Squasatch Hoppy Pils and Oskar Blues Arrives

I'm glad the folks over at the Utah Brewers Cooperative have finally embraced the moniker "Squasatch" in their marketing. Squasatch if you can't tell is a marriage between the names Squatters and Wasatch. It's been a nickname for the UBC in Utah's beer scene ever since the two breweries first joined forces well over a decade ago. It only made sense that the name deserved it's own special beer to bring it into the public light.

Squasatch Hoppy Pils will be made with three different German hops for bittering, aroma and authentic German hop characteristics and  lagered for supreme drinkability with 30 IBUs and an ABV of 4%.

The mythical creature on the label belongs to the UBC's very own Douglass "Chopper" Styer who has worked for the Utah Brewers Cooperative for five years. Chopper is a well-known figure around Salt Lake and is also a noted musician in the city's underground music scene.

Squatters Squasatch Hoppy Pils is due in mid-spring and will be available year round.

Also, the UBC sister company Oskar Blues will be debuting their beers along the Wasatch Front and Back in the first days of 2016. The beer arrived at the distributor yesterday and it could be hitting the beer bars as early as this weekend.

Look for Dale's Pale Ale - Pinner - Old Chub - Mama's Little Yella Pils and G'night in DABC stores in the coming weeks. Oskar Blues is also releasing Beerito Vienna Lager. A brand new beer that will be on tap handles soon and to grocery stores in the coming weeks.

As today is New Year's Eve bottle shops will be closing early, so plan ahead. I believe Epic's bottleshop will be open til 11pm. That's the latest one that I know of. I'll throw more info as I get on the Utah Beer Facebook Page and Twitter.

Have a safe and Happy New Year!

Epic's 2016 Utah Session Series Line-Up

You may have already had a chance to sample some of Epic's new Session Series of beers at some of your favorite watering holes by now, but what is out there is only the tip of the beer iceberg as far as Epic is concerned. These beers will not be released all at once and not all of them will be available in bottles. Some will be nitro conditioned and those will be available on special nitro taps. Here's their new 2016 Line up.

Session Series - IPA (available now)
Golden Ale (available now)
Wit Beer  (available now)
Roggenbier Lager  (available now)
Pils Lager 
Mountain Malt Ale 
Brown Ale
Irish Red Ale (Nitro)
Milk Stout  (Nitro)
English Summer Ale  (Nitro)

Utah Orchard Series
Raspberry (Brewed with Raspberry) - available now
Farmhouse Apple (Brewed with Raspberry)
Peach (Brewed with Peach)
Cherry (Brewed with Cherry)
Blackberry (Brewed with Blackberry)

Sour Series
Sour IPA
Berliner Weisse

The Annex by Epic Brewing is your best bet for trying what's current right now.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday...er Thursday!

Since it's Christmas tomorrow, we'll have New Beer Thursday! Note: LIQUOR STORES WILL CLOSE AT 6PM TONIGHT.

Uinta Stomping Grounds - It's a stout, so it looks "stouty" of course. Coffee is all over the nose a bit of malt trying to poke it's way through. Big coffee dominates the taste. Some chocolate and caramel round it out. It's pretty simple. If you're into coffee - you'll love it. Not so much? then I'd still give it a try. Who doesn't love coffee???? 8.1% ABV @ Uinta for now.

Uinta Snowbasin Amber Rye - Nice ruby hue. The nose is mostly pine and toasty malts. The taste starts malty and nutty with some rye spiciness. Big pine and a hint of citrus peel round it out. Finishes quite dry. Kinda reminds me of Cutthroat with rye. 4.0% ABV @ Uinta & Snowbasin Resort (for now)

Lagunitas Copper Fusion - I haven't tried it. If you have? tell us and share your thoughts on it here, please. This is Lagunitas' only draft beer available in Utah. 4.0% ABV @ Beer Bar, Spedelli's

Pelican Umbrella IPA - Fragrant nose of citrus and berry. The taste starts with a bit of malt sweetness. Some passion fruit and pear flavors come next. The fruitiness transitions to citrus peel and it ends with a bitter smack. Finishes moderately dry. Lighter in body, very drinkable. 7.4% ABV @ Bayou

Ommegang Game of Thrones - Iron Throne -Not tried this yet. Described as a Golden Blonde Ale with Noble hops. Iron Throne is certainly fair in color and soft in appearance.

Utah Brewers Cooperative  UT-X Series 1 - Not had this yet. It's descibed as unfiltered and light in color like a pale ale, with a sweet pear, light lemon and citrus flavor. 4.0% ABV @ Squatters/Wasatch Locations

Happy Holidays!

Hopworks Strikes Utah Distrobution Deal

Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB) has announced the expanded distribution of their world-class, sustainability brewed beer into Utah. Hopworks is partnering with General Distributing beginning this month to supply 16 oz. cans, 22 oz. bottles, and draft offerings throughout the Salt Lake City metropolitan region and outlying areas.

“General Distributing Company is very excited to partner with Hopworks Urban Brewery,” said General Distributing President Andy Zweber. “Their high-quality craft beer brewed in Portland, Oregon’s most sustainable brewery will be well-received by beer drinkers in environmentally-conscious Utah.”

Brands such as HUB’s award winning Organic Hopworks IPA and their seasonal Organic Abominable Winter Ale are available at bars, restaurants and liquor stores. HUB’s lower alcohol offerings, Organic Totally Radler and Nonstop Hef Hop, fall below Utah’s 4% alcohol limit and should be available in grocery stores served by General Distributing very soon.

Hopworks is no stranger to Salt Lake City. For years Beer Bar, a leading bar in identifying and bringing top craft brands to Salt Lake City, has sold a variety of Hopworks brands. “Hopworks holds a special place in our bar and our hearts,” says Duncan Burrell, Owner of Beer Bar. “I moved from Portland to Salt Lake City with a goal to get HUB’s beer here. Rich, the other owner, was on board immediately and the rest is history. We are excited to have their beer available on a regular basis.”

Cheers!

UT-X Series from Wasatch and Squatters

Hey all, I'm back from vacation. It was a great week off and there's plenty of new brew news to get to. To start the week, Squatters and Wasatch breweries have announced the creation of a new specialty series called UT-X (short for Utah Experimental). This new series of beers will be made monthly utilizing a base recipe, with the only change for each version being the hop selection. “There are a lot of hops out there and a lot of experimental unnamed varieties that we can play with,” says Brewmaster Lee. “This gives us the chance to taste a variety of hops and provide unique brews to our customers with high frequency.  We’ve come up with a great malt base and bitterness targets to provide the foundation, and then each release will feature a brand new stand-alone hop, utilizing one hop variety from start to finish.”

The UT-X series will only be available at Squatters and Wasatch Brew Pub locations and also at The Beer Store. With the series changing every four weeks, guests are encouraged to try each release to compare the different flavor profiles. UT-X #1 is currently being served in Park City and in SLC.  This first batch has been brewed with Calypso Hops, and is unfiltered and light in color like a pale ale, with a sweet pear, light lemon and citrus flavor. Beer lovers who are fans of Squatters Chasing Tail will enjoy the malt profile of UT-X #1 and those who are Wasatch Ghostrider fans will appreciate the citrus notes.

Also, Uinta's Stomping Grounds Coffee Stout was released on Saturday. It's available at the brewery. I haven't had a chance to try it yet. Hopefully today!

And Oskar Blues should be close to hitting the market. Likely the week after Christmas. Look for Dales Pale Ale, Pinner, Mama's Little Yella Pils and Old Chub. 

Cheers!

New Beer Friday: Star Wars Edition

Payette Twelve Gauge Bourbon Imp Stout - Big, sweet bourbon nose with vanilla and toffee as well. The taste starts with caramel, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, hint of char The end has butterscotch and oak. Alcohol is fairly well hidden. Quite nice! 10% ABV @Beer Bar, BeerHive,

Bohemian CzechUlator Dopple Bock - The nose is nutty, chocolate, clean notes of malty sweetness. Some toffee and caramel in there as well. The flavor starts off similarly with some notes of traditional chocolatey, nutty, and toffee malts. As the flavor develops on the palate, though, I get some berry sweetness towards the end. Easy drinking and enjoyable. 7.6% ABV. A limited release that is only available at Bohemian's Brewery.

Rogue VooDoo Mango Astronaut Ale - I haven't tried this yet. It's described as having a cloudy copper color with a mango juice aroma. Taste has a noticeable mango flavor, with hints of vanilla. Not too sweet, but very flat body. Overall, its not too bad, mellow fruit flavors, easy to drink. 5.5% ABV @DABC

May The Force Be With You!

New Beer Friday 12/11/15

Okay, There's a shload of new stuff today, so we're just going to get right to it.

Anchor Brewing Our Christmas Ale 2015 - Pours dark mahogany color with Carmel colored head. The nose has nutmeg and toffee notes. There's a nice balance nutty chocolate, gingerbread spices up front with earthy hops and roasted bitterness rounding out the back.The finish is quite bitter. Overall, this is one of the better years for this beer.  A great Christmas ale. 5.5% ABV @BeerHive, DABC

Sockeye Brewing Winterfest - The nose is sweet and fruity with herbal hops orange peel and a bit of vanilla. The taste starts sweet with vanilla and fruity alcohol notes. The English-style ale peeks through underneath with that distinct sweeter malt edge. Herbal hops come next balancing out the sweetness of the malt. Toasted malt and sweet orange peel come next rounding out the back end. Lingering resinous hops on the finish. A really nice winter warmer. 7.0% ABV @ DABC

Shades of Pale Beer X White IPA - Cloudy straw color. The nose is tangerine with some coriander & clove. Tastes with orange peel, a bit of tangerine and lemon peel. A little doughy sweetness comes accompanied by coriander spices. 7% ABV. @ Shades of Pale

RedRock Furlong Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout - I hope you like Bourbon. Because this beer comes with a shload of it. It's very whiskey forward upfront, with some nice caramel and roasted malts punching up from beneath. The finish is herbal and quite bitter. This beer is not blended. It went from barrel to bright tank to bottle. It's raw and unapologetic. Sadly it sold out on the first day of the release. However, it is available at RedRock locations for in house consumption and it's at most better beer bars as well. 10.2% ABV

To Øl Jule Mælk - I haven't tried this one yet. This is a 15% ABV Milk Stout. Yeah, I know... me too! @ Bayou

Hive Apricot Eau Da Vie Brandy - This elegant brandy opens with a wonderful warm apricot nose, transporting you to a warm summer day standing next to an apricot tree full of ripe fruit. A distinct, but not overpowering, apricot flavor makes this a perfect spirit for sipping. @ Hive Winery

Hive Blackberry Eau Da Vie Brandy - Proudly made from Blackberries  picked fresh at Frost Farms in Layton, this clear spirit has a fresh blackberry nose with slight floral undertones.  A light pleasing blackberry flavor dominates the profile of this smooth and pleasant brandy. Enjoy it neat in a brandy snifter, or using it in place of vodka in a “screwdriver” for a delightful berry twist on an old classic. @ Hive Winery

Hive Sisterwives Sparkling Bing Cherry Wine - A delightfully sweet, subtly sparkling wine featuring a full, rich, sun ripened dark cherry flavor with pleasantly understated earthy undertones, reminiscent of a good port. Perfect addition to any Holiday Celebration; try it in place of a standard Champaign in your favorite holiday drinks. @ Hive Winery

The DABC finally let the Bayou have their shipment of Holiday beers. Here's what's available today.

Mikkeller Winbic

Mikkeller - Santa's Helper
Mikkeller From/To

To Øl Frost Bites Holiday IPA

Bourganel - Biere aux Marrons (Chestnuts)

Ridgeway Brewing Beers:
Bad Elf
Very Bad Elf
Lump Of Coal
Santas Butt
Warm Welcome
Reindeer Droppings

Serafiijn Christmas Angel

Sruise Tsjeeses 
Thiriez Noel

Also today, Squatters and Wasatch are now serving some of their "high point" beers in Crowlers! They will have 3 Wasatch beers – Ghostrider White IPA, Devastator Double Bock and a seasonal offering, which is First One Down Winter Warmer. The Squatters beers are Hop Rising Double IPA, Off Duty IPA and the Seasonal offering, which is currently Takeout Rye IPA.

They will be filling the Crowlers every morning and will only fill a certain quantity for the day in order to keep the product fresh. Since they are Crowlers, they will be filled off their tap lines, then purged and sealed, which makes it possible for them to stay fresh for a longer period of time. The price will be $5.50 per Crowler. As these were just approved yesterday, I'd call ahead before making the trip. Capiche?

Cheers!

Santa Visits RedRock!

If you have ever wanted your picture taken with Santa Claus while your surrounded by beer - all while helping people who are in need - boy, do I have great news for you!

Head over to RedRock Brewing Company's production brewery located at 443 North 400 west in SLC from 3:00 - 6:00pm and your Santa/Beer fantasy will be made into reality. Please bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the Utah Food Bank or an unwrapped toy to donate to the Christmas Box House. Kids are welcome at the brewery and refreshments for young and old will be provided. Just don't forget your camera!

Prost!

Utah Session Series - Tap Takeover Tonight

If you missed the debut of Epic Brewing's new Utah Session Series last Friday, you now have two more chances to check out what they're bringing to the table. Here's a little refresher on what it's all about.

The Utah Session Series will initially consist of five, 4% ABV beers, including a Mosaic and Simcoe hopped Session IPA, a single-hop Golden Ale featuring Centennial hops, a spiced Wit beer, an Orchard Raspberry Ale and a kettle soured IPA which will be the first sour beer in Utah grocery stores. Epic’s exponential creativity and passion for variety will fuel future additions to the series including an entire lineup of Orchard fruit beers, inspired by the fruit stands along US-89, and a rotating lineup of unique sour beers

The Utah Session Series beers will be available on draft at bars and restaurants as well as in Epic’s signature 22 oz. bottles.  Bottles will be available at grocery and convenience stores throughout Utah starting January 2016. Epic will be partnering with General Distributing Company, Utah’s craft-focused beer distributor, who will be distributing across the Salt Lake Valley.

There will be a special tap take over tonight at the Beerhive Pub, 128 Main St., Tuesday Dec. 8th, 6:00 – 9:00 and another at Poplar Street Pub, 242 S. 200 W. Thursday Dec. 10th, 6:00 – 9:00

Cheers!

Huge Brand Exspansion Planned at Uinta

You may have noticed a huge increase on our reporting of Uinta Brewing Company's new push to expand their portfolio of beers. It seems like at least once a week they're adding a new brew to their schedule and I've been informed this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Not only is the state's largest brewery looking at a huge label expansion they are also getting into the funky beer game. Wild beers are already maturating in oak and will be filling bottle sometime in 2016.

Here are two more new beers that will be coming from soon from Uinta. Up above, you can see the new Gose style beer that will be coming soon. Called Flamingose - this Gose will be brewed with pineapple and coriander to compliment the base beer's lemony/salty smack. Gose beers are generally light in ABV so this will likely be available on tap in grocery stores.

Also coming Uinta's Bière de Mars. These beers are somewhat similar to a Bière de Garde and a not-too-distant relation of Belgium's saisons. These beers were traditionally made by French farmers in late winter or spring for relatively quick consumption—the 'Mars' in the name refers to the month of March. This take on the style will be aged in Chardonnay wine barrels to add more depth and complexity. It's s good bet we'll be seeing this 7.2% ABV beer sometime in March.

Stay close, more breaking news on all of these new beers (Uinta and others) will be coming at a steady clip.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 12/4/15

I made this meme for "New Beer Black Friday" that should have run last week. As I didn't have anything new last week and I was slacking on my meme making duties, your stuck with my out dated attempt. The beers however are not outdated.

Hoppers Blonde Patersbier - This new seasonal has all the traditional fruity Belgian Trappist yeast flavors and aromatics. Hopper's version is unfiltered and well hopped with Pacifica hops, giving it a pleasant aroma of wildflower a and tropical fruit. The grains used include oats for a smooth yeast textured mouth feel. The flavor starts off crisp citrus with a honey like sweetness, then finishes dry with a lingering complex flavor of mango, strawberry and rich malt. 4.0% ABV @ Hoppers

Boulevard/Cigar City Collaboration #5 Tropical Pale Ale - Tropical fruit and berries in the nose. The taste is nice and fruity as well. More berries with a bit of mango and tangerine. Finishes slightly woody. A great balance of malt and topic-esque fruitiness. Defiantly Worth your quatloos. 7.2% ABV @ Beerhive

Deschutes EHOP - The nose has a bit of anise and cocoa malt. The taste starts with a sage/tyne spice combo that blends nicely with the malts. The end has coffee and a bit chocolate. Finishes with lemon bitters. Interesting beer spiced beer. I'm a bit on the fence about it though. 8.0% ABV @ Beerhive

These Epic beers have technically been around, but have been reworked so their sorta-kinda new. Epic will be debuting them as a series tonight at a tap takeover at The Hogs Wallow. They are all 4% ABV

Epic Session IPA - A Mosaic and Simcoe hopped IPA that has powerful and juicy nose and nice citrusy body.

Epic Single-hop Golden Ale - Featuring Centennial hops that gives it floral and citrus qualities.

Epic Witbier - a spiced Wit. Typically made with coriander and orange peel.

Epic Orchard Raspberry Ale - Tart raspberries with some coriander spiciness from the yeast. 

Kettle Soured IPA - Big lemony tartness, with equally large grapefruit peel bitterness.

 Cheers!

The Utah Session Series by Epic Brewing

Epic Brewing Company is releasing a newline of session beers, that will be exclusive the the Utah Market. The Utah Session Series will initially consist of five, 4% ABV beers including a Mosaic and Simcoe hopped Session IPA, a single-hop Golden Ale featuring Centennial hops, a spiced Wit beer, an Orchard Raspberry Ale and a kettle soured IPA. 

Epic’s exponential creativity and passion for variety will fuel future additions to the series including an entire lineup of Orchard fruit beers - including a Session Peach and a Session Cherry. These will be inspired by the fruit stands along US-89, and a rotating line-up of unique sour beers.

This isn't Epic's first foray into the session beer game. Gone is the much troubled Unsacred line of beers that Epic launched back in 2013. While Rimando's Wit was a huge hit the other beers in the series had trouble gaining traction. 
 
Epic will be taking over the taps at The Hog's Wallow this Friday (tomorrow) at 6:00pm. Come raise a glass to help them celebrate. 

Cheers!

Uinta FarmSide Saison

To be honest, I'm a little Saison'd-out. The phenolic nature of the yeast used in these beers can be a little rough on my system. That being said, I'm really looking forward to this new "berry forward" Saison coming from Uinta in early 2016.

FarmSide Saison will be brewed with white grape must and gooseberries. It will be packaged in 12oz. bottles and will dial in at 5.6% ABV. At this rate I'm going to need a second website just to deal with all of Uinta's new releases. FarmSide Saison should be available late January or early February.

Prost!

Talisman Brewing Update

We have an update on the status of Ogden's Talisman Brewing Co. It looks like owners Dusty and Joann Williams are looking at a late January 2016 launch. The brew house is making it's way into the brewery and the fermenters are due sometime next week.

You'll notice their initial lineup above. They've decided to launch with two 4.0%  beers initially to have a greater reach. Both the Uplifted Scottish Ale and The Kreation Krystalweizen will be low point. Not sure if they'll add to those offerings down the road or not. Bel's Fury Red Ale - The Dagda IPA - Iron Age Oatmeal Stout and Promontory Pale Ale will be "high point" for now.


Talisman is currently working with Ogden City on the tap room. They'll be required to have a small restaurant in order to offer tastings - an educational permit is in the works as well. This will allow those who only want to taste samples while touring the brewery.

The tap room's opening date is still up in the air for now, due to "unique" design issues with the Ogden City. We'll keep you updated on their status as the opening draws near.

Cheers!