Utah's Winners at 39th Annual National Homebrew Competition

David and Scott Anderson of Salt Lake City, Utah were presented a gold medal at the 39th annual American Homebrewers Association (AHA) National Homebrew Competition in the English Pale Ale Category at the Homebrew Con 2017 awards banquet held at The Minneapolis Convention Center.

The 2017 National Homebrew Competition had a total 8,618 entries from 3,530 homebrewers located in all 50 states, Washington D.C. and 13 other countries. “We feel honored to be among some of the great home brewers not only in the United States, but across the globe,” said Scott Anderson. “It is truly amazing that local home brewers in Utah, of all states, took home a gold, silver, and bronze medal.”

The first round took place at 12 regional sites across the country. The top three entries at each site in each of the 33 brew style categories advance to the final round of the competition, held every year at Homebrew Con. This year, the final round of judging took place June 15 at Homebrew Con, where 1,134 entries were evaluated by the judges. “The American Homebrewers Association is thrilled to congratulate David and Scott Anderson on their award,” said Gary Glass, director, American Homebrewers Association. They beat out many outstanding competitors at the National Homebrew Competition—the world’s largest international beer competition—and that’s something to be extremely proud of.”

Big kudos go out to Chris Detrick and Andrew Ayers who also received medals in the competition. Nicely done to you all!

Category 17 Bronze: Double IPA Chris Detrick of Salt Lake City, UT     Lauter Day Brewers

Category 20 Silver: Belgian Ale Andrew Ayers of South Jordan, UT     Lauter Day Brewers

Here's the entire winners list.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 7/28/17

Not a huge selection of New Beer Friday suds today. However, all three of these beers are damn tasty. You cant go wrong with any of these.

Hoppers - Sendero Obscuro: Pours a clear chestnut-brown color with off-white head, leaving a ring of lacing. The nose has bready malt, fresh bread crust and grass. The taste starts off with roasted grain, cocoa and a bit of brown sugar. A slight nuttiness comes in next with a hint of corn pops as well. The end is floral and grassy, with a nice drying bitterness in the finish. One of the best traditional Mexican lagers made in the state. A must try! 4.0% ABV Look for it at Hoppers.

Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest - Brauhaus Miltenberger Collaboration: Pours a clear -  darkened honey color with a nice pillowy head. The nose has sweet malt some honey and herbal grass. Right off the bat you get a nice dose of caramel malt that is rounded out with a nice dose a vanilla-like flavors. On the back end the hops are assertive and drying with herbal grasses and hint of spices. This is a wonderful marzen that is true to style. Get on this one fast because it will likely never be made again. 6.1% ABV. Look for it at DABC, Beer Bar.

Ballast Point - Unfiltered Sculpin Extra Hopped India Pale Ale: This IPA is hazy with golden orange hues. The head is on the thin side, but it's fine. The nose has citrus peel, peach, mango and lime with some caramel cake. Tropical fruitiness takes the lead in the taste with peach, mango, tangerine and lime. The malt bed ties it all together in the end creating a familiar fruit salad richness. More juicy and fruity than the filtered version. Worth checking out for sure.7.0% ABV Look for it at DABC.

Prost!

Happy Pie and Beer Day 2017!

It's the 24th of July, the day that many in the state of Utah celebrate the pioneers that helped to make Utah what it is today. If you're not of the pioneer culture, a transplant or just looking for a good excuse to enjoy a pint with pie then today is also your lucky day. Pie and Beer Day which sounds like Pioneer Day and coincidentally takes place on the same day (weird huh?). This counter celebration will be taking place in backyards, bars and restaurants all over the state. The biggest one however will be happening in downtown SLC today at the Beer Bar. 

Over 8,000 slices of pie from over 20 different restaurants and bakeries and over 20 different beers from local breweries. $25 gets you your pie pass that's paired with select beers. I have the list of Bakeries/Breweries/Pies/Beers so that you can more easily plan your attack. 

Beer Bar is located at 161 e. 200 s. This is a fundraiser for the Utah Brewers Guild and is a 21 and older event. Starts at 3pm until 7pm.

PATS BBQ + SQUATTERS :
OLD FASHIONED RHUBARB - w/ Blue Berry Hefe

GARAGE ON BECK + MOAB
MORMON FUNERAL POTATO PIE w/ Steam Lager

TRADITION + FISHER
GINGER BERRY PIE w/ Red Cream Ale

TULIE BAKERY + EPIC BREWING
BLUEBERRY LEMON PIE w/ Tart and Juicy

EVA + Wasatch
PEACH w/ Chasing Tail Ale

COPPER ONION + 2row
LAMB SAUSAGE PIE W/ GOAT CHEESE, PICKLED PEPPERS, CARAMELIZED FENNEL, HERBS, AND PORK FAT CRUST.  - w/ 2row Amber & HIPAcryte

CARLUCCIS — ROHA !
CHERRY HAND PIES WITH WALNUT STREUSEL w/ Roha Saison

STEIN ERICKSON LODGE - Park City
PECAN PIE MADE WITH BREAKTHROUGH WORT w/ Breaking Trail Pale Ale

HONEYCOMB BAKERY — RED ROCK
STRAWBERRY PLUMB CRUMBLE w/ Gineva Beer

AMOUR - Uinta
BOSENBERRY GELATO PIE w/ Cahoots Flanders Red or Croggy Brett saison.

SLACKWATER — ROOSTER
5 CHEESE w / Roosters Honey Wheat

BEER BAR - Talisman
Rich & Duncan
BLACK BERRY RHUBARB w/ Talisman Brown Porter

VERTICAL DINER — MTN WEST
SAVORY LOCAL ORGANIC TOMATO, BASIL, ROSEMARY, WITH PARMESAN STYLE ALMOND TOPPING w/ Mountain West Cottonwood Dry Hopped Cider

FINCA - Bonneville
PEACH PIE w/ Peach Cream Hefe

EATING ESTABLISHMENT — Desert Edge
GRILLED VEG & POTATO QUICHE W SWISS AND CHEDDAR CHEESE w/ Vienna Lager

RED ROCK - Hoppers
PEACH COBBLER w/ Mexican Amber Lager Sendero Obscuro - hints of chocolate malt

STONEGROUND - Vernal Brewing
TIRAMISU PIE w/ Pilgrimage Extra Pale Ale

AVENUES PROPER — PROPER BREWING
LAVENDAR CREAM AND TOASTED MARSHMALLOW / SOUR CHERRY PIE WITH COOKIE CRUMBLE - w/ Beer Bar Blonde

BELTEX MEATS - Bohemian
APOCALYPSE NOW PIE w/ MYSTERY BEER

HONEY & GRAINS - Strap Tank
TRIPLE BERRY PIE w/ Lemon Grass and Ginger Amber Ale 

Also - The Shooting Star Saloon will be having a Pie and Beer celebration as well. One of the oldest bars in the west will be serving up slices and brews all day. Here's the info.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 7/21/17

Talisman - Season Ale - Raspberry Gose: Lemon mostly dominates with a bit of brine. The raspberry is subtle and has a tough time getting past the tartness. Nice and refreshing. 4.0% ABV. @ Talisman

Talisman - Talisman Presents N.E. IPA: Not tried this one yet. Look for an IPA with low bitterness and high amounts of citrus and tropical fruit notes. 7% ABV. @ Talisman

Full Sail - Cherry Black:  The nose has cherry, backed by faint notes of cocoa. The taste follows with  black cherry, then a healthy dose of cocoa. Some grassy bitterness in the finish help to balance it out. 5.4% ABV. @ DABC

Proper - Guava Skittlebrau: The Guava really shines on this latest incarnation of Skittlebrau. The malts are slightly toasty and there's a slight tartness in the finish. Very nice. 4.0% ABV. @ Proper

Proper - Delightsome White IPA: Love the name of this WIPA. Doughy coriander with spicy citrus peel. A nice change of pace. 4.0% ABV. @ Proper

Epic Coffee Cream Ale: The nose has toasted grain and coffee - slightly nutty too. The taste is mostly cereal driven with subtle coffee flavors. It works pretty well, the coffee here is more of accent rather than the primary driver. Nice beer. 5.6% ABV @ Epic

Payette - Aura Guava and Hibiscus:  Lots of tart cranberry and unripened guava. I'm not big on hibiscus, luckily it's nicely restrained. Well rounded and tasty. 4.0% ABV. @ Harmons

Cheers!

Coming From Epic This Fall

Believe it or not you are going to start seeing the Autumn beers very soon. I'm talking about your Oktoberfests (marzens), Pumpkins and Harvest Beers. Epic Brewing Co. has done some tweaking of some of their beers inside and outside of the bottle. Epic's Fermentation Without Representation is now called Imperial Pumpkin Porter (it's no longer a collaboration beer with DC Brau). There will be some minor tweaks, other than that it will still be the same rich beer.

Epic is also going to take that Imperial Pumpkin Porter and age it in bourbon barrels. Bourbon and pumpkin spices make a fantastic tasting combo. I cant wait to see what comes of Bourbon Barrel Imperial Pumpkin Porter. There is no release date yet for these, I imagine that the Imperial Pumpkin will debut first. If you behave yourselves, I promise to fill you in as to when.

Cheers!

Images found at Shipcomplient.com

Coming Soon: Grapefruit Hop Nosh

If you are a fan of Uinta's Tangerine Hop Nosh, I have a preview of something that may make your mouth water as well. This morning I came across the labels for Grapefruit Hop Nosh IPA, the newest in Uinta's fruit enhanced IPA series.

Like the Tangerine version, this IPA will contain fruit puree that will give the beer it's citrusy punch. it will dial in at 7.3% ABV and will be available in 12 oz bottle and cans. Stay close for it's release.

Cheers!

Image found at Shipcomplient.com

New Local, Liquid Happiness Coming Soon

Rejoice! More new beers are coming your way and I'm happy to be able to give you a preview of the liquid happiness that will be making it's way to your fridges soon.

First up we have Udder Chaos from Talisman Brewing. Besides having a great name, this milk stout will be full of chocolatey goodness and lactose sweetness. It will dial in at 4% and I hope that means it will be popping up at my local grocery store sooner rather than later.

Next up we have another dark beer that should be showing up sometime this week. Sweet Dreams from Shades of Pale is an Imperial Porter that will come in at a hefty 9.5%. This beer is big on roast, char and malt sweetness. As soon as SOP slaps those labels on it'll be good to go. Give 'em a few days.

The next beer up isn't really new, but it's a new look for a beer that will soon be a major part of our late summer/autumn drinking.
Bohemian's Oktoberfest is one of the more widely available locally made marzens and this one usually pops up near the end of August. Look for it in 12 ounce cans. This beer has a clear amber-orange color with a good two fingers of white head. The nose is mostly malt driven with caramel and citrus highlights. The flavor has a mild maltiness with a bit of vanilla and a slight bitterness. Average carbonation with a medium/light body. 4.0%.

Stay close for the release dates on these and other new beers.

Prost!

Images found at Shipcomplient.com

New Beer Friday 7/14/17

Happy New Beer Friday! Please select your choice from the options above. Don't screw this up, your weekend may depend upon it.

Mother Earth - Born Blonde Ale: Not tried this one yet. look for a lightly malty palate. Most have a subdued fruitiness. Hop character is of the noble variety, or similar. 4.8% ABV @Slackwater, Beerhive, Bayou.

Mother Earth -  Say when IPA: A Passion Fruit enhanced IPA - with light flavors of citrus and herbal leafy hops. Low bitterness. 7.5% ABV @ @Slackwater, Beerhive, Bayou.

Magic Hat - Ticket to Rye IPA: Not tried this one yet. Described as having rye spice, nicely woven into a hearty, bitter backup from an entire band of Nugget hops.7.1% ABV @ DABC

Firestone Walker - West Side Bivo:  Starts out tasting of lemon and tangerine hops. Mild hops come next with toasty cedar and floral hops rounding it out. Fairly bitter finish. 6.5% ABV @Slackwater, Beerhive, Bayou & Beer Bar

Stone - W00t Stout 2017: Wonderful vanilla and cocoa nibs up front. A nice pecan nuttiness shows up late, just before a nice bourbon swirl rounds it out. 13.5% ABV @Slackwater, Beerhive, Bayou & Beer Bar

Cheers!

The 4th Annual Pie & Beer Day

What makes a Holiday? I have no clue. Annually we as a culture celebrate some seriously weird shit. Pioneer Day is not "weird shit". It's a day that celebrates a people's long journey to their new home. It's pretty great thing. Sadly though it's evolved into a thinly veiled religious holiday for a select segment of our population. I think that's why the Pie and Beer Day phenomena has been gaining ground so quickly. It is literally "Festivus for the Rest of us". If you don't subscribe to an established way of celebrating, all you need is a clever play on words and a theme to rally behind. Not to mention that sometimes you just need an excuse to get a few like minded people together to celebrate a thing in a way that seems appropriate to you.

There will be a few ways to celebrate Pie and Beer Day on (or around) the 24th of July. Today we're talking about the largest celebration that happens annually at Salt Lake City's Beer Bar. Hosted by Bad Brad Wheeler, City Weekly and the Beer Bar - this party brings together Utah's craft breweries and some of the state's finest restaurants, bakeries and clubs to pair sweet and savory pies with fine local beers. The only floats you'll see here are stout beer floats. 


Pie and Beer Day at Beer Bar will be a fundraiser for the Utah Brewer's Guild. Your "Pie Pass" will get you Five pie and beer pairings [more can be purchased]. Tickets for this 21+ event will be available at the door. Date: July 24th, 3pm to 7pm at 161 East 200 South, Salt Lake City. 



Your participating Pie Makers:
Pat's BBQ
Garage on Beck
Tradition
Tulie Bakery
Eva
Copper Onion
Carlucci's
Stein Erickson Lodge
Honeycomb Bakery
Amour
Slackwater
Beer Bar
Vertical Diner
Finca
Eating Establishment
Red Rock
Stoneground

Your participating Breweries:
Moab
Proper
Park City
Squatters
Wasatch
Red Rock
Mountain West Cider
Roosters
Hoppers
RPM
Talisman
Uinta
Epic
Desert Edge
Bonneville
2 Row
ROHA
Vernal 
Fisher 
Strap Tank 
Bohemian

Stay close for more updates as the day gets closer.

Cheers!

Stein Eriken's Hops on the Hill

Deer Valley's Hops on the Hill, has been one of those 'best kept secrets' among Park City locals for the past few years now. It's one of those great weekly events that pair local craft beers and with Chef Zane's (of Stein Erikson Lodge) best bites on the deck as live music plays nearby on the lawn.

The beer, the food, the music changes every week, making each Tuesday evening unique. Here's you're schedule, along with participating breweries bands. The menus are fluid and will be revealed closer to the events.

Details:
$20 Food and $20 Beer Tasting | 6pm - 7:30pm on the Deck
Free Concert | 6pm - 9pm on the Lawn
Outdoor a la Carte Grill | 6 pm on the Lawn

7700 Stein Way, Park City, Utah 84060
Reservations recommended. (435) 645-6455




Prost!

New Beer Friday 7/07/2017

When the heat hits hard, people chase the beers that are on the light and crushable side of the spectrum. Thankfully, that's exactly what we have in this week's New Beer Friday - a hand full of quenchers that have arrived just in the nick of time.

Desert Edge Vienna Lager - This is a light copper colored German lager with a rich, smooth malt character. The flavor is full of bready malt with a very light, floral hop character in the end. Medium body with a dry finish. 4.0% ABV

Fisher Blondowski - This somewhat malty brew has some subdued fruitiness from the grains along with herbal and grassy bitterness. The body is light. If you're into Kolsch Biers you dig this. 4.0% ABV

Fisher Strawhoppa - This is a clean wheat ale. You'll get mostly toasted crackers and floral hops. The yeast here is mostly neutral, so the typical esters are barely present. 4.0% ABV

Red Rock West Coast Pale Ale - This American pale ale has notes of brown sugar, bready malts, lemony-pine notes and a touch of grapefruit. It's on the light side of medium-bodied, with moderate CO2. Fairly refreshing, with a reasonably hoppy kick. 4.0% ABV

Red Rock Lime Gose - The lime flavors here play well with the tart lemony base, creating a pleasant citrus smack. Some dough and sodium lingers in the back. Quite nice. 4.0% ABV

Prost!

Coming Soon From Epic

I managed to get my hands on some of the new things that Epic Brewing Co will be selling in Salt Lake City in the near future. The first one is long overdue in my opinion, I can't believe this beer hasn't got the barrel treatment before. Epic's Whiskey Barrel Barley Wine takes their American Style Barley Wine and gives it a sabbatical in (as of yet) undisclosed whiskey barrels. No word yet on when this beer will be finished.

The other beer isn't really new to Epic but it is new to SLC. Originally created under the name Kaffeina, this beer was brewed in collaboration with Denver, Colorado's Crafty Ladies Beer Club. Coffee Cream Ale (as it will be called in Utah), is described as having a huge and unexpected roasted coffee aroma. The fruity ale esters blend perfectly with the lightness of the roasted coffee and suggest orange blossoms and pomegranate with butterscotch sweetness from the malt. The finish is mildly tannic and returns to the roasted quality of the aroma.

Both should be a welcome addition to their SLC Lineup.  Hang in there, release dates will be coming soon.

Cheers!

Images found at Shipcomplient.com