Winter Caesar Salad with Every Nook and Cranberry Sour: A refreshing salad featuring hearts of romaine, fried asiago gnocchi "croutons," and roasted tomatoes, all elevated by the Every Nook and Cranberry Sour.

2. Albuquerque Hot Brown Sandwich with Heavenly Cream Ale: Immerse yourself in the rich flavors of an open-faced smoked pork loin sandwich topped with green chili demi, grilled peppers, mushrooms, and onions. Served with fries and expertly matched with the smooth and creamy notes of the Heavenly Cream Ale.

3. Rosemary Porter Beef Stroganoff with Winter Rosemary Porter: Experience the return of a classic – the Winter Rosemary Porter – paired with a savory Rosemary Stroganoff featuring seared beef tenderloin and mushrooms in a rosemary porter gravy. Served over egg noodles and baby spinach.

These Winter Fest beers have been meticulously crafted by Roosters Hospitality Group's talented brewers. Based out of our Ogden 25th St. location, Colton Layton created the Every Nook and Cranberry Sour. Steve Kirkland, based out of our B-street location, crafted the Heavenly Cream Ale. Madeline "Red" Doss, based out of our Layton Roosters location, masterfully brewed the Winter Rosemary Porter.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 1/12/24

Happy New Beer Friday! Here are this week's new suds, what do you think?

On Beer Nerd Radio today Ivan from Salt City Suds sits in for the vacationing Steph. I van and I will be interviewing Brian Coleman from 2 Row Brewing about their new, much larger space and the future of 2 Row. Join us today at 2pm, on 99.9fm KUAA.

UTOG - Synergy Coffee Lager: Light roast coffee dominates the nose followed by a nice caramel background. Taste follows, and the caramel flavor stays in the aftertaste. Almost a slightly burnt caramel at that. The body is very thin, as expected for a lager. Light, very easy to drink. 5.0% - Available at UTOG.

UTOG - Not So Dry January: This new American Light Lager debuts today. Sorry no notes. 3.0% - Only at UTOG.

Talisman - I’ll Be Bock: This small batch Bock actually came out last week, There may still be some available. 5.0% - Only at Talisman.

Salt Flats - Red Steam Roller: Nice malt profile, with slight nutty tones. Yeast adds a wee fruitiness and the hops are floral and quite herbal too. Some berries and a hint of citrus toward the end. Overall finish is dry, but not lingering. A very flavorful Cascade hop steamer. 

Red Rock - Bella Rosa: Whoa! This great looking unfiltered lager smells dense. Lotsa cannabis & herbal aromas. Tastes the same, there’s a lot going on here. More cannabis, plus melon and some berries. This is quite the fun lager. Mikey Likey. 5.0% - Available at all Red Rock locations 

Grid City - Hazy IPA Batch #4: This batch features Nectaron, Nelson Sauvin, Nectaron and Mandarina Bavaria hops. Aroma is citrus, grassy, tropical fruits, piney, and earthy hops. Crisp nose. Flavor profile is tropical fruits, citrus, grassy, herbal, resiny, and earthy hops. Starts with some tropical fruit sweetness and finishes with some sticky resin. Dry finish as the beer warms. Great dynamics; playful. Mouth feel is bordering on crisp, but carries just an expansive enough effervescence to stall out on being fully crisp. Says Hazy on the can, but this is defiantly a West Coast IPA. 7.5% - Only available at Grid City.

RoHa - Dog Tag Third Tour: A unique blend of hops developed by Vets, with proceeds from the hops going to support Homes For Our Troops, a program that builds and donates adapted homes to severely injured veterans. This bright session IPA features Citra, HBC 638 and Sabro hops. There's mix of tropical fruit: Pineapple, mango and tangerine aromas are some of the notes hitting the nostrils. Flavor has more fruit, like the smell, but it's not quite as sweet as the aroma suggests. Has some pineapple, grapefruit, melon, plus some notes of orange peel and lemon zest with some subtle bitterness in the dry finish. 5.0% - Only at RoHa.

Proper - Flanagan's 16 Anniversary: This big-ass Irish style stout was brewed to celebrate Flanagan's on Main's 16 Anniversary. No tasting notes on this one - it's only available at Flanagans Park City pub. 8.5%

In other news

Ogden Beer has upgraded their canning line and will be seeing out more beer, including some Harmons and other grocery/c stores. Look for Cultura Cerveza, Hola Aloha Hibiscus Wheat and Space Cruz Cold IPA. 

Also this This Saturday come help celebrate Bewilder's fourth birthday. There will be food specials, entertainment, and of course plenty of beer!!! Barrel Aged Double ESB Anniversary ALE release, plus kolsch service and a surprise firkin! 21+ Watch Bewilder's social media for updates. 

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 1/5/24

Welcome to the first New Beer Friday of 2024. I got to sample some interesting stuff this week, you should defiantly check 'em out.

If alcohol is not on your agenda this month, Beer Nerd Radio with have a handy guide to Non-alcohol beers. Steph doesn't sound too happy about this show....she may kill me live, on-air. My assignation happens today at 2pm on 99.9fm KUAA. 😳 

Bewilder - Bonne Année: This French Helles comes across very much like German Helles with some slight lemony notes. Super crushable. Hurry, it's a small batch. 5.0% - Only at Bewilder.
Fisher - The Francine: This Zappa hopped Pale Ale is probably my favorite beer featuring this hop. Lotsa peach melon & mango.  Some herbal citrus peel too in the end with a medium/light bitter finish.

RoHa - British Mild: Roasty/toasty aroma. Medium to full toast at first swig. Light malt sweetness & a slightly dry feel. Hops are floral & piney. No lingering bitterness. Could use a weee more sweetness for balance. 5.0% - Only at RoHa.

Saltfire - Hilda and Holle: This Rum Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout was made with Chagga Mushrooms. Rum in the nose for sure - roast and licorice too. Caramel and cocoa start it off with rum hitting the floor running. Licorice pops in next with some cocoa & oak rounding it out. There is some earthiness towards the end. I don't know the mushrooms so it must be them. Tastes boozy at first, but the tongue acclimates quickly. Co2 is quite low. 

Chappell - Coffee Pale Ale: This one came in late for me yesterday and I missed it. Sounds tasty. 5.0% Available now at Chappell.

Equilibrium - Tie Dye Science: This IPA features a Lupomax Citra and Mosaic hop bill. Aromas and flavors of orange slices, papaya, pink starburst, assorted melon, and lime gummies with a touch of hoppy bitterness. Creamy mouthfeel. 6.5% - Widely available at most better beer pubs and restaurants. 

Equilibrium - Sky Lab: Named after NASA’s first space station, launched in 1973. Idaho 7, Citra, Galaxy, Eclipse and Citra Lupomax hops are features here. It pours tangerine yellow with the aroma of orange, pineapple and melon. Big notes of OJ, lime, mango sorbet, orange creamsicles, and melon. 8.5% - Widely available at most better beer pubs and restaurants. 

Equilibrium - Seven Izzups: Featuring Motueka, Citra and Wakatu. Fresh lemon and lime zest was also added. Nose of lemon and lime. The flavor with a bright and spritzy assortment of citrus, lime, and Herbs. Extremely bright and refreshing. 7.7% - Widely available at most better beer pubs and restaurants. 

Equilibrium - Moon of Vega: Madagascar Vanilla and lactose are featured inn this IPA that has a hop bill of Citra, Galaxy, and Mosaic.  Look for a thick fruit punch creamsicle saturated with tropical fruit and citrus. 8.7% - Widely available at most better beer pubs and restaurants. 

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 12/29/23

As we bid farewell to 2023 we saw a year with new local breweries popping up and and some old favorites find their way back into the arms of their original owners. I know more breweries are in planning for 2024, and it looks to be another brilliant year for Utah's beer lovers. Cheers and have a safe and happy New Year.

Speaking of the New Year, we have a guide to help you find some celebratory beers today on Beer Nerd Radio. Troy Higgins from Park City Brewing and Dani Archuleta from Epic Brewing will help Steph and I find the right beers for you. Look for us today at 2pm on 99.9fm KUAA.

Epic - Barrel Aged Imperial Vanilla Porter: Pours pretty dark with a tan head that holds a nice lacing. On the nose, big bourbon notes with some vanilla. Taste is a little vanilla up front followed by a moment of strong bourbon notes and finishes with some hop bitterness. Feel is somewhat thin but is to be expected with a porter. Overall, it's pretty nice. 9.0% - On sale today at Epic.

Salt Laker Brewing - Smoked Porter: Aroma is charred oak, maplewood and, some caramel malt. The smoke is median to light. The body is a complex mix of maple, smoky charred barrel, and caramel malts, almost like a good smoky barbecue. Interesting and tasty, with a bitter body that brings out the flavor well. 5.0% - Only at SL Brewing.

Bewilder - I Love Juicy: This version is made with Cryo-Sultana, Citra & HBC 586.Ccreamy white froth and a billowing bouquet of peach, tropical fruit, melon and citrus. A light cereal sweetness kicks off the taste with notions of honeysuckle, angel food cake and vanilla wafer. As those hope open up, the radiant aromas turn fruit to taste with a stone fruit  and mandarin orange character and is backed with pink grapefruit and lime. With pineapple, mango, passionfruit and papaya coming in next, the middle palate is rife with fruit cocktail flavor. Trending juicy with honeydew, the late taste comes with a balancing bitterness with hints of juniper, currant, hemp, hay and green tea. 8.0% - Available starting today at Bewilder.

Prodigy - Brewed Awakening: Missed this new coffee stout brewed with beans from Cafe Ibis. 5.0% - Only at Prodigy.

Equilibrium - Einstein's Little Favorite: The nose with candied orange and vanilla cream. With a backdrop of tea, botanical herb and fresh spruce. Taste mirrors nose with a bit of a pastry type flavor due to the addition of a little lactose. Very smooth and finishing with orange zest/peel. Nice feel and overall. 4.8% - found at the Bayou, Handlebar, Slackwater.

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

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 12/22/23

In these darkest days of the year, Krampus is out punishing all the bad girls, boys and non-binary kids who are not out supporting their New Beer Friday Breweries. If you want to get your ass - off of the bad list, I'd suggest you haul your naughty asses to one of these fine establishments (or one of their supporting pubs) to do your penance. Hope you all have a safe and happy holiday.   

On Beer Nerd Radio we recap the Utah year in beer as we hit some of the highlights of 2023. Check us out at 2pm today on 99.9fm KUAA.

Offset - Just Me (Tettnang): The first in this new series of single hop pilsners features Tettnang. Great color and clarity here. Some mineral qualities up front with a pinch of sulfur. The hops sing though, with a huge floral & spicy herbal zap. Quite tasty. 5.0% Available at Offset, also found at the Bayou.

Offset - Glossy: This new version of Offset's "Modern IPA" comes in at a new ABV (6.5%) and features Simcoe, NZ Cascade, Citra, Citra Incognito and Waimea hops. The results are big citrus flavors and aromas with tangerine, pithy grapefruit, bright lemon and lime zest. Available at Offset, also found at the Bayou.

Level Crossing - Sun Slope Sour: This sour IPA is mostly citrusy combined with the sour from the Philly yeast. A tasty sour IPA. 5.0% Available at Level Crossing (West Temple).

Salt Lake Brewing - Stratasbier: As the name implies, Strata hops be happen'n here. This has an unfiltered apricot color. Grapefruit and cannabis with a lot of those wonderful mango, passion fruit, melon, strawberry flavors. Great session IPA. 5.0% Only at SL Brewing.

Salt Lake Brewing - Vienna: Light caramel, some toffee too. Some nuttiness kicks in midway adding some heft to this lager’s light body. Nice lager. 5.0% Only at SL Brewing.

Uinta - Cascading Dark: Light aroma of cocoa, berries & pine. A swig of light roast character is followed immediately by citrus berries & pine. Medium amount of lingering bitterness. This is a style that a lot of breweries have a tough time with. This is subtle & sessionable. 5.0% - Small batch, only at Uinta.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 12/15/23

This week's New Beer Friday is full of sexy smokiness, flavor and festivities. You won't want to miss the smoldering appeal of this weeks offerings. 

Beer Nerd Radio this week is all about holiday festivities and of course beer as we welcome Slatfire's Ryan Miller and Ogden Beer's Jaquie Wright. Hit us up at 2pm on the easiest number on the dial 99.9FM KUAA or stream us at KUAAFM.org.

Helper - Imperial Stout: Strong aromas of dark chocolate, cocoa, some bitter coffee roast underneath. Somewhat dry. Flavor: Strong and rich flavors of dark chocolate, cocoa, some vanilla, dark fruit, light espresso roast. Yeasty in the middle and ultimately finishes with lingering dark chocolate notes. tasty stuff. Available at Helper Brewing, Beer Bar, Slackwater 

Shades - Gold Rush IPA: So this is made with Pilsner malt & corn. Hops are Mosaic, Citra and Galaxy. The yeast is Kveik. It's not tart though, the yeast provides a citric twang. I think Kveik yeast makes brilliant IPAs & this is quite nice. All the citrus & melon well done.

Roosters - Smoked Porter: I tried to snag some of this at the Layton location, but they don'y have it. Name of the beer says not all I guess. If you've tried it, share your thoughts. 5.0% - At Odgen Roosters only.

Fisher - Let Chad Smoke: Oh yeah, Chad is SMOK'n!!! The beer ain't bad either. Bacon-y aroma of hickory-ish smoke. Tastes starts with a medium amount smoke and noticeable malt from the Helles. Very nice. 5.0% - available at Fisher.

Park City - Peanut Butter Porter: Missed this one too. Seems self explanatory. 5.0% - Only at Park City Brewing.

TF - Gose with Black Lime and Sumac: Don't k ow the flavors of sumac very well, but this does have big flavors of fresh lime on top of a lemony sour base. salt content is low as well. finishes with a nice tart smack. Tasty. 4.8% - Only at TF on draft.

Bewilder - Czech Lager: This comes out today. Sorry no notes yet. 5.0% - Only at Bewilder.

*Saturday is Hopkins' 5th anniversary and to help celebrate they have made Hopkins' first canned IPA! Star IPA is a  7% ABV 55 IBU unfiltered IPA featuring all local Solstice Malt and hopped with Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Mosaic, Simcoe, Warrior. This is an extremely limited batch beer - only 1BBL was brewed. The beer is not available to go since they don't have a Package 5 license yet. 

Today Hopkins will host the second annual Veteran Beer tap takeover. Brewed by veteran breweries - Talisman, Strap Tank, Policy Kings and Hopkins. All of the breweries use the same Veteran’s Blend Hops and all make different beers. Each location will have a tap takeover of all beers. More details and menu to come.

And on top of all that it's a Small Batch Friday at Hopkins as well. 

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 12/8/23

It's a relatively small New Beer Friday. We have an eclectic mix of mostly wheat beers this week. It's a nice opportunity to get familiar with some of the different wheat styles.

On Beer Nerd Radio today, we get into Holiday/Christmas beers in a blind tasting with Scion Cider Bar's Rio Connelly and and Libby Taylor. We get started at 2pm today on 99.9fm 

KUAA.Kiitos - Appleweizen: This collaboration with Second Summit Cider is a blend of different apple juices and wheat bier. It's not hugely tart like you might expect. There is some tartness but it pretty subdued. Nor is it heavily tannic, just a nice refresher on a fluff bed of toasted wheat. Great beer. 5.0% - Only at Kiitos and Second Summit Cider on Draft.    

Talisman - The Griffin: Missed this citrus wheat beer. This is a collaboration beer with the men and women of the 419 fighter wing. There's a limited amount of this on draft and in cans. 5.0% - Available only at Talisman. 

TF - Facing Grace Dunkle: Pours a nice, soft, off-white head that collapses and laces a bit. A very floral nose with a noticeable acidity and caramel. Deep, deep burnt umber color. Starts with a toasted malt/floral hop flavor with a touch of sweet caramel behind that. Moves into a nice, low-medium bitterness near the end, and this floral hoppiness lingers into the finish as the toasted malt comes back and it all lingers softly. 5.0% - Only at TF starting today on draft and in cans.

Desert Edge - Norsewoman Farmhouse Ale: A hazy yellow color with a light white head that descends into itself almost immediately. Slightly funky, with lemon peel and a bit of a twang and perhaps a touch of spice in the finish. Lemony, though with a hint of booze. Slight caramel, as well as some Belgian yeast fruit notes in the finish. Medium light in body, highly carbonated with a soft feel, and a dry finish. 5.0% - Available at Desert Edge. 

Park City - Kickturn: Missed this new version of this Double Hazy IPA. 8.1% - Only at Park City Brewing.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 12/01/23

We're Back! Sorry, we needed a holiday off. This week is a combination of the previous week and this week so there's probably some stuff that you may have already had.

Today on Beer Nerd Radio we shift gears a bit as we get into Utah's first beer choir. Yup! We're going to have the Great Salt Lake Chapter of Beer Choir in studio to chat and get the info and this new social group. We get our singing voices dialed in at 2pm today on 99.9fm KUAA.  

Shades - Gingerbread Stout: This holiday beer pours a black body with medium brown head.

Aroma of chocolate, nutmeg, and gingerbread. There's lots of nutmeg and gingerbread cookies in the taste. Light milk chocolate profile that still reminds you that you are drinking a stout. Medium body with moderate carbonation levels. This is a pretty tasty Christmas theme stout.

9.0% - Available at Shades and DABS.

Chappell - Playground 6 (Sabro and 1019): Poured out a cloudy, golden orange color with a large, cream-colored head of foam. It smells of coconut, citrus, pineapple, caramel and floral notes. Sweet toasted caramel taste with tropical fruitiness and a sharp piney bite. 5.0%

RoHa - 1221 Coffee Stout: This is a collaboration with Midway Coffee. This is a black, oily-looking brew with a diminutive tan head. Wonderful toasted grain aromas in the nose. Dark-roasted coffee and bittersweet chocolate flavors dominate the palate. Creamy in texture. I look forward to having it again. 7.8%

Policy Kings - Smokey: Missed this Rauchbier made with dark malt and smoked oat malt. I need a Cedar City Beer Mule, applications being accepted. 5.0% - Only at Policy Kings.

TF - Wavy Boi:  This new Hazy IPA features Superdelic, Cryo-Superdelic, Starata, Nelson Savin and Motueka hops.  This brings both familiar and unique notes. The distinctive yeast and Juicy Fruit personality are there, along with bright pineapple, lemon/lime, and muddled tropical fruit. But here there are also strong notes of apricot, peach, pear, and musky white grape, with a nice herbal and floral note at the end. There's a little piney resin that lingers throughout, which is wonderful. In keeping with other TF beers, the flavor profile is huge, overwhelming and extremely well layered. 7.0% - Available at TF.

TF - Jesse Delmarish Lebkuchen Cookie: Aroma has a slight Jäegermeister thing happening. The aromas continue on to the taste with more Jäeger happening, but with a sweeter, gingerbread spiciness. Whiskey shows up next adding vanilla and oak with some herbal bitterness wrapping it up. 12.0% - Available at TF.

Helper - English Dark Mild: I love English Milds! sad to have missed this. 5.0% - Only at Helper Brewing.

Proper - The Daily Rations: Made with the Veteran’s hop blend. Great clarity. Dry for the most part, lotsa berries from the hops, some citrus peel too. Finishes light and dry. Tasty stuff. 

Proper - Proper Paper Ankles: This coffee infused Kölsch has a big coffee aroma. The coffee blend is quite nice. Big cafe from such a light beer. Kölsch is a good base for this blend. It’s all pretty simple, but it works well. Mikey Likey!

Proper - Kōkua: Tastes like Citra & Mosaic hops? A classic combo with great clarity. Citrus and melon mostly, slightly bitter in the finish. Tasty stuff plus 100% of the proceeds from this beer will be donated to the Legacy of Aloha, Makai Foundation for fire relief. 5.0% - 

Saltfire - Deep Dive Series [Japanese Lager]: Not much head retention, but DAMN, it’s brilliantly clear. Quite dry too. This is really quenching and drinkable. This would be a money printing machine in the heat of summer. Mikey Likey. 5.0% - Only at Saltfire.

Saltfire - Blood Orange Wheat: A very juicy wheat beer. It’s basically a “beermossa”. Tons of juice in a light wheat beer. This is the brunch beer you’ve been looking for. 5.0% - Only at Saltfire.

Uinta - Small Batch [Tiger's Blood Sour]: It’s actually quite quenching. Nice watermelon up front with a hint of strawberry following up. The coconut rounds it out in the end. Nice sour. 5.0% - Only at Uinta.

Level Crossing - Nitro Fruit Bat (Peach): Seems like the nitro has taken some of the edge off the puckering part of the yeast. It drinks quite well and the peach comes across as unripened or green. I'm starting to think all Kettle/Philly/Kviek sours should at least have a nitro option. 5.0% - Only at Level Crossing.

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

Cheers!