New Beer Friday 6/29/18

New Beer Friday really does care. Do You? This week we have an eclectic range of suds along with a local favorite that will be making it's final appearance.

Shade's Kviek #1: The aroma is very hoppy with citrus overtones noticeable lemon tartness. The taste is lightly piney and hoppy with hints of citrus and berry. All IPA upfront, tart in the middle with a lemony ice tea finish. 6.5%. Available Saturday at Shades Brewing.

2 Row Blood Orange Sour: Not tried this one yet. The only place I know of that has this is the Bayou; don't even have the ABV on this one. I hope to have more info for you this afternoon on New Beer Friday with Mick and Allen on KBER 101 at 3:30pm.

Epic Utah Session Series - Passion Fruit: Brilliantly clear appearance. Passion fruit and a little sulfur in the nose. The taste is mostly passion fruit with some Belgian-ish yeast spices. Hint of surfer in the finish that fades after a while. 4.0% ABV. Available at Beerhive, soon everywhere there's an Epic seasonal handle.   

Proper/Sawtooth Puddleduck: This draft collaboration was brewed with Sawtooth Brewery from Hailey, ID. This is a light colored, wheat-based ale using a ton of fruit-forward hops and a special yeast favored for its use in hazy IPAs. The result is full bodied and juicy with notes of mango, melon, lychee and strawberry. Available only at the Main Street brewery.

Anchor's Nelson Pale Ale: The aroma is grassy and funky, with orange, melon and blueberry. The flavor starts with citrus peel, pine and melon . Some vanilla and a vague berry round out the back end. Overall this is a very nice and complex pale ale. 5.3%. Available at DABC.

Odell Onolicious: This has a tart lemony base with a good dose of passion fruit, mango and guava. The flavors get a little muddled but you get the idea that this is a tart fruity salad in a glass.6.5%. Found at Beer Bar. 

Odell Friek: This has a dusty dry raspberry aroma with a hint of cherry. The taste has raspberry and tart cherry; it's more tart than sweet. Some nice citrus notes round it out with a noticeable amount of oak, and a lingering funk. A nice barrel-aged fruited sour. 6.5%. Found at Beer Bar.

Mother Earth Call Me Ginger: The aroma is mostly big candied ginger. The taste is much more subtle with semi-sweet malts and light dose of ginger root. Next comes a nice balancing dose of lemon peel that serves mostly to keep the root in check. I liked it more than I thought I would. 4.8%. Found at Beer Bar.

Full Sail's Citrus Maxima: Missed out on this one. 5.7%. Available at DABC.

Upslope's Rocky Mountain Kölsch: Missed out on this one. 5.1%. Available at DABC.

Crazy Mountain's Lava Lake Wit: Brand new to our marketThe nose has crackers with floral, spicy and citrus hops. Tastes of earthy floral hops, pale malt and a hint of spice. A nice Witbier. 5.2%.  Available at DABC.

Crazy Mountain's Hookiebobb IPA: The aroma is floral and citrus with some candied fruit and pineapple. The taste is citrus and pine with a lingering, pithy bitterness. A bit chewy with a touch of crackery sweetness. A nice IPA. 6.7%. Available at DABC

Stone Enjoy by 7/4/18: Lotsa peach and tropical flavors going on here. The hops are big and assertive with a descent dose of malt backing it up. It's got an ABV of 9.4%, so don't drink this one on an empty stomach. As usual we're getting this one late, so drink 'em up by Independence Day.  Should start popping up in bars and stores later today.

Returning Favorites

Elder Brett: It looks like our favorite Elder is coming home from his mission for the very last time. This is the last batch of Epic's original barrel aged sour and it will only be avaiable in SLC starting today. Elder Brett's aroma is rich with the musty, barnyard-like character that “Brett” is famous for as well as some remnants notes of white wine. The flavor also has wonderful amounts of fruity notes both from the yeast and hints of peach, all rounded out with a pleasant and refreshing acidity and incredible drinkability for an 9.5% beer. We will miss you.

Litha Imperial Saison: The nose is earthy with some funky peppery saison yeast countered by zesty rye spices, bread, alcohol and light tropical fruit. The taste starts with a bit of pepper, clove and and coriander followed by estery fruits. Brady malts come next witha touch of alcohol. The end has a nice balance berries and tropical hops. Finishes semi-dry. 8.0%. Available Proper Brewing.

Cheers!

Policy Kings Brewery Needs Your Help

To (the best of) my knowledge Cedar City, Utah has never had a brewery. I'm sure at some point in the state's distant pass a small brewery may have existed in the small Mormon founded mining community, but I can't find any trace of one. The nearest breweries I were able to located existed in nearby Beaver, Utah: The George Buchner Brewery,  A. A. Fischer Brewery and the Jas. Valentine Brewery. managed to stay afloat at different stages from 1874 - 1884.

Some Cedar City residents are looking to rectify this omission in the history books by finally bringing craft beer to the thirsty beer lovers of Southern Utah. The Policy Kings Brewery (named for the infamous Chicago gambling racketeers) is looking to build their new brewery/brewpub near Southern Utah University and could use an infusion of cash.

A Barnraiser campaign has been set up to help Policy Kings gain momentum. With your support, all funds will contribute to finishing construction to the building and equipment. This will also get the doors open faster. The funding effort will only be successful if they can reach $5,000 by 7/5/18. This isn't the final goal, but it's the minimum needed to keep the project alive.

If you have a few spare quatloos left in your beer fund consider throwing some their way. We all benefit from a broader craft beer community, right? Here's a link to their Barnraiser page along with their Facebook. Best of Luck, Policy Kings!

Cheers!

Epic's Special Pie and Beer Day Sour

To help celebrate Utah's beloved Pie and Beer Day, Epic Brewing Co. is releasing a special edition of their Oak And Orchard sour ale for the big day.

This unique version of Oak and Orchard will feature blueberry and boysenberry and should be available just in time for the July 24th celebration. It will of course be available at Epic's SLC brewery and should also be on hand at Beer Bar's Pie and Beer Day party as well.

Keep checking back for a complete list of all Pie and Beer Day events as the day gets closer.

Cheers!

Image found at Shipcompliant.com

New Beer/Brewery Friday 6/22/18

It seems like it's only been weeks since our last New Beer/Brewery Friday - that's because it has only been weeks - four to be exact. Saturday, Toasted Barrel Brewery will open it's doors to the public and will have drafts and bottles to go. 

Toasted Barrel Four Saisons: This saison will rotate with every season. This first version has a spicy yeast forward nose with a taste that is more subdued as far as the yeast goes. The malts are fruity with some graham cracker qualities. Bitterness is low. 4.0%. Available Saturday at Toasted Barrel.

Toasted Barrel Weisse Man: Standard lemony tartness with a hint of grain lingering in the back ground. Finishes puckering and dry. 4.0%. Available Saturday at Toasted Barrel.

Toasted Barrel Cantaloupe Weisse Man: This version is much more subtle with the tartness. The cantaloupe is quite pronounced and fresh tasting. If you love melon, this will be right up your ally. 4.0%. Available Saturday at Toasted Barrel.

Toasted Barrel Utah Double: Nice citrus peel aroma Caramel and bready wheat with citrus, herbal and pine bitterness. 8.0%. Available Saturday at Toasted Barrel.

Saltfire NZED Pilsner: Nice herbal hop nose with some toasted grains. The taste has sweeter grains; combined with a large dose of spicy herbal hops along with a bit of citrus peel. If you like a hoppy lager this will satify you for sure. Very nice Pils. 5.4%. Available at Saltfire, Beer Bar, Soon everywhere. 

Kiitos N.E. Double IPA: This version is slightly tweaked the addition berries. The fruitiness is of course tropical with subtle berry flavors rounding it out. Very Nice! 8.5%. Available at Kiitos

Desert Edge Top Rope Rye: Soft bready malt, spicy rye, and low floral hops. Low bitterness and dry finish. 4.0%. Available at Desert Edge.

Cheers!

The 4th Annual Wendover Peppermill Beer Festival

There's nothing like a good beer festival to keep the brain and belly happy; all while providing some great socializing opportunities. Our local beer fest scene is growing yearly with new local breweries along with recent out-of-state brews adding to the to the hometown fest flavor.

However some of you crave more from your beer festival; many want new beer and breweries that you typically can't get in Utah and will often go beyond our boarders to chase their new brew itch. If you fall into this latter category I have just the beer fest for you.

On Saturday, June 23, 2018 the 4th Annual Wendover Beer Fest will return with 30 breweries pouring 50 beers that are mostly not available to to those of us in Utah. Admission is free, however tokens for the minimum beer pours are $1 each and must be purchased (with cash) at the Peppermill token booth on the day of the event. In addition, a $5.00 Wendover Beer Fest souvenir pint glass is required for festival beer purchases. No children are allowed.

From personal experience: I urge you to plan for the heat. This is a parking lot venue and though tents are provided it can get damn hot out there, so please dress appropriately and bring water. Hope to see you there.

Here is your list of participating breweries and cideries:
Dogfish Head Brewing
Pizza Port Brewing
Brooklyn Brewing
Odell Brewing
Deschutes Brewing
Rogue Brewing
Hangar 111 Brewing
New Belgium Brewing
Tenaya Creek Brewing
Pigeon Head Brewing
21st Amendment Brewing
Green Flash Brewing
Big Dog Brewing
Ballast Point Brewing
Lost Coast Brewing
Ace Cider
Great Basin Brewing
Boulevard Brewing
Firestone Walker Brewing
Uinta Brewing
Lagunitas Brewing
North Coast Brewing
Stone Brewing
Victory Brewing
Angry Orchard
Sin City Brewing
Alpine Brewing
The Depot Brewing & Distiling
Wyders Ciders
Brasserie St. James

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 6/15/18

You have beer in your life, but do you have new beer in your life? If not; we'll fix that today.

Red Rock Mango Berliner: This lemony tart beer offers a medium amount of lemony tartness with a fairly subtle amount of mango. It's there, but not super fruity. I liked it, super crushable. 4.0%. Available at Red Rock downtown.

Rogue Cold Brew 2.0: This blonde ale with coffee has a moderate java aroma. The taste is mostly coffee with some sweet malt, biscuit and a smidge of hazelnut. 5.6%. Available at DABC.

Four Sons Brewing - The Great One IIPA: This brewery just snuck into the market the other day from Huntington Beach, Ca. This IIPA is named after Wayne Gretzky and is described as being full bodied with  Chinook, El Dorado, Cascade, Fuggle, Nugget and Saaz hops. 9.9%. Available at DABC.

Four Sons Brewing Sour K: I've not tried this one yet. This beer is listed as being a 7.9% Wild Ale but some people are reporting that they've bought it locally in C-stores; putting it at a max 4.0%. Can anyone confirm this?

Sierra Nevada Otra Vez (Lime & Blue Agave): big lightly tart limes, lemon, citrus zest, grapefruit, orange, peach, pear, red/green apple, melon, white wine, sea salt, 4.9%

Stone Vituale IPA: Missed out on this one. It's described as having big citrus notes of tropical fruit while upping the dank, resin qualities of Citra & Mosaic. 7.7% 

Deschutes The Ages: Just came across this at 4am, so I have no tasting notes on this one. This is a one and done American Wild Ale that is described as being a Gueuze-Inspired, multi-year wild brew brimming with hints of savory, fruity esters, and spicy, tangy pear and white pepper flavors. Be warned: there may be some sticker-shock involved here. 8.0%. Available at Bayou.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 6/8/18

Found some new beers.... and it's Friday. We should come up with a name for this!

Saltfire Galaxy Singularity:This has a somewhat dank citrusy nose with a good dose of tropical fruits and citrus on the palate. Probably my favorite of the Singularity series so far. 6.9%. Available at Saltfire, Beerhive 

Strap Tank Matt: I havn't had this one yet. This hazy and citra hoppped IPA uses an experimental yeast found in Indiana. It produces lactic acid similar to a kettle sour. 4.0%. Available at Strap Tank.

Strap Tank Maracuya: I haven't had this one yet. Described as being very tropical with a good dose of passion fruit. 4.0%. Available at Strap Tank.

Strap Tank Air Quality Control NEIPA: I havn't had this one yet as it is being released today. It's made with Ella and Mandarina Bavaria hops with lactose.Sounds yummy. 4.0%. Available at Strap Tank.

Zion Strawberry Rhubarb Gose: While not new in Southern Utah it is new to me; and I like it. The Strawberry and Rhubarb both shine in this subtly tart beer. 4.0%. Available at Zion Brewery and Beer Bar.


Uinta Crimson Tart: This pomegranate ale tastes mostly of the fruit with a moderate dose of tartness. Very refreshing for a 8.0% beer. Available at Uinta.

Uinta XXV Anniversary Imperial Pilsner: Spicy nose with light grains. Bread and grainy malt lead the palate to a drying, crisp finish with a touch of lemon peel. Medium body and medium to medium high carbonation. Full flavored but well balanced with a pleasant bitter hop accent on the finish. 7.5%. Available at Uinta tomorrow.

Proper Buckhorn Draw: This porter is made with buckwheat and it's evident in the flavor. It's also somewhat earthy and herbal and pretty drinkable for a summer porter. 4.0%. Available at Proper Brewing and Avenues Proper.

Salt Flats Jitterbug: I havn't tried this lager yet. It's described as having cucumber added. 4.0%. Avaiable at The Garage Grill in Draper.

Latitude 33 Blood Orange IPA: The nose here is strong with orange citrus. The taste is more subdued and not as strong as the aroma, but the IPA shines with a good dose of bitterness. Nice balance. 7.2%. Available at Beer Bar.

Latitude 33 Honey Hips: Honey and pear dominate this strong ale that offers a good dose of citrus zest for balance. A tad sweet but overall very good. 8.3%. Available at Beer Bar and Bayou.

Latitude 33 Mangovaza IPA: The aroma has mango with hints of guava, papaya and passion fruit. The taste has mango followed by some mellow habanero heat. It's rounded out by guava, papaya and citrusy tropical hops. An excellent peppery IPA.7.2%. Available at Beer Bar.

Odell St. Lupulin:  The aroma has citrus zest, tropical fruit and biscuit malts. The flavor is more citrus zest along with lemon, tangerine, tropical fruit, grass while caramel sweetness backs it all up. A very nice DIPA. 6.5%. Available at the Bayou.

Odell Extra Special Red: Pine, and citrus in the nose. Brown sugar, and woody/nutty notes combined with tangy, leafy hops create a spicy/woody flavors that are nicely balanced. 9.1%. Available at the Bayou.

Three breweries are throwing anniversary parties this Saturday: Uinta, Talisman and Strap Tank are all celebrating and each would like to share their Saturday with you. For details on each celebration check out the individual social media pages for these breweries.

And if that's not enough: Snowbird's Brewfest hits this Saturday and Sunday. Over 25 Local and national breweries will be pouring their beer.

Cheers!   

New Brews Soon For You: Uinta, Vernal, Shades and Salt Flats

I came across a few beers that are coming soon to a brewery near you. Each of these beers have (as of today) an unknown release date. I promise to keep you in the loop as to when they hit the market.

 Pictured above is Uinta's Alpenglow. Named for a unique phenomena that happens for those of us
that live in mountainous regions of the world. This new beer will be an golden American Wild Ale that is fermented with a combination of Lactobacillus and Brettanomyces that will also be blended with a two year old funky sour beer aged in oak. It will have an ABV of 9.4%.

Also from Uinta Brewing is their new Single Barrel Series. This label is described as being an outlet for Uinta's R&D department; it will feature beers that are new, different and experimental. A special section on Uinta's website will be created for feedback on these beers.

Coming soon from Vernal Brewing is their new Summer Ale. This

ale is just described as being brewed with herbs and spices. Look for it to hit cans in the coming weeks with a quenching ABV of  5.5%. No idea, as of yet if it will go to DABC stores. Keep checking back for info on this one.

Shades Brewing Company (formerly Shades of Pale) will be releasing a new Belgian Style Tripel Ale. This beer is described as having huge huge spicy and fruity flavors of coriander, peach and pear, while having a dry finish. It should come in around 10.0% ABV.

Salt Flats Brewing has a Mexican Ale coming soon. No info has been posted on this as yet, but look for it to fit the mold of hot weather, south of the border beers that are generally light and dry. As soon as the updates come in I'll share them will you. This ale will be a 4% beer.

That's it for this edition of New Brews Soon For You. What do you think of these impending beers?

Cheers!

Utah's 2018 North American Brewers Association Competition Winners

I'd like to congratulate all of the Utah breweries that won awards last Friday in the North American Brewers Association's beer competition. Breweries from all over the U.S. entered beers from all over the U.S. hoping to be named to be named the best suds made. Here are the medal winners from Utah and the categories they won in. A Good majority of these beers are available to enjoy right now. Try these winners out or revisit them if it's been a while.

Bohemian Brewery:
Gold - Bohemian Dortmunder Export. 2D - Dortmunder Export
Silver - Bohemian Czech Style Pilsener. 2C - Bohemian-Style Pilsner
Gold - Cottonwood Common. 15A - California Common

Bonneville Brewery:
Bronze - Antelope Amber Ale. 9A - Ordinary Bitter Best Bitter (ESB)


Epic Brewing Company:
Gold - Brainless Belgian-Style Golden Ale. 13F - Belgian-Style Pale (Golden) Strong Ale
Bronze - Epic Imperial Stout. 10L - Imperial Stout
Telegraph Brewing Company:
Bronze - California Ale. 13A - Belgian-Style Pale Ale

Hoppers Grill & Brewing Co:
Gold - This is the Pilsener. 2C - Bohemian-Style Pilsner.

Kiitos Brewing:
Bronze - Wheat Ale. 6A - American-Style Wheat Ale.

Moab Brewery:
Silver - Moab Especial. 6A - American-Style Wheat Ale.

Proper Brewing Company:
Gold - Proper Beer. 5E - English-Style Summer Ale
Silver - Tripel Stamp. 13E - Tripel
Silver - Mabon. 12E - DunkelweizenWeizen Bock

Red Rock Brewing:
Silver - Secale. 16C - Barrel-Aged Beer
Bronze - White Rainbow - White IPA   8E - Belgian-Style India Pale Ale

RoHa Brewing Project:
Silver - Kensington. 13C - Biere de Garde.

Shades Brewing:
Bronze - Kviek #1. 14C - American-Style Wild or Sour Ale.
Silver - Misconception. 8E - Belgian-Style India Pale Ale.

Uinta Brewing:
Silver - RS Ale IPA. 8A - Session-Style India Pale Ale
Bronze - Grapefruit Hop Nosh IPA. 17B - Fruit Beers.
Gold - Croggy Brett Saison. 14E - Brett Beer.

Here is the link to the entire list of award winning beers. Congrats again to all!

Cheers!

Pictured above: Márcio Buffolo, Tent Fargher (Shades Brewing) Krin Riedel (Epic/Telegraph Brerwing).

New Beer Friday 6/1/18

Welcome to June! I haven't been around much so the majority of these of New Beer Friday beers have basic descriptions. Have a great weekend!
 
Kiitos Big Gay Ale: The is beer has a nice fuchsia appearance that has an aroma of hibiscus and lemon. The taste is somewhat similar. The hibiscus drives this beer for the most part. Some light citrus like hops in the end. If you get you ass over to the brewery's pub you'll also have the added option of getting your Big Gay Ale dosed with edible glitter. That's right; at some point you'll have disco party during your morning constitutional. Go team America! 4.0%. Available at Kiitos, Bayou.

2 Row Pineapple Mango Sour: I haven't tried this one yet. It's described as tart fruity and crisp with a dry finish. 6.4%. Available at 2 Row, Bayou.

Pelican Honey Citrus Pale Ale:  I haven't tried this one yet. Described as having Citrus honey and apricot notes. 5.0%. Available at the Bayou.

Fisher/Desert Edge Rye Pale Ale: Not tried this collaboration beer yet. It's made with Azacca and El Dorado hops. 4.0%. Available only at Fisher and Desert Edge.

Stone I'm Peach DIPA: Described as a typical Stone DIPA with the additions of peach of course, subtle pine, mandarin orange and pineapple notes. 8.8% ABV. Available the Bayou.

Don't forget that tomorrow is the 2018 Mountain Brewers Festival. You can get tickets online here or they ca be purchased at Bohemian Brewing or Roosters Brewing. You cannot buy them at the festival this year.

Cheers!