"The King is Dead, Long Live the Kings"?

In what has become one of the states most prolific brewery booms in Utah's recent beer history, this weekend is set to make way for two new brewhouses, ending the short reign of Bonneville Brewing. It was looking like Vernal Brewing Co was going to be the next brewery to open, but it looks like a last minute decision will have both Vernal and the Avenues Proper Restaurant & Publik House opening on the same day. 4/27/13.

It won't be a hard decision for most because they are about a three hour drive apart, regardless it will be a good day for Utah's Beer lovers.

We'll throw some info at you, as it comes along.

Also, Bonneville Brewing will be having their grand opening this Friday evening. There is no excuse not to have a nice local craft beer this weekend.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 4/19/13

 
Tenaya Creek Imperial Stout: The nose is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, and dark fruits. The taste is similar with a medium coffee bitterness cocoa & liquorice. A nice Impy that is tasty and quite smooth.



Tenaya Creek Red Ryder: Toasty ye is up front. Its spicey & peppery. Vanilla, cola and grass come next with a  lemony bitter finish. Mild lingering caramel and bitterness. As it warms, it takes on a raisin bread character that's actually quite excellent.

Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shutdown: The taste starts out with bready and sweet caramel malts. There is also a sugariness. After that it becomes all about the hops. very strong on the grapefruit, pine, orange, and just a touch of pineapple. the alcohol comes through, but isnt too strong.


All are at the Beerhive

Cheers!

Rumor de Jour: Shipyard/Seadog Brewing

It's rumor time again! Yup, it may be one of the more useless functions of what we do here at Utah Beer, but at least it keeps us in good conversation.

Today's rumor has to do with Shipyard/Seadog Brewing out of Maine. The East Coast breweries have been around since the mid 90s and a "little bird" tells me they may be entering the Utah Market soon.

Not sure what labels we'll see, they will most likely be bottled beers. The breweries tend to specialize in English style ales. I've sampled some of their beers at a couple of beer festivals and they're solid beers, great additions to the market.

Take it for what it's worth, some of these rumors pan-out and some will just annoy the shit out of you, 'til the next one comes along. No! I have no new info on Goose Island. I'm sad too....

Cheers!

Vernal Brewing Company to Open Soon

In one of the shortest reigns as "new kid on the block" Bonneville Brewing will soon acquiesce it's title to Vernal Brewing Co. The Bonneville gang will be celebrating their grand opening on April 26, at the same time Vernal Brewing will have their soft opening on The 25th-28th. VBC is urging interested patrons to make reservations, but I don't think they're required. Reservations will be taken online @ vernalbrewingcompany.com

Also in local beer news. On April 13 & 14, 2013, more than fifteen beer judges and six beer stewards, participated in the 3rd Annual Denver International Beer Competition in Broomfield, Colorado.

The judges awarded a total of 91 medals in 48 style categories, plus Best of Show.
Here are Utah's 2013 medal winners. The full list is here.

Gold - (American IPA) Hopulent IPA Mosaic, Epic Brewing Company
Bronze - (Black IPA) Black Imperial IPA, Moab Brewery
Bronze  - (California Common) Rocket Bike Lager, Moab Brewery
Bronze  - (Strong Scotch Ale) Scotch Ale, Moab Brewery
Silver - (Tripel) Tripel, Moab Brewery

Can't say I'm surprised about the Mosaic Hopulent, that beer is the shizzle. And it's nice to see Moab getting some well deserved hardware.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday: 4/12/13

It's been a pretty bleak week for the local beer scene, but we've found a few new beers floating around out there to help get you weekend started off right.

Boulevard Brewing's Coffee Ale: Don't be fooled, this is not a stout or porter this beers base is might lighter, but it doesn't affect the overall body to much. The nose is freshly brewed coffee.The taste starts with sweet coffee & strong bitter chocolate notes. Toffee notes come next with some light herbal hops rounding out the back end. Finishes like a lightly sweetened Iced Coffee. It's 9.3% abv is very well hidden could be trouble if your not careful. @ Beerhive

Some people have reported seeing a 4% version of Henry Weinhard's Woodland Pass IPA. I havn't seen it or tried it. One reviewer described it as, "sweet with a wood taste and a strong tea flavor. Mildly grassy with a mild grapefruit flavor". If you've seen it, let us know where. @ Grocery?

If I've missed anything, please spread the "beer love"!

Cheers!

Fresh Cask Friday: Pale Ale

Secret Agent and Hoppers Brewmaster, Donovan Steele has a new fresh cask for you today, and this one is all hopped up!

Dono took his Pale Morning Ale and has dry hopped it with Cascade and Sorachi Ace hops. These are in addition to the Cascade, Citra and El Dorado hops that were added late in the boil of the base beer. This is a single cask and will be tapped around 5pm @ Hoppers.

Also in the news today, former Squatters Brewmaster Jennifer Talley, who had moved to Washington to take over as brewery production manager at Redhook Brewery is leaving there to take on the role of lead brewer at Russian River Brewing. Talley will be starting in May and eventually will be taking over the brewery’s barrel program. Jenny's technique used in many of Squatters' barrel aged beers came from a close relationship with Russian River Owner, Vinnie Cilurzo. I guess it's just fitting that she'd end up there. Congrats Jenny!

Cheers!

Special Edition of Epic's Copper Cone

On the heels of a successful special release of their Hopulent IPA (made with Mosaic hops), Epic Brewing has a new special edition of one of their more popular beers that they hope will catapult it into legendary status.

Epic's Copper Cone has been one the breweries brightest stars since it first came out a few years back, it's bright pine and citrus profile was an immediate hit with beer lovers, now with the help of an experimental hop, the brewers are hoping lightening can strike twice.

Experimental hop 01210 (yes that's it name) is the the latest addition to the brew. Nicknamed "Lemon Drop" by the brewery it imparts a lemon/lime quality to Copper Cone, along with the grapefruit profile of Simcoe and Summit hops. the result is a fresh tasting, summery pale ale that's deep malt profile complements the rind-like bitterness well.

Look for Copper Cone release 41 & 42 on the label, which should be on sale today. The Epic guys are also telling me they're thinking of using "Lemon Drop" in a coming batch of Hop Syndrome as well. That sounds like a perfect pairing!

Cheers!

Utah Barley's Angels April Event

RSVPs are now being accepted for the Barley's Angels Squatters Food Pairing. The Event titled An Evening With Squatters will be held at 5pm on Sunday, April 7th and will feature a variety of specially prepared dishes & beers designed to enhance your dining experience.

The Utah Chapter of Barley's Angels is a women's only organization designed to promote and encourage Utah's female beer enthusiasts. The event will be limited to 150 ladies, so don't wait too long. To RSVP please call 801-719-0525 or email Barleysangelsutah@gmail.com

Cheers!

 Photo: Carla-Boecklin

New Beer Friday 3/29/13

Fans of Wilds Ales rejoice! The Bayou just received a shipment of new imports that are guaranteed to ignite your pucker, perfect for the start of Spring.
 
  Reinaert Flemish Wild Ale: The nose has floral notes with some nice barnyard funk as well as leather notes from the brett. The flavor is very dry. I get a lot of yeast and funk as well as some lemon and orange citrus notes. There is also some grass in the finish. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A nice, slightly funky wild ale. @ Bayou

Bellegems Bruin: The nose is bright with grapes and vinegar. The taste starts with a vinegar tartness and gives way to a grape and slight tart cherry taste. The backend has a nice malty base. The mouthfeel is sparkly and acidic. Overall a very solid with nice sour taste and aroma. @ Bayou.

Redline Irish Red: From Bonneville Brewing, this traditional Irish Red is bready with hints of roasted malt with a slight fruity & nutty finish. a perfect example of the style. @ Bonneville Brewery & Allstar Lanes

Cheers!

Bonneville Brewery Visit

Mrs. Mikey & I went west to Tooele County to visit Bonneville Brewing and I have to say, we were quite impressed with the remodel and overall quality of the restaurant and the beer. The Menu was top notch all the dishes looked fantastic and the beers were more than solid. Head Brewer, Dave has eight beers on tap right now including an Irish Nitro Stout and an Irish Red Ale.

Our only complaint, too many people drinking Bud Light. I hope the staff pushes the house beers over the macros, because it's the locals that will make Bonneville a success, not occasional visiting beer gneards like us. Here are some of our photos from last night.

Cheers!

 

Bonneville Brewing Co. Opens it's Doors

Even though Bonneville Brewing Co. has been brewing beer for the last few months, their brewpub has been sitting empty, undergoing a huge remodel to redefine the space that used be the Tracks Brewery.

After many months and countless dollars, Tooele's newest brewery is ready to open it's doors tonight at 4pm. This will be a "soft opening". Employees, equipment & situations will all be new, so if your thinking of venturing out to Tooele over the next few days please remember to bring your patience and help the staff get though their growing pains. Congrats to Utah's newest brewery!

Cheers!  

Photo: Dave Watson - Head Brewer

2013 Tour de Brewtah

Bicycling enthusiasts, it's time to start thinking about getting registered for the Fourth Annual Tour de Brewtah. If your not familiar, the "tour" it's a chance to explore SLC's beer community while getting a ride time through the downtown area. This year's registration will take place on March 25th beginning at 8AM and be done through the Tour de Brewtah website.

The ride will start and end at the Gallivan Center on Saturday, May 4th, 2013 and will offer a a couple of different routes. The Theme of this year's event? May the Fourth Be With You!

Yoda Route will be Gallivan Center >> Squatters >> Desert Edge >> Beerhive/Bohemian >> Gallivan Center (Shades of Pale/Zion Canyon)

Darth Vader Route will be Gallivan Center >> Red Rock >> Uinta >> The Hotel/Roosters >> Gallivan Center (Shades of Pale/Zion Canyon)


This year they are also working on a limited space Skywalker VIP route as well, which will include Epic beers, and local food pairings. Info to follow.

Wave times will be 11am, 12noon, and 1pm.

The cost of the ride is $45 and includes a beer at each stop, commemorative pint glass and snacks along the way. Availability is limited, so don't delay.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 3/15/13

The Utah legislature never disappoints in the controversy department and this year was no different. Liquor issues will always be a divisive topic on capitol hill as long as the state insists on your your mother.

SB248 was one of the hottest topics that concerned our beer community this year. A bill that was slated to be a good thing for Utah's growing breweries was perverted by the Beer Wholesalers Association and caused proponents of Utah's small breweries to riser up in protest, in one of the biggest reversals that I can remember that was fueled by public outrage.

The bill was defeated by the majority of Utah's craft beer community, it has also fractured our tight knit beer community. Nobody really won here. It did however shine a light on the lack of political unity that exist among our brewers, vintners & distillers. They must all get on the same page so this crap doesn't happen again.

Every year our growing participation in the political process makes the beer community stronger. Personally, I'd like to thank all of you who took time out of your days to make your voices heard. It's one of the reasons I'm still able to do this shit.

Now on to New Beer Friday!

First we have Bonneville Brewing's  first seasonal. Irish Red is described as bready and malty with a touch of floral English hop character. Finishes dry with a hint of roast.
It will be only at the West Jordan and Tooele locations of AllStar Bowling. The brewpub is still a few weeks away from opening.

Ruby River Chocolate Coffee Stout: It is a traditional dry stout fermented out and conditioned with 3.5 lbs of Ghana coco nibs and 2 lbs of local coffee grounds that really give it an awesome flavor and aroma. @Riverdale & Provo Ruby River Locations

Epic Hopulent with Mosaic Hops: This version of Hopulent is a little different as you may have figured. The nose is sharp with citrus zest and big, bold pine. The taste is fruit salad. With orange, lemon, and grapefruit - all fresh and in your face. Some floral hops flesh things out, until the unassuming caramel malt supporting act kicks in. Me thinks it's the best version of this beer. @EPIC

Cheers!

Cartoon: Pat Bagley

While at the Grocey Store...

It seems that when we discuss new beers that have entered the market the topic usually turns to, "what liquor stores are they at"? Today is one of those rare occasions where you don't have to find a liquor store, they're at your good ol' grocers.

Deschutes River Ale: Bready & grassy undertones, & ending with citrus, faint mint, an herbal and mild biscuity finish.

Phoenix Ale Brewing Hoppy Valley IPA: Hop forward, with grapefruit and citrus flavors, a hint of pine and a tiny bit of malt on the finish.

Unsacred Unfaithful IPA: Floral & grassy light biscuit, not much malt body 

Unsacred Rimando's Wit: Estery, some citrus, wheat, a bit of spice.

Unsacred The Vision Lager: Slightly grassy & grainy, with some sourness.

Unsacred Priesthood Pale Ale: An earthy pale with mostly pine & hints of citrus

Boulder Brewing Singletrack: Sweet, clean, buttery base supports a very citric and American (odd) hop. The nutty note is there as well. Only a slight cardboard finish as a minor flaw.

Boulder Brewing Buffalo Gold: Sweet pale malt, grain, mild floral hops, and slightly metallic.

Cheers!

Bohemian Munich Dark Lager

A lot of B.S. has occupied our time over the last few days, you could probably use a beer, something new? We have what the doctor ordered. Bohemian Munich Dark Lager is Bohemian Brewing's newest seasonal. This classic lager traditionally hails from the Bavarian city of Munich. It pours a brilliant dark brown with flavors of toast and sweet malt. A touch of hops adds the perfect balance for a crisp, smooth finish. Only Available at The Bohemian Brewery.

Prost!

 

 

When We Don't Talk, We All Lose

Due to the lack of a free market where alcohol is concerned, the beer industry in Utah and it's consumers are likely to take a big hit from legislation that pits brewery against brewery.

Last year Uinta Brewing & the Utah Brewers Cooperative reached the state's ceiling on how much beer they were allowed to make and still be considered a small brewery. If they were to reach "large" brewery status, the required markup on their beers would skyrocket. This would slash profits and raise the price of their beers. SB248 was written to raise the ceiling from 60,000 barrels if beer to 100,000. Not a bad thing, right?

Well, it would be great if there wasn't a provision in the same bill that also requires all small breweries to retain the services of a distributor even if their operations are too small to justify the expense. Most of Utah's small breweries (Desert Edge, RedRock, Moab etc) self distribute. Their accounts are too small or too few and the added cost of a third party basically means they'll have to stop sending their beers to bars or pass the price hike on to you. 

You see? Everybody looses here. The 2013 Legislature is in its final days, rewriting SB248 to fix all of its problems is likely not realistic. It has already passed in the Senate and is awaiting a vote in the House. It doesn't look good. 

Utah's unique laws and culture create a alcohol community that cannot prosper if it's splintered. Nobody outside of Utah's alcohol manufacturing industry is more passionate about locally made beer than me, so when I beg all of Utah's breweries, wineries & distilleries to get their asses in gear and unify into a cohesive guild or interest group, I do it ensure that complete F'ups like this become a thing of the past.

New Beer Friday 3/8/13

Deschutes River Ale: Havn't had this yet, but it's described as starting with bready & grassy undetones, & ending with citrus, faint mint, an herbal and mild biscuity finish. This is the 4.0% beer that Deschutes has been promising. @DABC. If you see it, please tell us where.


Returning
Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot: The Nose is of pine, citrus,and earth. The taste starts with pine & citrus notes up front, being quickly met by a strong malt backbone. The finish is nutty & hoppy, a typical Lagunitas hop finish. It's listed as an "Imperial Brown Ale" but tastes more like an Imperial Red. @ Beerhive

It's also Fresh Cask Friday! Donovan has two casks today. One is a Scottish, Bruce's 80/- Scottish with Coriander Seed. Golden Promise barley and caramel malts. The other is a Spring Wheat Ale. A nice easy drinking cask wheat. Some great clean flavors and finished with Tettnanger hops. @Hoppers

Another version of of Bruce's 80 will be offered on tap Friday the 15th & which will also be on cask on Saturday the 16, 11 am instead of Friday, due to St. Patrick's Day. This one aged with Scotch Oak.

Cheers!

Valentine Has Finally Lost His Mind!

You can never really predict the absolute idiocy that exists in the mind of Sen John Valentine. This guy is dangerous, he is so far removed from reality and wields so much power that he is one of the most dangerous & delusional people writing our laws.

John Valentine heads the powerful Business and Labor Committee & is the author of most of Utah's liquor legislation, The Zion Curtain or "Beer Burka" as we like to call it; that's him, that his brilliant idea.

Now Sen. Valentine has a new piece of legislation that he's inserted into SB261. This new proposed law states that, any person in a restaurant cannot stand while drinking an alcoholic beverage. You must be seated! I don't have to tell you that this guy holds enough influence to make this crap reality. Please, please, please contact your Representative & Senator and shut this thing down!


Here's the bill it's located on line 1539.


In better news Desert Edge's Powder Keg Bourbon Porter is on right now, it disappears in days so you'd better get on it before it's gone.


Cheers!

Drioma Russian Imperial Stout

The newest addition to the RedRock Brewing line of bottled beers is out and it's a big imperial beast named, Drioma.
Drioma is named for the Slavic spirit of the night. Appropriate, 'cause this bitch is dark & dry like Russian winter night.

Looks like motor oil with a nice light brown head. The nose is huge with roasted malt & baker's chocolate. The tastes starts with big roasted notes with espresso and dark chocolate. A nice bed of toffee & caramel come next with a strong burst of pine in the finish. This Russian Imperial is stout is dryer than some, but it's huge roasted character & fresh hop bite make a nice, highly drinkable stout. A chocolate chip cookie would be the perfect partner for this beer. 10.1% ABV, available at RedRock locations now and finer beer bars in the coming days.

                    
Today is also supposed to be canning day at Uinta. If all goes well, we may have fresh canned Wyld, Baba, Hop Notch or Cutthroat by the end of the week. Call the brewery for availability at their bottleshop. 

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 3/1/13

These quietly slipped in the other week, one is completely new to the market.



Portland Brewing Rose Hip: Pours a bright golden color with a thin cap of head. The nose is of roses and cereal The taste starts with dry with spicy esters and a touch of citrus. An earthy/bready base comes next with the florals and grass rounding out the end.Kinda saison-esque. @ DABC


Full Sail Pale Bock: Pours a clear gold with a short, fizzy white head. the nose is sweet malt, honey, fruit notes and grassy. Taste is slightly bitter grassy notes with grains, fruit notes, sweet malt, a touch of honey and biscuit. Body is medium and crisp with a slight fizzy carbonation. Soft dryness as well. Ends with more caramel, honey, sweet malt, grains, grassy hops and soft bitter hops. @DABC

Cheers!