New Beer Friday 4/3/20

Without missing a beat, Utah's brewers keep crank'n out the suds at steady pace. This week's New Beer Friday offerings are all damn tasty and perfect for your video conferencing parties.

2 Row - Quarantine Buddy: Love this name! Slightly hazy, orange-light amber color with some fluffy head and spotty lingering lacing. Smells really good - fresh citrus fruity hops, a little piney hops and a touch of vanilla. Tastes of loads of fruit - grapefruit, orange, mango, passion fruit, peach, lemon. Also has great notes of piney hop bitterness, vanilla, malt and a little biscuit. Mild bitterness is very well-balanced by the malt backbone. Smooth, slightly creamy mouthfeel, a little sticky with good carbonation. 6.8% - Only at 2 Row.

Roosters - High Desert Hazy IPA: Pours like orange juice, with a frothy head. Aroma doesn't really catch my interest, though it has a bit of citrus. Orange and grapefruit juice flavor on the first sip gives me just a hint that there's a massive load of hops, and makes my palate anticipate a much more bitter, conventional NEIPA. But that immediate subsides and what's actually here is a juicy, balanced, non-bitter session hazy. Delicious, and shockingly drinkable. 5.0% At all three Roosters Locations.

RoHa - Transom Dark Pale Ale: Pours out a deep dark brown, almost black, with ruby highlights and a thin khaki head. Smells of toasted and burnt grain along with resinous and citrusy hops. Flavor has a caramel malt backbone with tinges of roasted malts. Fruity esters are present. Hops are big on citrus peel and have an earthy character. Finishes bone dry with a balanced bitterness. Mouthfeel is moderate in weight, with a soft and lightly carbonation. 5.0% - Only at RoHa.

Templin Family - At Wits End: Pours a cloudy bright straw colored yellow. Thin velvety white head with excellent retention. Surprisingly effervescent even through the haziness. Aroma has notes of wheat, pepper, coriander, nutmeg and a hint of citrus. Taste has notes of wheat, a hint of orange peel, coriander and spicy pepper. Chamomile then punches out, adding a pleasant herbal quality that carries on through the finish. Its a great beer and worth having. 5.0% - Only at TF Brewing.

Shades - Shockwave Black Currant: Shades doesn't on fruit when it comes to their fruited beers this new beer is no exception. Pours a deep burgundy stained hue. Sorbet flavors build a creamy salad of dark fruits, light pastry, vanilla cream and a sour twinge of red wine. A moderately sweet taste leads with the simplicity of taffy, cobbler and sweet cream as the sour ale leads you towards the finish. Another winner from Shades. 5.7% - Only at Shades.

Toasted Barrel - BA Maple Stout: The nose is boozy, vinious and juicy, not quite forecasting the flavor profile to come. Complex and layered, with flavors of vanilla, oak and cherry that bounce off notes of yogurt and wine and a touch of funk. There a Balsamic vinegar twang that is weighty and somewhat puckery on the palate. The beer closes with a long finish, leaving distinct sweet and sour fruit residuals. Probably my favorite beer from Toasted Barrel. Get on this one. 9.7% - Only at Toasted Barrel.

Kiitos - Red is the New Pink (Pink Boots Beer): Pours a deep, dark, ruby red coloration with a large, creamy head. Smells of bready, caramel malt and notes of citrus and red berries, with just a hint of pine. Taste follows the nose, with a great balance of bready, caramel malt and piney, bitter citrus hops as well as a good dose of red berries, with notes of toffee, grapefruit, currant and pine. Finishes with a strong bitterness and some citrus and pine lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation. Very nice. 5.0% - Only at Kiitos.

Red Rock - 25th Anniversary Begian Quad: Dark plum color. Aroma is sweet with cola - prune and plum, some vegital notes as well. Taste has some dark fruit flavors, mild phenol, cola, grape and plum. This wins with its late nutty finish, its malty base, its caramel sweetness, and an overblown 12.5% ABV that slowly uncoils its wallup. Only at RedRock.

Cheers!