New Beer Friday 7/27/18

It's all about local tart and sour beers this week. That doesn't happen too often.

Epic Pie and Beer Day Sour Ale: This originally hit SLC on Tuesday it has aromas of dark fruit and oak. The taste is soured blueberries and boysenberries with some oak and red wine. Finishes with a good dose of funky yeast. Very nice. 7.7%. Available at Epic and Beer Bar.

Kiitos Cherry Berliner: This tastes a little less tart than some of Kiitos' other sour beers. This gives the cherry a chance to shine and really come through. Very nice. 4.0%. Available at Kiitos.

Uinta Alpenglow: This brand new wild ale from Uinta is being bottled this morning and should hopefully be ready sometime this afternoon. I should have tasting notes at 3:30 for New Beer Friday on KBER101. 9.4%. Available at Uinta.  

Toasted Barrel Grisette: This hoppy Belgian style is herbal with tea and a good dose of citra hops. 4.0%. Available at Toasted Barrel.

Deschutes Black Butte XXX: Missed out on this one. This Imperial Porter was blended using 8 different types of oak barrels, with notes of salted chocolate, whiskey and dried fruit.13.6%. Available at DABC.

Belhaven Scottish Ale: Missed out on this one. It's described as having a nutty, biscuit character, balanced with a subtle spiciness from Challenger and Goldings hops 5.2%. Available at DABC.

Cheers!

The 9th Annual Utah Beer Fesival Preview

We're less than a month away from the Utah Beer Festival and this year's looks to be one of the biggest yet. To give you an idea of what will be poured at this year's fest I got my hands on the 2018 line-up. It's deep and you likely will not be able to sample everything, but I know some of you will try. There will be over fifty breweries/cideries with close to a hundred options to keep you happy. Here is the complete list. Enjoy and I hope to see you there.

Ace Cider - Angry Orchard - Ballast Point - Bohemian Brewing - Boneyard Bloody Brew - Bonneville Brewing - Boulevard Brewing - Deschutes Brewery - Desert Edge - Dogfish Head Craft Brewery - Epic Brewing - Fisher Beer - Great Basin Brewing - Guinness - Hoppers Grill and Brewing - Kiitos Brewing - Lagunitas - Mikes Hard Lemonade - Melvin Brewing - Moab Brewing - Mountain West Cider - North American Breweries

Odell Brewing - Park City Brewing - Grand Teton - Proper Brewing Company - Red Rock - Ritual Brewing Co. - Roha Brewing - Roosters Brewing - Salt Fire Brewing - Salt Flats Brewing - Samuel Adams - Sapporo - Shades Brewing - Shiner - SKA Brewing - Sockeye Brewing - Squatters - St. Killian - Stone Brewery - Strap Tank Brewery - Talisman - Uinta Brewing - Upslope Brewing - Wasatch - Western Standard - White Claw - Zion Brewing - Schofferhofer

As City Weekly's Beer Nerd, I will be floating around the beer festival Saturday doing "quality control". It's the burden of a beer writer. If you see me, please stop and chat, I'd love to hear from you. I'll be the guy with the beer in hand.

Cheers!

Photo Credit: City Weekly - Salt Lake Tribune

Epic and Matumoto Brewery Collaborate on Sister City Beer

Did you know that Salt Lake City has a sister city in Japan? It’s true, our sister city is Matsumoto, Japan. For 60 years Salt Lake City and Matsumoto have been part of the Sister City Exchange, a program dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges, business and trade relationships along with community development. Matsumoto is roughly the same size as Salt Lake and shares many of the same geographic characteristics as well. It also has a kick ass brewery which leads us to today’s blog post.

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of our two cities’ partnership, Epic Brewing Company and the Matsumoto Brewery have teamed up to brew a special brew to mark the occasion. Yesterday morning (7/23/28) Matsumoto Brewery Managing Director, Mr. Takahiro Fukuzawa, and Chief Brewer, Mr. Takumi Katsyuama Joined, Joined forces with Epic’s Jordan Schupbach, Director of Brewing Operations (and his brew team) to create a special beer that will be available both in the U.S. and Japan.

The collaboration beer that they brewed is a hop-forward double IPA inspired by Epic’s popular Hopulent but with a sweeter aromatic focus. The beer will highlight honey brought from Japan and

will possess Ekuanot, Motueka, and Mosaic hops. Epic will be utilizing some of the new techniques developed with their popular New England-Style IPA in a way that reflects current flavor trends in Japanese IPAs; a portion of the finished beer will be exported to Japan and highlighted at the Matsumoto Craft Beer Festival, September 14-17th.

The Japanese craft beer scene has been steadily gaining steam in recent years; Epic has been exporting their beers to Japan since 2012, so they’re already a known player in the region. Currently there are more than 200 craft breweries open nationwide and the Matsumoto Brewery has been leading the way in the Japan’s Nagano region.

It was a pretty cool day for beer in Salt Lake yesterday and it looks like everyone in the brewhouse had a blast. As soon as the this special IPA is ready, I promise to give you the heads up on the where and when.

And on a an Epic side note; today is Pie and Beer Day (or Pioneer Day if you prefer)! Epic has also created a special beer that will only be avaiable for Pie and Beer Day and it goes on sale later today. This is the only beer that I know of that was created exclusively for Pie and Beer Day. Feel free to thank my wife Krin for spearheading the production of this beer. The beer is part of Epic's Oak and Orchard series. It's a sour ale aged in oak barrels with Blueberry and Boysenberry. It a phenomenal sour ale that's a Utah exclusive and can only be purchased at Epic's SLC brewery or at Beer Bar. If you're into sours, you know your going to need this.

乾杯 Kanpai !

Your 2018 Pie and Beer Day Preview

You probably don't need this but you're going to get it anyway! This is your 2018 Pie and Beer Day Event Calendar. I haven't vetted most of these, so further homework on your part may be required.

The Original & Official "PIE & BEER DAY"
  
COPPER ONION, SQUATTERS

SAAG PANEER SPANAKOPEA
PAIRED W/ PROVO GIRL

DISPENSARY, ROHA
PURPLE POTATO PIEROGI W/ ONION JAM, CHEESE
CARAWAY BUTTER, & CARAWAY SALT
PAIRED WITH KENSINGTON GRAND SAISON

SLACKWATER PIZZA, ROOSTERS BREWING
FANCY 5 CHEESE PIZZA W/ FETA AND GORGONZOLA
PAIRED WITH PIOLT BREW DOUBLE IPA

RED BUTTE CAFE, DESERT EDGE BREWERY
BLACK BERRY ALMOND
PAIRED WITH UTAH PALE ALE

PROPER BREWING, PROPER AVENUES
STRAWBERRY APRICOT WITH TOASTED MERENGUE AND BALSAMIC CRUST
BOURBON PECAN PIE WITH SALTED CARAMEL POPCORN
CAROLINA LEMON PIE WITH SALTINE CRUST WHIP CREAM AND MALDON SALT
PAIRED WITH LA BELLE PECHE & GOSE LAKE EFFECT

STEIN ERICKSON LODGE, PARK CITY BREWING
BANANAS FOSTER DOLCHE DE LECHE
PAIRED WITH HOOKER BLONDE

GARAGE ON BECK, MOAB BREWERY
FUNERAL POTATO PIE
PAIRED WITH ROCKET BIKE AMBER LAGER

NORMAL, EPIC BREWING
ICE CREAM MOON PIE WITH PEACH ICE CREAM, FREEZE DRIED PEACH BITS CORN COOKIE DIPPED IN WHITE CHOCOLATE
PAIRED WITH OAK & ORCHARD SOUR BLUEBERRY BOYSENBERRY

ESTE PIZZA, HOPPERS BREWING
JALAPENO ARTICHOKE PIZZA PIE
PAIRED WITH THIS IS THE PILSNER

BEER BAR, KITOS BREWING
BLACK BERRY PIE WITH ORANGE BITTERS AND CARDAMON ALLSPICE CRUST
PAIRED WITH VANILLA NUT CREAM ALE

WASATCH BREWING, WASATCH BREW PUB
APPLE CRUMB PIE
PAIRED WITH EVOLUTION AMBER

HONEYCOMB BAKERY, RED ROCK BREWING
RASPBERRY PISTACHIO GALETTE
PAIRED WITH GRAND BAVARIA

BELTEX MEATS, 2ROW BREWING
JAMAICAN BEEF PATTY PIE WITH COCONUT CURRY
PAIRED WITH HIPACRIT IPA

TRADITION, FISHER BREWING
STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIE
PAIRED WITH RYE CREAM ALE

EATING ESTABLISHMENT, BONNEVILLE BREWING
VEGETARIAN QUICHE
PAIRED WITH SYNERGY SEVEN

RIO GRANDE CAFE, BOHEMIAN BREWERY
GRANDE KEY LIME PIE
PAIRED WITH BOHEMIAN KOLSCH

STEIN ERICKSON LODGE, PARK CITY BREWING
BANANAS FOSTER DULCE DE LECHE
PAIRED WITH HOOKER BLONDE

NOMAD, UINTA BREWING
SWEET CORN CREAM PIE WITH BLUEBERRY STREUSEL, SMOKED RASPBERRY JAM POPPED SORGHUM & MALDON SEA SALT
PAIRED WITH CRIMSON TART AND CROGGY SAISON

FIRESIDE, SALT FIRE BREWING
NEW ZELAND CHICKEN EMPANADAS WITH MEYER LEMON BROWN BUTTER SAUCE
PAIRED WITH NEW ZELAND PILSNER

TOSCANOS, SALT FLATS
JALAPENO ARTICHOKE PIZZA PIE
PAIRED WITH THIS IS THE PILSNER

OMARS RAWTOPIA, MTN WST CIDER
OMARS TIERRA MISSOU
PAIRED WITH COTTONWOOD HOPPED CIDER

BAMBARA, SHADES BREWING
MIXED BERRY TART W/ OAK CRUST PIE
CHERRY CHOCOLATE PORTER WITH PORTER GANACHE PIE
APRICOT PINENUT AND THYME PIE PIE
PAIRED WITH BERLINER WEISSE
_________________________________________________________________

Pie & Beer Day FUNraiser 

Pie n' Beer Day at the RoHa Brewing Project

Pie and Beer day at Cheers to You (Midvale)

Pie and Beer Day at the Ice Haus

Pizza Pie and Beer Day at Gracie Barra Brazillian Jiu Jitsu

4th Annual Pie & Beer Day Tournament 

Pie and Beer Ride

Pie and Beer Day at Park City Brewery

Pie and Beer day BBQ at the Sun Trapp

Pie & Beer Day at St. Catherine Siena Newman Center

Cheers and have a happy and safe day!

New Beer Friday 7/20/18

Happy New Beer Friday! For the most part this week's option are mostly out of the Northwest, get on these while they're fresh and new. Also keep in mind that Pie and Beer Day is coming up. I'll be talking beer with Mick and Allen on KBER101 today at 3:30, then from 4pm - 7pm I'll be with Bad Brad Wheeler on KUAA 99.9 to preview Pie and Beer Day stuff.

 

Toasted Barrel Brett Brown: A malty brown base beer with a good dose of funky Brett. More beer like this is going into oak barrels to become sourlicious and funkified! 4.0%. Available at Toasted Barrel.

Rogue Kulture Clash: This beer/kombucha blend tastes malty and doughy with funky herbal tea and some orange/grapefruit rind. A hint of tartness and earthy/leafy hops round out the end. Even if you're not a kombucha fan you may like this. 6.9%. Available at DABC.

 

Firestone Walker Luponic Distortion 10: The nose has a good ctirus and stonefruit along with light pine and bready undertones. The taste starts off with a bit of orange, grapefruit and light apricot. Next comes a nice earthy pine bitterenss that has lightly toasty malt undertones. Finish is mildly bitter with lingering grass and a hint of citrus pith. Very nice. 5.9%. Found at Beerhive.

 

Anderson Valley Hop Hyzer: This has an aroma of toasted grains and lemon and coriander. The flavor follows for the most part; adding more citrus, a more subdued spice profile and a good dose of malts. Finishes with medium bitterness. 4.9%.  Available at DABC.

 

Gigantic Kölschtastic: A good amount of toasted cereal with complimenting floral and citrus-like hops. Slightly over hopped, other that that very true to style. 5.0%. Available at Beer Bar.

 

Gigantic Kiss the Goat: Missed out on this one. It's described a Bock/Porter hybrid if that helps. Can't wait to get into this one. 8.0%. Available at Beer Bar.

 

Gigantic High Fidelity IPA: Light citrus, tangerine and hints of stone fruit, light pine and citrus hops, semi-sweet malts. Nice IPA that veers into APA territory. 5.9%. Available at Beer Bar.

 

Cheers!

Another New Beer Friday the 13th

There's nothing unlucky about this Friday the 13th. We've got great a great selection of local and regional brews on this New Beer Friday the 13th; sounds pretty damn lucky to me!

Kiitos Kiitoria: Lime zest upfront, slightly tart with some mild acidity. Cracker in the middle with a hint of hay and grass.  Finishes crisp and clean with a light but tangible salt presence. Nice summer quencher. This beer is the first of many from Kiitos that will have a percentage of the proceeds go to a different charity with every batch. 4.0%. Available at Kiitos.

Shades Kveik #3: Tart flavors of juicy tropical fruits, citrus and berry start you off. Then a light amount of lactose sweetness kicks in, followed by light flavors of vanilla. The addition of lactose takes the tartness and gives it a very nice sherbet/gelato feel. Delicious! 6.3%. Available at Shades.    

Talisman Raspberry Gose: Very strong raspberry flavor, lightly sweet wheat/malt flavors, and a tart berry and lemon finish. This is a great fruited gose. 4.0%. Available at Talisman

Epic Drama Juice NEIPA: This dank and fruity mix of Comet and Simcoe hops produced a super citrusy and juicy IPA that has a decent dose of bitterness that comes through as orange/grapefruit pith. Very Nice! 6.2%. Very limited - only available in special growlers at Epic.

Wasatch Lemon Coffee Cream Ale: An odd combo of flavors here. It's not unusual to serve espresso with lemon peel of zest and I think that's the inspiration here. The result is a crazy salad of fruit and smoked/grilled veggies. It’s not my thing, but I appreciate the creativity. 4.0%. Available at Wasatch Park City and the West Side Tavern.

Lagunitas Cherry Jane: The aroma is a pleasant blast of sweet cherries with mild funky Brett. The taste is cherry forward, sweet and spicy pie cherries dominate for the most part. The funky Brettanomyces adds a bit of sourness to take some of the edge off of the cherry sweetness. Finishes tart and semi-sweet. This is a great beer and a nice entry beer for those looking to get into American wild ales. 5.5%. I found it at Beer Bar, Beerhive.

Ska Brewing Rue B. Soho: Subtle grapefruit on the nose. The palate is light and subtle with toasted grains and tangy grapefruit. The grapefruit doesn't linger long, and neither does the ever-so-slight bitterness of the hops. It's like an IPL with grapefruit. 5.1%. Available at DABC.

Cheers and have an excellent weekend!

New Beer Friday 7/6/18

Whoa! It's damn smokey out there today; not to mention that it's going to get in the triple digits as well. You're definitely going to need something to lift your spirits from all of this bad air. Everything that I came across this week is more on the quenchable side of the beer spectrum, I hope you find these helpful.

Saltfire Saison De Trahison: The aroma contains clove, wheat malts and some citrus. The taste starts out bready with flavors of clove and a hearty malt character. Some caramel, and ginger root comes next with just a hint of lemony citrus coming through in the end. The hops presence is mild but complementary and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet and slightly bready. 6.3%. Available at Saltfire, Bayou and Dick n Dixie's.

Saltfire Charlotte Sometimes:  The nose is fruity and grainy, with some citrus peel, honey and earthy bread. The flavor opens mildly sweet with a peachy, fruity yeast note. There's citrus, a little bright, with honey, candied orange peel and a little grapefruit. 5.2% Available at Saltfire, Bayou and Dick n Dixie's.

Wasatch/Lauter Day Brewers - Raspberry Saison: Fresh raspberry in the nose. There is hint of spicy yeast as well. The taste is more fresh raspberry with a hint of the saison's yeast. It's not entirely noticeable, but it does add balance to the berry and helps round it out. finishes medium dry. 4.0%. Available at Wasatch Park City and at the UBC's West Side Tavern.


Odell Sunny Rain: The aroma is grassy and citrusy with a touch of acidity. The flavors start off with sweet malts, vague citrus and a touch of pineapple. A light dose of  tartness and moderate bitterness come next. The tartness is minimal, which gives the the juxtaposing citrus and fruit something to work with.  Very tasty! 6.0%. Found at Beer Bar.

Rogue 10 Hop IIPA: Missed out on this one. 10.1%. Available at DABC.

What did I miss? Please share.

Cheers!

New Utah Law Will Affect Your Beer Enjoyment

You will probably notice a change the the next time you hit your favorite brewpub. Thanks to the infinite wisdom from our religious overlords; all local eating establishments that fell into that gray area between bar and restaurant were forced to make a choice to be one or the other. Some places that did not require you to buy food with your pint will require you to do so - others may have gone the opposite way and have gone full 21 and over bar.

I learned a long time ago that no matter what advance may come our way in regards to legalizing adulthood our favorite prairie religion run legislature will most certainly bitch slap you back to the temperance movement with stupid shit such as this.

Please don't let these new designation dissuade you from enjoying these fine craft beer establishments; if they do, then they've already won.

Here is a list of your modified craft beer adulting options.  Restaurant = Food Required/Kids Allowed - Bar = No Food Requirement/No Kids Allowed:

2 Row Brewing Co. -  No change
A. Fisher Brewing Co. - Bar
Bohemian Brewery -  Restaurant
Bonneville Brewing Co. -  Restaurant
Desert Edge Brewpub - Restaurant
Epic Brewing at Dolce Sicilia - Restaurant
Epic Brewing Co.  - Bar
Grogg's (Pinnacle Brewing Co.) - No Change
Hoppers Brewpub - Restaurant
Kiitos Brewing Company - Bar
Moab Brewery - Restaurant
Mountain West Cider - No Change
Park City Brewery - Bar
Proper Brewing Co. - Bar
RedRock Brewing - Restaurant
RoHa Brewing Project - Bar
Roosters Brewing (Layton) - Restaurant
Roosters Brewing (Ogden) - Restaurant
Salt Flats Brewing Co.(AKA the Garage Grill) - Restaurant
Saltfire Brewing Co. - Bar
Shade Brewing Co. - Bar
Squatters Brewpub - Restaurant
Strap Tank Brewing Co. - Restaurant
Talisman Brewing Co. - Bar
The Avenues Proper Restaurant & Publick House - Restaurant w/separate bar
The Hop 'n Keg Brewery - Restaurant
Toasted Barrel Brewery - Bar
Uinta Brewery - Bar
Utah Brewers Co-op - Bar
Vernal Brewing Co. - Restaurant
Wasatch Brewpub - Restaurant
Zion Canyon Brewery - Restaurant

High West Distillery - Bar 

Let me know if there are any mistakes.

Dogfish Head Coming to Utah

The title says it all; the East Coast's kings of weird beer are sending their suds to the beehive state in the coming weeks. A little birdie from the east coast gave me a heads up the other day and I was able to confirm it with a local bar owner so it looks like it's about to be a done deal.

If you're not familiar with Dogfish Head Brewing: Founder Sam Calagione started Dogfish Head over 20 years ago in Milton, DE. He created a brewing culture that offers a wide selection of off-centered ale that have often skewed the boundaries of what beer could be. Some of their best known beers include  Dogfish Head 120 minute IPA, Palo Santo Marron, Burton Baton and Bitches Brew. I'm not sure what beers will hit the SLC market first, but I'd put a solid bet on Dogfish Head 90 Minute leading the charge.

As soon as I get better info, I'll pass it along. I'm sure this will make many East Coast transplants very happy.

Cheers!