Sixth Beer o' Xmas '08: Delirium Nocturnum

Thanks for hangin' in there everyone. We're at the half-way point of our journey on the inebriation express. Next stop, Pink Elephants. Right about now, you should be seeing these demons of the drink; if not? you will be soon.

Singing... The Sixth Beer of Xmas, that the beer lush pushed on thee.... Delirium Nocturnum! This strong, dark beauty hails from Belgium and has a bit of a kick to it. So be respectful or that Pink Elephant will be showing you the business end of that trunk. Mark Alston knows what I mean... Eh Mark???

Pours a dark brown with amber highlights. Two fingers of foam quickly fade to a thin cap. The nose is of apple, dark fruit, bubble gum, maltiness and spices. The flavor starts slightly sweet, with musky malts and an earthy spiciness. The end has some prunes with a mild tartness to it. Alcohol is noticeable and it finishes dry. Creamy and medium-bodied in the mouth. A good Belgian dark ale. Definitely worth a try, especially for lovers of the Belgian style.

Fifth Beer o' Xmas '08: Rype From Four+

The fifth beer o' Xmas that the beer lush pushed on thee is Rype from Four+. This is a strange but good locally made brew. It has all the characteristics of a Belgium Witbier, without the "Wit-ness". For some reason it looks more like a Pale Ale. But that does nothing to detract from it's taste.

Poured a very clear amber-tinted golden color with a thick, frothy two fingers of head. The nose is of orange zest, yeasty breads and coriander. The taste started with orangey twang that transitions to a malty wheat backbone. Yeasty notes come next with a finish that was spicy and lemony. The mouthfeel is nice and creamy. Nicely balanced. It’s 4.0% abv makes it a great session beer.

Fourth Beer o' Xmas '08: Mikkeller's From/To

The fourth beer o' Xmas come to us from The Mikkeller Brewery in Kobenhavn, Denmark. The guys at Mikkeller have become true Rock Stars in the international beer community after just a few years. Their success is partly due to the breweries focus on creating challenging beers that test the boundaries of conventional styles and where quality always comes before quantity.

Mikkeller Beers are quite hard to get a hold of in Utah. As far as I know The Bayou is the only place selling them, and Salt Lakers are sucking them down.

That being said. The fourth Beer o' Xmas that the beer lush pushed on thee is Mekkeller's From/To. This is a hard one to describe. It's classified as a Baltic Porter. But if I were to describe it, I would say, "If a nice British Porter knocked-up a Belgian Strong ale. From/To would be the progeny. Or the little-shit in this case".

Pours a dark black color with a nice finger of tan colored head that remained for quite a while.
The nose has notes of coffee, roasted malt, moist-dark fruit topped with a subtle dose of floral hops. The flavor starts with coffee, chocolate and a hint of smoke. Next comes plum, cloves and a hint of maraschino cherries. The end has a warm booziness to it with just a hint of orange peel. Any detectable bitterness comes from the roasted malts not much in the way hops.
Looks much heavier than it is. Moderate body with low carbonation lend a semi-creamy texture. ABV is at 8.0%. Skaal!

A Wee Heavy Third Beer O' Xmas '08

The first and second beers o' Xmas were a bit on the leafy side. Sorry, that's just my pallet I guess. But don't worry Doug, I promise a nice variety in the coming days. So today I thought we'd move to the opposite end of the spectrum(so-to-say) and try something somewhat sweeter. A scotch Ale, or as some would call a Wee Heavy. These have a much more pronounced malty caramel and roasted malt flavor. As well as a low tea-like bitterness. They'll defiantly warm your cockles or your cocklettes if your a woman.

So, the third beer of Xmas that the beer lush pushed on thee: Traquair's House Ale.

Pours a Deep Amber/Brown colors with a very thin cap of foam.
The nose is very Earthy with a Musty Yeastiness and Dark Fruits
The taste starts with Caramel/Toffee and biscuit malts next comes an Earthy Peatiness with a very mild amount smoke flavor. A slight Black tea bitterness rounds out the end. Very little hop profile. It's a smooth and very drinkable beer at 7.2% abv. It's a modest beer for the most part, but it will warm you nicely. Slainte!

2nd Beer of Xmas '08: Rogue Yellow Snow

Well the snow has finally fallen. And with the fluffy white stuff comes the usual hazards. Black ice, dead batteries, Internet porn wrist and of course yellow snow. Now as twisted as I am, I would never recommend any of those to you. Except the porn. Have you guys ever seen that girl that does that one thing where she takes that Kiwano fruit and.... ahh... sorry. Maybe I'm getting a little off-topic here. Anyway as I was saying, I would not normally recommend any of those hazards to you, except for today. Today I must recommend that you my bothers and sisters in beer land consume yellow snow. Now in this case the mug o' piss is a delicious blessing. And should only be imbibed if contained within packaging such as that above.

So with that being said, the second beer of Xmas that the beer lush recommended to thee; Rogue's Yellow Snow IPA. Yellow Snow has been missing on liquor store shelves for a couple of years, but it's back in Utah now and it's pissier than ever!

Poures a semi-cloudy yellowish orange color with a thick pillow of head that stuck around throughout the beer. Tremendous lacing as well.
The nose is a nice airy and floral perfume with grapefruit hops and a bit of sweet malt.
The taste starts with big citrus notes out of the gate. Then Biscuity malts become noticeable in the background. The end has a hint of pine and florals. The finish is dry, bitter, and lingering. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a nice creamy oily slickness. Way over-balanced. And that why it's so good! it's like chewing on a grapefruit peel. Pure heaven. Prost!

The Twelve Beers of Xmas '08: The Second Coming

Continuing a tradition started last holiday season, The Utah Beer Blog begins it's second year of The Twelve Beers of Xmas. This is an attempt to provide inspiration to Utah's beers lovers; to get out and try a new beer or at the very least revisit an old favorite. Ahhh, who am I kidding! this is about enjoying some good beers while trying to stay sane through-out the holidays. Anyway, starting today and continuing 'till Xmas eve. The recommended beers will be limited to those that are available to consumers in the State of Utah.

So with out further adieux....

The first beer of Xmas that the Beer Lush recommends to thee; Sierra Nevada's Anniversary Ale 2008. This is the first time this beer has been available in Utah.

It pours a hazy, honey-amber color with a stiff two fingers of soapy head. The head retention is excellent, leaving nice rings of lace. The nose is mostly of piney and floral hops with just a hint of malt in the back.
The taste starts dry and grassy with hints of lemon rind. Next comes a fruity and bready caramel malt foundation. The lemon and grassy bitterness returns in the end rounding it all out with a medium dry finish. What a nice beer! I knew Sierra Nevada would not disappoint, I loved this nice flavorful crispy seasonal beer.

It's classified as an American IPA but it feels more like an APA. It's 5.9% ABV gives it a medium body that complements the season well. Cheers!

Repeal Day!

Today marks 75 years since Prohibition was officially repealed in the United States with the ratification of the 21st Amendment to the Constitution. On December 5, 1933, a 3/4 majority of states needed to ratify the 21st Amendment was reached when Utah adopted the 21st Amendment. It not only officially ended national Prohibition which began with the 18th Amendment in 1919.

Today American consumers of legal drinking age have access to nearly 13,000 labels of beer from small regional microbrews to the largest multinational labels. I'd say we've rebounded quite well. Cheers!

The Second Coming. Wa-Hoo!!!

It looks like Cache Valley Brewing is one step closer to becoming reality. Tuesday night, the Logan City Council voted to approve a brewpub in historic downtown Logan!!!

This won't be the first time the name Cache Valley Brewing has been established. Back in 1888 Jacob Theurer started the first Cache Valley Brewing. It served the people of Cache County until it closed up shop 1912. The brewery known as "Jake’s" was built on the north side of the present state highway on the south side of Johnson grove.

As the city increased in population more saloons were opened up and the liquor evil became so great that in 1909 there were about nine saloons doing business in Logan.

The agitation for the abolishment of the saloon evil became so intense that on December 23rd, 1909, an ordinance was passed by the City Council which prevented the sale or manufacture of liquors of any kind in Logan City.

The ordinance became effective January 3rd, 1910, and Logan was the first settlement in the Valley and one of the first in the state to adopt such a reform. Later the county passed a similar ordinance, then the Utah Legislature passed a prohibition law and finally, the National Prohibition Law was passed October 28th, 1919.

It is interesting to note that as early as 1882 the citizens of Logan started the movement for prohibition and were among the first to get it adopted. It would be a great Justice if CVB could re-open it's doors nearly a century after it was forced to close them. We'll try to keep you updated on CVB's status. Cheers!

New Brewery/brew pub in Logan???

Utah could be getting another brew pub soon! A new start-up brewery/brew pub is so far meeting little controversy. The brewery, which is just in the planning stages right now (Cache Valley Brewing) would potentially open up downtown next year.

Remember this is Utah. Even though we are making huge strides in the legalization of adulthood around the state. All thing alcohol will stir controversy. So, what's the stink? Odors. An individual raised a concern about the possibility of the brewery emitting odors that could "stink up" the downtown area and it actually saw some discussion during a city meeting.


Really.... offensive odors?.... in a restaurant! Do you seriously think anyone would invest in an endeavor knowing that it's signature menu option would emit questionable odors, while people are eating? Well at least it's original. I was expecting the whole, "it will turn our five year olds into raging alcoholics" shit. Well let's hope hope this project gets off the ground. Our friends in Cache County could use some craft beers close to home. Cheers!

Better, Stronger, Faster. Monkshine

Four+ Brewing has re-released a new stronger version of it's Monkshine Belgian-Style Pale Ale. Monkshine debuted a couple years back as Four+'s pilot beer. It was a 4.0% brew that met with mixed reviews, due to it's "earthy" bitterness. It was probably a little too different for the everyday beer drinkers pallet. So they tweaked it a little. The recipe was adjusted, the alcohol was amped up and it was moved to the state liquor stores.

Now comes word that Monkshine was just re-re-released to the state liquor store system and that the new "bionic" version comes in at a whopping 6.8% ABV. I haven't tried the newest incarnation, it's just hitting the stores now. So, I guess that means I'm gunna have to drink some. Damn, this is a tough job.... Cheers!

Roosters' Seasonals

Steve Kirkland Brewmaster over at Roosters has got a few seasonals coming to their Ogden and Layton locations. Both brew pubs are currently serving a Nut Brown Ale, a fall favorite, nuttified with a healthy dose of Victory malt from Briess. Pours a nice cloudy brownish color with a firm creamy tan head. The nose is sweet with roasted caramel malts. The taste is maltly with a nice nuttiness. the finish is is slightly piney.

Steve Also has his "Nein, Aber Ich Habe Drie Schwestern Dunkel Weizen". Man, you'll need a beer after trying to spew that name out! Steve said that he wanted to give this brew a "traditional" German name, so he used the only phrase he was able to remember from high school German class, which means “No, but I have three sisters.” Damn Steve, that class sounds like it must have been a real yawner. I think we are all grateful you didn't take Russian! Anyway, his Dunkel is a creamy lager blending the goodness of wheat and roasted malts. Pours an opaque brown with an inch of tan foam. The nose is malty with toffee and caramel. The taste is very malty with, caramel, banana and toffee. The finish is nicely hopped.

And coming in next couple weeks, Steve will be offering-up his unique Holiday Rosemary Porter which uses fresh rosemary at the end of the boil as well as a “dry-hopping” in the fermenter. Also, after the Dunkel is gone, he'll be serving the Deep Powder Dortmunder, a very crisp, blond lager. This is a good time to get your asses into Davis and Weber Counties and try these beers! If that's not an option for you, the Bayou also pours Roosters' seasonals. Cheers!

More Holiday Suds Arrive!!!

Mark Alston at the Bayou has just receive a stellar list of holiday and not-so-holiday ales for the intermountain beer kindred. This years batch has some familiar labels, as well as some new, hard to find bottles that rarely find themselves to this side of the Zion curtain. Theses are special orders for the Bayou only and should last through the end of the year. Here they are. Thanks Uncle Mark!!! Cheers.

Ridgeway

Bad elf.

Very bad elf.

Seriously bad elf.

Criminally bad elf.

Insanely bad elf.

Warm Welcome.

Santa's Butt.

Pickled Santa.

Mikkeller Santa's Helper

Mikkeller From/To

Olafbrikken Kloster Jul

De Ranke Pere Noel

De La Senne Xmas Zinnebir

Serafjin Christmas Angel

Struise Tsjeeses

Jenlain Noel

Kulmbacher Eisbock

Face Plant at Hoppers

Hoppers has a great "post canyon" refresher to help reacclimate yourself to normalcy after a full day of Utah's greatest snow on earth. Brewmaster Donovan Steele has put on tap a tasty Hefeweizen called Face Plant Wheat. Face Plant uses a German Kloster yeast, which provides a nice nose of banana, pear and vanilla. A very assertive fruitiness is present though this light bodied brew. Not much clove but the banana is in full force. Available only on-tap at Hoppers. Cheers!

Utah Home Brew Legislation

Well here we go again. One more try to get home brewing officially legalized in the state. Big, big thanks go to Rep. Christine Johnson for proposing this bill again. Last year the bill passed in both the house and the senate but died due to lack of time left in the session. If you have any interest in following the bills progress I'll post updates as often as possible. Starting today.

Yesterday the bill made it out of the Business and Labor Interim Committee and will go back to the house and senate to be voted on. Below is a link to a copy of the legislation and also an .mp3 of the committee meeting. If you want to listen it hits at 1:45:20 - 1:54:28 on the podcast. I'd chop it up and post it, but I just don't have the damn time. Cheers!

link to copy of legislationhttp://www.le.state.ut.us/interim/2008/html/00001845.htm

mp3 audio at 1:45:20 - 1:54:28http://recordings.le.state.ut.us/mp3/committee/rw025-1119081.mp3

Per Diem at Squatters

Jenny just tapped and brand new beer over at Squatters.
"Per Diem" is patterned after a Belgian Single, Per Diem is blond and refreshing with a hint of phenolic character derived from the traditional Belgian yeast used in the fermentation process.
She’s also working on a Belgian Golden Strong, bottle conditioned, corked and caged. Also, Holiday Nut Brown Ale will come on tap Monday the 24th at 4pm. Cheers!

Here Comes the Gov.

It looks like we're one step closer to doing away with
the dreaded private club memberships. Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. isn't waiting for the state liquor commission to come up with a proposal. The Governor is having his own staff draft a bill for the 2009 Legislature to consider.


The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission voted back in July to start work on a proposal to eliminate requirements that would-be drinkers in Utah fill out applications and pay membership fees before being allowed into a private club. But in August, commissioners voted to "slow the process of drafting legislation on the private club membership issue at this time," after one member, Kathryn Balmforth, raised concerns about the need for any change to the law.



It's believed that the governor's office is stepping in because of political pressure surrounding the issue. In my opinion it would seem a prudent move on the governors part, due to the current economic climate. If we're truly seriously about competing for tourism dollars in a time of curbed luxury spending against states that offer true hospitality for adults who want to do adult things; then we have no choice but to enact these changes sooner than later.



I think Huntsman really has his shit together on this issue, and I hope the LDS Church and the state legislature have the foresight to see past their "political sensitivities" and concentrate on what's best for the state. Thus ends this sermon. Cheers!

Source: Deseret News

New & Returning Beers for Utah's Holidays

Who's your buddy?

Who's your Pal?

You know I've got your back, and that I'd never let you guys and gals enter the Christmahanukwanzaka season without a little liquid holiday help. So I've compiled a list of new and returning beers to help ease your upcoming burdens, or at the very least to help wash down Auntie Roberta's pineapple, fig upside-down, uber-strudel. These beers are only available at our glorious state liquor stores, unless otherwise noted. And if your aware of anything not on my list please post it up in the comments section. Cheers!

New Local UTAH Beers:

WASATCH WHITE LABEL BELGIAN STYLE WITBIER

WASATCH WINTERFEST SEASONAL ALE

REDROCK REVE' BELGIAN TRIPPLE ALE

Domestic, Craft & Imports:

FIRESTONE WALKER PALE 31

FIRESTONE WINDSOR PALE ALE

AVBC WINTER SOLSTICE'08

FULL SAIL WASSAIL ALE

FULL SAIL WRECK THE HALLS'08

FULL SAIL EQUINOX ESB

FULL SAIL LTD 02

FULL SAIL RESERVE 21 DOPPELBOCK

FULL SAIL BOURBON IMPERIAL PORTER

MACTARNAHANS BLACKWATCH STOUT

AFFLIGEM DUBBEL ALE

SIERRA NEVADA CELEBRATION ALE

HAZED AND CONFUSED IPA

ROGUE DOUBLE DEAD GUY ALE

SPANISH PEAKS HONEY RASPBERRY ALE

The Following are from the "Bad Elf" Line From Ridgeway Brewing in the U.K. (only available at the Bayou)

BAD ELF

VERY BAD ELF

SERIOUSLY BAD ELF

CRIMINALLY BAD ELF

INSANELY BAD ELF

SANTA'S BUTT

WARM Welcome

New Wine Store

The Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control will open it's second store dedicated to the sale of select wines on Friday, November 14th. The store,which will boast an inventory of over 5,000 different items, is located at 280 West Harris Avenue (1602 South 300 West) in Salt Lake City and will be open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 10pm. It is over 12,000 sq. ft. in size and has plenty of parking. The stores beautiful design and experienced wine staff will make shopping for the perfect wine a pleasant experience. But, for those patrons who prefer the adventure of finding their wine or have an inclination toward the techno age, the store has a kiosk equipped with computers programmed to help them help themselves find the perfect wine or champagne to accompany any meal. Utah has long been known for its expansive selection of fine wines produced both domestically and world wide. State wine buyers say that consumers in other states may be able to find the same products offered in our wine stores, but they would be hard pressed to find them all under one roof.

So what does this have to do with beer? Well, if it's anything like the SLC Wine Store it should have a better selection of craft and imported suds and this is a good thing for beer lovers on the west side of town. As I write this, the stores grand opening is still four hours away. So I can't be certain about the selection. If your in the area, stop in and let us know how the selection is. And don't forget the AHA Rally at Squatters tonight at 6:00 pm. Cheers!

AHA Membership Rally

"Give a man a beer and he can waste an afternoon, Teach a man to brew and he can waste a lifetime". Drinking craft is one of my favorite pastimes, but I never got a true appreciation for it until I became a home brewer. I've made some incredible stuff and some real shit, but all the while I was having a blast.

If you've been thinking about it, or already are a home brewer you should consider attending the American Homebrewers Association's Membership Rally on November 14th at Squatters.

The AHA is the national organization for homebrewers and beer enthusiasts! They're about promoting the community of homebrewers and empowering them to make the best beer in the world and dedicated to all aspects of homebrewing and beer culture: technical, artistic, sensory and social.

Current AHA members receive free admittance and can RENEW for just $33; all others pay $33; which gets them admittance to the rally as well as a ONE-YEAR membership to the AHA. Meet brewers Jenny Talley and Jason Stock, " VIP Brewery Tour" Appetizers for everyone" 12 house beers on tap- $3.50 pints " and a chance to win great door prizes from the AHA and Squatters. Plus it's a great opportunity to meet other like minded individuals and help expand Utah's beer culture. Hope to see you there!

DON'T FORGET TO R.S.V.P. !!!

Budweiser: American Ale

Over the last couple years I've had the opportunity(along with many other beer gnerds) to sample some of Anheuser-Busch's experimental beers. These are beers that are occasionally offered at beer festivals to showcase what they're capable of doing, and to get some insight into what the consumer has a taste for. Most of these will never see shelf time at stores. Those that do will probably have little-to-no advertising and bearly a mention of who makes them. You've probably seen them. Shock Top Belgian White, Stone Mill Pale Ale, Jack’s Pumpkin Spice Ale, Winter’s Bourbon Cask Ale and Beach Bum Blonde Ale.

So what the difference between these (besides the size of the Anheuser-Busch font) and Budweiser American Ale? Advertising. You can't watch prime time tv or a sporting event without seeing it. The others, not so much. Why? not because they're awful, but because they want you to think that your getting a true craft beer. Not Corporate wannabe. So how is it?... Well... OK... It doesn't qualify as a great beer, it doesn't really fit a style guideline. But it's good enough to drink.

Pours a deep, clear amber with a firm two finger head that had moderate sustainability. The nose is lightly roasted biscuit and caramel. The taste is roasted grain and caramel with Just a faint hint piney hops. The hops fade quickly and give in to the malt. The finish is crisp and dry. Mouthfeel is on the side.

Lets not kid ourselves this is not an exciting beer. It is a transformational beer. A good entry level ale for people looking to get out of the macro rut. But if you want a good, widely available American Pale Ale look to Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale or Uinta's Cutthroat Pale Ale. Both will run you about the same, and are far better representations of the style and the term "American Ale". Cheers!