Beer Festival News

Mrs. Mikey and myself absolutely love going to the Great American Beer Festival, we have been faithful attendees since 1998. Normally we'd fly in on the first day, grab a beer and lunch then go purchase all of our tickets at the box office.

Well that was a different world. Now if you haven't purchased your tix at least a month in advance you'll be scrambling to scalp. Now it seems that a month in advance may way be too late. The festival that starts on Sept. 24th, 2009 is seeing unprecedented early ticket sales.

As of last Thursday

Thursday - 29% sold
Friday - 36% sold
Saturday (Members-Only Session) - 56% sold
Saturday - 23% sold

This is nuts! I always advocate that if you love beer you should go, so this is an very early reminder to get your shit together and to get it in your head that tix will be gone sooner than normal.

Also, Congrats go out to Salt Lake's Michael Johnson, a member of Zion Zymurgist Homebrew OPerative Society (ZZHOPS) who recieved a silver medal for his Weizenbock homebrew, at the 2009 National Homebrew Competition in Oakland last week.

1,310 home brewers entered 5,166 beers in what is now the largest beer competition in the world. no small feat. Congratulations again Mike!

The Beerhive

Utah's beer community will soon have a new place to satisfy their beer cravings. After a year of planning and obstacles the Beerhive is finally in the home stretch. I got a preview last night of what is sure to be one of downtown's preeminent hot spots.

First off this place is all bar. The bar in this place may be one of the longest in the state. It spans nearly fifty feet and has a beautiful, grand back-bar that's near twenty five feet tall. The refrigeration unit is massive and has room for all the kegs and hundreds of bottles of beer. Twenty-four taps are plumbed right now and there are talks of installing a cask beer engine.

The Beerhive also sports a first in the area, a frosted rail. It's a strip of ice that spans the bar to ensure that drinks maintain the perfect temperature... If desired.

The downstairs area is quite nice with exposed 19th century brick and stone walls. Pool tables and a possible shuffleboard table will occupy most of this space.

Owner Del Vance is working hard on providing the Beerhive's customers with some of the hardest to get craft beers from around the nation. There is a very real possibility that patrons will be enjoying such sought after brands as Stone, Dogfish Head, Ninkasi and Deschutes signature line up. I'll throw up more info on the beers as they become available.

The Beerhive is slated to open near the second week of July. Cheers.

Ogden's Own Distillery

I can't believe this was below my radar as long as it was, but in my defense I concentrate more on beer with a minor in spirits. For a few years now High West Distillers out of Park City has had all the bragging rights on being Utah's only only local distillery.

Not no more. Ogden's Own Distillery is Ogden's first licensed distillery since before prohibition. This is a full-on distillery that concentrates only on spirits. UNDERGROUND is the distillery's debut spirit. Owner Distiller Timmy Smith describes it as a 40% alcohol Handcrafted Herbal Spirit, with an "interesting" herbal effect. And says it's best enjoyed chilled and as a shooter.
Smith says fans of UNDERGROUND are drinking it on the rocks and creating various concoctions.

Ogden's Own is working on being on liquor store shelves here in Utah by the end of June. As that gets closer expect to see more and more info. Salude!

Skin and Beer in Utah County

By now you've figured out that I like to talk about beer, that's obvious. But to do it au' natural??? Now that's takes a true gift - with masculinity that I frankly just don't have.

So if you like a little soft-core porn with your beer, check out The Sunday Beer Club.

Host Don Lavange serves up a weekly video review of beer with charm and skin... at least during the warmer months. I have no Idea what going on outside of the camera's scope but "Holy Jebus I'm intrigued!!!" Love ya Don, keep it up... The beers I mean... not the other thing. Cheers!

Randalizing at the Bayou

Mikey loves him some hoppy beers. If your of like-mind then consider getting your ass over to the Bayou for a little "Triple A" (Alpha Attitude Adjustment). Mark has put together a Randalizer to help "spice-up" your beer enjoyment.

If you've never heard of a Randalizer or "Randall the Enamel Animal" as it's formally known, it's basically a organoleptic hop transducer module (a hop cone filter) that grabs the oils off the hops in the Randall on the way from the keg to the tap/faucet transferring all the hoppy goodness into the beer, providing a pungent and fresh hop boost to the selected beer.

Local beer lover/craftsman Bryan Perkins, put together the above customized Randalizer for the Bayou. The Randall made it's debut last night, testing it out on Four+'s Wyld Pale Ale. It was okay... They're still working on fine tuning the right hops vs. the right beer. So until the bugs get worked out, the availability of beers on it will be hit or miss.

The beer selection on the Randall will rotate and I'm sure Mark will take suggestions on combination's. As well as infusing coffee beans and fruits to the appropriate beers styles. Cheers!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Grill on the Hill

To be honest waking up Sunday morning to thunder and rain didn't exactly get me in the mood for another beer festival in the rain, but after a brutally wet morning the skies opened-up, the sun shined down and after a little bit of a "what the Hell" Father's Day - attitude adjustment a little beer drinking in the mountains commenced.

God loves beer, he told me so (that's him above) at the Bayou the other evening. I assume this why everything seemed to work out just fine. This wasn't an epic festival by any means but it was a great excuse to get out and enjoy the weather and good company. Thanks to all the Local brewers for showing up early and pouring their beer. Here are a few pics.
Also, before I forget. Jenny Talley gave birth to a little girl on Friday. Her daughter is named Vienna and everyone is fine. I have a feeling had little Vienna been a boy his name would have been Porter... I see how your mind works Talley. Congrats to Jenny and her husband! Cheers!

Sunday Beer Sales in Logan

Logan beer drinkers rejoice! Last Tuesday the Logan Municipal Council repealed a law that restricted the sale of beer at city retail stores on Sundays. As I understand it, beer sales are still not permitted at bars on Sunday, (is this still the case Logan readers???) this frees-up some retailers to compete with other neighboring towns ( Nibley and Hyrum) who passed similar ordinances last year. Change comes slow but it is change.

Also, thanks to Kathy Stephenson food and culinary guru from the Salt Lake Tribune for tapping me for her column The Weekly Toast. Check it out. Cheers!

Salt Lake's Biggest Bar Crawl Ever

On July 1st, 2009 a thing will occur that has not happened in Utah in a long time. You... anyone with I.D. in their pocket will be able to go into a bar, order a drink, pay for it and walk out - having payed for only the drink you bought.

Utah's Private Club System is on borrowed time, and adults everywhere are gearing-up to celebrate at it's wake. To help celebrate the City Weekly is spearheading what is billed as "Utah's biggest bar crawl ever!"

Starting at 5pm on July 1st. 16 former private clubs from Sandy to SLC will participate in what they'd term as a bar open house instead of a drunken pub crawl. Organizers want people who participate to be responsible... and damn it! they're serious about it.

To help people participate responsibly the City Weekly rented six buses that are gonna be creating a "bar transit system" for people to pick-up every half hour and go to the next location. There is no charge for the bus rides and then at the end of the night City Weekly's also gonna pay for their cab ride home.

I tried looking up the list of participating bars on City Weekly's website this morning but came up with bupkis. If anyone else has the list please post it up. Cheers!

Hop Riot

Hop Riot is on tap at Squatters. Formerly Hop Rising, the name was handed-over to the the Utah Brewers Cooperative as they are currently formulating a double IPA and it looks like it could come out being called Hop Rising Double IPA. Can't wait for this one to debut!

This is a really good pale ale, and it's apparently very popular because it makes frequent returns to Squatters' seasonal taps. Hop Riot is a classic American Pale Ale, golden/amber in color, packed with Amarillo, Cascade and Chinook hops. Super refreshing and drinkable. Hop haters need not apply. Cheers!

2009 Beehive Brew-Off

If your thinking about entering your special beer in Utah's very first homebrew competition, here's all the info you'll need.

The Beehive Brew-off is an AHA & BJCP sanctioned event.

Entries will be accepted from July 5 through July 20. Homebrew entry form, fee & beer deadline is Monday, July 20 .

Entry fees are $6.00 for the first entry and $3.00 for each additional entry. (Checks should be made payable to The Beer Nut) All entries must include the entry form and payment, and all bottles must have labels attached with rubber bands only. Improperly submitted entries, or entries received after July 20, may be disqualified. Entry forms can be found here and labels can be found here.

One entry consists of three (2) bottles. To assure the anonymity of brewer, bottles must be standardized to the current AHA competition requirements: 10-14 oz bottles with no paper or inked labels, raised glass brand-name designs or any identifying or distinguishing marks on the bottle or cap identifying the brewer. Be sure that you enter your beer into the proper style category. Styles accepted include all styles listed in 2008 AHA Category Descriptions. Entries become property of The Beer Nut and will not be returned.

The Beehive Brew-Off is open to all recognized beer categories. The 2008 edition of the BJCP Style Guidelines will be used to judge entries. It is the brewer's responsibility to determine the correct category/subcategory to enter their beers, and to provide additional information where required.

Depending on the number of entries and category distribution, categories and subcategories may be combined or separated for judging and awards purposes. These judging table breakdowns will not be available prior to the competition and will be determined by the competition committee once all the entries have been processed.

Entries will be received at The Beer Nut 1200 South State St. Salt Lake City, Utah 84111

Please contact The Beer Nut for any questions at (801) 531-8182 or jamie@beernut.com.

Now, I know people have loyalties to their specific home brew shops. Don't let this stop you from
competing. Even though this is one home brew supply store organizing this competition, this is a Utah event. Let's make it the best. Cheers!

Beer Taxes May Sky Rocket

Be aware the Senate Finance Committee in Washington, DC is currently considering a proposal to increase and equalize the excise tax for alcohol beverages as part of health care reform deliberations. This proposal would triple the excise tax for 4.5% ABV beer and impose even higher excise tax rates for higher ABV beers.

Senator Orrin Hatch is a member of this committee. Contact him and oppose the Tax Increase. Let he and the other committee members know that you oppose, in the strongest possible terms, raising the federal excise tax on beer because of the serious consequences it would have on small brewers and the craft beer they brew.

Utahans already pay a disproportionately higher share of taxes compared with other products - federal, state and local taxes represent over 40% of the retail price for beer while the same taxes equal nearly 24% of the price for all other purchases.

There are other options for tax increases, soda-pop for one. Let your opposition be known.

Summer of the Beer Continues

Unless you've been under a rock for the past year or so, you've probably noticed that Utah's beer culture has undergone huge explosion of growth. Between new breweries, homebrewing and a near doubling of the beer available in the market people in Utah are hungry for quality suds.

SLUG (Salt Lake Underground) Magazine's second annual Beer Edition is proof of that. For the second year in a row Slug has devoted it's monthly mag to to the Salt Lake beer scene.

From food pairings to bar reviews to brewer interviews by famous contributing journalists (me), SLUG has the summer covered. SLUG is out now at kiosks around town for free. Please check it out. Cheers!

Utah's 2009 NABA Medal Winners

You'd think that four days of drinking craft beer would be a hell of way to spend a week...
Well damn-it! it was... for the most part, but some of that shit ain't easy (malt liquor) especially when your using terms like Diacetyl, Dimethyl Sulfide and Fusel Alcohols to describe whatever the hell it is that your tasting.

Now for those of you that don't know, Diacetyl means tastes and smells like butter or butterscotch. Dimethyl Sulfide or "DMS" is an off-flavor or aroma that resembles corn or cooked vegetables and Fusel Alcohols is an alcoholic harshness or "hotness" in the beer.
Now why we could all just say "Butter - Cooked Veggies - Boozy" is beyond me... Oh what the
hell. When you go to Vulcan you learn to speak Vulcan I guess.

I learned a lot, everyone was great and we even had a few "spirited" debates over taste vs. style. The Utah contingent numbered in the dozens and it was a pleasure to get "shitty" with
each and everyone of you... Even you Michael!

Well you should be proud of our local brewers, as usual they held their own in spite of some
pretty outstanding competition. 90% of what Utah brewers won with was good ol' 4.0% Utah beer. So if any of the following are new to you, go out and try them. If not, they're well worth re-visiting. Here are the medalist from Utah. Category first, then winning beer. And here's a link to all the 2009 medalists. Prost!

Bohemian Brewery

Gold: Bohemian Pilsner - Czech Pils
Silver: Dortmunder/Export/Marzen - Viennese Lager


Desert Edge Brewery

Silver: California Common/Rye Beer - Road Rage Rye
Bronze: Ordinary Bitter - Red Butte Bitter


Hoppers Grill & Brewing Co.

Gold: German Pilsner - This is the Pilsener
Gold: Irish Red Ale - McGee's Red Ale


Redrock Brewing Company

Silver: Altbier - Northern German Brown
Bronze: Bohemian Pilsner - Czech Pilsner


Uinta Brewing Co.

Gold: Schwarzbier (Black Beer) - Kings Peak Porter
Silver: American Barley Wine - Anniversary Barley Wine
Bronze: California Common/Rye Beer - Gelande

Utah Brewers Cooperative

Gold: Belgian Wit (White) - Wasatch White Label
Silver: Fruit Beers - Wasatch Apricot Hefe
Gold: Ordinary Bitter - Squatters Organic Amber

24 Hours in a Day - 24 Beers in a Case - Coincidence? I Think Not.

Just a reminder for y'all that this Saturday, June 6th is the 15th Annual Mountain Brewers Festival in Idaho Falls, Idaho. This is the best damn deal going. $20 in advance, $25 at the door get you hundreds of different beers from over eighty breweries.

I'm headed up tomorrow to participate in the judging, so posting at Utah Beer may be sporadic. Hopefully, I'll have some good updates about the beerfest and info about after parties to attend and the like.

Here's a partial list of some of the participating breweries. Hope to see you up there. Cheers!

Alaskan Brewing Company
Barley Browns
Bayern Brewing Inc.
Big Sky Brewing
Bohemian Brewery
Carters Brewing
Dillon Dam Brewery
Fish Brewing Company
Four Plus Brewery
Grand Teton Brewing
Hales Ales
Hoppers
Madison River Brewing Company
Michelob Specialty Brewing Group
Moab Brewery
New Belgium Brewing Co.
O'Dell Brewing Co.
Portneuf Valley Brewing
Pyramid Breweries
Red Rock Brewing Company
Ruby River Streakhouse
Sierra Nevada Brewing
Snake River Brewing Lander
Sockeye Brewing
Wind River Brewing
Wildlife Brewing
Uinta Brewing

The Beehive Grill

There's good news and bad news for the beer scene in Logan. The good news is that Moab Brewing Company is opening a restaurant up there. The bad news is that there will be no on site brewing... at least of beer.

The Beehive Grill is a joint venture, partnering local entrepreneurs with Moab's restaurant success. The Beehive will be brewing beer but not the kind you might be thinking of. Craft sodas will be the signature menu item, with Moab's Ales and Lagers taking a back seat.

Jeff Van Horn, Brewmaster at the Moab Brewey has perfected the soda recipes over time and will be offering patrons root beer and other seasonal sodas as well as craft beer brought up from Moab's brewery in Moab.

The Beehive Grill will be located at 255 south Main St. in Logan, Utah and is scheduled to open in mid-June.

I think this is a bit of a missed opportunity for Moab Brewing. I guess we'll see how it evolves. At least USU students will have craft sodas to play "Root Beer Pong" with.... Cheers.

Thanks to Chad Tarvin for posting the original info.