New Beer Friday 12/30/22

For the last New Beer Friday of 2022 we have a rare non-IPA week. Of course there's plenty of fresh IPAs out there for you to celebrate the new year, but this week's new offering are a refreshing (literally and figuratively) mix of old and new world beers; perfect for you midnight sociable. 

Beer Nerd Radio today welcomes Jill Wantanabe, co-founder of Utah's Tsuki Sake. Is sake beer, wine, or neither? Jill will set us straight on Sake and its place in Utah. That's today at 2pm on KUAA, 99.9FM 

Strap Tank - New Seizand Saison: Aroma of citrus and floral hops, mild grassy funk. More of the same in the taste, light grassy funk complimented by citrus zest, floral hops, a touch of spice, and a solid pale malt base. Light body, crisp, flavorful, and appropriately carbonated. Nicely done. Not my favorite of the single hop series, but nicely done overall. 5.0% - Strap Tank locations.

Strap Tank - Wassail: This Spiced Graff (blend of apple and beer) The aroma is malty and heavily spiced with big apple pie and a shot of orange as well. Likewise the flavor is heavily spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and apple cider over sweet doughy and bready malts. There is a hint of hops at the end that fades into the finish along with some of the pineapple. It's light to medium bodied with mild carbonation. 5.0% - Strap Tank locations.

RoHa - Rum Barrel-Aged Porter: Nose is roasted coffee with hints of vanilla. The flavor opens with more big roast, smoke, and burnt malt. Chocolate, and cocoa powder mix in, in the middle. End is sweet with a touch of vanilla. A cola finish with a lingering roast aftertaste. 5.0% - Available at RoHa.

Hopkins - Back to Basics Pale Ale: Hopkins' ode to a traditional American west coast pale style, this beer features a beautiful copper color with a moderate hop bitterness. A blend of Chinook and Cascade hops leave some light pine and citrus notes. Heavy malt backbone to mellow the bitterness to a pleasantly crushable beverage. 5.0% - Available at Hopkins.

Fisher - Piney Brown: Big toasted malt nose. Smooth within the medium body. With each sip its like my palate gets slapped with a loaf of toasted bread. Mild hopping is there to balance, suggestions of dried grass, grapenuts, chicory, cocao nibs, and mildly roasted grain in the finish. Such an amazing Brown Ale, loads of flavor and extremely drinkable. 7.3% - Available at Fisher today.

TF - Naturlich Pilsner: This is Templin's second foeder-aged pilsner. This one spent 12 weeks lagering - 8 of those in the foeder. It opens up with classic toasty cracker flavors, sweetness is light. The oak pops almost immediately adding small amount of buttery oak, vanilla and toasty wood. hops are classic euro with lots of herbal grass and a hint of citrus zest. Every pint is a history lesson. 5.0% - This is available in can and draft starting today. 

Here are this week's Small Batch Beers from Hopkins Brewing.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 12/23/22

I hope you've been good lil' boys and girls because our local Santa brewers have been busy in their workshop making all kinds of barley toys for you to play with. Please enjoy and have a safe holiday!

Beer Nerd Radio welcomes our local chapter of the Pink Boots Society today at 2pm. We'll get into what Pink Boots is all about and what's coming up in Utah's beer future. That's at 99.9fm KUAA.

Strap Tank - Dark Nacht: Dark Nacht is first in line by taking an American black lager and combining it with a German style pilsner. the dark malts are extremely complementary to the onslaught of German noble hops, combining the light roast character with floral and herbal hop characteristics. 5.0% 

Salt Flats - 2 Hops 2 Furious: This Belgian-style pale features Idaho 7 & Green Bullet hops. The hops lend a traditional Euro flair to the beer giving it authentic flavor. The yeast is from an Orval strain that is not overly phenolic and keeps this pale from becoming too saison-like. 5.0% - Available at Salt Flats Brewing and their Garage restaurant locations.   

Salt Flats -Flux Capacitor: This single hop pale male features Nelson Savin hops and is brilliant tasting. I won't get into the weeds too much here; just trust me, if you like Nelson Savin hops, then you need this in your life. 5.0% - Available at Salt Flats Brewing and their Garage restaurant locations.   

Salt Flats - Delta 88 Porter: This is served on two different gasses: nitro and Co2. Each gas changed the beer slightly, but look for chocolate and char along with light caramel. You'll have to decide which works best for you. 5.0% Available at Salt Flats Brewing and their Garage restaurant locations.    

Level Crossing - Barrel-Aged Timpanator: An aroma of vanilla, oak, bourbon, caramel, clean and a touch of raisin. Taste is nice, more oaky vanilla, lots of toffee and raisins, alcohol, bread, citrus and delicious bourbon. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with low to medium carbonation. Very warming, the bourbon is well balanced and helps create a beer that is more refined than the typical barrel aged ale. This lager is top notch. 9.3% - Available at Level Crossing.

Saltfire - Winter Session: This IPL leans towards a lemon & lime hop profile. The flavor was big on citrussy-grass hops. dried tropical notes follow with a pale malt backing. Big dry citrus, flowery and grassy and dried lemon notes from the hops give this a pretty big bang of dry hoppiness on the finish. 5.0% - Only on draft at Saltfire

Saltfire - Grievance: This is a Scotch Ale aged in Apple Brandy Barrels. The aroma is sweet, lots of brown sugar, apple, caramel, candied sugar. The barrel is super present, apples, oak, and you can smell the alcohol. The flavor is really smooth, sweet up front, with a little salt. Apples, caramel, nutmeg and cinnamon spices. The carbonation is a bit weaker on the mouth, but this is still one delicious beer. I am not a brandy fan, but the base pulls together so many good qualities that is hard not to enjoy it for what it is. 8.0% Available at Saltfire Starting today. 

RoHa - Lone Ranger: This Mexican-style lager is RoHa's first lager made in house. To me this comes across as part Czech lager and part Mexican lager. The hop profile is big and grassy like classic Czech lagers. There's also some adjunct sweetness from the malts that screams Pacifico. The two manage to work together pretty well in this highly drinkable lager. well done. 5.0% - On draft now at RoHa. 

Proper -  Monolith (Orange): Chocolate aroma - medium sweet. first swig starts the same way with chocolate. not super sweet the char & toast from the malt help to mellow it. the orange creeps in really slow. this serving is pretty cold, but after it lingers a bit you can get a sense of the citrus on the sides of the tongue - plus the mouthfeel in general has a citrus zip. it’s all pretty subtle, and is amplified as it warms. 

Uinta - Lingering Zombie: The tart cranberries in this ale give this the illusion of being a sour ale. This fruited ale is medium tart and berry forward without the enamel stripping ph. you'd expect from a lacto-soured beer. This is simple, straight-forward and quite drinkable. 5.0% A small batch beer, only at Uinta. 

The Following Stormbreaker beers (out of Portland, Or.) are exclusive to the Beer Bar.

Stormbreaker Mississippi Red: This Citra dry-hopped red ale is fully of berry forward malts and a tangerine wand that is damn delicious. 5.8%

Stormbreaker Opacus Stout: Look for aromas of cocoa, deep roast, and caramel are followed by swarming flavors of toffee, dark chocolate, and coffee. 5.0%

Stormbreaker Pumpkin Pedaler: Look for warming aromas of clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Perfectly balanced flavors of pumpkin and spice with hints of maple sweetness lend way to a creamy mouth feel. 7.3%

Stormbreaker Triple Double: Look for ten hop additions of three hop varietals, Mosaic, Citra, and Amarillo. Big aromas of grapefruit citrus and pineapple, with juicy citrus flavors to balance the slight upfront bitterness in the palate. 8.5% 

Stormbreaker What We Brew In The Shadows: Motueka and Pacifica hops shine through in this tropical, melon, and lime forward lager. 4.9%

Stormbreaker Total Rekolsch: Pilsner nose, Noble hops on the palate, ale fermented at cooler temps and lagered for a clean crisp finish with a touch of sweetness. 5.2%

Stormbreaker Keg Fit: Missed this Japanese-style rice lager. 5.3%

Stormbreaker Winter Coat: Missed this winter ale. 7.5% 

Cheers and Happy Holidays!

New Beer Friday 12/16/22

Happy New Beer friday! If Holiday beers arena you list, this is the week for you. The Bayou got in a shload of European beers last night that'll make you squeal!

Today at 2pm on Beer Nerd Radio, Rio Connelly from Scion Cider Bar will join us and  will share his knowledge of beer, cider and all things fermentation related. If you have any questions for Rio hit us up on Instagram @beer_nerd_radio.

Kiitos - Winter IPA: Pours a cloudy, but not turbid yellow gold color with 2 fingers of fluffy, effervescent white head. Not a lot of retention but leaves some nice cobweb lacing. The head settles into a thin cap. The aroma brings notes of spicy, cracked pepper, as well as plenty of fresh peaches, grapefruit, and lemon zest. There's a faint, crackery malt character in the back.The flavor is earthy and bitter up front; lots of spicy hop notes. Then comes a solid wave of cracker malt before a fruity finish. Lots of peaches, lemon, pear, and grapefruit. Nice.The feel is medium-light bodied with pretty good carbonation. Crisp and dry on the finish. Slight lingering bitterness. 5.0% Only at Kiitos 

Park City - Mango Milkshake IPA: Orange juice body with a thin, frothy white foam with decent retention and lacing. Sugar cookie dough aroma with abundant vanilla and tropical fruits. Smells like an Orange Julius with a slap of bitter peel. This really does taste like one too. Orange and vanilla creamsicle with a noticeable pineapple finish. Sweet confectioners sugar base, but once again shows off some pithy bite and even the slightest but of pine. 5.0%

2 Row -Sledgehammer: TrIPA: Pours a very cloudy and bright gold color with two finger sudsy head that fizzles down in a few minutes to a film with chunky lacing. Aroma is citrus peel with a sharp, almost spicy tang to it on the pour. This sharpness dies down to a very pleasant sweet orange scent. Really nice. The taste is so crisp and full of orange flavor with a little pineapple behind it. Wow they did a great job of hopping this one. Clean finish with a bit of seltzer to tingle the tongue. No alcohol burn (at least while cold). Feel is unsticky, just really crisp and light and refreshing. Very low bitterness and not much malt coming through at all - which is what gives it that ethereal quality. 10.5%

Prairie Artisan Ales - This is the Way: Imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels with dark chocolate Oreos, marshmallows, toasted coconut, and toasted almonds. 13.6% - Found at The Bayou.

Prairie Artisan Ales - Super Pistache Bros: Barrel Aged Imperial Stout with Pistachios, Dark Chocolate, Marzipan and Hazelnut Roasted Coffee. 13.6% - Found at The Bayou.

Prairie Artisan Ales - Mo Peanut Mo Problems: Barrel Aged Imperial Stout with Peanut Butter Crème Filled Cookies, Crunchy Wafers layered with Peanut Butter Creme covered in Fudge, and Toasted Marshmallow Flavor. 14.0% - Found at The Bayou.

Bombastic - Conspiracy Fruited Sour: Conspiracy is a heavily fruited sour ale with a dose of milk sugar to bring some creaminess to the body. It's flavor brings you to the tropics with curuba, guava and pineapple. 6.5% - Found at The Bayou.

The Following are exclusive (as far as I know) to the Bayou. Descriptions are not mine.

De Dolle - Stille Nacht: (Silent Night) is brewed for Christmas. It's described as having the highest density of any Belgian beer. It's brewed with pale malt with white candi sugar in the kettle. The Nugget hops gives an extra bitterness to balance the extreme sweetness due to the density. The taste triangle is completed with some acidity of the fermentation. 12.0% - Found at The Bayou.

De Dolle - Oerbier Reserva: This version of De Dolle Oerbier is matured for 18 months in Bordeau wine casks. This aging process creates new flavors in three different ways. The flavors of the wood, that are used to improve wine, can come out into the beer, creating oaky, and tannic flavors. The red wine itself that has soaked into the wood can also enter the beer, giving it wine and fruit flavors. Oxygen, which is present in the barrel, will also create smoky, nutty flavors similar to those found in Sherry. Finally, the are micro organisms in both the beer and the barrel that can continue maturing, producing new flavor elements as the beer ages.

This process creates a truly unique and amazing version of Oerbier, that is only available in one small batch per year. Each year is vintaged, and they can be compared to find distinctions in flavor. 13.0% - Found at The Bayou.

Del Ducato - Ottobre: Wild Fermented Italian Ale with Organic Lambrusco Red Grapes and the wort of Oud Brunello (Del Ducato's Flemish Red). The grapes are squeezed and transferred into a steel vessel (open top), no yeasts are added. The next day fermentation of grapes starts and we brew Oud Brunello wort which is added to the fermenting grape must. 7.0% - Found at The Bayou.

Del Ducato - Settembre: Wild Fermented Italian Ale with Organic Malvasia grapes. 

The resulting beer is very complex and elegant, almost an hybrid between beer and wine. It has tartness from malic acid of the grapes and some of the typical floral notes of Malvasia grape variety. 7.0% - Found at The Bayou.

Montegioco - Bran Reserva: Produced by aging Bran for 10 months in Barbera barrels from Bigolla Walter Massa. In the glass it is black, opaque with a cappuccino colored head. In the nose rosted notes (with a scent reminiscent of cocoa paste) and notes derived from oak aging (reminiscent of balsamic vinegar) coexist. In the mouth there are on one side the obvious toasty, cocoa, soy sauce, and secondly the acidic flavors. The tannins in the long lasting finish show wood and a slight astringency from roasting. 8.5% - Found at The Bayou.

Montegioco - Demon Hunter: Demon Hunter is an intense ale, clearly inspired by Anglo-Saxon style. It is brewed using barley malt, wheat malt and hops. In the glass it has a beautiful deep amber color with ruby highlights and a persistent head. The nose is very rich, but not heavy,. Aromas are reminiscent of chestnut trees, mature plums, grapes and caramel, some honey flavors. Demon Hunter is full-bodied with a long lasting clean finish thanks to the beautiful English hop (East Kent Goldings). 8.5% - Found at The Bayou.

Harvey's - Christmas Ale: A festive delight, this traditional barley wine exudes biscuity malts and rich vinous fruits, all balanced by a strong hop bitterness. Warm the soul with this award-winning beer which embodies the essence of Christmas spirit. 7.5% - Found at The Bayou.

Sinebrychoff Porter: Created by NICOLAI SINEBRYCHOFF in 1819. Sinebrychoff Porter is brewed by the oldest operating brewery in Scandinavia using four different malts (Vienna, Munich, Chocolate, Caramel), two types of hops (Hallertau, Saaz and a fresh young yeast for each new batch. Primary fermentation takes four weeks at 689F with another six (6) weeks of warm-conditioning in the tanks at 70°F. It is an intense Baltic style porter, very much in the Imperial Style that Empress Katharina (18th century) of Russia loved so much. She decreed that all her soldiers had to be supplied with it. 7.2% - Found at The Bayou. 

Sesma - Terroir: Sour Ale aged in red wine barrels with Graciano grapes.

Made with Pilsner malt and aged hops. Reddish and light body, slightly persistent white foam, slightly flattened. Fruity aroma reminiscent of wine. 5.0% - Found at The Bayou.

Sesma - Citrus Maxima: Witbier with wild yeast, brewed with different citrus fruits, grapefruit, lemon meyer, lemon poncil, yuzu, Budha hand, Limequat, Kumquat, bergamot, citron and lime. 5.0% - Found at The Bayou.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 12/9/22

This week we have a full slate of IPAs to keep you occupied, along with some holiday offerings as well.

Beer Nerd Radio today welcomes Donovan Steele of Hoppers Brewing Co. Yes, Hoppers is still alive and kicking, and we'll talk about what that means for Utah's craft beer scene. That's today at 2pm on KUAA 99.9FM.

Roosters - Gingerbread Latte White Stout: Comes off as more ginger root than ginger bread (which I like) vanilla, cinnamon & allspice round it out in the end. Not getting much “latte” & it’s a bit thin. 5.0% - Available at all Roosters locations and Slackwater. 

Bewilder - Brew-Lab IPA: Grassy citrus aromas, grapefruit, limes and malt. Also some sweet honey, giving this beer a very enjoyable plate of aromas. Both hops and malts go down a long way my tongue, very intensivly hopped beer with awesome fruity notes. Got a much stronger malt backbone than I expected, giving the beer a full body. Tastes of honey are a great addition to the dominant citrus and grapefruit aromas. Those stay well in balance with the upcoming malt tastes which are strong, but dont overpower the floral notes of the ale. Sticky, and throughout refreshing mouthfeel with a long bitter finish. 9.3% - Only at Bewilder.

TF - Phantasm (Incognito Mosaic and Nectaron hops): There's a swooning in the nose with a host of radiant citrus, tropical, melon, herb and berries. Its creamy sweetness on the front of the tongue is redolent with cereal, light honey, faint caramel, all in a shortcake kind of way. But the hops reign supreme on the middle palate where a juicy citrus flavor first takes hold. Tangerine, pink grapefruit and lime create a racy citrus impression ahead of a more tropical taste of mango, papaya and passionfruit. Hints of black currant, dank herb, gin-like botanicals and a bitter bite of black tea all align on the late palate for a firm and bitter offset of sweetness.

TF- West Coast Lager: Most American lager follow a plan of citrus hops that finish with some old world herbal bitterness. This one actually takes an opposite direction with the herbal qualities shining up front and the citrus peel flavors backing it up. This is a lot of fun to drink and I'm looking forward to getting to know it better. 5.0% - Available 12/11/22

Equilibrium - C: It's well-balanced and sumptuous with rich tastes of stone fruit, pineapple, and mango. You get a finish that is really smooth and crushable. 4.8% - Found at The Bayou and Slackwater.

Equilibrium - dHop 2: It pours a very murky tangerine color, releasing notes of orange juice (with pulp) and earthy grass. The taste is highly resinous, dank-citrus, pine juice, with a chewy mouth feel and a firm and pointed bitterness. 8.5% -  Found at The Bayou and Slackwater.

Equilibrium - Light at the End of the Tunnel: Aromas and flavors of soft pineapple, navel orange, stone fruit, EQ’s rainbow melon, and lime juice radiate with a touch of pine resin at the finish making this beer an easy drinking accompaniment to celebrate the fact that we hopefully have the finish line in site. 6.8% - Found at The Bayou and Slackwater.

Avery - Mephistopheles' Stout: This has a finish of double espresso and flavors of rum-soaked caramelized dark fruits with a scent of vine-ripened grapes, anise, and chocolate-covered cherries. 14.6% - found at Slackwater.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 12/2/22

There's no drama this week! New Beer Friday has a few things we missed last week (due to our holiday off) along with all of this week's goodness. We have a couple of beers that feature Yakima Chief’s Veterans Blend hops along with a wide variety of holiday beer styles that you're sure to love. 

Today on Beer Nerd Radio, Steph and I welcome James "jimmy" Weed, from Solstice  Malt, Utah's only craft malting house. We get all nerdy on the grains and what it takes to turn grain into malt. That's at 2pm on KUAA 99.9FM.  

Bewilder - I love Juicy: A firm two fingers of white foam and a hazy bright orange. The aroma and flavor are both of tropical fruit, with a light pine finish. carries a little amount, but not much, of alcohol. Generally speaking, drinking is quite simple. a mouthfeel that is medium-full with a smooth, hop-oil finish. juicy and has a strong hop flavor. 8.0% - Only at Bewilder

TF - JESSE DELMARish: This one has the smallest head and no lacing, and it pours a very deep black hue. This smells like a vanilla cake-like texture, oak, bourbon, brown sugar, caramel, and light coconut, along with a fruity bourbon sweetness. Because of the keg's age, the coconut is a little bit light. It has a massive amount of sweetness and bourbon barrel. There is still a ton of vanilla in this, along with fading coconut, a ton of brown sugar, caramel, and molasses, among other delicious malt flavors. This has a respectable level of drinkability and is rich and creamy. It's fairly alcoholic. 12.0% - Only at TF.

Wasatch - Holiday Ale: This porter was brewed with hazelnut-shell smoked malt. Infused all-spice, ginger, and cinnamon. Available at Wasatch (Park City), West Side Tavern.

Offset - Hidden Strings (Thiolized New World Pilsner): Hidden Strings is all about pushing the limits of what Offset's brew team knows when it comes to brewing modern, hop forward beer. This is an incredibly crisp beer akin to a traditional Pilsner but with explosive aromatics and a complex flavor profile of guava, pink grapefruit, white wine and Seville Orange. A nice structured bitterness keeps such an intenselv hopped beer light on the palate. 5.8% - Only at Offest Bier.

Shades - Merry Xmas Ya Filthy Animal: This gingerbread pastry stout pours nearly black with a faint trace of ruby visible at the glasses bottom. Thin, flattened-to-a-cover mocha head. Ginger, vanilla, and some roasted malt aromas can be detected. Molasses, sweet chocolate, and a smidge of ginger at the finish. mouthfeel is thick, smooth, and has great carbonation. 11.0% At Shades Locations, better beer pubs.

RoHa - Dog Tags (Second Tour): This Session IPA uses the Veterans Blend hops (like last year's batch), a blend of HBC 586, Triumph, Chinook, Ekanaut, and Idaho 7. $3 of each pound of hops purchased goes to benefit the HunterSeven Foundation, a research organization looking at chemical exposure and effects for veterans.

Hopkins - Patchwork Pale: This version of Hopkins' rotating and ever-evolving pale ale features Cascade and Mosaic in the kettle, then dry-hopped with Yakima Chief’s Veterans Blend leaving a bouquet of herbal pine and citrus aroma. 5.0% - Available at Hopkins.

Silver Reef - Holiday Dopplebock: Missed this one. As far as I know it's only in the Saint George area for now. 7.5% - Available at Silver Reef.

Proper - Citramuch: Pours a very clear and bright orange color. Aroma is faintly sweet and lightly malty. Reminiscent of sweetened bread roll and marmalade. Right up front, taste is more at the sweet orange slice end of the Citra spectrum, with a lesser bitter grapefruit pith character developing deeper in and on toward the finish. Body is thin. 5.0% - Available at Proper.

Lumberbeard - Rhuberry Zuff: Kettle Sour brewed with raspberry, rhubarb, lemon, vanilla and lactose. This beer goes down like a sweet, raspberry lemonade. 6.3% - Found at Slackwater.

Equalibrium - Super Fractal Koru Set: This IPA features Nelson, Motueka, Waimea, Rakau, and Wakatu hops.It pours a vivid hazy yellow with an aroma of tropical citrus and lime. The flavor is bright candied orange peel, black currant, and white grapes with a light lime finish. This is a crazy one with some intense fruit tones. This beer is extremely aromatic and crushable. 10.0% - Found at Slackwater.

Avery - Electric Sunshine: Look for bright notes of papaya, pineapple, kiwi and huckleberry deliver a satisfying zap to your taste buds in this sour fruited ale. 5.1% - Found at Slackwater.

Here are this week's Small Batch Beers from Hopkins Brewing.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 11/18/22

It's the calm before the storm. As we get closer to the holidays beer production is set to explode with new and holiday offerings. This week's beers are showing the change from hop forward to malt forward; tasty stuff for sure.

On Beer Nerd radio today Steph and I welcome 2 Row's Brian Coleman. I suspect he'll spill all beans and Reveal his prized IPA secrets. You won't want to miss out on this episode. That's today at 2pm on KUAA.

Strap Tank - ALTernator: This Altbier pours a clear reddish brown with a moderate cap of beige head. The nose has strong toast with some medium caramel sweetness - hint of pine. The taste has strong malt up front with toasty crackers and cocoa. Grassy and herbal hops pop in next with a hint of earthy cherry and biscuit in the finish. The flavor is complex and defiantly worth getting your hands on. 5.0% - Available at Strap Tank.

RoHa - Crisper Drawer Golden Ale: This golden is RoHa’s “crispy Boi”. Biscuit & toast with light c-hops flavors of minor citrus and pine flavors. A crusher for sure. 5.0% - Available at RoHa, soon everywhere.

RoHa - Everything Nice: This Holiday Spice Ale has a base beer that is cocoa roasty and malty, which gives the clove cinnamon and allspice some something to counter. The whole package is not overly spiced which helps its drinkability. 5.0% - Only on draft at RoHa.

Uinta - All Hail Pale Ale: Sweet citrus aroma. Very nice. Taste has more citrus with stone fruit and a bit of an herbal bite. Finishes dry-ish with a medium lingering bitterness. On Uinta’s Small Batch tap.

Proper - Suba Bleu's Hazy Not Hazy: Missed this Citra Pale Ale. A portion of the proceeds from Suba Bleu's Hazy Not Hazy is donated directly to Discovery Gateway Children Museum and Volunteers Of America, Utah. Enjoy at any Proper Brewing establishment. 5.0% 

Lichtenhainer - Ritterguts Weisse: This beer is an attempt to revive the almost extinct sour beer tradition of Jena. Lichtenhainer followed the definition of this old Thuringian beer style and have brewed a tangy, top-fermented beer with a slightly sour yet smoky taste and a light yellow color. The result is a light, easy-drinking beer with a velvety-soft acidity and a subtle smoky character. 4.3% - Only at the Bayou.

Boulevard - Barrel-Aged WheatWine: This unusual wheat wine was blended and fermented with white grapes and fermented with Kveik yeast. The beer was barrel-aged in a mix of whiskey and rye barrels and finally all blended together producing a dry, light-bodied barrel-aged wheat wine. 9.9% - Found at Slackwater.

Here are this week's Small Batch Beer from Hopkins Brewing

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 11/11/22

It may not officially be winter, but damn it, it sure feels like it. This week's New Beer Friday suds reflect this a lot this week; with a mix of hoppy, dark and boozy. 

On Beer Nerd Radio today Steph and I welcome Mark Alston from the Bayou. We'll get into their 20 years on State Street, home brewing and surviving the pandemic (amongst other things). That's at 2pm on 99.9 KUAA or at KUAAfm.org/

Grid City -  Honey, Peanut butter and Raspberry Jelly Nitro Cream Ale: Aroma of nuts and raspberry is nice light for the most part. Flavor starts with raspberry juice and it's tart off the bat. The peanut butter is a little muted and doesn't have the balance I'd hoped for. Nice and creamy from the nitro tap. 5.0% - Only at Grid City.

Level Crossing - Raising Hope: This is a white peach purée-infused hazy IPA. It features powerful peach, stone fruit, and floral hops scents. Rising Hope has a gentle, rounded mouthfeel because it was brewed with a lot of red wheat and little bittering hops. It tastes like luscious apricots, Peachie O's candies, and fresh white peach juice. A crisp and energizing peach pith bitterness marks the conclusion of Rising Hope.100% of the proceeds will be donated to the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation. 6.5% - Only at Level Crossing

RoHa - Raspberry Brown Ale: This has a nice roasty aroma with some tart raspberry. The taste follows with a bit more rosiness than you'd expect from a brown ale. The raspberry is tart and fruity and compliments the roastness. My pal Shane says it reminds him of Turkish Delight. 5.0% - Available at RoHa.

Saltfire - Hazy Daze NEIPA: Aroma is a mix of tropical and citrus fruits. Flavor follows the nose, sweet fruit up front with a bit of bitterness and vegetal notes in the finish. 5.0% - On draft at Saltfire.

Heber Valley- Split Decision: Belgian Style Dubbel Ale. This dark amber beer comes in at 7.2% ABV and has a complex maltiness resulting from the use of  Belgian pale, Caramunich, Munich Il and Aromatic malts and some dark candi sugar.

Hopkins/Utah Avalanche Center- Pray for Snow White IPA: Haven't tried this one yet. 5.0% Available Saturday (11/12) 

Red Rock - Zonkey: This new Double IPA has a Deep taste of orange, peach, tangerine, honeydew melon, passion fruit, guava pith, and a hint of grass and floral notes. Moderate sweetness balanced by moderate bitterness. Creamy and chewy mouthfeel with ample carbonation and a slightly dry finish. Exquisitely crafted. Today this is only available at the Red Rock restaurants. The RR Beer Store is closed today for Veterans Day.  

DC Brau - Lavender And Lemonade Berliner Weisse: Missed this one. 4.5% - Found at Slackwater. 

Pohjala - Torm: A strong sour and salty wheat beer brewed with lingonberry, heather tips, and

honey. 8.0% - Only at the Bayou.

Pohjala - Baltic: An Imperial Baltic Porter aged on Palo Santo wood to celebrate Baltic Porter

Day 2022. 10.0% - Only at the Bayou.

Pohjala - Rukkivali: Rye stout brewed with caraway, ginger, and orange zest. Inspired by sweet and spicy orange cakes with a hefty dose of rye malt to bring warming spice character that is layered with sweet fragrant orange zest. 10.0% - Only at the Bayou.

Pohjala - Cocobanger: A banging Imperial stout brewed with coconut and a Caturra coffee from Costa Rica. 12.5% - Only at the Bayou.

Freigeist - Qimmersoriartorfissuaq: Freeze Distilled Eisbock. Malty and big. 14.0% - Only at the Bayou.

Freigeist - Schimmelretier: A historic Danziger Joppenbier: spontaneously fermented, an immense gravity, an extremely slow fermentation and a ridiculously long boil. It scores highly in the odd stakes. It was similar to Braunschweiger Mumme, except with more alcohol. 14.0% - Only at the Bayou.

Blaugies - Darbstye: Farmhouse Ale - Saison. 5.8% - Only at the Bayou.

Strap Tank Brewing is offering $4 drafts all day to all veterans and there will be tap takeovers and four new beer from Policy Kings, Talisman, Hopkins and Strap Tank. Hit up all of those spot to get a pint of some new veteran made brews today. 

Cheers and thank you for your service! 

New Beer Friday 11/4/22

We hope you had a great week. Now that's it's nearly over we have compiled a brilliant list of mostly local suds to put you on the path to happiness.

Speaking of happiness, Beer Nerd Radio welcomes Chad Hopkins from Hopkins Brewing. He'll bring some of his brewery's latest creations and talk about the craft beer scene in Sugar House. That's at 2pm today on KUAA 99.9fm or at KUAA.org/

Hopkins - Sauvin Blanc Brut IPA: Highly effervescent and super dry with a low malt-profile, this beer style focuses on white-wine characteristics from Hallertau Blanc and Nelson Sauvin hops, hence the name. Local Chardonnay grapes are added to the fermenter to make this a true wine-beer hybrid. Brewed with 100% locally grown and malted Solstice Malt. 

2 Row - Prophet Margin: This double IPA is unfiltered and made with a couple of amazing New Zealand hops Ekuanot and Motueka - with a little bit of Citra hops thrown in for good measure. Lots of refreshing citrus flavors with a dry finish for this beer. 2 Row's IPA game remains strong and this DIPA is a must for any beer nerd's fridge. 9.4%

Uinta - Christmas Cheer: Roasty up front with some cocoa. Subtle juniper needles & pine with solid medium bitterness. Tastes like the holidays. This is available in cans and on draft. 5.0% - Wide availability.  

Uinta - Cinnamon Roll Wheatwine: Six of six in Uinta’s Pro Line. Nutmeg and cinnamon are pretty even in this spicy aroma. Taste is full of rack spices. It’s dessert-like for sure, but it’s not cloying like a pastry stout (no lactose here). Some pipe tobacco is present midway (incredible), with vanilla rounding it out. Damn! That a tasty holiday “wheat whine” that’s super silky in the mouth. 9.5% - Available at Uinta starting today. 

Uinta - Freeze Frame: This new Cold-style IPA is full of Tallus, Mosaic & Chinook. Drinks like a lager and it has those nice tropical and fruity qualities you like in a juicy IPA. 5.0% - Tasty stuff! Available on draft at Uinta - soon in cans. 

Uinta - L.L. Fruit J: This experimental beer is on the small batch handle. It's got nice citrus notes with some herbal twang as well. goes down much too fast. 5.0% - Only at Uinta.  

Offset - MoMoVemberrr: This new pale ale that features Mosaic and Motueka and celebrates our favorite mustache growing month. The beer pours a beautiful glowing orange with a sticky, hop oil saturated, head that seemingly lasts forever. Bright aromas of mango, pineapple, orange pith, and lime are complemented nicely by a touch of pine and fresh cut grass.

Pohjala - Pime Oo Stout: Blackcurrants and rich, sticky plums start to come through on the tongue, followed by aromas of jasmine and cola nut. A slight carbonation cleans the palate, and then the finish is like a layered toffee chocolate brownie. 13.6% - Found at the Bayou.

Registration is now open for the HomeBrewtah home brew competition. This competition is AHA sanctioned and open to any amateur homebrewer age 21 or older. If you think your home brew skills are tight and deserving of some recognition, then I highly recommend following this link to get registered.  

https://homebrewtah.brewcomp.com/

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 10/28/22

Odds are pretty good that you have some sort of halloween celebration happing this weekend. This week's New Beer Friday offerings are as dark as the holiday the emulate. 

Beer Nerd Radio today welcomes Hops & Salt to the radio pub. Steph and Mikey will grill them about their vast selection of beers and how it all came about. That's today at 2pm on 99.9 KUAA. 

TF - Triple Brett: This dark lager was barrel aged on Brettanomyces and Montgomery Cherries. Beautiful, full nose with loads of tart cherries, ‘wild’ sourness, and albit of sweet toasted malt. On the palate, it starts off sweet with toasted malt and cherries but sours quickly drying out with some acidity, and a touch of funkiness. The finish is long and dry with tart cherries and a touch of over-ripe plum. Medium body and lots of carbonation keeping it light and drinkable and delicious. 9.0% - Available at TF starting today. 

Level Crossing - Barrel-Aged Red Sea Rift: This is last year's batch aged in High West Bourye barrels and it's quite unique. I went into this thinking this would be your typical BA Impy Stout with lots of whiskey and chocolate. Instead, the year in the barrel created a deep dark fruit character that explodes with plum, dates and other stone fruits. coffee is still present but it all comes off as rich cocoa. Can't tell you how much I enjoyed this one. 10.0% - Available at Level Crossing starting today.

Level Crossing - Red Sea Rift: This year's batch has a massive coffee upgrade. The Jack Mormon Coffee blend used here is phenomenal. If you like a coffee stout this will make your week. 9.6% - Available at Level Crossing starting today.

Level Crossing - Harfoot harvest Apple Saison: This is an apple forward ale that has a good dose of tartness. It doesn't overpower the yeast's clove flavor profile though. If you like saisons, you'll like this. 5.0% - Available at Level Crossing.

Epic - Big Bad Baptist (Orange Stick): The flavors of this holiday favorite are incorporated into this BBB variant. It's a deep blackened brown liquid with a dirty white colored cap. Minimal retention and lacing. Aromatic blend of orange, chocolate, roasted wooden malt, vanilla, and a bit of bourbon alcohol. Fudge brownie with orange zest infusion. The chocolate, vanilla and roasted malts are subtle. The bourbon soaked oak shows nicely. Damn tasty! 12.3% - Debuts today.

Epic - Big Bad Baptist (Barrel Strength): The aroma is perfectly balanced between roasty and sweet, resembling a luxurious coffee concoction. Aromas of ripe fig, vanilla creme, chewy caramel, faintly acidic coffee, chocolate-covered espresso beans, smooth wood, and just a tad of sweet blueberry are also present. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting creamy vanilla, lightly spicy bourbon, milk chocolate, medium acidic coffee, and light grape. The swallow brings notes of decadent milk chocolate, oily espresso beans, burnt toast, a touch of that vegetal green pepper character others have complained about in older bottles, and earthy oaked bourbon on the aftertaste. Damn! 13.3% - Debuts today.

Silver Reef - Spaghetti Western: Missed out on this new Italian Pilsner. 5.0% - Available in stores in Southern Utah, soon up north.

Bewilder - Barrel-aged Mole Porter: This version of the beloved porter is aged in Tequila and Mezcal barrels. Spices like cinnamon and clove dominate the scent, followed by roasted malts, sweet, earthy chocolate, and a hint of caramel. The chili peppers have the least impact on the aroma and flavor of the additives. They barrels add a mild, almost smoky and earthy spice to the beer, but there is no lingering heat. Instead, they just add a flavor kick that pairs well with the remaining sweetness in the food as well as the roasted coffee notes in the grain. A highly delicious beer that reminds some people of milk chocolate as it winds down. 10.0% - Debuts today.

Deschutes - Black Butte Porter XXXIII: Missed this version of Black Butte Porter brewed with maple syrup, chocolate and vanilla beans aged in bourbon barrels. 12.0% - Found at Slackwater. 

Bootstrap - Lush Puppy: Missed this "gluten reduced" juicy IPA. 6.3% - Found at Slackwater.

Ghostfish - Gosefish Hibiscus-Cranberry Gose: This sour ale has a vivid pink hue with a tart cranberry twang, and subtle refreshing saltiness. 5.0% - Found at Slackwater.

Avery - Pomona Barrel Aged Tart Ale: Brewed with pomegranate, blueberry, hops, Saccharomyces, Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus and Pediococcus. 6.5% - Found at Slackwater.  

Avery - Pomona: Barrel-aged tart ale with pomegranate and blueberry. 6.5% - Found at Slackwater.

Prairie - Basic Becky: Missed this Imperial stout with honey roasted pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice, and pumpkin spice coffee. 11.0% - Found at Slackwater.

Prairie- Basic Rebecca: Missed this Barrel Aged Imperial Stout with Pumpkin and Fall Spices. 13.6% - Found at Slackwater. 

Here are this week's small Batch Beer From Hopkins Brewing.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 10/21/22

Tomorrow it will likely start feeling more like autumn...err maybe winter. Regardless, there's a nice balance of dark barrel-aged beers to counter bright and hoppy ales and lagers. autumn is a great time to be a beer lover. 

On today's Beer Nerd Radio, we welcome Nils Imboden from Wasatch Beers. We'll pick his brain about helming Utah's original craft brew house and what's coming from Wasatch/Squatters. that's at 2pm on KUAA 99.9fm.  

Hopkins - Aroma Therapy: The double dry-hopped blonde ale base was made with a blend of Cascade and Citra hops, leaving an intense floral/citrus aroma and a low perceived hop bitterness. Light enough to still be considered a blonde ale, but with an aroma similar to a pale ale or IPA. Malt body features bread-forward characteristics and mild malt sweetness, making this a truly unique experience for the senses. Brewed with 100% locally grown and malted Solstice Malt. 5.0% - Available at Hopkins

TF - Après For Snow: This new IPA features a super chewy & dank aroma that showcases a nice hop salad. The taste however is much more subtle and balanced. with moderate to light maltiness and big citrus and berry notes. Finishes on the piney side. 6.7% - Only at TF starting today.  

Epic - Big Bad Baptist (Gingerbread Baptist):I thought this one does a nice job at capturing that Gingerbread likeness for sure. I get loads of spiced molasses cookie here and this is pretty ginger forward which looks to be polarizing for some. Other flavors play more of a supporting role to the ginger snap. Modest dark roast and whiskey. Suggestions of dark fruits and baked bread in the end. 11.5% Available at Epic starting today.

Epic - Big Bad Baptist (Rum Barrel Aged BBB): plenty of pleasant aroma starting with vanilla, nougat and sure enough, rum. Taste follows a different path as chocolate, toasted marshmallow and finally roasted malt and coffee dominates prior to a bold rum alcoholic finish leaves in front of dryness and a lingering, cloyingly sweet aftertaste. 12.2% - Available at Epic starting today. 

Offset/New Image - Stivot: This collaborative beer was made with Arvada, Colorado's New Image Brewing. This LIPA fearures Simcoe, Waimea and Idaho 7 hops. 5.0% Available at Offset. 

Heber Valley - Vista Lager: Both of these new beers from Heber Valley feature the same fresh Vista hops and due to their individual malt bills and hops scheduling you get two very different flavors. The lager comes across more herbal with light citrus notes. 5.0% - Available at Heber Valley.

Heber Valley - Vista Pale Ale: This version has a brighter and more fruity profile that is aided by yeast and sweeter malts. 5.0% - Available at Heber Valley.

Bewilder - Ahhhroma SMASH: Big Hallertau-esque spiciness with chewy grapefruit peel. Malts are light & Pilsner-ish with light cracker & honey. Firm, fresh bitterness lingering in the back. Fuck yeah. 

Bewilder - Fresh Hop (Mosaic): Very aromatic with citrus and berries. Taste follows with with additions of melon and a nice hop bite. A very nice and expressive pale ale. I love this time of the year. 5.0% - Available starting today at Bewilder.

Proper - Monochromicorn: This Baltic Porter was aged in Ogden’s Own Rye Whiskey barrels for 7 months. The dark fruit flavors (prune and date) appear first, followed by the Rye barrel and chocolate flavors; after the swallow, the whiskey lingers in the aftertaste, bringing with it some vanilla elements. 10.6% - This goes on sale today at Proper and at Craft By Proper. 

Proper - Shadow Portal: This bock The aroma had some dark breads, light cocoa powder, a whiff of semi-sweet grassy tones, and a touch of dark fruits.

The flavor presented some of those prior mentioned aromas sweetly and left out the grassiness. Mild dark fruit to dark bready aftertaste.

The mouthfeel was almost medium bodied, seemingly sitting just a touch under and having a pretty good sessionability about it.

Mountain West - Citra Wet Hop Cider: This has a much different flavor profile than MW's Cottonwood Hop cider. This one is a little more tangerine forward and it works quite well with the dry apple tartness from the base cider. Very nice stuff. 

Fresh Hop Fest

This event features many of the wet and fresh hop beers that have been producedover the last few weeks. You'll find all of these beers, games and Barbecue at the West Side Tavern. If you like your suds fresh and hoppy this is a must for you. Here's some of what you can expect. 

Wasatch - Clothing Hoptional 

Strap Tank - Kawa-Strata

Bewilder - Fresh Hop 

Roha - Freshies

Level Crossing - Wet El Dor-Rye-Do

TF Brewing - Mr. Hand Fresh Hop

Offset Bier - Wet Hop (Mosaic)

A fresh hop firkin is also being worked on by the Wasatch/Squatters and possibly a ninth fresh hop my be offered tomorrow. You won't want to miss this. Much thanks to Libby Taylor for putting this badass Fresh Hop Fest on! 

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 10/14/22

As Fat Bear Week ends New Beer Friday is just getting started with new wet hop ales, barrel-aged goodness and Autumn beers. 

On today's beer Nerd Radio we welcome Red Rock Brewing Co., fresh off their double medal win at the Great American Beer Festival. We'll discuss the what won and what the future holds. That's at 2pm this afternoon on KUAA 99.9FM. 

Level Crossing - Wet El Dor-Rye-Do: This was made with 240 lbs of fresh El Dorado and Citra hops. The malt bill also contains rye. This a brilliant damn wet-hop pale ale. The citrus qualities from the hops combined with the malt takes this beer to a whole new level. This is a small batch beer, so don't delay on this one. 5.0% - Only at Level Crossing.

UTOG - Boysen the Hood: Missed this Boysenberry infused ale. 5.0% - Only available at UTOG.

Proper - I Am the VVitch: This pumpkin beer has a prominent clove aroma some of that is probably from spices and and some from the yeast. Taste is full of rack spices, you know, nutmeg, allspice, clove etc. It's what most crave in an pumpkin/autumn ale. 5.0% - Only at Proper.

Proper - Nyx's Kiss: This "Dark Ale" is made with cocoa, raspberry and blackberries. That's pretty much how it starts out. Cocoa flavors on a lightly malty bed. The berries come in next adding some minor fruity tartness. It's an overall dry ale that'a a nice alternative to the sweeter/fruitier dark beers. 5.0% - Only at Proper.

Epic - Big Bad Baptist (Toasted Coconut BBB): Big Bad Baptist season is officially here! Normally BBBs have some coffee added, this one is is basically a Bourbon-aged Imperial Stout with toasted coconut. The coconut is mellow, which is nice because it keep this 11.3% beer from getting too sweet. Cocoa rounds out the complex flavors. Releases Today, 10/14. Only at Epic for now - soon to DABS. 

Epic - Big Bad Baptist (Breakfast Baptist BBB): Wonderful coffee aroma. Props to Blue Copper Coffee for this brilliant coffee selection. This has all of those BBB qualities that you love, whiskey cocoa and of course coffee. The java in here really shines is is a nice counterbalance for the maple (which is nice and subtle). One of my favorite variants in years.  Releases Today, 10/14. Only at Epic for now - soon to DABS. 

TF - Estate Comet: This small batch West Coast IPA features Comet hops. Comet have been since the sixties and were a workhorse hop in the early days of craft beer. Estate Comet is zesty with grapefruit and tangerine, but is backed by some unique grassy and herbal elements. Quite nice. 7.2% - Available at TF starting today. 

Offset - Peacharine: This is a single hop pale ale that features a new New Zealand hop called Peacharine. I haven't had this one yet but it seems obvious from the name that peach and nectarine notes will be prominent. 

Offset - Wet Hop (Mosaic): This pale ale has a unique and complex aroma of floral, tropical, fruity, and earthy characteristics that transition into flavors of guava, papaya, bubblegum and a touch of pine. Too damn tasty! 5.0% - Available at Offset and found at the Bayou.

Bewilder - Oysty McStoutiePants (nitro): Oyster stouts are traditionally rich stouts brewed with oyster shells. Originally, oysters were used to naturally clarify a beer so, don't get all freaked out that there's some booger looking thing floating around in your beer. What you will find is a nice light and roasty stout with notes of coffee and spice. Missed this 

Coniston - Premium XB Blue Bird Bitter: This is a traditional English ale with the addition of Mount hood hops. Not enough to change it into an American pale, but enough to give it some North West zip. 4.2% - Only at The Bayou.

Coniston - Old Man Ale: It has a deep burnished copper color, a rich port wine aroma, a big chocolate and creamy malt palate and a dry, grainy, roasty finish balanced by hop bitterness and tart fruit. It is a remarkably complex beer that deepens and changes as you swill it down. 4.8% - Only at the Bayou.

Coniston - Bluebird Bitter: Juicy malt and tart hops vie for attention while the finish is tart and hoppy but well balanced by creamy malt. The tangy fruit lingers on the back of the tongue until it develops a hint of orange liqueur. 4.2% - Only at The Bayou.

Stone - Enjoy By 10.31.22: Missed this Hazy IPA. 9.4% - Found at Slackwater.

Boulevard - More S'More: Missed this Imperial Stout 11.8% - Found at Slackwater and Beerhive.

Firestone - Parabolita: Missed this Imperial Stout 9.2% - Found at Slackwater and Beerhive.

Here are this week's Small Batch Beers from Hopkins Brewing.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 9/30/22

Is sexting confusing you about your one true love? Fear Not! New Beer Friday doesn't care. It's the freaky, weekly, three-way that your multimedia partner will absolutly love.  

Speaking of "freaky" Beer Nerd Radio's, Beer Intern Steph returns with all of her homework completed and ready to help me grill the crew from Utah County's only two breweries, Strap Tank. It all starts today at 2pm on KUAA. 

Shades - K1 (Experimental): This version features Mosaic and Citra instead of the usual Nelson Sauvin hops. 6.5%

Talisman - 2022 Anniversary Ale: This is a French Saison aged in Red Wine Barrels from Stephen Ross Winery in San Luis Obispo, CA. Golden Honey in color with spicy yeast, mildl oak and hints of red wine must. Taste starts malty then drys  from the bBelgian yeast. You get the yeast flavor profile mingled with red wine throughout the pallet. The oak is present, but underlying. Finishes dry and leaves the light lingering spice and the oakiness of the wine barrel. 8.1% - Only at Talisman.

2 Row - Red X: This IIPA features malt that is ironically called Red X. Coincidence? I think not. There's also some pilsner malt here as well. The whole thing comes off quite fruity but not malty sweet. The hop blend is complimentary and keeps this IPA in the tropical realm, but it's those malts that drive this IPA. Right? A malt driven IPA? It's madness. Madness you need to try. 8.0% - Available at 2 Row.

Delirium - Früli Strawberry Beer: This is a Belgian witbier blended with strawberry juice. The fruit compliments the zesty fruitiness of the wheat beer and the result is a natural, soft and refreshing drink. 4.1% - Found at Slackwater.

Pipeworks - One Longer Day: Missed this Daiquiri inspired ale with grapefruit and lime. 6.3% - Found at Slackwater.

Pipeworks - Karate Cats: Missed this IPA with Blood Orange Juice. 7.0% - Found at Slackwater.

Pipeworks - Synchronized Peach: Missed this peach infused NEIPA. 5.7% - Found at Slackwater.

Pipeworks - Summon the Unicorns: Talus hops lend zesty citrus and elegant floral notes while Mosaic hops enchant the nose with mixed berry and sweet fruit aromatics. 6.0% - Found at Slackwater.

Lone Pine - Time And Temp: A light body American lager derived from German Pilsner malt, flaked corn, and Cascade hops. 4.8% - Found at Slackwater.

Here are this week's Small Batch Beers from Hopkins Brewing.

The 4th West Oktoberfest will be 21+ this year.  It's held at Mountain West Cidery Saturday October 1 12p- 10p live music from ISMichelle, Gorgeous Gourds, Evan Michaels foods trucks and fun. 

Cheers!