New Beer Thursday?

There's a new beer out there for you today! Normally I'd be squawk'n about this tomorrow (Friday), but I ain't gunna be 'round, plus this "New Beer" shit is important!  Agreed?

So for "New Beer Thursday" we have Citra in Red from Desert Edge Brewing. Santa Haas has made a brand new single hop ale made with Citra hops. One of the things that make single hop beers great is that they give you an opportunity to get to know what individual hop varieties are like. Citra hops have a nice citrus and spicy flavor and aroma.  The hops are put together in this filtered red ale with an uncomplicated malt flavor to more emphasize the hops.

It's going to be 100 damn degrees today! Trust me... Your gunna need this, sooner than later.

Cheers!

New Breweries Enter the Market

Two new breweries will be making their way into the state soon. The first one is Steven's Point Brewing out of Wisconsin. Stevens Point is the 5th oldest continuously operating brewery remaining in the United States and interesting enough it's independently owned. Not many breweries that are this long lived can say this.

Steven's Point has a wide range of beers, not sure what labels we'll see but they should be popping up in the next 60 days or so.

The other new brewery is Saint Somewhere. These guys hail from Tarpon Springs, FL. They're primarily in the Belgian beer game. They currently only make three styles; a Saison, Dubbel and a Begian Strong Pale.  Probably 60-ish days 'till we see them as well.

As soon as we get info on they're arrivals we'll let you know.

Cheers! 

New Beer Friday 7/20/12

Our new beer today comes from Hoppers. Hoppy Valley Pale Ale is a nice summer quencher made with Golden Promise & Honey malts with Citra & Cascade hops to bitter it up.

Pours a slightly hazy orange amber with a medium slowly dissipating white head. The nose is of citrus toasty grain. The taste starts with citrus & floral hops, biscuit a malt come next with some grassy notes. Finishes with some biscuit malt , and some citrus and floral hops. Palate is a medium/light body with moderate carbonation. Very drinkable... I had three. only at Hoppers.

Reminder: Tomorrow is the Evanston Brew Fest. It's a pretty simple concept, just show up hand them a Hamilton, grab your taster, fill it and apply to tongue.

Also this weekend, the Beerhive turns three years old! Who'd a thought Del could go three years without drinking-up his entire inventory, plus it's his Bday. I think he's 90-ish: at least he looks it. If you stop by and he's there, buy him a Geritol Fizz with a Talisker chaser.

Cheers!

Who Has the Coldest Beer?

It's time once again for City Weekly's Coldest Beer Issue. 18 CW staffers hit the road to visit more than 200 bars around the state.

CW's focus was primarily on true club establishments but also visited a number of taverns and even a few resort watering holes. Choosing the cheapest pilsner the establishments offer (usually Bud Light) a digital thermometer was used to take the pulse of each assigned bar.

It's good info to have especially during these hot months but It's not exactly high science. A beer poured first thing in the morning is defiantly going to be colder - just because it's been sitting in a refrigerated line all night.

Just a little beer geek 101 for you: If your beer is served in a  snifter,  goblet or chalice is a likely a style that is not meant to be served too cold. The bowl of these glasses are partly designed to warm the beer with the hands as you drink. This is a general rule, not gospel.

Check out City Weekly's full article here, then get out and enjoy a great local craft beer.

Cheers!

Bumper Crop 4.0

If you missed out on the release of Squatters' Bumper Crop Honey Lavender Ale last month, you've got a second chance.

Squatters' has released a limited batch on draft because of it's popularity. The original beer came in at 5.5% ABV, this one is 4.0% ABV. Bumper Crop is a Honey Ale, made with fresh Lavender. The nose is big with honey and lavender. The taste is the same, but a little more subdued with hints of nutmeg and clove.

It's on tap now until it's gone - only at Squatters Downtown Location.

Cheers!

Monsoon Monster

After a huge beer news drought we finally have a little monsoon action to wet our appetites. The latest in Squatters' Small Batch series is called Monsoon Monster.

This brand new IPA is a collaborative brew, made with John Harris, formerly of Full Sail Brewing and Utah Brewers Coop's Dan Burick, and of course Squatters Head Brewer Jason Stock.

Monsoon Madness is an American IPA made with a new variety of hops called Falconer’s Flight. These are an exclusive proprietary hop blend created to honor and support the legacy of Northwest brewing legend, Glen Hay Falconer. Falconer’s Flight are comprised of many of the Northwest’s most unique hop varieties and is perfect for any Northwest-style IPA. Each hop has been hand selected for its superior aromatic qualities, imparting distinct tropical, citrus, floral, lemon and grapefruit tones. Coming in at 75 IBU's this will likely not disappoint area hop heads.

Should be out later in the week or early next week. We'll of course give you all the info. Thanks for hanging in there!

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 7/13/12

Yeah, I'm still here, it's just been a brutally slow July in the Utah Beer universe. Today for New Beer Friday we have Full Sail's Berliner Weisse.

If your not familiar with the style, Berliner Weisse's are one of rare sour or "tart" ales made in Germany. It's a wheat beer made with both traditional warm-fermenting yeasts and lactobacillus cultures. They have a rapidly vanishing head and a clear, pale golden straw-colored appearance. The taste is refreshing, tart, sour and acidic, with a lemony-citric fruit sharpness and almost no hop bitterness.

This beer pours a light yellow with very little foam. The nose is of wheat, lemon, hay and some hints of lactic acid. The taste starts Lightly tart with a bready sweetness and hints of corn flavors. The finish is grainy and grassy  with a yogurt tartness.  Even though this beer is 4.0% ABV it is only available at liquor stores. Go figure.

Prost!

Beer is Flowing at the Hop 'n Keg

We can officially add another brewery to our list, the Hop 'n Keg brewery in Vernal is now pouring beer. That's seventeen places in Utah, making beer if your keeping score at home.

Their first beer is an unnamed (as of this writing) Amber Ale. So we can technically call this New Beer Friday. I'm still waiting for more updates from the brewery; until then congrats to the Hop 'n Keg/Quarry Steakhouse and the community of Vernal.

The Hop 'n Keg/Quarry Steakhouse is located at 25 South Vernal Avenue in Vernal, Utah.

Cheers!


Photo: Vernal Express

4th Annual Evanston Brew Fest

We Utahans have some great neighbors. When they throw parties, we're always invited. For July our neighbors in Evanston, Wy have invited us to the their 4th Annual Brew Fest. Every year it gets bigger and this year's event nearly doubles previous ones.

There is also a Home Brew competition. I'm trying to get the info for those you that would like to enter and will have it for you, ASAP.

So plan on Saturday, July 21, 2012 from Noon to 5pm. There are plenty of "after parties" taking place at surrounding bars and taverns in the area. The cost is $25 for unlimited pours. Advanced tickets can be purchased here.

Below is a list of the breweries that will be pouring. If you haven't checked out this fest, it's well worth the short drive.

Breweries Pouring

Alaskan Brewing Co. 
Avery Brewing Co. 
Blue Moon Brewing Co.
Big Sky Brewing Co. 
Bohemian Brewery 
Deschutes Brewery
Grand Teton Brewing Co. 
Lagunitas 
New Belgium Brewing
Odell Brewing Co. 
Oskar Blues Brewery 
Rogue Brewery
Roosters Brewery 
Ruby River Brewery 
Sam Adams 
Shinner
Shades of Pale Brewing 
Sierra Nevada 
Snake River Brewing
Suds Brothers Brewery 
Uinta Brewing 
Wind River Brewing

Cheers!

Photo: Berrill Maker

Behind Zion's Curtain Trailer: Part 2

Things are a little slow here, but I do have an updated trailer for the upcoming documentary, Behind Zion's Curtain. The film is due out this fall and will likely crank your outrage button to eleven. Cheers!

Behind Zion's Curtain Trailer #2 from Jason Vance on Vimeo.