For years, lovers beer have enjoyed a concoction known as a black and tan. A mix of Guiness Stout & Bass Ale. When correctly prepared, the "black" beer mysteriously floats atop the underlying "tan" beer without mixing, distinctively capturing the attributes of both beers in the same glass. Recently, it has become popular to combine beers into new and interesting combonations as people invent their own layered beers.
Nearly as old as the black & Tan is the Half & Half. Made with Guiness' Stout & Harp Lager. Around town I've seen and tried a few interesting combos, such as "The Dirty Hoe". A stack of Hoegaarden Wit and Lindemans Framboise. One of the better combos i've tried is Chocolate Stout mixed with a Raspberry Lambic. I don't know what it's called, but trust me. It's a great pairing. I even came up with one myself, but it seems I was the only one who liked it. I call it 'The Marble Rye'. I ordered a Roggen Rock (Red Rock's Rye) stacked with Guiness. Mmm... Beerlicious. If you've got a fav tell us about it, or if you've got real fucked up sence of taste, toss it out there for laughs and ridicule. Slainte.
Utah Brewery Map
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Spring Heat Spiced Wheat
There's a new offering out from Anheuser-Busch. Spring Heat Spiced Wheat is an unfiltered Belgian-style wheat ale, which is naturally cloudy. Brewed with orange, lemon and lime peels, coriander, two-row barley and wheat malts. Hops are a blend of Cascade, Willamette and Hallertau hops. We got to try it on our St. Patty's Day Bar Crawl and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not a huge fan of most AB products. When sampling this, I was in the dark as to the who the brewer of this beer was, so there was no bias on my part for a change. It had a hazy yellow appearance, with a nice white head. A very fresh, zesty nose with a taste that was mostly lemon peel and a small amount of hoppiness in the end. It reminds me of a citrusy Blue Moon. This is a seasonal that's only available through May. Too bad, It would make a good summer quencher. We tried ours at Murphy's and Port o' Call. And I believe it's only available on tap. Slainte!
Thursday, March 16, 2006
I think I'm Being Watched
I couple months ago I wrote a blog on measuring Alcohol by Weight vs. Alcohol by Volume called 3.2% I don't think so. I thought it would be more of a talker than it was, oh well. Anyway one of my co-workers said I should check out the Salt Lake Tribune there's a cool story about Utah's beer myths. I was suprised to find many of the blogs topics apear in this one article. Interesting. I've got my eye on you Trib...
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
A New Name and Focus for the Blues & Brews
A buddy of mine told me that Salt Lake City was cancelling the Blues and Brews Festival for this year. This made me want to cry. The B&B has been a cozy island of sanity in this somewhat insane state. As it turns out, my friend was half-right. The Blues and Brews Fest has long been the Gallavin Centers largest event of the year. Offering some of the finest beers from around the area. However, this year They're doing some revamping. The Blues and Brews is changing it's name to the Salt Lake City Brewers' Festival! The orginizers have completely revised the focus to "beer and just beer". There will still be music, vendor booths, etc, but this new event will be all about the beer. It's also possible that there will be a competition and brewer’s will be awarded medals in a variety of categories. The Salt lake City Brewers' Festival is on the calendar for Saturday, September 16 from 2 to 10 pm. Bravo! This the direction local beer enthusiasts have long encouraged. Slante mhath!
Beer Down, Liquor Up
Experts in the adult beverage industry say more people in Utah are opting for more wine and spirits and putting aside they're bottles and cans of beer.
When the Legislature increased the tax on beer by $1.80 to $12.80 for each 31-gallon barrel in 2003, the state’s revenue from beer sales taxes began dropping. In 2003, the state earned more than $10.3 million in beer taxes. By 2005, it dropped to $8.9 million, according to the Utah Tax Commission. Over the same span, the state’s 13 percent sales tax on wine and liquor increased revenues from $15.7 million to $18.1 million. The tax increase on beer came at a time when beer sales nationwide showed little or no growth, according to the National Beer Wholesalers Association. Utah has one of the highest beer taxes in the nation. Utah charges 41 cents in taxes per gallon of beer. By comparison, Wyoming charges 2 cents per gallon. So basically, they increased the beer tax so the state could incease it's revenue and the exact opposite has happened. Thanks for nut'n.
When the Legislature increased the tax on beer by $1.80 to $12.80 for each 31-gallon barrel in 2003, the state’s revenue from beer sales taxes began dropping. In 2003, the state earned more than $10.3 million in beer taxes. By 2005, it dropped to $8.9 million, according to the Utah Tax Commission. Over the same span, the state’s 13 percent sales tax on wine and liquor increased revenues from $15.7 million to $18.1 million. The tax increase on beer came at a time when beer sales nationwide showed little or no growth, according to the National Beer Wholesalers Association. Utah has one of the highest beer taxes in the nation. Utah charges 41 cents in taxes per gallon of beer. By comparison, Wyoming charges 2 cents per gallon. So basically, they increased the beer tax so the state could incease it's revenue and the exact opposite has happened. Thanks for nut'n.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Moab Brewery
Day two of 'get to know your beer' has us at Moab Brewery. Starting with Black Raven Oatmeal Stout. Poured a thin ruby hued brown with an thin ivory colored foam. The nose had a nice mild roasty edge with a sweet oat platform and vanilla notes. The taste started with a nice coffee-esque roastiness that lingers a while before fading to an oaty sweetness that drys out slowly. This was pretty good, not too rich or thick, but tasty non the less. It's a great little stout but is missing some of the styles deeper chacteristics as far as the body goes. Drinkability is high and at 4.0 ABV you can drink em' all night.
Dead Horse Amber Ale: Poured a clear orangish-yellow with a thin off-white head. The nose was fruity, sweet and dry like apples or peaches with a wisper of piney sting. The taste was moderately sweet with tones of dark orange and mild cascade hops giving a nudge of citrus and spice. The finish was a bit bland. I was hoping for more "bite".
Derailleur Ale: Poured a dark ruby - copper tinted color with a finger of dark ivory foam. The nose was moslty malts with some caramel, slight roasted tones and darker breads. Beneth were notes of grassy hops and herbal spices. The taste started with a good amount of finely roasted, whole grain bread, buttery and nutty caramel with a mild hop spice and bite near the finish. The finish lingers with a dried out caramel roasty twinge. A pretty good offering. One to come back to for sure.
Elephant Hill Hefeweizen: Poured a thin, hazy straw color with a puffy, thin, white head. The nose had a meager amount of lemon and a touch of yeast sweetness and wheat character. The taste started with biscut, some tangy, wheaty sweetness and yeast. There's a light bitter quality throughout which adds a nice balance to the brew. This was a nice, enjoyable, light bodied, American style Hef.
Lizard Light Ale: Poured a semi cloudy yellow orange color with a thick sandy white head. The nose was bready and tart like apples. The taste started with toasted wheat and a tart yeastiness. The end was citrusy with a little hop bite. The finish was floury and full of cereals. A nice combination of light citrus and full bodied wheat.
Park City Pilsener: Poured a clear straw yellow with a thin, firm, white, foamy cap. The nose was nice and clean. Freshly hopped with a pleasing leafy tone and crispy biscuit malt underneath with a subtle sweetness. The taste followed suit with nice crisp, clean flavors of pale biscuit malts and a nice fresh hop profile providing a nice grab. The finish was crisp and pleasant to the tongue. A very nice pilsner.
Park City Steamer: Poured a dark golden bronze color with a nice off-white head of tight foam. The nose was dry with bready maltyness, a bit of floral hops. The taste was quite nice. Starting with a great balance of malts with a short sweet bread notion, hops mildly enter with grasses and dull floralness, a bit earthy. Feel stays wet and loose with a light creamy dryness. This is an interesting take on a steam beer. Most breweries let the lager yeast and Northern Brewer hops meld to create the main flavor characteristics. Moab has brought out more of the malt character in this steam beer. Exellent!
Scorpion Pale Ale: Poured a clear amber/copper color with a finger of ivory head.The nose had a nice cedar hop aroma with some roasted caramel and crispy biscuit underneath. The taste was started with toasty whole grains, biting hop resins with cedar wood tones, dry leaves and grasses, malts too, are sharp and earthy, warming biscuity tones that are slightly burnt mix well with an overall woodish tone to the hop profile. Fresh and toasty. Quite a nice treat from middle to finish. At 4%ABV this can be a great sessionable beer.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Bohemian Brewery
There's been a bit of a drought as far as local beer news goes. So, I thought I'd do some reviews. These are just my opinions. Good or Bad I still 'have the breweries back'.
First is the Bavarian Weiss. Poured a hazy yellow color with a fine white head. The nose was very wheaty. The taste was spicey with hops and had a definate wheat character. The finish had a sulfer harshness to it. This weiss was lagered, which doesn't do this beer any favors. The sulfur taste wasn't enjoyable, more importantly there's none of the creaminess that you would expect from hef or wheat ale.
Cherny Bock: Poured a very dark chocolate brown with a thick tan head. The nose was full of roasted malt, dark fruits with a pleasant nuttiness. The taste started with a deep roasted malt taste, then a dark nuttiness with minor raspberry notes beneth. The end was nicely balanced with an easy piney hop bite at the end. If I had not been told this was a Bock I would have thought it was a Porter or a Stout. That's not a bad thing. This was actually a very good, tasty beer even; if it's not very Bock-like. I really love this stuff and with a ABV of 4.0 I could drink it all night. Exellent!
Czech Pilsener: Poured a brilliant gold with a large white head. The nose was grainy with a bit o' honey and a crisp floral zip. The flavor was stong with floral hops over a lightly toasted malt bed. The finish was crisp and dry with a slight hop bite. Bohemian Brewery has built a true-to-taste Czech-style pilsener. I was very impressed with the palatability of this beer.
Viennese Lager: Poured a golden amber color with a nice white head. The nose was sweet with caramel and banana. The flavor had a nice balance of sweet caramel malts and stong piney hops. The finish was slightly grassy and dry. Not a bad Viennese, the finish was a bit harsh though
First is the Bavarian Weiss. Poured a hazy yellow color with a fine white head. The nose was very wheaty. The taste was spicey with hops and had a definate wheat character. The finish had a sulfer harshness to it. This weiss was lagered, which doesn't do this beer any favors. The sulfur taste wasn't enjoyable, more importantly there's none of the creaminess that you would expect from hef or wheat ale.
Cherny Bock: Poured a very dark chocolate brown with a thick tan head. The nose was full of roasted malt, dark fruits with a pleasant nuttiness. The taste started with a deep roasted malt taste, then a dark nuttiness with minor raspberry notes beneth. The end was nicely balanced with an easy piney hop bite at the end. If I had not been told this was a Bock I would have thought it was a Porter or a Stout. That's not a bad thing. This was actually a very good, tasty beer even; if it's not very Bock-like. I really love this stuff and with a ABV of 4.0 I could drink it all night. Exellent!
Czech Pilsener: Poured a brilliant gold with a large white head. The nose was grainy with a bit o' honey and a crisp floral zip. The flavor was stong with floral hops over a lightly toasted malt bed. The finish was crisp and dry with a slight hop bite. Bohemian Brewery has built a true-to-taste Czech-style pilsener. I was very impressed with the palatability of this beer.
Viennese Lager: Poured a golden amber color with a nice white head. The nose was sweet with caramel and banana. The flavor had a nice balance of sweet caramel malts and stong piney hops. The finish was slightly grassy and dry. Not a bad Viennese, the finish was a bit harsh though
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