New Beer Friday 1/31/20

It's the last day of January, Dryuary, Veguary, Mortuary, or whatever. If you decided to forgo something in your life to help you get a jump on 2020, I'm officially giving you permission to dump that shit and get on with your life. This week's New Beer Friday options will defiantly help with the latter. Try not to do it all in one day like me....

TF Brewing - Fluffy Nuts: Yes, I said "Fluffy Nuts". This is a 5.0% pastry stout, and the complimenting ingredients are marshmallow and peanut butter. Fluffy Nuts debuts today; I hope to have tasting notes for you on this, later this afternoon with Mick and Allen on KBER101 at 3:30pm. Fluffy Nuts....

Proper - Peach and Mango Sour Ranger: The newest member of the Sour Rangers squad is quite tart and slightly soapy. The flavor for the most part is lemon with some mango floating around in the background. The mango becomes more pronounced towards the finish. Not much in the way of peach flavor. Enjoyable enough. 5.0% - Available at Proper

Epic - Sour Brainless Lucy: This is a tart, foeder aged, unfruited blonde ale with notes of green stone fruit and mild tannins. The effervescence is on the light side and it finishes quite dry. Lucy is the name of the foeder that had aged this particular sour beer. Sadly Lucy's day are over and she's being dismantled. All that's left is being put into crowlers and they can be found at Epic Brewing. Thanks, for all of you delicious beer, girl. 

Level Crossing - Dallas Alice: This new beer from Level Crossing is a Belgian style blonde ale. There;s some sweet earthy clove and banana in the nose. The taste follows with added candy sugar sweetness that punches up the body and flavor. German hops round out the overall providing balance. Finishes with a hint of sweetness. 6.2% - Available at  Level Crossing - There will a release party today as well.

Bewilder - Oatmeal Stout: This is not an overly roasty stout, but it does have nice cocoa notes to carry it through. The oatmeal adds smoothness to the overall feels of the beer. The nitro gas adds a perceived sweetness that is pleasant and authentic. 5.0% - Available at Bewilder

Talisman - Adventures in IPA No.5: I'm really pissed that I missed this one. Talisman went a different direction in this IPA; pursuing German hop varietal instead of American/New Zealand blends. The use of  Mandarina Bavaria and Hallertaur Blanc Hops, will likely make this a different and delicious IPA. 5.0% - Available at Talisman

Hopkins - Cranberry Farmhouse:  Brewed with cranberry and a touch of cinnamon, this beer has a
slight cranberry tartness, balanced with complex notes from the Kveik yeast. 5.0% - This very small Batch beer will be available starting Saturday at Hopkins.

Hopkins - Apple Pie Amber:  Heavily malted with just enough hop bitterness. Brewed with apple,
cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and vanilla. It's the American classic in a glass! 5.0% - This very small Batch beer will be available starting Saturday at Hopkins.

Hopkins -  Citra Hefe:  Traditional-style German Weissbier featuring Citra hops which are
very popular among IPAs for its tropical citrus aroma and flavor. 5.0% - This very small Batch beer will be available starting Saturday at Hopkins.

Hopkins - Dankster Saison:  This "dank" saison is heavily hopped with a citrus blend and finishes
with complex spiced notes of the Belgian style yeast. 5.0% - This very small Batch beer will be available starting Saturday at Hopkins.

Hopkins -  Kitchen Sink Session IPA: This beer has a heavy body for a traditional IPA, but sits nicely at 80 IBUs. 5.0% - This very small Batch beer will be available starting Saturday at Hopkins.

Hopkins - Mango-Lime Ale:  Brewed with mangos and lime; featuring a simple grain bill with a citrus blend of hops, perfectly complimented by mango and lime. 5.0% - This very small Batch beer will be available starting Saturday at Hopkins.

Hopkins - The Dude Ale: Inspired by the drink of choice of the hero in Big Lebowski, this beer is
White Russian themed. Cream ale base, lactose, vanilla, rum extract, coffee.
It really ties these small batches together, and we abide by that! 5.0% - This very small Batch beer will be available starting Saturday at Hopkins.

Hopkins - Early Morning Stout:  Brewed with maple syrup, vanilla, coffee, toasted oak chips. This beer will have you feeling like you're spending time away in a cabin in the woods! 5.0% - This very small Batch beer will be available starting Saturday at Hopkins.

Roadhouse - The Walrus: I missed this Double IPA. Look for flavors of tangerine, pineapple and  melon with big tropical fruits and bitterness. 8.3% - I found it at the Bayou.

Roadhouse - Outcasty Sweet Potato Porter: Made with hand-peeled, quartered and roasted sweet potatoes, this porter has all of the classic flavors - caramel, cocoa and coffee with added earthy/nuttiness from the sweet potato. 8.0% - Also found at the Bayou.

Cheers!

Lone Pine Brewing Headed to Utah

Lone Pine Brewing Company out of Portland, Maine has their eyes set on the Beehive State. Many of you may not be familiar with this east coast brewery; Hell, we don't many beers from that region out here period.

What will make this news interesting to many of you is the notoriety that Lone Pine received at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival. Lone Pine earned a bronze medal in the hotly-contested Hazy Imperial IPA category. The winning beer, Chaos Emeralds, beat out nearly two hundred competitors from around the U.S.

If you’re a fan of the style, this will obviously come as big news to you. Stay close, as Lone Pine gets closer to its arrival date and I'll fill you in to the where and when. I should also point out that Utah will be the only state that's not located in the north east to have these fine beers.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 1/24/20

There's a nice round selection of styles this week. There may not be a lot, but the flavor factor here, more than makes up for it.

Red Rock - Juicy Pale Ale: Juicy hop aromas dominate this hazy pale ale. Oats and barley are used to create a big silky body that can hold up the round juicy, berry-citrus, white-pine hop profile. definitely more hop fruitiness than bitterness happening here. 5.0% - Available at Red Rock location and at Harmons.

Toasted Barrel - Barrel Aged Sour with Grapes: This beer was aged for 18 month in French oak. The beer/wine hybrid definitely has a vinous quality with doses of balsamic vinegar from the funkified barrel. 7.5% - Available at Toasted Barrel.

Toasted Barrel - Cranberry Sour: This lactobacillus sour has a moderate amount of sweet and sour going on. The tartness from the cranberry, really fights for your affections as it dukes-it-out for dominance over the base beer's sourness. 5.0% - Available at Toasted Barrel    

Shades - Kveik Cherry Pie: The newest incarnation of Shades' Kveik Series features cherries, vanilla, cinnamon, graham cracker and lactose for sweetness. Look for tart pie cherries with that signature graham cracker crust toastiness. It tastes like a desert beer but drinks like an everyday ale. Non-vegan friendly. 6.3% - Available at Shades and your better beer pubs.

UTOG - Red Eye: This new imperial red ale is bright with fruity malts that take you into berry territory. the hops a a bit of citrus, but it's pine that drives the majority of the hop profile and bitterness. 8.3% - Available at UTOG.

Bewilder - Fresh Sesh IPA: The new IPA from Bewilder is hopped with Warrior, Citra and  Mosaic Hops. I havn't tried this one yet as it will be tapped later this afternoon. If you want to try this, call first to find out if it's on or not. 5.0% - Available at Bewilder. 

Cheers!

Desert Edge to Package Beer

Desert Edge Brewing Co. has been a staple in Utah's beer scene since 1995. Hell, The Pub portion of the business has been in operation since 1972 - few establishments can claim that kind of longevity. In all of that time of making and serving beer, the draft only brewpub has never got into the packaging game... until now.

Through a little digging, I came across what appears to be a new label for a 'high point" IPA called Pando. The label art feature a tranquil, water color scene of aspen trees and appears to be designed for a 12 ounce can.

Desert Edge's head brewer, Chad Krusell makes some of the best pale ales in the state, I have high confidence that this 7.1% India Pale Ale will make the Trolley Square brewpub (and the state) proud.

More info on this endeavor will follow, as it comes my way. 

Cheers!

Image found at Labelvision.com

New Beer Friday 1/17/20

Congratulations, your having a New Beer Friday! Fruit is a heavy influencer this week, and 99% of them are local. Have an excellent weekend.

Avenues Proper - Charleston Cherry: This new farmhouse ale is made with local tart cherries from Woddyatt Farm. This brettanomyces beer is more fruit forward with a subtle yeast profile that brings the cherry into the foreground. Proper is on a roll right now, If you love Brett beers I'd get your hinies to Avenues Proper Sooner than later. 5.0%

Avenues Proper - Blood Orange Blizzard: This is a kettle soured IPA with blood orange added post fermentation. More tart than sour, look for a nice citrus twang with tangerine bitterness. 5.0% - Only at Avenues Proper.

Proper- Fonzie’s Jacket: A milkshake IPA made with Citra hops and lactose. Reminds me of a hoppy Orange Julius. Despite the fruit this is not a vegan friendly beer. 5.0%

Epic - Big Bad Yankee: This is the newest variant in Epic's Big Bad Baptist line-up. 'Yankee' is aged in Yankee Spirits' whiskey and rye barrels. This actually an imperial porter aged (not a stout) made with coffee, cacao, hazelnuts and vanilla. This is a very small batch, and only available at Epic's Salt Lake brewery starting this morning.

Epic - Lemon Bomb Tart n Juicy: This sour IPA is dosed with lemon juice to compliment the hop selection that is already citrus forward. No lactose in this one! 5.0% Available at Epic in growlers.

Hopkins- Deseret Dunkel: The aroma is described as malty sweet and bready, while the flavor profile is rich and complex, displaying notes of toasted bread, chocolate, and graham cracker. Bitterness is minimal. The flavor is reminiscent of Golden Graham cereal. 5.0% - Available at Hopkins.

Strap Tank - Nelson/Mosaic Hazy Pale Ale: This made with a couple of my favorite hops right now. The Nelson hops will add a berry-like component, while the Mosaic hops bring fresh pine, mango, blueberry and citrus. 5.0% - Available at both Strap Tank locations.

Strap Tank - Witbier: Look for high level of wheat with coriander and orange peel. 5.0% - Available at both Strap Tank locations.

Strap Tank - Blueberry Lime Smoothie Sour: . This one shines with tartness from the blueberry and lime, this gives it a sherbet or sorbet quality. 5.0% - Available at both Strap Tank locations.

Kiitos - Fruit Milkshake Ale (Berry Pomegranate): Made with real raspberry, blackberry, blueberry and pomegranate juices, They also reworked the base beer to make it 5%. Despite the fruit this is not a vegan friendly beer. On draft now at Kiitos.

Melvin/Arc'teryx collaboration - Son of Apocalypse IPA: This brand new IPA by Melvin debuted in SLC last Wednesday (1/15). Look for big citrus peel, pine and tropical fruits from this 70 Ibu ale. 5.0% - Available at Beerhive, Bayou.  

Returning Champs

Epic - Oak and Orchard Cherry Vanilla: This foeder aged sour reminds me of cherry sorbet with a hint of Balsamic vinegar. 6.5% - Available in crowlers at Epic.

Wasatch - Kick-back Series - Oatmeal Stout: Silky smooth chocolate, espresso and vanilla all wrapped up in a bow. 6.0% Available at Park City's brewery and the West Side Tavern.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 1/10/20

It looks like the breweries are back in their grooves and the suds of 2020 have begun to flow. There's a strong variety of of new stuff this week along with a new east coast brewery's entry into the market.

2 Row - Galaxy Juice: This is the first new NEIPA to come out of 2 Row in a while. This one features galaxy, Simcoe and El Dorado hops. Look for flavors of honey malts, followed by juicy citrus, stone fruit and tropica hops which impart a light amount of bitterness which fades away almost instantly leaving lingering tropical citrus hop flavors. 7.0% Should be available as soon as the doors open thius morning.

Hoppers - Oat Brown Ale: This is and American style brown ale. It has a supper toasty grain profile with a good dose of hops that lean into the piny end of the spectrum. The oat addition gives in a nice silky feel. 5.0% - Available at Hoppers.

Roosters - Mountain Hazy: Obviously hazy in appearance with earthy mango dank pine and cantaloupe in the aroma. Taste-wise you get damp florals, sappy pine and a hint of cannabis. Overripe papaya. Candy sugar sweetness with an earthy bitterness. 5.0% Available at Roosters

Roosters Downhill Munich Dunkel: Missed this one. Look for a lager full of rich caramel and and toasted malts. 5.0% Available at Roosters.

TF Brewing - Pomegranate and Blackberry Berlinerweisse: Smells of pulpy pomegranate and black berry lactic sourness. Taste has the berries up front quickly being joined by the mild lactic sourness, doughy grain and light must. More tart than sour in the feel, bit of chewiness as well.

Jester King - Omniscience and Proselytism (Blend 4): This sour ale was re-fermented in oak barrels with Strawberries. The berries were matured then allowed to ferment to dryness. There's a refreshing lactic acidity, followed by earthy yeast and strawberry jam. Sweetness emerges as it warms, but remains bone dry and crisp in its finish. 5.0% Found at Slackwater.

Sierra Nevada - 40th Hoppy Anniversary: Pours a bright amber with a nose of grapefruit and pine. Taste follows suit. This is quite appropriate; seem like a throwback to what made Sierra Nevada great. If you love SN's pale ale and celebration ale you will like this. 6.0% Found at DABC.

Brooklyn Brewery -  Bel Air Sour: Brooklyn Brewery is brand new to the market. The Aroma is full with of muted lemon and mild funkiness - Tastes sour for sure, definitely a vinous quality - Feels light and dry with a puckering chardonnay like finish. 5.8% - Available at Select DABC.

Prost!

New Beer Friday 1/3/20

Welcome to 2020! Utah's craft beer scene had a strong decade and it looks like the 20s will be equally progressive. Thanks for sticking with the Utah Beer Blog as we enter our fifteenth year of Utah specific beer nerding  - I wouldn't have lasted this long without all of your support. Here's your first New Beer Friday of the year.

Bonneville - Cool Fuzz: This new 'hazy' IPA is hopped with Cashmere. There's a good dose of lime and tropical fruits that provide high fruitiness with low bitterness, due to the late hop editions. This one is super fresh and only available at the source in Tooele. 5.0% 

Fisher - Life Throws Melons: The hop profile in this pale ale generates big flavor with assertive bitterness, adding significant citrus zest and cantaloupe fruit character. Lemongrass and herbal tea. Bitterness round it out. Nice pale ale. 5.0% - Available at Fisher.

Kasteel - Rogue: The aroma is mostly tart cherry that implies sweetness is coming. The taste confirms it with sweet pie cherries and a medium tartness. There's a hint of a malt floating around in the background. For a quad it feels a bit thin, though it is easy to drink. It's a little more fruit forward than I was expecting, but it's still tasty. 8.0% - Found at Beer Bar.

Don't forget that we have New Beer Friday this afternoon at 2:30pm on KBER 101, with Mick and Allen.

Cheers!