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!