New Beer Friday 5/29/20

As breweries and restaurants begin to open, you'll start to see some of these brewery exclusive beers make their way into the market. If you see something I missed please share. Happy new Beer Friday.  

Level Crossing - The Black Album: This is part of Level Crossing's Black Feather Series. This is a black imperial rye IPA. The aroma is hugely dank, herbal and grainy with dense, bready malts. Flavor profile is less sticky, and a little more bold in regards to the malts  – there's a good dose of roast and char swirling around throughout. Dank, herbal, floral, zesty hops open up playing off of the bready, nutty, roastier malts flavors. The bitterness is medium to high and pretty much rules the beer from the back-end to the finish. Overall, a solid BIPA, with big hopiness. 9.2% For sale Saturday at 11am.

Fisher - Sister Brown Ale: The nose was nutty and malty, more so than others, but not overly expressive. There were hints of nuts, some pine, and even some malt - all blending quite well. Mouthfeel was carbonated lightly, medium- to light-bodied, and even had a spicy after-feel. Overall, this was a solid nut brown ale, relatively full of flavor. 5.0% - Available at Fisher

Epic- Bourbon Barrel Chocolate Raspberry Stout: This very limited brew is only available in SLC. It’s as described in the name with an ABV of 10.5% - Only at Epic in 22 ounce bottles. 

Policy Kings - Pass the Haze: Have not tried this one. 5.0% - Available at

Heber Valley- PEACH Better Get My MANGO: Have not tried this one. 5.0% - Available at Heber Valley.

Mountain West - Pomme Paloma: This cider is a take on the Paloma cocktail. Made with the Pink Boots hop blend along with fresh grapefruit juice. It's unlike any cider you've tried.  Sadly, I've been informed that this has already sold out, however another batch will be in the works down the road.

Stone - Buenaveza: This lager is made with lime and salt - Available at DABC stores.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 5/22/19

Full disclosure: I've been out of town and didn't get a chance to try much of what is out this week. That's too bad, because there's a lot of interesting sounding stuff out this week. I'll be back this evening, don't drink 'em all before I get back!

Toasted Barrel - Oak Aged Pilsner: I'm big on pilsners right now. I'm curious to see how this one came out. 5.0% Only at Toasted Barrel

Uinta - Free Form Rose Ale: This is the latest offering from Uinta's Free Form line of lower calorie beers. Look for a lightly tart ale with slight fruitiness. 4.3%

Proper Fault Line Red IPA: Yeah, yeah this isns't exactly new. However it hasn't been made in quite a while and on top that it was never a 5.0% beer. So, I'm calling it new ya jerk! This has a good amount of malt to it, almost toffe like the hops are aggressive and start with citrus peel. They soon change over to resiny pine and finishes off with a balancing bitter bite. I generally like hoppy reds to be a little more fruity; this one is dry and I crushed all 16 ounces of it in 5 minutes. Good stuff. 6.9% - Available at Proper.

Bohemian - Best of Show Dopple Bock: This was the winner of last year's Lagerpalooza. True to form, Bohemian said they'd make the winner and they have. Look for this clean, toffee driven malt machine at Bohemian Brewing. Dials in at a big 9.3%.

Policy Kings - Chai Saison: This is listed at 14% on Untappd. Seriously? That doesn't sound right. If it is, it's probably the one of the biggest saison ever made. 

Kiitos - Pineapple Mango Fruit Milkshake: I'm generally a fan of this series. They're always as described and not to sweet, relaying on the Fruit to do most of the lifting. 5.0%

Heber Valley - Coconut Girl: This is a Belgian style blonde ale brewed with coconut. 5.0%

Sawtooth - Pika: This is a peanut butter milk stout. It dials in at 5.0% and is already popping up at grocery and c-stores around SLC.  Sawtooth is from Hailey, Idaho and their brand new to the Utah market.

Modern Times - Star Cloud: Just hit SLC yesterday, This a hazy made with Citra hops. 6.8% - Available at DABC and possibly some of the opening better beer bars.

In case you missed it last week Epic's new CBD Free IPA is now in 22 ounce bottles, so there's an option for your as well.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 5/15/20

Most of Craft Beer Week will culminate this weekend with a few brand new releases that cover the gambit of flavors and styles. These are the highlights of what you can expect. Have an excellent New beer Friday.

Epic - CBD Free IPA: This is hitting later this morning in growlers and next week in bottles. I hear it quite tasty. 6.8% - Available at Epic.

Kiitos - Cucumber Tart: The aroma is big with cucumber with hint of yogurt tartness. The flavor is thankfully more subdued. The cucumber is fresh tasting and it works well with the medium amount of lemony tartness in the base beer. It's pretty straight forward and refreshing. 5.0% - Available starting tomorrow (5/16) at Kiitos.

Kiitos - Rye Cream Ale: Nice sweetness in the nose. The rye is in the back but definitely there. The cream ale is up front, allowing the rye to work the the end of the ale. Very subtle at first then it just keeps building leaving this long rye finish. Tasty. 5.0% - Available starting tomorrow (5/16) at Kiitos.

Shades - Hogshead Reserve 2020: This a complex beer. It's a milk porter made with maple and bacon and aged in Wyoming Bourbon barrels for two years. It's sweet for sure. Lots of maple cake, smoke and hints if mint up front. Dark fruits begin to emerge next with a minor prune twang in the finish. As it warms the maple becomes more pronounced as it battles with the whiskey over dominance. Not for the timid. 9.0% - Available at Shades now.

Saltfire - Mobius Trip (Fate Bell): This beer was made to celebrate Saltfire's second anniversary. This is a sour ale like the other Mobius Trip releases. This one is in Sotol barrels from Texas. If you're not familiar; Sotol is kin to tequila and mezcal, that shares many of the characteristics of agave but it's far from that. It has a very earthy tequila profile, which comes through well in the beer. The beginning is tart and earthy with some granny smith peel. Next comes notes of pineapple and salt. The finish is oaky with puckering lemon. This is super complex and very intriguing. Never had anything like this. It's well worth your time if you like tequila flavors and sour beers. 7.1% - Available starting tomorrow (5/16) at Saltfire.  

Fisher - Bailout Pale Ale: It smells of grainy and doughy caramel malt, muddled tropical fruit notes. The taste is gritty and grainy caramel malt, a touch of biscuit, some guava, pineapple, and mango. Some understated leafy, soapy, and musky floral verdant hoppiness. Tasty stuff. 5.0% - Available now at Fisher.

Fisher Dukes of Haze: Pours a hazy golden yellow color with streaking white lacing. Taste and smell are topical with citrus and papaya notes very floral and juicy. Mouth feel is soft with minimal bitterness. A well don NE Style Pale Ale.

Talisman Juicy IPA: I hate missing out on the Ogden stuff. There's so much good beer up there that I just don't have time to check out. If you have a sharp palate and like to nerd-out on local suds like me, hit me up for a Northern Utah correspondent gig. This NEIPA is loaded with Citra and Mosaic hops and dials in at 8.1% - Available starting today at noon. One crowler per customer.

New Belgium - VooDoo Ranger 1985: Missed this one. 6.8% - Available at DABC.

Returning

2 Row - Juice Bomb-OMB: If you missed this one from March of 2019 or just flat-out don't remember it, you're in luck. Citrus aroma - tropical, orange, mango, perhaps a touch of pine.  Good malt presence transitions to the citrus promised with the aroma. Initial taste is mild - no bittering at all. Moderately juicy - citrus, perhaps orange, pineapple. Certainly tropical. Certainly juicy, but not overbearingly so. Well balanced. Finish is slightly sweet, with no bitterness in the finish or aftertaste. On the high side of very good.

Cheers!

Utah's American Craft Beer Week Update - 5/13/20

In a normal year I would have a big calendar of event to help you plan your American Craft Beer Week attack. What's that? You didn't know it was Craft Beer Week? Well, I'm not surprised. Dur to the state of the world as it is, Most breweries that I talk to had no plans to hold any events – then in pur Utah style a few stalwarts emerged to keep Utah's craft beer week hopes alive.

I should point out that none of the social distancing rules have changed; all of the current interaction rules still apply. So keep that in mind when visiting any of the following breweries or brew pubs 

The RoHa Brewing Project:

RoHa Craft Beer Bingo - for craft beer week they've made a fun bingo card to help support buying local beer and local breweries. The card is on RoHa's website, along with the rules.

RoHa is also supporting a Utah Craft Beer Festi-GO - we have put this out to all breweries to promote on their own, and do their own activities.  We are having live music in the parking lot while you pick-up beer to-to on Saturday from 12 -3.  You can check out our Facebook event for more info on individual breweries.

And finally - RoHa has put together two really cool 12-packs, available only at RoHa.  One is a true RoHa mix pack, we currently have 12-beers out on the market, so this pack includes one of each.  The second is an IPA 12-pack, it has 3 of each of our four IPA's, including the new High on the Hop.  Our newsletter that was sent out yesterday summarizes those two packs as well.

Uinta Brewing:

In celebration of American Craft Beer Week, Uinta is giving you a chance to upgrade your backyard bar situation. When you stop by the General Store for supplies this week, you can enter for a chance to win one of two stand-up patio coolers or Uinta Brewing LED signs!

As an added bonus, mention Uinta's Facebook post when you visit any day this week for a free gift. Tues-Sat 12pm-6pm.

Kiitos Brewing: The SLC brewery announced yesterday that they will be releasing Cucumber Tart in 16 ounce cans this Saturday when breweries participate in the Festi-Go. Kiitos will be announcing another beer release for Saturday later today. So check back for info on that one.

Shades Brewing: Shades will be releasing a limited beer from their Hogshead Reserve Series on Thursday. The bourbon barrel aged Milk Porter made with Maple and Bacon will come in 12 ounce cans and goes on sale at 3pm. It dials in at 9.0% - $8 per can. Hopefully there will be a limit on the number of cans a person can get – to stretch out the availability.    

Festi-GO: Utah breweries will all have different events going on to celebrate this important week. Select local breweries have joined forces for this for Festi-GO - a to-go only festival. No crowds, stay safe. There’s not alot of info on this, and frankly the info on their Facebook page is vague at best. Hopefully more details will emerge as Saturday gets closer.  

If I missed something, please hit me up so I can add it to the week's list. 

Cheers!

American Craft Beer Week in Utah 2020

In a normal year I would have a big calendar of event to help you plan your American Craft Beer Week attack. What's that? You didn't know it was Craft Beer Week? Well, I'm not surprised. Dur to the state of the world as it is, Most breweries that I talk to had no plans to hold any events – then in pur Utah style a few stalwarts emerged to keep Utah's craft beer week hopes alive.

I should point out that none of the social distancing rules have changed; all of the current interaction rules still apply. So keep that in mind when visiting any of the following breweries or brew pubs 

The RoHa Brewing Project:

RoHa Craft Beer Bingo - for craft beer week they've made a fun bingo card to help support buying local beer and local breweries. The card is on RoHa's website, along with the rules.

RoHa is also supporting a Utah Craft Beer Festi-GO - we have put this out to all breweries to promote on their own, and do their own activities.  We are having live music in the parking lot while you pick-up beer to-to on Saturday from 12 -3.  You can check out our Facebook event for more info on individual breweries.

And finally - RoHa has put together two really cool 12-packs, available only at RoHa.  One is a true RoHa mix pack, we currently have 12-beers out on the market, so this pack includes one of each.  The second is an IPA 12-pack, it has 3 of each of our four IPA's, including the new High on the Hop.  Our newsletter that was sent out yesterday summarizes those two packs as well.

Unita Brewing:

In celebration of American Craft Beer Week, Uinta is giving you a chance to upgrade your backyard bar situation. When you stop by the General Store for supplies this week, you can enter for a chance to win one of two stand-up patio coolers or Uinta Brewing LED signs!
As an added bonus, mention Uinta's Facebook post when you visit any day this week for a free gift. Tues-Sat 12pm-6pm. 

If I missed something, please hit me up so I can add it to the week's list. 

Cheers!

New Beer Friday: Mother's Day Edition

With Mother's Day approaching, I couldn't resist. Cheers to all of you beer loving mothers out there, you don't get enough credit. Happy New Beer Friday!

Fisher - Hazard Pay: A sturdy backbone of pale, bready malts and caramel sweetness soon gives way to some citrusy grapefruit and resiny pine notes. The finish is pithy and bitter, with a lingering, astringent aftertaste. On the light side of medium-bodied, with middling carbonation levels appropriate for the style. Fairly refreshing, with a reasonably hoppy kick to it - definitely session-worthy. 5.0% - Available in Crowlers to go at Fisher.

UTOG - Puckertime: The aroma is lactic with a funky yogurt appeal, lemony with spoiled grain and hints of cream corn. The taste is tart and lemony lactic, slightly vinous and fruity even. Some faint hints of dusty to earthy brett and grain. This isn't a super sour bomb, if you're looking for brutal tart ripper, you'll be disappointed. 5.0% - Available in Crowlers to go at UTOG

Bewilder - Orange Honey Wheat: This one debuts today. I have no notes on it yet. 5.0% For dine-in and to-go at Bewilder Brewing.

Talisman - Spindrift: Not quite new. New to me I guess. Aroma of sticky buns and bread crusts. Very malty aroma here. Some blood orange and apricots. Flavor brings up ripe citrus fruits, cantaloupe, pineapple, caramel with faint herbal hops. Feel is somewhat juicy and creamy. Slight resins, some puckering in the finish. 5.0%  - Available at Talisman.

Returning

2 Row - Divine Lunacy: The barrel aged quad is back! aged in bourbon barrel for nearly a year. The bourbon is nearly overpowering at first, but once you palate adjusts the bubblegum and peach from Quad begin to assert themselves. Very nice! 11.5% - Available at 2 Row Brewing.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 5/1/20

There will be a lot of releases in the coming days, so plan your brewery trips well this weekend. Happy New Beer Friday.

Shades - Cherry Pistachio Golden Sour: There's some sour stone fruit aromas with a good dose of nuttiness. That taste follows with tart pie cherries taking hold immediately, and just as fast as those  came in the pistachio enters. The nuttiness is medium and they play off the perceived nuttiness you can get from some cherries. Quite different and nice. 5.7% - available at Shades.

Fisher - Pink Boots Pale Ale: Aroma is a mix of grapefruit, orange, tropical, and citrus hops with some sweet caramel and biscuit malts. Taste starts off with a mix of grapefruit, tropical, and citrus hops with some bitterness and some sweet caramel malts. Through the middle, some light floral hops come through with a bit more bitterness and some biscuit malts. The finish is a mix of grapefruit and citrus hops with a hint of pine, some mild bitterness, and some sweet bready malts. 5.0% - Available at Fisher to-go in crowlers.

RoHa - High on the Hop Lazy IPA: The aroma is of tropical hops with notes of mango and papaya. I'm tasting more along the realm of piney to tropical hops and light malt and it's very well balanced, at that. The light malt is at the forefront and the tropical to piney hops appear at the back of the palate. The mouth is smooth and delicate. 5.0% - Available Saturday at Noon. Only at RoHa Brewing Project.

Talisman - Aerith: This sour ale is infused with mango and hibiscus and is a very limited release. This goes on sale today at noon. 5.0% - only at Talisman. 

Saltfire - A Series of Singularities Lemon Drop: Made with Lemon Drop hops, this hits today at 11am. 6.9% ABV. Only at Saltfire.

Toasted Barrel - Coffee Brown Ale: Some nutty coffee aromas. The taste is somewhat cola like with some sugary sweetness and percolated coffee. Some vanilla towards the end with a slightly tart finish. 5.0% - Available now at toasted barrel.

Toasted Barrel - Cranberry Cherry Sour: This was aged in red wine barrels. I have no real info on this one, but it is set to be released Saturday. I'll hopefully have more info by then.

Red Rock - Nuevo Leon: This is their Lime Gose aged in Tequila Barrels. This will be a limited release and will go on sale May 5th for Cinco de Mayo. I'll have notes on this before then for sure.

Upslope Experimental IPA: Made with orange blossom honey. Missed this one but it's popping up at select DABC stores. I know the Avenues liquor store has some. 6.5% 

Salude!