New Beer Friday 3/26/21

Hops. This week is all about the hops. If you're not a fan of beer's more bitter side, you may want to send out that form letter to the breweries. You know, that one that you've been threatening to send since 2010. Happy New Beer Friday!

Uinta - Sonder: This small batch series IPA features Mosaic, Enigma and Idaho 7 cryo hops. Aroma of Pineapple, guava, tangerine, and lemongrass herbal hop notes are strongest in a very complex fruity hop nose. Flavor is a bit more edgy aggressively hoppy with more herbal and a slight vegetative bite and bitterness which I like. The fruit notes meet the hype with tangerine, peach, orange, pineapple, and guava with some more herbal lemongrass in the background. Medium bitterness with big fruity esters. 8.3% Available at Uinta starting today.

Uinta - Ghosts of Sego: This was a late addition that hit last Saturday. This is a maibock made with coffee and barrel aged in whiskey. The aroma starts with  brown bread like toast on the nose. A sweet caramel and clean sense comes through as well. There is a large coffee dryness to this as well. Flavor wise;  light bread and baklava come to mind as the lager's gently rolling sweetness reveals a mild coffee presence and the bourbon barrel spices things up a bit. Growing intense over the middle, the common Maibock flavors are traded for a more savory dopple-demeanor. 6.5% - Available at Uinta

Uinta - Guava Mojito Tart: The aroma has the typical lactic tartness with mostly guava and a hint of lime and mint. The taste follows with mostly guava back by lemony tartness. The lime and mint come in much later, mostly detectable in the finish. Nice and refreshing. 5.0% - Available at Uinta.

Bonneville - 8th AnniversaRye: This is probably my favorite beer from Bonneville. The AnniversaRye changes its hop bill every year, and thus far, non have disappointed. This lager has spicy malted rye and citrus peel with woody notes from the Tahoma hops that were used. Finishes slightly dry. 5.0% Only at Bonneville Brewing and select Pins and Ales locations

Bonneville - Big Red Triumph: This utilizes a special varietal of German malts that give it a vivid red color. These malts also add a rich maltiness, while the use of Triumph hops enhance the ale with a pleasant fruit and bubblegum Character. 5.0% Only at Bonneville Brewing and select Pins and Ales locations.

Hopkins - Extraterrestrial Sacrament IPA:  Subtle aromas of grapefruit, pine, malt, hint of oranges, biscuits, bread. Grapefruit, some pine, moderate amount of bitterness in the middle, finish is piney, hint of honey, slight pepper, citrus zest, solid. Medium light with a good amount of carbonation, semi-dry finish. 5.0% - Only at Hopkins.

Bewilder - Deseret IPA: This new IPA is brewed with honey which is appropriate because it has a nice deep honey color. A hoppy nose, with a big whiff of oranges and dank herbs. A touch floral, with juicy tropical tones and honey in the background. Flavor is hop-forward, fruity and herbal, but it's not over the top and not overly malty. Only moderate bitterness; no astringency. Citrus tones are most prominent, along with bright herbs, with very little dankness considering the nose. 7.0% - Available starting today at Bewilder.

Wasatch - Ut-X Double IPA:  The nose is saturated and pronounced, with strong overtones of orange, pineapple, and tangerine with light backing notes of mango and ripe guava. The Citra seems very pronounced here, with a little bit of the odd "berry" like note of Mosaic helping out. a nice aroma, but the flavor is a different beast. A bit maltier and more balanced, with a deftly creamy and, well, juicy feel bringing with it lots of berry, mango, pineapple, and orchard fruit flavors along with a touch of pine and bitter resin in the finish to round it all out, this is where the beer shines. 9.5% Available at Wasatch in Park City and at their beer store in SLC.

Illuminated Brew Works- Hallucignosis: This lactose DIPA employs Sabro hop to bring you into a full-bodied flavors of citrus, apricot and creamsicle with a distinct finish of coconut. 8.0% - Found at Slackwater (Sandy) and select DABC stores.

Breckenridge - Mountain Beach: Lime guava and pineapple dominate this mildly sour Gose. It highly drinkable and if you're a fan of fruited sours, this will make you quite happy. 4.8% - Found at Harmons.

Here are this week's small batch beers from Hopkins Brewing. 

Cheers!

Lindeman's Find's Its Rightful Utah Home

Many of you may have noticed that Lindeman's Lambics have started popping up in grocery stores. If you haven't;  Lindeman's Lambics have started popping up in grocery stores. 

For the last few decades Utah's DABC has insisted that these popular Belgian lambics be sold in the liquor stores and taxed as "liquor". With the 2019 change in the ABV laws I guess the DABC has decided that they had no choice but to cut them loose. The vast majority of Lindeman's portfolio has always fallen at or below 4.0% ABV, with only four versions of Cuvée René  coming in above 5.0%. If you want these, you'll still have to go through the DABC and do a special order as the DABC has discontinued all of the Gueuzes. 

Flavors spotted by consumers include: Framboise, Peche, Strawberry and Kriek. If you've come across other flavors please share what and where you found them please.

I know a lot of bars and restaurants have expressed interest in getting these popular beers on draft, this is looking to be a reality in the coming weeks and months. Again: If you've come across draft options, please share what and where you found them.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 3/19/21

There are some nice Irish themed beers out this week, along with some strong entires that follow some more traditional lines.  

Proper - Jump the Shark: This double hazy IPA has a nice hazy peach color with aromas of tropical fruits. The taste starts with some peach and malt then goes directly to the tropical notes. Mango and orange with hints of star fruit and pineapple. This is crazy good stuff. 8.0% - Debuts today at Proper.  

Bewilder - Dip It Like It's Hop:  The wheat beer is hazy yellow in color with a quarter finger high white head. Light to moderate aromas of citrusy hops are present in the nose—lemon and grapefruit seem to stand out in particular—along with notes of wheat. Similar to the smell, the taste has flavors of citrusy hops and wheat along with a light to moderate amount of hop bitterness. This is a very nice and refreshing hoppy wheat ale—it's got so much hops in it that you might think it is an American IPA. 5.0% - Only at Bewilder.

Bewilder - Leprechaun Tears: This is basically the Irish Lager with Green glitter. The taste is veery nice with creamy malt and light hop with floral sweet quality and mild yeast adding a creamy taste with mild hop bitterness to balance the malt sweetness which is toasty and light with a low alcohol flavor if any in the taste mostly herbal hops in the finish. Overall excellent lager with more hop flavored than your average Irish Lager. 5.0% - Available at Bewilder.

Bewilder Scottish Red Ale: The beer pours bright light brown with copper highlights and very light brown head. The head builds quickly on a hard pour and recedes slowly to a cap and leaves plenty of lacing. The aroma is faint with toasted bread and caramel. The taste is burnt sugar caramel and toasty malt with some earthy hops rolling in mid palate before a firm and moderately bitter finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, adequately carbonated and mostly dry in the finish. Overall, very good. Not the most complex Scottish ale out there, but solid and well made. 5.0% - Only at Bewilder.

Fisher - Trillions Sour: Nice flavors of pineapple, pomegranate perched on top of a tart lemony base. The flavor are most prominent towards the finish, withe some lingering fruitiness. tasty sour. 5.0%

Fisher - Lazer Haze:  Hoppy with a lot of pine. Some grapefruit and floral notes in the nose as well. Grapefruit is stronger than in the nose. Pine notes as well as vague citrus. Good stuff. 5.0% - Available at Fisher

Fisher - Rescue Roll: 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.

Uinta - Goldcore - Pineapple Tart: Missed this new R&D beer. Look for Light Acidity and wheat with pineapple dominating.  5.0% - Very limited, only at Uinta. 

TF - Hopf Weisse: Cloudy, almost milky peach appearance. The nose is full of citrus and estery banana. The taste follows with more banana with clove from the yeast. The hops add grapefruit peel with pine as well. It's a bit muddled if not full flavored. 4.8% - only at TF Brewing. 

UTOG - Beer: Smells rather unassuming — mostly of mild malts. Taste is a nice balance of malts and hops. Floral, piney, citrus pith. Has a drier finish that leaves a bitter, pith-like taste which another sip will alleviate easily, thus, easy-drinking. Just seems like a really solid APA. 5.0% - At UTOG.

Breckenridge Nitro Irish Stout: Light roasted malts with a hint cocoa and a minor sourness. It's pretty light. I had this then a Guinness and the Guinness smoked it. It was meh. 4.8%. Found at Lucky 13, Beerhive, Beer Bar.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 3/12/21

This is a big week. I found a shload of new craft beer offerings. There's something here for every beer and cider lover. Happy New Beer Friday!

Level Crossing - Pink Boots Pale Ale: This has a nice fruity aroma of mostly citrus peel. This has a really tasty citrusy/berry profile on the palate. There's a tasty bed of creamy malts backing it up, giving the whole beer a very drinkable profile. Great stuff. 5.0% - Only at Level Crossing.  

Level Crossing - Vienna Lager: A copper-colored celebration of European amber lagers. It has aromas of freshly toasted bread, biscuit and rich caramel that gives way to a delicate floral hop presence.  It has soft and elegant flavors of malt and toastiness balanced out with a gentle touch of Tettnang hops. Vienna-Style Lager was lagered for three weeks giving the beer a medium-light body with a crisp and dry finish. 5.0% - Only at Level Crossing.  

Proper - Ostara: Proper has reformulated their citrus infused triple IPA. Orange amber colored body, with a touch of haze. Real nice citrus soft orange of hop on the nose. Orange quality comes out more juiced than spicy, sweet or oily. Palate is a real good simple pleasure. Real nice creamy mouthfeel, almost gives way to soft cake texture. Mid palate of juiced orange and a hair of spiced green herbal character. Deep full bodied finish, with rich malt texture and thick supportive backbone. This is a TIPA on a simple profile that is really heavily made better by a way better than average mouthfeel. Feels rich even when it isn't. 8.5% - Only at Proper and its restaurants.

Proper - Sour Ranger (Blueberry and Lemon): This debuts today. Sadly I have no notes on this one. 5.0% - Only at Proper and its restaurants.

Proper - Jump the Shark: This Double Hazy is being canned today, and should be out today or tomorrow. I would call before making the trip, just to be sure. 8.0% - Only at Proper and its restaurants.  

Kiitos - Passion Fruit Zumu: This hazy IPA has the classic tropical hops and is quite pleasant in that regard. The addition of passion fruit adds a nice subtle tart element that takes it to a whole new level. It's almost refreshing. Zumu is Finish for cloudy. 5.0% - Only at Kiitos.

Kiitos - Glitter Green Ale: They did a small of this one and it's disappearing fast. This is a cream ale at its base. But the novelty here is all about the beer's glittery jade tornado appearance. If it's gone when you come by more will be released on Saint Patrick's Day. 5.0% - Only at Kiitos.

Bewilder - Around the Sun and Bock: This is a pale Dopple Bock that debuts today. It is Bewilder's biggest beer to date, coming in at 8.2%. Only at Bewilder. 

Hopkins - Friendly Introduction Pale Ale No. 8: Their house pale ale is brewed with locally grown and malted Solstice Mild Malt, then dry-hopped with the Pink Boots Hop Blend. Citrusy, fruity aromas and flavors are the highlight of this pale ale while allowing a delicate malty backbone with minimal bitterness and a dry finish. 5.0% - Available at Hopkins.

Hopkins - Cascade Oat Saison: Brewed with 100% locally grown and floor-malted Solstice Pilsner, flaked oats, flaked rye, and wheat, then finished with cascade hops. This saison displays aromatic, light fruity and spicy notes with a dry finish.  5.0% - Available at Hopkins.

Hopkins - Stonewall Sour Saison: This is soured naturally with lactobacillus then ferment with saison yeast. Orange peel and coriander round out the lemony tartness with a fruity and herbal refreshing finish. 5.0% - Available at Hopkins.

Salt Flats/Ogden River - Schwartzbier: This collaboration beer has a nutty aroma with light cocoa shavings over a smooth, bready core. Taste is beyond smooth, drinking at first like a line drive moving fast to that signature Schwarzbier light roast flavor. Opens to even more smooth lager malt with nutty, dirty, and cocoa accents, centered on drinkability. Maybe a smidge of caramel but for the most part just a barely black lager. Hops are low and the mouthfeel is low but the carbonation is just about right. 5.0% - This is available at Salt Flats and Ogden River Brewing.

Shades - Shamrock Shake: I Jumped the gun on this one last week. Apologies if you made the trip on my recomendation. The nose brings some heavy mint and light cream. Interesting and inviting. The flavor has a vague creme brûlée thing going on with sugary sweetness, and mint. The base beer's tartness is light and crisp. Medium body with a very sweet finish. Mint in beer is tough, This is not a bad attempt at copying the milkshake. 6.5% - Available at Shades.  

RoHa - Fuzzy Pucker: Pouring a slight foggy goldenrod, the spritzy ale rises and falls with a quick, loose froth. The nose has citrus cider and tart peach with hints of yogurt. Sweetness fades nearly as quick as its froth while the sourness begins to build upon the middle palate. Peach flavors float gently above the natural fruitiness of lemon. A Mountain Dew-esque taste to round out the late palate. 5.0% Now in cans to go. Soon to grocery stores.

Mountain West Cider - Elliott Gold: This new cider is made with special apple varietal that can only be found in Utah. Delicatly sweet and puckering this cider has a wonderful balance that has a nice semi-dry Finish 6.5% only at Mountain West for a limited time.

Mountain West Cider - Irish Cream Hard Cider: This is quite nice. you have that great semi-tart apple base with a brilliant creme brûlée' sweetness.. It's almost undetectable and  and tastes wonderful. 6.0% - Only at Mountain west. 

Policy Kings - Rainbow Child: This new sour is brewed with strawberry puree and butterfly pea flower. Brewed to honor Prince. 5.0% - Only at Policy Kings.

Bombastic - Shiver Coffee Stout: Missed this. You can find this at Slackwater (Sandy).

Bombastic - Big Dumb Beer: Missed this. You can find this at Slackwater (Sandy).

Jolly Pumpkin - Lo-Fi Mai Tai: Missed this. You can find this at Slackwater (Sandy).

Mother Earth - Flawless Imperfection: This is a tropical bomb with a nice wheaty malt base. Nice orange blossom, tangerine, and apricot notes as well. quite tasty. 7.5% Found at Beehive and  Slackwater (Sandy). 

On top what we have listed above from Hopkins, here are this weeks Small Batch beers from Hopkins.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 3/5/21

New Beer Friday and chill. 'Nuf said?

Proper - Brunch Beer: Aroma is simple and pleasant: lots of grainy earthy wheat malt, paired with good authentic earthy grapefruit citrus / peel flavor. Light pungent grapefruit tartness. Slightly creamy, with some peaches n' cream type smells. Fleshy. Fruity. Smells good. Taste is the same: keeps it simple, but very flavorful. Earthy wheat malt, with lots of good citrusy, earthy, bitter grapefruit juice / rind flavor. The two compliment each other nicely, and give off flavors of peaches, nectarines, & tangerine also. Crisp, earthy, fruity, & juicy stuff. 5.0% - Available at Proper now. Grocery stores soon.

Fisher - Beast of Zion: The aroma has a sweet candied sugar smell with a great showing of a lightly toasted malt aroma. Along with these smells there is a little bit of clove and bubblegum. The taste begins some of the sweeter flavors that were detected in the nose. Some candied sugar as well as some peach, apricot, and apple are the base of the sweet, which is supported by a nice lightly toasted bready flavor. As the taste advances a big bubblegum and light yeasty tastes come to the tongue and are joined by some of the spice flavors of nutmeg and clove that were present in the nose. Toward the end, some light alcohol and a bit of grain and herb come to the tongue to leave one with a pleasantly warming Belgium ale taste to linger on the tongue. 9.0% - Only at Fisher.

Shades - Shamrock Shake: The nose brings some heavy mint and light cream. Interesting and inviting. The flavor has a vague creme brûlée thing going on with sugary sweetness, and mint. The base beer's tartness is light and crisp. Medium body with a very sweet finish. Mint in beer is tough, This is not a bad attempt at copying the milkshake. 6.5% - Available at Shades.  

Bewilder - Irish Lager: The taste is veery nice with creamy malt and light hop with floral sweet quality and mild yeast adding a creamy taste with mild hop bitterness to balance the malt sweetness which is toasty and light with a low alcohol flavor if any in the taste mostly herbal hops in the finish. Overall excellent lager with more hop flavored than your average Irish Lager. 5.0% - Available at Bewilder.

Toasted Barrel - Oud Bruin: This is a barrel aged sour brown ale. I hate that I missed it because Our Bruins are my favorite sours. Look for lite toffee m alts with complimenting tartness. 7.0% - Only at Toasted Barrel

Cheers!