New Beer Friday 8/30/19

Proper - Purple Rain: This is a Helles with blackberry and lime added. Nice tasting beer but you don't get too much of the Helles nice blackberry and lime flavors. 4.0% - at Proper Brewing.

Proper - Boston Girl: Nice tropical flavors with a good dose of citrus peel. A solid NEPA. 4.0% - at Proper Brewing

Proper - Foe Hammer: Another NEPA, this one is dosed with blood orange. The fruit kinda takes over the flavor, but not enough to to mute the hops. Nice beer. 4.0% -  at Proper Brewing

Proper - Bier Rose: This one is kinds muddled. Strawberry, Pomegranate and Hibiscus. The hibiscus kinda steals the show from the fruits; muting their flavors. 4.0% - At Proper Brewing

Level Crossing - Three Oaks Uncommon: I thought putting this beer on three different types of oak would make it real papery. Not at all the oak adds nice toasty and sweet flavors that are subtle and balanced. Very nice. 4.0% - at Level Crossing.

Kiitos - Northeast Pale Ale + Raspberries: This a very limited batch beer made to support the UofU's football team in last nights game. The aroma is hoppy with raspberry. The taste is basically, raspberry smoothie. Very tasty if you like raspberry. 4.0% - at Kiitos

Surly - Todd-The Axe Man: Tangy citrus, tropical fruits, maybe a little melon with a bit of pine in the end. Malts are nice and sweet. Solid IPA. 7.2% found at Beerhive, Bayou 

Firestone Walker - Old Man Hatten: The aroma smells like a Manhattan cocktail with some musty German spices. Te taste starts syrupy with some nice gingerbread and some holiday fruit cake. I get what they were trying to do here, but it comes across as a dessert dresssed up like cocktail, trying to be a beer. Didn't quite work for me. 9.6% - found at Beerhive and Slackwater.

Cheers!

Win Tickets to Squatters 30th Anniversary Party

Thanks for your interest in the Squatters Trivia tickets for the 30th anniversary bash. We have our winner for this round. Congrats to Ally Aldrich for answering City Creek Pale Ale.

In an effort to say thank you to all of you Utah craft beer fans, I'd like to give you all a chance to win a couple of pairs of free general admission tickets to Squatters' 30th Anniversary Party that's happening on Sunday, September 8th from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM (MDT).

All ticket holders will also have the unique opportunity to sample limited edition collaboration beers from Squatters and 11 participating breweries. For example, a Smoked Helles with fresh peaches will be available from Uinta Head Brewer, Patrick Bourque, and Squatters Brewer, Ryan Stambaugh; alongside a Cucumber Kettle Sour from Roosters Brewer, Jacquie King, and Squatters Director of Quality, Dave McKean. Details on more collaborations will be coming soon.

Squatters will release a special Rum Barrel-Aged Doppelbock, clocking in at 12.3% ABV in a 750-mL bomber bottle, to mark the occasion. Gracing the label of this specialty beer is an original piece of art by nationally syndicated and locally revered political cartoonist, Pat Bagley. VIP ticket holders will receive a bottle of this limited run brew featuring “Lady Li-Beer-Ty” (shown above) at the 30th Anniversary Beer Festival.

Participating breweries include:

Fisher Brewing
Bohemian Brewery
Hopkins Brewing/Squattters Collaboration 100% Utah's Own Pale - an Ale made completely out of local Utah ingredients!
Red Rock Brewing/Squattters Collaboration ROSÉ SAISON
Hoppers Brew Pub/Squattters Collaboration a delicious German Dunkel Lager!
Level Crossing Brewing/Squattters Collaboration brew is an ESB
MTN WST Cider
Proper Brewing Co.
RoHa Brewing
Uinta Brewing/Squattters Collaboration Smoked Helles with fresh peaches
T.F. Brewing
Roosters Brewing Co./Squattters Collaboration Cucumber Kettle Sour

Okay, now that you've got the info on the party, let's get to the tickets. To try and keep the early  "googlers" from running away from the tickets, we'll make the Squatters trivia questions difficult, but not impossible. Trivia ends at 9pm 8/29 or until we have a winner. Here's the Question:

What was the name of the first beer that Squatters brewed back in 1989?

Please send your answer to utahbeer@gmail.com - I'll announce the winner for the first round of tickets on this week's New Beer Friday post. Good luck and cheers!

New Beer/Brewery Friday 8/23/19

It seems like its been just a couple of weeks (it was) when we had our last new brewery open. This Saturday will mark Utah's 38th brewery location and Heber's first since the early 2000's. The 3.5 barrel brew house will be cranking out draft beers to start, with high point suds coming soon from the brewery's package agency. Brewer, Clint Jones is already planning a Belgian style Tripel that he plans on splitting into fresh and barrel aged versions. The Heber Valley Brewing Co. officially opens tomorrow (8/24/19) and is located on Main Street and 500 n. in Heber Utah. Welcome 

Heber Valley - Cöld Fusion Kölsch:  Look for a nice clean, easy drinking beer. 4.0% - Available at Heber Valley Brewing.

Heber Valley - W.O.W. Wit: look for a very light colored Belgian Wit. Subtle hops and nice yeast character. 4.0% - Available at Heber Valley Brewing.

Heber Valley - Lone Pine Pale Ale: This Pale Ale was brewed with spruce tips and centennial hops.  4.0% - Available at Heber Valley Brewing.

Heber Valley - Heber's Hazy IPA:  Tons of hop aroma with enough bitterness to back it up. Plenty of Citra, Mosaic, and El Dorado hops. 4.0% - Available at Heber Valley Brewing.

Heber Valley - HVBC IPA:  Pretty light colored IPA. Good balance between aroma and bitterness.  Crystal and Mosaic hops. 4.0% - Available at Heber Valley Brewing.

TF Brewing Coconut Guava Berliner: The tropical theme of this beer is undeniable with great fruit flavors that play well with the subtle sour base of the beer. Very refreshing with high drink-ability.  4.0% - Available at TF Brewing.

Hopkins - Coconut Macadamia Porter: This is basically a cookie. Hopkins hand-toasted 40 pounds of coconut and sourced some macadamia flour from a small farmer in Hawaii. Chocolate malt and lactose sugar round out the flavors of this delicious dessert beer. 4.0% - Available at Hopkins

Hopkins - Patchwork Pale 2:
This version is basically a “Hazy IPA”. Hoppy, hazy, refreshing, dry, with a light biscuit malt backbone. The hop profile is Citra forward, which gives bright citrus and tropical flavors with Simcoe and Cascade hops on the back end, giving it a little resiny pine and floral character. 4.0% - Available at Hopkins.

Hopkins - Campfire Smoked Lager:
This is essentially a German Rauchbier. Local cherry-wood smoked Solstice malt adds a distinct smokiness with some light crystal and aromatic malts to give it a nice malty backbone but a nice crisp finish. 4.0% - Available at Hopkins

Hopkins - Raspberry Gose:
This beer was brewed with orange peel and coriander, then fresh raspberry puree and salt were added in the fermenter. The tartness blends beautifully with the raspberry and the salt balances the flavors. 4.0% - Available at Hopkins

Roosters Rooster Tail: Look for big tropical notes from the hops with medium bitterness and creamy malts. The 6.5% ABV is very approachable. 4.0% - Available at all Roosters locations.

Wasatch - Dry Hopped Saison: This is textbook saison with a good amount of spicy phenolic yeast character. The dry hopping adds mostly bitterness to the finish. 5.5% available at most Wasatch locations. 

Red Rock Otto: Missed this new Imperial Pilsner that debuts today. Look for notes of blueberry, coconut, lemon, lime , peach and melon. 7.2% - Available at Red Rock

Illuminated Junior Astronaut Juice: Look for tangerine,orange peel, grapefruit, passion fruit all wrapped up in nice resinous hop bow. Caramel malts give the hop salad pleanty to build on. 6.0% - Found at DABC.

Prost!

Brewery Update 8/21/19

We've seen three new breweries open up in Utah so far in 2019; UTOG, Level Crossing and Strap Tank (Lehi). But 2019 isn't finished yet with new craft beer spots, many more are on deck waiting to serve up craft brewed suds to thirsty beer nerds. Here's a quick status update on what's coming up next.

Heber Valley Brewing: The state's newest brewery opens this Saturday and will debut with five beers. Located at 500 n. Main Street in Heber,  Utah.

Ogden River Brewing: Groundbreaking on Ogden's fifth brewery/brewpub will happen later this morning along the banks of the Ogden River. Located at 358 e. Park View Blvd. look for an early 2020 opening.

Bewilder Brewing: Construction is moving along at a fast pace. The brew system is in house and the boys are looking to get the taps flowing at years end.

Grid City Beer Works: Contractors have been at it for nearly a month turning the old Tile for Less building into a proper brewery. Grid City is looking towards an early 2020 debut. Located at 333 w. 2100 s. in South Salt Lake City.

Zion Canyon St. George: The remodel of the the old Fire Station #2 building in Saint George is moving along at a quick pace and it's looking like a late 2019, early 2020 opening for the second Saint George brewery. Located at 150 n. Main Street.

Helper Brewing Company: Just acquired property in downtown helper and will be looking to their begin remodeling in the coming weeks.

As more info comes in, we'll update you on these breweries and others as news comes in.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 8/16/19

Sorry I missed you last week, but even super beer nerds deserve a vacation. Well, it looks like I'm going to pay for it this week, because there plenty of new suds to get into. As I mentioned the other day, Alaskan beer are headed this way; umm, they're here. Happy New Beer Friday!

Shades - Hogs Head Reserve Gin Barrel Belgian Strong: The name pretty much says it all. This beer has a pungent gin aroma that very cocktail like. The taste is more subtle with light juniper berries and spuce. The barrel backs a stong beer that full of sugary malt sweetness and bubble gum. This beer come with a hamer as the ABV is not listed. Somewhere in the 10% neighborhood. Available at Shades.

Shades - Kviek Pink Tart: When I see "hibiscus" on the label It's a pretty sure bet that it going to dominate the beer. In this case that isn't exactly true. While it's there it's not the whole show nice tart cherry also interacts with the tart base creating a nice blend of botanical and cherry. 6.5% - Available at Shades.  

TF Brewing - Beechwood Rauchbier: Don't like smoke beers? This one could change your mind. The base here mostly has flavors of light caramelized sugar with hints of cocoa. The smoke element while strong in the aroma is pretty subtle on the tongue and is more accent that star. 4.0% - Available at TF Brewing.

TF Brewing - Big Oh: This new pale ale salutes those Chico inspired pale ales of the late 90's and early 2000's. This is mostly Cascade hop driven with just skosh of Mosaic. The result is a mostly pine driven pale with some orange peel accents. Damn drinkable at 4.0%. Available at TF Brewing.

Level Crossing - Das Lehering: Missed this one. described as a fruity lager. 4.0% - at Level Crossing.

Roosters Shoreline Red Ale: Sorry, I missed this one. 7.0% - Available at Roosters, Bayou

Alaskan - Amber: Caramel, hints of cocoa and fruity malts combined with a pleasant citrus hop bitterness. A great example of an amber ale. 5.3%. Available at Beer Bar, Dick n' Dixie's

Alaskan - Kolsch: Smells of bread and malt and the same on the tongue with a touch of sweetness.Very nice Kolsch. 5.3% - Available at Beer Bar, Dick n' Dixie's

Alaskan -  Husky IPA: Very tropical with orange, a little grapefruit pith and a sweet element like mango and melon. Moderately bitter and some pepper shows up as well. 7.0% - Available at Beer Bar, Dick n' Dixie's

Alaskan - White: Aroma of coriander and orange peel. Taste is full of spice, dominated coriander with nice citrus flavors. The elements are all quite clean and play across the palate. 5.3% - Available at Beer Bar, Dick n' Dixie's

Cigar City - Maduro: The aroma is very bready and malty, with some earthy undertones. Light smoke with mild notes of caramel and brown sugar, along with toasted nuts, coffee, and the faintest hint of chocolate. 5.5% Available at DABC.

Silver Moon - F* Cancer: New to our market; Silver Moon donates a portion of this beers sales for cancer research. Aromas of light citrus; lemon; floral and berries. Clean tasting IPA that has spicy fruity and pine bitterness. 6.0% This will debut at the Utah Beer Festival this weekend.

Lagunitas - A Lil' Sump'n Hazy: The nose has mild citrus fruits like oranges, tangerines and mango. The taste follows with a bitter grapefruit and mango that carry through to the finish. This is actually quite refreshing for a "hazy" IPA. 7.2%. DABC

Couldn't get to these. I'm only one man!

Road House - West Side IPA: 7.5% - at DABC

Road House - Family Vacation: 4.9% - at DABC

Road House - Mountain Jam Vol 4: 6.2% - at DABC

Great Divide - Chocolate Cherry Yeti: 9.5% - at DABC

Ommegang - 3 Philosophers Wine Barrel Aged: 9.3% - Found at The Bayou

Ommegang - Saison Rose': 7.7% - Found at The Bayou

Boulevard - Smooth Fuzz: Missed this apricot sour. - 8.0% - Found at The Bayou

On top of all of this - the Utah Beer Festival hits this Saturday and Sunday. Look for 200 damn beers from local and national brands. Many new beers to the market will be debuting here, if you want to get all of those new beer ticks in, I'd head to the State Fairgrounds this weekend.  Need Ticket? All the info is here.

Cheers!

Alaskan Brewing: Bound for Utah

I'm finally back from my Belgian vacation. The beer there is wonderful, but our home suds will always have my heart. I'm happy to bring news back with me about a new brewery making it's way to the Beehive state.

Back in May we told you about Anchorage Brewing making their way into Utah. Now another popular brewery from America's 49th state announces it's distributing to Utah.

Utah and Hawaii beer drinkers can now enjoy brews from the Last Frontier as Juneau-based brewery Alaskan Brewing begins distribution to the two states. The addition of the Aloha and Beehive states marks the 24th and 25th state where Alaskan beer is distributed.

“We think Hawaiians and Utahns will connect with our beers, our story and our commitment to sustainability,” said Alaskan Brewing Co. Communications Manager, Andy Kline. “These are very unique states, but Alaskans, Hawaiians, and Utahns actually have a lot in common – many of us have an adventurous spirit and love for the outdoors, and we share a special connection to and deep respect for the spectacular places we call home.”

Alaskan Brewing is partnering with Odom Corporation to bring their brews to Hawaii, where the distributor is also broadening its reach. “We are beyond excited to expand our beer footprint to Hawaii and are very fortunate to have partners who have been 100% supportive since day one,” said Odom Corporation Sr. Vice President of Sales, Jack Tullis. “The interest expressed from retailers and consumers in Hawaii blew us away.”

Utah and Hawaii are the last two states of the western U.S. to carry Alaskan beers. General Distributing Co. will handle Utah distribution. “The wait is over,” remarked Andy Zweber of General Distributing Co. in Utah. “The beer drinkers of Utah soon won’t have to go out of state to find their favorite Alaskan Brewing brands. General Distributing is proud to have been chosen to bring their fine portfolio of craft beers to the Beehive State.”

Hawaiians and Utahns will be able to enjoy Amber, White, Husky IPA, and Kölsch, among other Alaskan Brewing beer styles. “Hawaii and Utah have presented some unique challenges when it comes to distribution, but we’re working with some excellent partners to make it happen,” said Alaskan Brewing Co. Marketing and Sales Manager, Merv Boyce.

As soon as they hit shelves we'll get the info.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 8/2/19

Welcome to August! It looks like you need a beer. Strangely enough I just happen to have found a few that you may like - including a bunch of limited offerings from Hopkins Brewing that go on draft today. If you have any gluten free folk in your life, let them know there are some no malt options as well. Happy New Beer Friday.
 
Hopkins - Chocolate Strawberry Stout: Brewed with organic strawberry, lactose, dark chocolate and white chocolate. 4.0% - limited availability only at Hopkins.

Hopkins - Oxymoron Black IPA: This BIPA was hopped with the Pink Boots hop blend and will have some deep cocoa notes. 4.0% - limited availability only at Hopkins.

Hopkins - Raspberry Spiked Seltzer: Look for raspberry flavored sparkling water with an alcohol kick. 4.0% - limited availability only at Hopkins.

Hopkins - Strawberry Sorghum: This "gluten free" beer is made with organic strawberries, sorghum syrup and local honey. 4.0% - limited availability only at Hopkins.

RoHa - "Chinookie on the Porch":This is a double dry hopped version of RoHa's Back Porch Pale. It has a good malt base with a healthy dose of pine bitterness and lesser citrus peel towards the end. Super drinkable. 4.0% - Available at RoHa.

Avenues Proper - SMaSH (Ekuanot hops): Missed this one. Ekuanot hops have a citrusy and herbal profile, if that give you an idea of what to expect. This one is exclusive to Avenues Proper. 4.0%.

Fisher - Dug: This pale ale has a good amount of rye that adds richness to the malt. The hops are for the most part citrusy, and work well with spicy base. Very nice. 4.0% - Available at Fisher.

Fisher - Lemon Hop Dancer: Loaded with Lemon Drop hops; this pale has a hazy golden color that looks and taste 'lemony'. The hops are very lemon like, which gives it a nice, fresh taste. Aother winner.

Wasatch Bear River Blonde: This one debuts today and is only available at Wasatch's Sugar House location. 4.0%.

Cheers!