New Beer Friday 9/25/20

There a massive selection of beers for you this week and we've got the antidote to your COVID blues. Strap-in this is going to be a long, New Beer Friday.

Saltfire - A Series of Singularities: Nelson Sauvin: Plenty of caramel sweetness, layered with white wine grapes, lychee and a fair amount of spiciness. A substantial malt base, after which comes the expected dry, white-wine, gooseberry and melon flavor from the Nelson Sauvin hops. Finishes dry with substantial, but not overwhelming bitterness. A very nice single hop IPA. 7.1% - Available at Saltfire.

Saltfire - Mobius Trip - Non Sequitur: This is a mixed culture kettle sour. Mobiles Trip is typically made with funkier yeasts. This version is made with peaches. For a kettle sour, this one isn't 'break your jaw' sour. There's notes of lime peel up front. It's unexpected and pleasant. Next come the peach; it's comes off as green and unripened due to the base beer. The date on the bottle says 8/25/20 it's like 9/25/20. 7.3% - available today at Saltfire.

Desert Edge - Game Day Red: This is a little more subtle than an amber ale – not a caramel forward. the medium amount of malt sweetness met with mostly orange peel and pine with some floral notes in the finish. It has a nice old school 90s feel. 5.0% - only at Desert Edge.

Heber Valley - The Grunge IPA: I hate living so far from this brewery, because they're cranking-out some really good stuff. If you have any tasting notes on this new release please share them here. This was made with locally grown hops from Heber, UT (I assume). 5.0% only at Heber Valley Brewing.

RoHa -Rose Wild Beer: Named for Betty White's character, Rose from the Golden Girls  – The base beer here is Maltese Cross, that's been fermenting on 100% brett for most of COVID. The nose is hoppy, with some dark fruits and barnyard funk. the taste is much more malty than the nose led me to believe. There's some minor berry and melon notes with some moist cake. It's really easy on the palate. Towards the finish you get some fink and woody notes. A nice, young, brett beer. 5.0% Available at RoHa in crowlers to-go only. 

Shades/TF - Strawberry Rhubarb Pie: Brewed with their pals at TF Brewing this is a nice subtle beer. It's got strawberry for sure, the rhubarb part gets a little lost in the base kveik beer; it doesn't really matter because it all comes off as the same. It's  not cloying at all and the graham cracker is complimentary and not in your face. 6.5% - Available at Shades and better beer pubs around the Wasatch Front.       

Shades/Three Monkeys Beer - Bad Habits: Never heard of Three Monkeys Beer? Not surprising,  they're out of Rio de Janero and they've collaborated on an American Style Sour ale made with mango and lactose. This is quite creamy, the mango is nicely mellow. It brings up the drinkanbility a lot. The lactose isn't cloying either, so you get a nice, well round drinking experience. Very nice. 6.5% Available at Shades and better beer pubs around the Wasatch Front.   

Shades/Uinta - Kveik Nosh: This a part Hop Nosh - part Kveik sour and part juice beer. It comes across as dryer west coast sour. the base beer isn't too tart, and it helps to prep the palate for the dose of grapefruit juice coming your way. It's  not overpower by any means but you can defiantly taste the difference between hops trying to taste like grapefruit and real thing. A very nice nice and unique IPA. 6.5% At Shades starting 9/26/20.  

Red Rock - Pumpkin Chocolate Chip: This 

Wasatch - Juicy 074: This is an experimental hop IPA

Mike Hess - Into the Sunset: This blood orange infused IPA pours a nice apricot shade of Amber, moderately cloudy and leaving just some minor fine sheeting. Orange pith on the nose. Loaded with orange notes, some resiny hoppyness and a pleasing malty underbelly. 6.5% - Found at Slackwater Sandy.

Mike Hess - Hop Cloud: Floral aroma with equal parts mango and pineapple right up front, then a rush of pure orange peel. Low bitterness, as this is a NEIPA. And yes, there's plenty of haze if rouse the can. 7.0% - Found at Slackwater Sandy.

Cascade - Valley Flora: This 2017 vintage has a heavy vinous profile with cherry and plum. Vinegar towards the end; dryer than balsamic with a scratchy finish. Made with Pino Noir grapes. 10.0% - Found a Beer Bar. 

Cascade - Cuvee Du Jongleur: This is a blend of Belgian reds, tripels and and quade ales aged in oak casks. Sour cherries, balsamic vinegar, some sugar and cake batter. It has the lactic classic red malt that Flanders Reds are known for, oak and acid are clear. Adds some more complexity with some Belgian malt and ester flavors, notes of fruit - lemon and tangerine in there as well. 8.4% - Found at Beer Bar

Founders - Unraveled IPA:  Smells fruity and floral. Pineapple is the strong aroma. Taste is fruity, pineapple, a bit floral; not very bitter. A really pleasant IPA. 6.6% Found at Slackwater Sandy

Trickster - J-Box: This brewery is new to the SLC Market. Trixster hails from Coeur d'Alene, ID. J-Box features Simcoe, Mosaic and Chinook hops. This beer is resiny with slight juice, grapefruit, pine and orange peel, but pretty mellow overall. 5.0% Found at Harmons

Sawtooth - Free Solo: This is branded as a hazy Single hop IPA made with BRU-1 hops. I'm not really familiar with this newer hop strain. They're said to contribute notes of pineapple and stone fruit, that is backed with a soft spiciness. We shall see. 4.9% Found at Harmons

New Belgium - Higher Plane VooDoo Ranger: Missed this new one. This one can be found at DABC stores. Missed this new hazy IIPA. 8.5% - Found at DABC

Returning Favorites

Uinta - Sea Legs: This initially debuted in December 2012 and was supposed to be a one-off. Well it's back in a far more manageable 12 ounce bottle (formerly 750ml). It pours a very murky, dark brown, almost black color with a small tan head. The nose is brilliant! full of toffee with some chocolate biscotti, a hint of Bourbon and espresso. The taste starts with sweet chocolate with some biscuity malt flavors. A bit of dark fruits with vanilla and subtle whiskey come next with a bit of dark chocolate and toffee in the finish. The alcohol is well hidden in this 8% beer.

Fisher - Beet Saison: Fisher's infamous beet infused beer is back for a limited time. Super earthy with medium sweetness. The saison part is very light with hints of clove and white pepper.  5.0% - only at Fisher.

Roosters - Cosmic Autumn Rebellion: To give credit where credit is due, this is the original locally made Pumpkin chocolate chip cookie beer. Pumpkin spice aroma with cocoa. The taste is pumpkin spices dough and chocolates. Reminds me very much of those chocolate chip pumpkin cookies. 6.0% Available at all Rosters Locations.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 9/18/20

 Welcome to the adult version of New Beer Friday. We tried the kids edition – but after a few days in the pokey, we decided that wasn't going to work. So here it is, a nice, round selection of new suds for your weekend.

Proper - Strawberry Hibiscus Sour Ranger: Smells of strawberry, slight wheat with floral notes. Tastes of strawberry, wheat, hint of pale malt and slight yogurt. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with a slight bitterness. Overall, while the strawberry is strong in the aroma, it is much better balanced in the body. The tartness is assertive but there's enough strawberry to get above it. 5.0% - Available at Proper.

TF Brewing - Straight Stratta Pale: This wet-hop pale ale pours a medium golden amber with one finger white head with good retention and lots of lacing. Aroma of ripe tangerine peel, light lemon citrus, bready malt; a little earthy. Flavor follows with an emphasis on ripe melon, lemon and tangerine citrus, a hint of pine, bready and mildly caramel malt. Finishes with fruit forward tropical and citrus hops and nice earthy residual malt. A very tasty Stratta hopped pale ale. 5.0% - Only at TF on draft. 

Salt Flats - Pumpkin Spice Latte: Pours a slightly hazy amber orange with an aroma of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, graham cracker and vanilla. Flavor is of cracker malts, graham cracker, pumpkin pie, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a hint of coffee.  A solid pumpkin ale one the pie side of pumpkin. Good stuff. 5.0% - Available at The Garage in Draper and Salt Flat's Brewery. Not vegan friendly.

Wasatch - Kick Back Series Oktoberfest: A toasted bread aroma with cracker, caramel and sweet malt. Very sweet and fresh smelling. Pretty well balanced between the malt and hops, maybe a little malt advantage. The abv is 6.0% and does casually make its presence known. This is like a meeting of German feistbers and American Oktoberfest brews. Available at most Wasatch/Squatters locations.

Epic - Señor Pepino: It has a nice pastel straw color with a nose that is mild, but has the unmistakable fresh garden aroma of cucumber. Earthy and green taste of fresh cucumber slices and some light traces of yeast fruitiness. The lager is complimented well by the vegetable addition, but it all seems to overpower the lime. Light and fresh feel, a clean lager with ample body and carbonation. 4.5% - Available at Epic in 16 ounce cans.

Squatters - Grandma's Cookies: Pours an opaque black with a nitro foamy khaki head. Aromas of dark roasted malt, allspice toasted oats, and slight cocoa. Taste is much the same with cookie dough and a cocoa flavor on the finish. There is a mild amount of roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a silky and creamy mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is tasty and easy to drink. 5.0% - only at Squatters downtown.

Flensbberger - Pilsner: This is a somewhat hoppy pilsner that has a great balance of doughy, grainy malt and grassy hops going for it, with some lighter floral, citrus accents and a good bitterness in the finish. Quite crisp and clean, with a very balanced flavor profile leaning towards hoppy-side of the style. 4.8% - only at the Bayou in crowlers to-go.

Mike Hess Brewing - 4:59 Little IPA: Citrus hops are the most prevalent. Some floral hints as well. Biscuity light malts are also noticeable yet subtle. Flavor is assertive and hop forward with notes of orange, grapefruit, passion fruit, pine, light caramel and a bit of grassy hops. Assertive bitter finish with pine lingering. 4.59% - Found at Slackwater in Sandy.

Last week we mentioned the Shades' 10th Anniversary beers. The were delayed due to last week's power outages. So here they are again, available for purchase. 

Shades/Ice Haüs: The Ice Haüs is a staple for craft beer lovers in Murray. This collaboration is a Bloody Mary Michelada American-Style Sour Ale. It made with tomato, celery salt, chili peppers and worchestershire sauce. This nails the flavors quite well. The tart base ups the beers drinkabilty; maybe a bit more celery salt for my palate, but it's quite nice if you like this type of beer. 6.5%

Shades/Taproot Soda: When you're chasing the perfect unconventional mixer for your spirits, you're likely pouring Utah's own, Taproot Sodas. This week's second collaboration takes Taproot's Blackberry Mint soda and combines it with Shades' Kveik sour ale. 6.5%

 Cheers!

New Beer Friday 9/11/20

To celebrate Shades' 10th anniversary, the South Salt lake City brewery has teamed up with an international list of craft breweries to create 10 new beers for you to enjoy throughout September. The first two releases hit tomorrow (9/12/20).

Shades/Ice Haüs: The Ice Haüs is a staple for craft beer lovers in Murray. This collaboration is a Bloody Mary Michelada American-Style Sour Ale. It made with tomato, celery salt, chili peppers and worchestershire sauce. This nails the flavors quite well. The tart base ups the beers drinkabilty; maybe a bit more celery salt for my palate, but it's quite nice if you like this type of beer. 6.5%

Shades/Taproot Soda: When you're chasing the perfect unconventional mixer for your spirits, you're likely pouring Utah's own, Taproot Sodas. This week's second collaboration takes Taproot's Blackberry Mint soda and combines it with Shades' Kveik sour ale. 6.5%

Uinta - Turn Farm: This beer benefits the Utah Avalanche Center and is part of their annual fundraiser. This is a small batch cream ale has a nice cereal grain aroma with light floral hops. Tastes of white bread, light grainy malt, corn and cereal are the primary flavor notes throughout the entire profile but there is a bit of very light caramel and light grassy hops that are light and lingering. 6.0% - Only available at Uinta.

Wasatch - Great Deceiver: This new Imperial Pilsner has a nose of biscuity and grainy malt along with a lot of noble-like hops characters. Very Czech pilsner-ish. Similar flavors. Bready, grainy malt and spicy, grassy hops. Finishes with a bold, slightly metallic bitterness. Good moderately high carbonation. 7.0% - Available at most Wasatch locations.

Kiitos - Black is Beautiful: Aroma of dark toasted malt with mild char, chocolate, light coffee and molasses; a bit boozy. Flavor is dark toasted malt with moderate char, dark chocolate, licorice, char and coffee in the finish with a little biscuit; slightly dry. A very nice stout. 10.0% - Only at Kiitos.

Bewilder - Los Hazey Boi: Aroma of orange/tangerine, grapefruit and melon - some faint pine as well. Taste is similar to the aroma, melon, tangy citrus and tropical fruit, grainy malt, light spicy/herbal hop notes. 4.8% - Available at Bewilder.

Destihl - Key Lime Gose: The aroma has yogurt, lime, malts, and salt. The flavor starts with cream cheese and graham cracker. You may think, cream cheese? and go, ewww.  It works. These flavors are followed by lime and lemony tartness from the base beer. Overall it's a tasty pie- beer (which might become its own style), not too much sourness, with a nice creamy feel.

Destihl - Haze of the Dead: It's hazy, so if that's important to you, you're already good to go. The color is orange with nice foam. There a good dose of citrus hops with pith and lime zest. The tastes follows with added pineapple and mango with pithy grapefruit flavors and a hint of bitterness in the finish. This gets into West Coast IPA, purists please take note. It delivers strong hops without being overly bitter or too sweet. Very nice.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 09/04/20

Grid City - Extra Pale Ale: Building on the success of their standard pale ale, Grid City decided to make two bigger versions using the same malt and hop bill. This version drinks like a pale should with nice caramel, citrus peel and pine. at 6.6% You'd think that it would be more like an IPA but it's not. The malt profile keeps it in check. Available mid-late afternoon on Friday. Call before making the trip, just to be safe.

Grid City - Imperial Pale Ale: At 8.6% you'd think this was an IPA as well, and technically it is. But the same malt bill keeps the base style alive with loads of caramel. The kicker here is the hops. They're big chewy and resinous with the same citrus and pine qualities. Available mid-late afternoon on Friday. Call before making the trip, just to be safe.

Shades - Double IPL: This is slightly sweeter than your typical IPL which gives it more of an IPA feel. The Citra hops give it a good dose of tangerine and it has a nice clean finish. Think: West Coast Double IPA. 8.0% - Available at Shades.   

Shades - PB&J Blueberry: The base beer is Shades' kveik beer so it's slightly tart at first. Subtle peanut butter comes in next with light blueberry taking you the rest of the way. All the flavors are pretty balanced and the PB&J effect is pretty solid. 6.5% - Available at Shades. Not vegan friendly and it obviously has nuts.

Shades - PB&J Raspberry: The notes here are pretty much the same, up to the point where the raspberry kicks in. The berry is a little more assertive in this one and it does come across as being "jammy". If you like less peanut butter, the is the one for you.  6.5% - Available at Shades. Not vegan friendly and it obviously has nuts.

RoHa - Sophia: This is brett pale ale that was started right as the pandemic hit. It's a100% brett fermentation that gives it a slight balsamic nose. The tartness is fairly low with biscuity malts and dough being the primary flavors. there are hints of vague berries as well. If your into brett pales you should defiantly check this one out. Very limited supply of this one. This is the first in a series of four Golden Girls themed brett beers. Blanche, Dorothy and Rose will be coming soon. 5.0% - Available only at RoHa in crawlers to go.

2 Row - Old Fence Wrecker: This beer is a colaboration on many fronts. Made from a recipe formulated by award winning home brewer Zach Belles, this barrel aged barleywine. Look for flavors of caramel and toffee, followed by a hit of bourbon barrel that provides woody oak, vanilla and more caramel. Mid-palate continues with bourbon, and brings out sweet dark fruit notes of fig & raisin . Named for an unidentified Beehive bartender who's love of barleywines has resulted in more that one accidental fence demolitions. 11.6% - available today at 2 Row Brewing. 

Cheers!