Brewfest this Weekend and a Big Birthday

Just a reminder that the Third Annual Evanston Brew Fest is going on this weekend (7/23/11). The ticket price of $25.00 will include wristband for unlimited brew tasting and souvenir tasting mug. Brew tasting 1:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

It looks like a fine list of participating breweries. Definitely looks like it's worth the drive.

Alaskan
Avery
Blue Moon
Big Sky
Bohemian
Boulevard
Deschutes
Epic
Grand Teton
New Belgium
Odells
Oskar Blues
Shades of Pale
Sierra Nevada
Snake River
Suds Bros.

By the way, it was 25 years ago today the beer scene in Utah got....well it got one! The Wasatch Brewpub came into existence in Park City, Utah. Reinvigorating a population that was starved for something other than fizzy yellow beer. Thanks, Greg and the Wasatch crew - past and present for changing all of our lives!

Cheers!

The Maltman Always Rings Twice

If your familiar at all with yours truly, you know that my Koala-esque ass requires a serious, daily-dose of ass kissing. When the "Koala" is feeling a little prissy - particularly on brew day, it's good to know there's an option out there, to make your inner princess feel like she's sport'n one of those be-dazzled Hello Kitty purses.

Luckily there's a local option available to you now to help the most lazy of brew days stay on track with minimal effort. The boys at Brew in Haus an on-line home brew retailer plan to cater to the online shopper and are planning to offer a local delivery service where brewers in the Salt Lake City area can have their home brew supplies hand delivered to their doorstep in 1-2 business days.

Possibly at some point there may be a physical store front, but for now you'll have to be content with ordering from the comfort of your couch's ass groove.

Cheers!

Publican Pale Ale

Shades of Pale Brewing second release is finally out and it looks to be a big winner. Publican Pale Ale is currently out in limited release in Park City. It can be found currently at Club Lespri in Prospector. SOP is also planning to bottle 28 cases of 22oz bombers today for limited release around Park City, Easy Street/Purple Sage, Doolan’s and Lindzee O’Michaels will be getting it early next week. The second batch is in the works and you should see more of it in bottles in the next couple of weeks.

The Pale Ale has a nice Citrus Grapefruit nose. Tangerine notes are initially noticed, as it warms a you get a hint Carmel, this initial batch is not overly bitter but has a nice rise in the middle of with a very clean finish that comes back after a few seconds.

Cheers!

In the Meantime.....

Sadly last week there was no "New Beer Friday". However, later Friday afternoon two new beers did pop up at the Bayou.

Both are from Meantime Brewing out of the U.K. The First is Meantime's Coffee Porter. The nose is all coffee up front followed by a toasted, slightly creamy malt. The taste brings a rich coffee up front with a solid toasted malt middle followed by a long lingering bittersweet chocolate finish. Silky smooth almost creamy mouthfeel. This is a very drinkable porter with a reasonable 6.0% abv. Served from a 330 ml bottle.

The next Meantime beer is Scotch Ale. Sadly it's no longer being produced. These must be some of the final bottles produced. The aroma is a complex mix of malt, heavily toasted grains and maple syrup. The taste starts with a little dry toasted pumpernickle, after the swallow. The malts sweetness is able to develop into fresh baked dark wheat bread with toffee and coffee finishing the flavor profile.

It's a damn shame that beer was retired, because it's quite a fine Scotch Ale. 8.0% abv served from a 750ml bottle. Again, this beer is retired. It's likely once it's gone - it's gone for good. Both are at the Bayou.

Cheers!

We're Freaks, Once Again!

SB 314. If you'll recall this is the brilliant legislation that eliminated drink specials, allows the governor to appoint the chairman of the liquor commission, bans mini-kegs and ties the number of liquor licenses to population quotas and public-safety officers.

When laws like this go into effect, people from outside of Utah take notice and when noted publications such as Time Magazine publish stories such as No More Happy Hour Ever! How Utah Just Got to Be an Even Drier State. The eyes and ears of readers really perk up.

The Utah Hospitality Association, which is trying to sue the Governor and legislature claims that the system of fixed pricing for alcohol under SB 314 is a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act as it "deprives the benefits of free, open and unrestricted competition in the market" from the plaintiffs. The lawsuit also states that the extreme scarcity of available liquor licenses — which the DABC claimed in its spring 2011 newsletter was zero to one license for every five applicants per month — creates an unreasonable restraint on trade.

Since states are in charge of their own individual liquors laws it's likly that nothing will come from this lawsuit. However, the state was successfully sued nearly a decade ago when all forms of bar advertizing were banned. This law was repealed because it violated the first amendment.

I'm not saying this new lawsuit won't be successful, I hope it will be. But we all know how the game is played. Even if SB 314's laws are repealed Senators Valentine and Whadupps will be crafting retaliation legislation to balance their views over that of the states growing minority. Trust me, they have discussed and tried to do far worse recently in regards to Utah's liquor laws .

I guess what I'm saying is, Cheers to the Utah Hospitality Association for fighting this and trying to keep the state of Utah from becoming an even bigger freak in the ever growing religious global carnival. But, I'm not holding my breath. Here's a link to the Time Magazine article.

Cheers!

July Beer Pairings and Classes

Interested in honing your beer pairing skills or learning more about civilization's oldest libation? Well my lads and lasses your in luck, the University of Utah and Desert Edge Brewmaster Chris Haas will be holding a class that takes care of the above mentioned, all the while examining America's rich history and diverse beer culture.

Then if that's not enough you'll also briefly explore how beer is produced, immerse yourself in beer styles as well as develop your palette and learn to identify different flavor components.

If an evening such as this seems like it will float your boat then follow this link to The U of U's Lifelong Learning page and sign up. The class meets at Desert Edge Brewery, Trolley Square and Tuition is $89 + Special Fee: $30 = $119.

That's not your only opportunity to learn from the best. Squatters' own Jennifer Talley along with the Viking Cooking School is pulling out "ALL" the stops for a crafted beer-Artisen food five course dinner, each crafted food course will be exquisitely paired with the best aritsen beers that Squatters and Wasatch have to offer. YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS. This dinner is only offered twice a year, you will want to make your reservation as soon as possible, as this will fill quickly!!

This pairing will be held on Wednesday, July 27, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm and will run you $79.

Cheers!

Utah Medals in San Diego

Had any So-Cal beers beers lately? If not seek some out. If your a true fan of beer, you know that some of the best beers in the world are coming from the San Diego area from such noted breweries as AleSmith, Stone, Lost Abbey/Port Brewing & Green Flash.

It's also a tough place to showcase beers because the brewing community there is so strong and the quality is top tier. That's why it's a huge achievement when outsiders can come in to their local competitions and do well.

That's what happened recently at the 2011 San Diego International Beer Festival. Two of Utah's finest went in and emerged with some serious harwdare in some tough categories.

Three Gold medals and a Silver were awarded to two Utah breweries. Uinta Brewing's
Cockeyed Cooper won Gold for their Bourbon Barrel Barleywine in the Wood and Barrel Aged category. A second Gold medal was also bestowed to Uinta's Labryinth Black Ale in the Imperial Stout category. Those are two extremely tough categories; high praise for a Utah brand.

Epic Brewing Co. Earned a Gold as well for their Wit Beer in the Belgian-Style Wit or White Ale category. Witbiers are very popular right now and this one is one of the best. Epic's Pfeifferhorn Lager also won a Silver in the American-Style Lager category.

Congrats to our local boys and girls for going into a tough room and coming away with great honors.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 7/01/11

Wahoo! July is here and on this first day we have new beer for you. Two from Mendocino Brewing Company have arrived in town.

The First is Mendocino IIPA. It has a pine and citrus aroma, bright and fresh with a touch of sweetness and a note of orange peel. It smells great. It's full bodied and very smooth with a clean, dry finish. It tastes very piny and slightly sweet with lots of orange going on. It's bitter, dry and well balanced.

Next is Mendocino Imperial Barleywine. It has a resiny, oaky aroma that's slightly sweet, with notes of cherry, vanilla and bay leaf. It's pretty full bodied and pretty smooth. The finish is slightly dry and slightly sticky. This tastes boozy, very hot and resiny. There are notes of cherry, dark fruit, oak and a slight sweetness. Available at the Beehive.

Finally there is Arts Fest Amber from Uinta. This beer was a special one off made exclusivly for the Utah Arts Festival. If you never made it to the festival, then you never got to try it. However, there is one keg left at the brewery's tap house. It may be gone before the end of the day today, so best of luck getting some. Haven't tried this one.

Cheers!

Cheers!

Problems With The Page

You may have noticed that the info and links located on the right side of that page have mysteriously moved to the bottom of the page. I'm trying to figure out the problem. Anyone not seeing this glitch?

2011 Utah Bar Crawl

It's time for the 3rd Annual Salt Lake City Bar Crawl. This years bar crawl looks to be the largest crawl yet with estimates exceeding 700 people.

Registration will be held on the patio of the Green Pig Pub (31 East 400 South) On Saturday, July 2nd from noon - 8pm. There will be several groups leaving at different times. This year groups will leave at 2, 4, 6, and 8pm. Each group will be led by trusted Crawl Hosts and will help to keep you all participants on pace to complete the crawl. Look for drinking games, as well as free shit giveaways along the way. Maps, wristbands, t-shirts, and information will be provided at registration.

This year the amount of bars has been limited to ten bars. This provides more bar time and less foot time. There will be beer specials for participants.

Have fun but keep your heads. Plan your rides home accordingly and have cash/I.D. on hand.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns contact slcbarcrawl@inthisweek.com or go to their Fa book page.

Cheers!

SOP in SLC

As the temperatures climb your likely looking for beers the that'll quench as well as satisfy.

There are many many options around that will fit the bill, but only one is new local and and frankly quite yummy.

Utah's newest brewery Shades of Pale Brewing has finally made their Salt Lake City debut with their Jack Wagon Wheat Beer.

Jack Wagon has a fruity lemony nose. The taste starts sharp and toasty on the tongue with a brisk, hoppy finish. This hefe is more complex than I thought it would be. It has an assertive lemon sourdough like profile in the end that I think will appeal to beginners and beer geeks alike.

Bottles are comming soon. In the meantime you can taste Jack Wagon at the Beerhive, Jelba's Ranch Inn and Teazers in Ogden, Bistro 412 on Main, Good Karma, Windy Ridge Taco Tuesday, Grub Steak and Lespri Club in PC.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 6/24/11

Another slow week in the local beer world. No fear, I'll help you end it properly with some new stuff to quaff.

First up is a Belgian style dubbel from Sierra Nevada. Brewed in collaboration with the monks at the Abby of New Clairvoux in Vina, California this beer closly follows traditions established by centuries of monastic brewing.

Starts Malty with more than enough grassy hop bitterness for balance. Brown sugar, bread and nuts come next with mild caramel and cocoa. Finishes with a light, lingering peppery spice. Has a light to medium body and feel. 7.50% ABV. At the Beerhive.

The next beer I came across at the grocery store. It's from Lancaster Brewing out of the U.K.

Lancaster Amber, starts with rich bready caramel and toffee. Next comes a mild floral hop bite with a slight mineral finish. Medium to light body and feel. 3.7% ABV.

Found this at Fresh Market. I imagine it's at most stores.

Have a great weekend and cheers!

With Good Comes Bad

Yup, with good comes bad. I should just leave it there. If that's not depressing enough, I have more that goes with that statement.

When the DABC decided to start looking at putting their beer storage in the hands of local distributors, most of us thought it was a great idea. The distributors at least have some cold storage and that's better for our beer. Right?

One problem this brings (it's the bad that goes with the above mentioned good) is that all these out of state breweries are now scrambling to find distributors and there are but a handful of them with limited space as it is.

The result will likely be that some of you favorite out of state brands may be going away, for a long time or permanently. Big Sky Brewing will be one such casualty. The state will no longer carry any of their labels except for Moose Drool.

It's too early to say what else will be affected, but it looks like a trend we will likely have to deal with.

On the bright side. There are a lot of great local brands, with new labels coming almost monthly. Sorry for pissing in your Cheerios so early.

Cheers.

Big Cottonwood Returns!

Last year Squatters introduced Big Cottonwood American Amber Ale as part of their Small Batch Series. It was a big hit. Big enough in fact to be brought back as a regular release.

Big Cottonwood Amber Ale is a 5.75% ABV version of Squatters popular Emigration Amber Ale. It's made with all fresh whole flowers Cascade hops with floral citrus aromas, and layers of malted barley flavors. They're using a new whole flower dryhop technique that gives it an amazing hop character. So it is definitely brewed for those who like their Amber Ales on the hoppy side.

Starting today, Big Cottonwood will be sold in 12 oz bottles and will be available at Squatters Pubs, the BEER STORE, Utah State Liquor Stores and fine establishments throughout the intermountain west.

Sells for $1.49 a bottle out the door.

Cheers!

Summerset Saison

In regards to summertime beers there are many great style options out there. most are traditional like the basic Pils or Hefeweizen, however if you've spent any time in the vicinity of a craft brew house in the last few years you know the new word for summer in the U.S. Saison.

Saisons are farmhouse ale that are traditionally brewed in the winter, to be consumed throughout the summer months. Not so long ago it was close to being an endangered style, but over recent years there's been a massive revival; especially in the US.

This is a very complex style; many are very fruity in the aroma and flavor. Look for earthy yeast tones, mild to moderate tartness. Lots of spice and with a medium bitterness. They tend to be semi-dry with many only having touch of sweetness.

Hoppers Brewmaster and Secret Agent Donovan Steele has come up with a brilliantly timed addition to their Storehouse Reserve series called Summerset Saison.

For his Saison, Dono used a traditional saison grist of light crisp pilsener malt, malted spelt and some raw oats. A Belgian yeast strain known for its complex earthy/spiciness and powerful aromatics was added for extra depth.

To accentuate the natural crisp citrus aromas the yeast produces, Dono decided to break with the normal approach and add some powerful Citra hops for late boil aroma and flavor. It's a great pairing. It really blends the flavor profile of the Citra up against the yeast and grain qualities. That meant dry hopping it after primary. Not unheard of but not typical for a Saison ale. This beer is dry with a light orange hue.

For those not familiar with Citra it smells like tangerine combined with a fruit punch bowl with citrus rind. It's an amazing hop. A great beer for summer or for those that enjoy a rustic ale with amazing hops.

Summerset Saison should be bottled within the next few days and released by the weekend. We'll let you know, of course.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday (addendum)

Breaking News! There are more beers at the Bayou that have just arrived.

Brewdog Tokio
Brewdog Hardcore IPA
Brewdog 5 AM Saint
Brewdog Paradox Smokehead

The Brewdogs are quite wonderful. They won't last long. Again, they're only at the Bayou. They range from $7-$21.

Cheers!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

New Beer Friday 6/10/11

Wahoo! New beers for you.

Wilco Tango Foxtrot (WTF) by Laguinitas is a big Ol’ rich, smooth, dangerous & chocolatey Imperial Brown Ale.

Undercover Investigation Shut-down Ale also by Laguinitas. The nose is of toffee and booze with resiny hop notes. The flavor is strong well developed caramel with spicy element backing and pleasant booze burn. Hops are all around but without outright citrus or pine that comes out on its own, it melds with super sturdy malt for great balance.

Epic Hop Syndrome Lager: The nose is light with caramel and biscuit with some citrusy lemon hops. The flavor is light with bready malts, honey and pine.

The Laguinitas stuff is at the Bayou. The Hop Syndrome is a the Brewery as well as the Bayou & Beerhive.

And of course, There's the return of three favorites Squatters' Fifth Element & 529 as well as RedRock's Rêve Belgian Style Triple. Available at Squatters and RedRock Locations.

Cheers!

All Rêve'd Up for Summer

The photo in yesterday's post was such a hit that we are considering a "Men of RedRock Calendar". Nothing brings back the sexy like a shirtless man in knee high rubber boots being sprayed with sticky wort.

To ensure these Adonises stay lean and mean they're going to have keep hoisting those big oak casks full of yummy beer. So I urge you to get out and spend some of those hard earned Quatloos on some of RedRock's annual release of Rêve Belgian Style Triple. I had a sample at the Mountain Brewers Fest and this batch seems to be the best one yet.

Aged one year in oak, This beer pours a light golden honey color with a moderate fluffy white head that dissipated to a very thin froth. The nose is a little boozy with banana, cloves malt and ripe mango. The taste is very much the same starting with candied sugar and cloves that transitions into toasted malt, peaches and banana. The end is sweet and oaky. The alcohol is warming and welcomed, masked well by Rêve?s full body. It adds a whole new dimension to the beer. You really get a good sense of the oak in the finish.

I recommend cellaring some of these. They tend to age very, very well.

Cheers!

I Get By With a Little Help From my Friends

It's a lonely job writing a narrow niche blog like this. It's nice when good people who love Utah's beer scene as much as I do jump in to help spread the beer love and tell the stories of the people - who do so much to make our tongues and bellies happy.

So I urge you to go out and pick up a copy of SLUG Magazines Annual Beer Issue. It's full of great stories about the Land of Misfit Beers, written by great people (myself included) who love Utah's beer as much as we do. Get a copy now before their gone.

Cheers!

P.S. Those three ruggedly hansom specimens pictured above made Mrs. Mikey Squeal like a tween at Bieber-Fest.

Photo Courtesy: SLUG & Katie Panzer

Good Brew News

Sorry I've been away for so long. A combination of being out of town and a big drought in the local beer news scene has made for some very frustrating weeks, but I see the clouds beginning to open up and rain down a little good beer news.

Speaking of good beer news I just returned from a week of judging beer a the NABA competition in Idaho Falls and boy is my tongue tired. I swear to God, I drank more Bourbon than beer while judging the "wood Aged Beer" category. I'm guessing 95% of the beers entered in that category were kissed by Bourbon. Some... full on molested by it!

I won't complain... I can't. I was drinking great beer all week for charity. It's good work if you can get it.

Anyway, my trip aside. Utah's brewers really represented you well this past weekend, bringing home 26 medals - covering a full range locally made suds. Uinta Brewing did particularly well, winning 8 medals - 3 of which are gold - and they practically owned the American Barleywine category. Imagine that... Utah known for Barlywine. Ah, the age we live in.

Here's the Utah winners list and click here for the complete list. Cheers!


Bohemian Brewery
Bronze: American Standard Lager - Utah Lager
Silver: German Pilsner - Head for the Pils

Desert Edge Brewery
Gold: English Mild Ale - British Mild

Epic Brewing Co.
Bronze: American Style Wheat Beer - Intermountain Wheat Beer
Silver: Rye Beer - Rio's Romp'n Rye

Hoppers Grill & Brewing Co.
Silver: Biere de Garde - The First SnoAle
Gold: Bohemian Pilsner - This is the Pilsener
Bronze: Traditional Bock / Eisbock - Double Black Lager

Redrock Brewing Company
Bronze: Saison - Le Quatre Saison
Bronze: Specialty and Experimental Beers - Paardebloem
Silver: Alt - Andy's Alt

Ruby River Brewery
Gold: Carbonated Soft Drinks - Ruby River's Cream Soda
Silver: Carbonated Soft Drinks - Ruby River Root Beer

Squatters Pub Brewery
Silver: Flanders Brown Ale - 529

Uinta Brewing Company
Gold: American Barley Wine 18th Anniversary Barley Wine
Bronze: American Barley Wine - 17th Anniversary Barley Wine
Silver: American Hefeweizen - Golden Spike
Gold: California Common - Gelande
Silver: Schwarzbier (Black Beer) - King's Peak
Silver: Ordinary Bitter - Cutthroat
Bronze: Double/Imperial India Pale Ale - Detour
Gold: American Amber Lager - Gelande

Utah Brewers Cooperative
Silver: Belgian Wit (White) - Squatters Wit
Silver: Kolsch - Wasatch Slammer Golden Ale
Gold: Dortmunder/ Export - Wasatch Summerbrau

Wasatch Brewpub
Bronze: Cream Ales - Summer Twilght

Photo courtesy: Mark Alston