New Beer Friday 1/15/21

There's an excellent mix this week of local and out of state craft beers. There a re quite a fee new entries to our market from new breweries, check 'em out. 

Hopkins - Rye Pilsner: Another hit from Matt’s small-batch series makes it to the main tap! This pilsner has a light malty profile with a hint of spicy zest from the rye, a touch of bitterness and hop profile from Saaz hops, and a clean, crisp finish. Featuring locally grown and malted pilsner and flaked-rye from Solstice Malt. 5.0% Only at Hopkins.

Hopkins - Introduction Pale Ale: A simple and approachable pale ale featuring locally grown and malted Solstice 2-row malt. This version features the 2020 Veterans Blend hops, which comprises five different Pacific Northwest-grown hop varieties including Idaho 7, HBC 692, Sabro, Mosaic and HBC 630 in the dry-hop. The hop blend is created by veterans and a portion of proceeds support the Wounded Warriors Family Support Fund. Citrusy, tropical 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% Only at Hopkins.

TF - Zkittles Terpene IPA: This IPAs terpenes are based on a popular Inca cannabis strain that has similar aromatics as Skittles candy. Im haven't had this one yet. Look for a super dank and fruity IPA with tropical and berry accents. Available starting today at TF. 7.5%   

Epic Midnight Munchies: This new peanut butter stout hits the cold case today as well. No advanced tasting notes here either. 8.0% - Only at Epic.

Fisher Doc Sarvis: Notes of Bourbon, chocolate and roasted malt are the primary flavors here. You'll get nice chocolate in the base with light whiskey and wood rounding out the background. 5.0% - Only at Fisher.

Fisher - Valley of Gold: This Brett fermented pale ale is funky and doughy with barnyard aromas.Complex earthy quality despite being so young. Still getting some of the tropical flavors the nose suggested, but it's subdued. Medium-bodied, with a fairly crisp mouth-feel. Such a wonderful beer!

Kiitos - Sahti: This Finish style of beer is traditionally unhopped with juniper twigs used during the brewing process create balance, imparting an unusual resiny character and serving as a preservative. Meanwhile, exposure to wild yeast and bacteria gives Sahti its signature tartness. This has some rye and a woody quality. Bitterness is low, some hops are detected. 5.0% - Only at Kiitos.

Shades - Incubus Imperial Pastry Stout: This delicious dark beer reveals your darkest desires. It's sweet, roasted, creamy and boozy with medium to low bitterness and a chocolate taste. Incubus is the base for more pastry stouts to come. Malted oat, de-husked barley, un-malted barley, all roasted, and lactose.⠀8.0% - Available now at Shades.

Roosters - Winter Blues: This is a "blueberry forward" IPA. No notes one this one but it's got me curious; gunna need to get on this one. 5.0% at Roosters B-Street Brewery.

*Gruner Brothers Brewing - Devilito: This is classified as a Belgian style strong ale. Look for a lighter body with moderate sweetness and classic phenolic yeast spices of coriander, clove and a hint of citrus peel. 8.3%. Found at Slackwater Sandy, DABC:

*Gruner Brothers Brewing - Salt Creek Citra: Aromas of Citrus, tropical fruits and pine. The taste follows with grapefruit forward citrus and hints of mango. Pine bitterness enters towards the finish. 7.7%. Found at Slackwater, DABC.

Revision - Cloud Cuddles: This NEIPA hits all the right notes with tangerine, peach and melon. Late palate you pick up a good dose of mango and tangerine, but it's the sweeter fruits that dominate due to malt profile. Bitterness is very low. 6.5% Found at Slackwater Sandy.

Revision - Battle of the Lords: A Double NEIPA that  pours a cloudy tangerine orange with a juicy aroma. Flavor-wise you get orange, mango, peach and pineapple. It's a great package with slightly higher bettering towards the finish. Some warming alcohol. 8.5% 

*Slo Brew - Cali Squeeze Mango Hefeweizen: Lots of mango, orange and lemon. The Hefe base is for the most part light. Not a game changer, but nice and fruity. 5.4%. Found at Slackwater in Sandy.  

*Slo Brew - Cali Squeeze Blood Orange Hefeweizen: Same drill here, though the blood orange adds a more pleasant flavor profile for me. Some tartness with blood orange, lemon and grapefruit. 5.4%. Found at Slackwater in Sandy.  

Mother Earth - Nitro Cali Creamin: This nitro version is new and comes in a special 16 ounce nitrogen can. It still has that rich vanilla flavor, but it's more pronounced due to the less bitter nitrogen gas. 5.0% Found at various grocery and C-stores in Davis County. 

New Belgium - Voodoo Ranger Captain Dynamite IPA: Look for aromas of grapefruit, orange, caramel and pine. Sweet tropical fruits on top of caramel, peach and pine on the palate. found at DABC.

Returning Favorites:

Saltfire - Mobius Trip Fate Bell: The Sotol barrel aged sour is back! if you missed it last time here are my notes from last year.  This one is in Sotol barrels from Texas. If you're not familiar; Sotol is kin to tequila and mezcal, that shares many of the characteristics of agave but it's far from that. It has a very earthy tequila profile, which comes through well in the beer. The beginning is tart and earthy with some granny smith peel. Next comes notes of pineapple and salt. The finish is oaky with puckering lemon. This is super complex and very intriguing. Never had anything like this. It's well worth your time if you like tequila flavors and sour beers. 7.1%

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

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

*New to the SLC Market

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 8/21/20

 It's another locals only New Beer Friday. Surprisingly, there's only one hop forward beer this week. That's refreshing. Check out this nicely rounded selection. 

UTOG - Huckleberry Sour: Smells great. Some lemon, lots of huckleberry, some yogurt. Flavor is huckleberry, medium tartness, some lemongrass grass and bicarb. Light bodied with medium carb and a slightly wet finish. Pretty decent. Available at UTOG. 5.0%

Toasted Barrel - Bier de Garde: Aroma immediately hits you with whiskey, wood, red currant, toffee and biscuit. Taste is exactly as the smell would indicate, with a hint of brett, and a smooth sour and vinegar like pucker on the finish. 7.0% - Available at Toasted Barrel.

Strap Tank - Kismet: Missed this raspberry and plum smoothie. Sounds tasty though. 4.4% Available at Strap Tank (Springville). Not vegan friendly. 

Fisher - Peach Plum Sour: Plum and peach in the nose with a hint of aspirin. Medium bodied with a crisp mouthfeel. Ripe plums and a peach undertone on the palate. Finishes dry, lightly tart, and with plenty of fruit.

Red Rock - Black is Beautiful: Organized by Weathered Souls Brewing Co, Black Is Beautiful is a collaborative effort among the brewing community and its supporters who believe in bringing awareness to the injustices that many people of color face. Red Rock is donating a portion of profits to the Utah YMCA and the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center. Roasted flavors with milk chocolate and some sweet blueberry character up front. A bigger finish of milk chocolate, roasted flavors, licorice, tobacco, as well as some light sourness from the blueberries. A bold and lingering finish with roasted chocolate, tobacco, some hop bitterness and some hints of sweet-sour blueberries as well. 7.0%

Avenues Proper - Transform and Roll Out: This hazy pale ale has low bitterness with with a bigger than normal yeast profile. It's not estery at all but it's noticeable. Hops are tropical and slightly herbal. The malt comes across with pleasant and muted powdered sugar sweetness. 5.0% Only at Avenues Proper.

Mountain West Cider - Colada Be Kidding Me: This new cider mimics the classic pina colada – and it does so brilliantly. The pineapple and coconut never get out of hand and manage to keep the apple base in check. It tough to identify when the pineapple starts and the apple ends. The coconut is subtle and pleasant. Very tasty. This doesn't go on sale Monday Aug 24th. Only at  Mountain West's Cidery.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 8/14/20

I'm not a doctor, but I play a beer doctor on the interwebs. If you're suffering from end of the week fatigue, Doc Mikey has his New Beer Friday prescription pad out and has provided a list of remedies below. Please follow dosage recommendations and have an excellent weekend.

Shades - Slurry (Peach Habenero): If your not familiar with Shades' Slurry series, It's basically at tart kveik yeast base with rotating fruits. This week's fruits a both potent enough to punch through the tartness but don't overwhelm the entire beer. the peach comes of green due to the tartness and the habenero is more scratchy in the throat than hot. Tasty stuff. 5.0% - Available at Shades.

TF - Cool Change: This is an IPL (India Pale Lager). It basically a pilsner that's been hopped like an IPA. TF's Starts off like an NEIPA but quickly diverts with a noticeable dryness that you get from the pilsner malt and the lagering. The dry hopping adds some welcome bitterness, making this a very crushable - hopped up lager. 6.9% - Available at TF starting today.

Fisher - Rotating IPA (Big Citra Bomb Tom): As of this writing, I don't think this one has an official name, but I was told that it's basically an amped-up version of Fisher's Citra Bomb Tom. There's a fresh aromatic burst of grapefruit, lemon, and lime. Tropical citrus. Piney accent. It just smells fresh and clean.
The taste is very "bright". Citrus immediately hits your tongue, with grapefruit and lemon zest, light-medium bitterness. Finishes with mango and a light malt. 6.9% - Available at Fisher in Crowlers to-go starting today.

Fisher - Black Lives Matter: A portion of the proceeds from this beer will go to non-profits that support Black Lives Matter. Nose of chocolate, char and malt goodness. The flavor brings more chocolate, yeasty breadyness, pumpernickel, rye and even some whole wheat. A very drinkable, smooth and satisfying dark lager. 5.0% - Available at Fisher on Saturday 8/15/20.

Wasatch - Top of Main Series (Belgian Double aged in Brandy Barrels): Nose is brandy, port, raisins, oak, and maybe a touch of spice. The taste is great. Tons of flavor exploding on the first sip. Lots of brandy - the most I have tasted on a beer aged in brandy barrels. Lots of grapes, oak, candy, toffee, bread, and leather. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, and the alcohol is well hidden. 10% - Available at most Wasatch/Squatters locations. I found it at the Co-op's Beer Store.

Wasatch - Landbier: I initially got a pretty healthy dose of toasty malts and sweet malts. I do get a bit of hops adding a subtle grassy note, but they are very supportive of the malts. The flavor is really clean and malty with toasty and sweet light caramel aplenty, but there is a welcome bitterness present in the finish . Overall the mouthfeel of this beer is medium to light with plenty of carbonation, so it comes across quite light. You could drink this beer all day and I really dig the unexpected hoppy burp. 6.0% Available at the OG brewery in PC - I found it at the Beer Store. 

Policy Kings - Dark Hustle: I missed this new coffee stout from the Cedar City brewery. If you've had it, please share your thoughts. 5.0% - only at Policy Kings.

Modern Times - Critical Band: Brewed with Denali, Ekuanot, Citra, and Centennial hops, Critical Band is a blast wave of pineapple, papaya, and pink grapefruit over a crisp, restrained malt bill, before wrapping up in a soft, round finish. 6.7% - Found at Slackwater.

Here's a list of the small batch beer available this weekend from Hopkins Brewing.

Prost!

New Beer Friday 8/7/20

Whoa! Easy on the bleach there, Mr. Clean. I spent a lot on that empty stadium product placement. Five bucks, is five bucks, right? Odds are pretty good, that you're much better at spending your hard earned quatloos than I am. Though, when it comes to New Beer Friday, frugality goes out the window. Have a great weekend!

Shades - Slurry (Mango Apricot): This is straight kveik yeast and fruit with no lactose - this is the case with all of the Slurry series beers. This one starts fairly tar with hard green peaches. Tastes like they plucked them green and straight off the tree. The mango comes in next with a subtle amount of flavor. This is kind of like a shandy on steroids full of flavor and tartness. Be sure to rouse the can to get all of the fruit that will likely be settled at the bottom. 5.0% - Available at Shades

Toasted Barrel - Pineapple Milkshake IPA: Comes across as iced cream with tropical flavors and pineapple with a nice dose of vanilla. They really capture the "smoothie" in this beer. 8.0% - Only at Toasted Barrel. Alcohol is very well hidden. Not vegan friendly.

Toasted Barrel - Oak Aged Lager: Apple peel with sweet grains and vague vegital flavors. The woodiness is pleasant and adds some toasted notes. 5.0% - Available at Toasted Barrel.

TF Brewing - Cerveza: This debuts today. Can't wait to try their take on the style. 5.0% Only at TF.

Fisher - Lemonade Stand: The base beer has a good dose of lemony tartness. On top of that add a little lemon zest and subtle strawberry and you get a nice hot weather sipper. I'd put the tartness factor at the high side of medium. 5.0% - Only at Fisher.

Fisher - NEIPA: The latest rotating IPA from Fisher features Idaho 7, Simcoe and Sabro hops. Moderate aromas of citrus and tropical fruit hops are present. The taste follows the smell and has flavors of orange citrus, mango, and passion-fruit. Very little perceptible bitterness. Very juicy on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. 6.1% - Only at Fisher.

Hopkins - Salty Lemons: This is a collaboration beer made made with the Hop Bombshells home brew club. This has a gose base with fresh watermelon and juiced lime added. Slight brine from the base beer adds a little zip. 5.0% - only at Hopkins.

Squatters - Black is Beautiful: The aroma has roasted malt, coffee, anise, a little chocolate. I get some yeast from the aroma. Something nutty, and something vaguely fruity. Taste is rich, lots of dark, almost burnt roast malts. Anise is the next thing that comes to mind, and the fruitiness from the smell turns into something slightly date-like. 10.0% -

Desert Edge has re-opened after a long Covid hiatus. Do us and them a favor, please hit them up, grab a few pints and tear into their delicious grub. We need them as much as they need us. Welcome back Desert Edge!

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 6/19/20

Tomorrow is the Summer Solstice - you'd never know it by the temperatures outside. I'm not complaining, this is damn near perfect weather for me. It's also excellent beer drinking weather too; warm enough for the light summer beer with enough evening chill to bring on the heavier beer cravings. Take a look at the list this week and you'll see it fits in perfectly to what I was just talking about.

Fisher - Bock: This beer was resurrected from Fisher's early 20th Century glory days. It's not an exact clone, but I trust Colby's brewing prowess to dial it in. It even comes in a retro looking Bock crowler.  5.0% - Available at Fisher.

Fisher - Plumango Sour: Very tart up front some nice mango notes. The plum gets a little lost in the base beer but it's overall a nice flavor combo that light and refreshing. Look for a malt sweet beer with with lighter alcohol than the typical bock. 5.0% In crowlers to go at Fisher.

Fisher - Staring into the Rye: There's a good dose of rye on top of a solid caramel base. Hops are herbal, sharp and balancing. Nice beer.  5.0% In crowlers to go at Fisher.

Toasted Barrel - Double Juicy IPA: Missed this one. Brewed with four different hop varietals, creating a low bitterness NEIPA.  8.5% - At Toasted Barrel today.

Shades -  PB&J: I was expecting a peanut butter bomb al la Belching Beaver, but the nut addition is pretty subtle. With a tart base beer - plus the addition of strawberry, think too much peanut butter would have made it a muddled mess. It's pretty drinkable considering what it is. 6.5% - Only a Shades.

Heber Valley - Mint n' Chocolate Stout: If you going to make a chocolate stout in the summer you'd better find a way to make it somewhat refreshing. The addition of mint may be the key. This is out now and only at the brewery in Heber. 5.0%

UTOG - Dry Bavarian Hefeweizen: They dialed down the sweetness a bit for this normally sweet wheatbier. It's time you experimented with the drier side of Hefes. 5.0% - only at UTOG.

Talisman - Adventures in IPA #6: This Juicy IPA was brewed with Citra, Amarillo and El Dorado hops. This will go fast! 5.0% - Available at Talisman. 

Lone Pine - Oh-J: This double IPA has an opaque medium orange gold color with bright citrus aromas of orange and grapefruit. Vibrant orange and light citrus in the taste with spicy citrus rind. In the finish there's a nice lingering citrus twang. 8.1% Found at Slackwater.

Returning Favorites

Red Rock - Paardebloem: It's been about a year and a half since the last batch hit. This batch may be tough to obtain for home consumption, but I've been assured that there will be plenty going to the main brewpub and RR's restaurants to take care of the dine-in crowd. This year you can expect honey sweetness with peach, apricot and pear notes. There's a hint of funk and tartness lurking beneath the fruitiness. There's a good dose of bitterness from the greens as well. A sit warms the vinious aspe t from the barrel pop out. Finishes slightly warm and boozy. 9.2% Goes on sale Friday (today) in the restaurants, Saturday at the production brewery.

Proper - Recommend Rye: Continuing with their greatest hits, Proper is re-introducing another of it's OG beers. This week we return to Recommend Rye. This is a saison at it base with rye spiciness that compliments the esters the Belgian yeast creates. This is slightly tweaked from the last time you had it so it's time to schlep your ass over there and try out the new batch. 5.7% Only at Proper.

Epic/Commons - Common Interests:  You thought this collaboration beer between Epic and the now defunct Commons Brewing was all gone. Oh how wrong you were. There's a limited amount of crowlers available in SLC for this special foedered melon sour.  This has a light-straw color with just a hint of green in the highlights. Sweet honeydew rind, clean earth and oak hit the nose. The first sip is bright with citrus-tartness, lime and pith, that fades quickly to a cooling ripe-melon-sweetness with hints of cereal grain, tilled earth and root cellar. The effervescence lifts quickly off the palate taking the acidity but leaving hints of honeydew and the harvest season. 

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 5/15/20

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Returning

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

Cheers!

New Beer Friday: Mother's Day Edition

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

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

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

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

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

Returning

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

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 5/1/20

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Salude!

New Beer Friday 2/21/20

Every damn beer this week is an IPA, IPA variant or a hoppy pale ale. If these are not your jam, you have my apologies. If you dig the hoppier side of life, then please proceed. Happy New Beer Friday!

Roosters/Square State - Lime Rickey Milkshake IPA: This collaboration with Square State Brewing Company out of Rock Springs, Wyoming was made to help celebrate Roosters' 25th Anniversary. Look for a good dose of lime and lime zest with a medium amount of lactose sweetness. The hop profile should be lightly bitter. 5.0% - This is pouring Square State now, and is currently on draft at Roosters 25th Street location only for now. It will hit B-Street and Layton in the next week or two. Not vegan friendly

Templin Family - Who's Barry:  We have another 'milkshake' IPA. this one is a mixed berry sour. This one hits Saturday morning, hopefully we'll have some tasting notes this afternoon. 6.8%.  Not vegan friendly

Fisher - 3rd Anniversary IPA: Another anniversary beer is hitting this week as well. It may not be a quarter of a century - like our friends at Roosters, but well take a solid three years from our pals at the re-born A. Fisher Brewing Company. This anniversary IPA will be a New England style and it will be available Saturday morning as well in 32 ounce crowlers. 7.2%

Epic - Spiral Jetty:  Robert Smithson's iconic Spiral Jetty on the north shore of the Great Salt Lake turns 50 next month. to celebrate, Epic made a special, limited batch of their Spiral Jetty IPA. It has all of the great citrus peel and pine, with added notes of vanilla and berries from the yeast. 6.6% - Available now only at Epic SLC.

Policy Kings - Pekin Pale: This new beer was brewed with pomegranate  and mint green tea. Look for a sweet aroma from the tea and just a touch of Pomegranate on the front then the mint and citrus hops take over for slight bitterness on the back end. 5% - only at Policy Kings.

Flying Fish - Hopfish IPA: This New Jersey made beer is new to our market. Look for floral hops dominated by caramel malt and hints of dark fruit. Towards the finish there's a small dose of pine hops and biscuit. 6.2% - found at Slackwater

Ninkasi -- Galaxy Trippin': Missed this one. Look for citrus and passionfruit flavors to dominate this new IPA. 7.0% - Found at DABC

Rogue - Newport Daze: Missed this one too. This is so new only a handful of markets have revived it. Look for aromas of pineapple & stone fruit, features tangerine and peach flavors and finishes slightly sweet. 5.5% Found at DABC

Destihl- Touch of Haze: This is described as having big additions of Mosaic and Cascade hops harmonized with the smooth mouthfeel of flaked oats, for a mellow, juicy and hazy IPA. 7.3% - Found at DABC

Modern Times - Mythic Worlds: This is one of Modern Times' newer IPAs; stuffed with Galaxy, Motueka, Mosaic, and Experimental hop 06277. This makes notes of peach, passionfruit, and tropical fruits over a backbone of ripe citrus. 7.6% - Found at Beerhive

Revision Brewing - Alpha Point: I hear a lot of brewers say that Galaxy hops are hard to get, but there seems to be no shortage of Galaxy driven beers this week. This new session IPA also features Citra hops for a nice tangerine twang. I've only seen this one on draft so far. 5.0% - Found at Bayou and Angry Goat.

Returning

RoHa -  Americano: This American ale brewed with espresso and coffee returns, this time it's in cans. Now you can stuff your fridge until your heart is content. 5.0% - At RoHa, grocery and C-stores soon.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 1/3/20

Welcome to 2020! Utah's craft beer scene had a strong decade and it looks like the 20s will be equally progressive. Thanks for sticking with the Utah Beer Blog as we enter our fifteenth year of Utah specific beer nerding  - I wouldn't have lasted this long without all of your support. Here's your first New Beer Friday of the year.

Bonneville - Cool Fuzz: This new 'hazy' IPA is hopped with Cashmere. There's a good dose of lime and tropical fruits that provide high fruitiness with low bitterness, due to the late hop editions. This one is super fresh and only available at the source in Tooele. 5.0% 

Fisher - Life Throws Melons: 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.

Kasteel - Rogue: The aroma is mostly tart cherry that implies sweetness is coming. The taste confirms it with sweet pie cherries and a medium tartness. There's a hint of a malt floating around in the background. For a quad it feels a bit thin, though it is easy to drink. It's a little more fruit forward than I was expecting, but it's still tasty. 8.0% - Found at Beer Bar.

Don't forget that we have New Beer Friday this afternoon at 2:30pm on KBER 101, with Mick and Allen.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 12/20/19

You can "use me" for all of your holiday beer research, and as a conduit for hours of classic holiday music and beer pairings (sorry Meista). The New Beer Friday Singers will be singing classics such as "All I want for Xmas is Brew", "The Little Drammer Boy" and that classic, "Rudolph the Red Nosed Haze Bro".  Be safe out there, kids!

Fisher - Holiday IPA: This hits Saturday morning and it will be one of their high point crowler releases. This is full of grapefruit peel & dehydrated orange with herbal and floral hops backing it up. West Coast IPA for sure. Nice beer. 7.0%

T.F. Holahaze:  This one drops Saturday Morning as well. Big citrus peel and herbal nose, that creeps into dank territory. Medium malt sweetness nourishes a good dose of chewy grapefruit peel that creeps into that gange territory. Not a classic ‘haze’ beer but it’s got broad appeal. 7.4% at TF starting Saturday morning.

Kiitos - Lime Salt Pilsner: there’s a fair amount of lime tartness backing sweet and toasted malts. 5.0% - Available at Kiitos.

Proper - Yacht Rock Juice Box: This has more of that herbal/citrus combo with light caramel malts.  5.0%. - Available at Proper

Proper - Bonestorm: This hopped-up amber ale hits taps today. Much more toasty than malty. Feels more like an ESB - 5.0% Available at Proper.

Bewilder - Coffee Bock: Missed this collaboration with Wasatch Beers. 5.0% - Available at Bewilder.

Bewilder - Citra Wheat Lager: Clean wheat crackers with a nice hoppy zip. Mostly tangerine & orange. Super drinkable. 5.0% - Available at Bewilder.

Heber Valley - Snake Creek BA Imperial Stout: Missed this one. 10.0% - Available at Heber Valley.

Level Crossing - Oat Slayer: 4.6% 4.7% - Released on 12/21

Level Crossing - West Coast IPA:  5.0% 4.7% - Released on 12/21

Level Crossing - Santa Slayer: Stout brewed with cinnamon, ginger, allspice, vanilla and nutmeg. 4.6% 4.7% - Released on 12/21

Level Crossing - Peppermint Slayer: Aged on Brazilian and Mongolian oak. Infused with York Peppermint Patties. 4.7% - Released on 12/21

Shades - Grape Kviek: One of my favorites in their Kveik Series. Mostly tart berries that come across as Smarties candy. 5.6% - available at Shades.

Destihl - Wild Sour Cranberry Criek: This sour evolved by merging tart cranberries with sweet cherries, normally associated with a traditional kriek, but in a kettle sour beer that is wonderfully intricate, balanced, fruity and tart. It was then dry-hopped adding a touch of citrus aroma and flavor, adding another layer of complexity with a tart finish. 5.0%. Found at DABC

Destihl - Weissenheimer Hefeweizen: This classic German-style Hefeweizen has fruity aromas and flavors of banana, clove and vanilla with a full mouthfeel and an appropriate amount of yeast haze. 5.2%. Found at DABC


Elevation - Señorita: This Imperial Porter has aromatic notes of vanilla, cinnamon and sweet milk. The beer hits the palate with vanilla, sweet chocolate malts, and a hint of cinnamon; all with a medium body and a balancing pine hop bitterness. 8.2%. Found at DABC.

The Following (for the most part) are largely exclusive to the Bayou this week. If you're a fan of sour beers the Bayou is defiantly a must stop for you this year.

Dogfish Head - Super 8: This Gose style sour ale was brewed with Hawaiian red sea salt, prickly pear, mango, boysenberry, blackberry, raspberry, elderberry, and kiwi juices & toasted quinoa. It's bacically a fruit salad. 5.3%

Dogfish Head - Wood Aged Bitches Brew: This a fusion of a Russian Imperial Stout aged in American oak and an Ethiopian Tej Honey. This beer was also aged in Paraguayan, Palo Santo Wood. 9.0%.

Boulevard 30th Anniversary: This beer is a blend of nine Boulevard beers. 34% Imperial Stout in rye whiskey finished port casks –  26% Belgian Dark Strong Ale in ruby and tawny port casks – 16% Double Mashed Imperial Stout in bourbon barrels – 9% Belgian Dark Strong Ale in California sherry casks – 5% Imperial Stout in bourbon barrels – 5% Imperial Stout in Spanish sherry puncheons – 3% Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels followed by ruby/tawny port casks and 2% Belgian Dark Strong Ale in bourbon barrels. Yeah, this screams the holidays. 12.5%

Firestone Walker - Mole Merkin: This version of Velvet Merkin has dried Puya chili, cinnamon and cocoa nibs from the Dominican Republic to a brandy barrel-aged version of Velvet Merkin. The chili adds a spicy. yet approachable heat, with rich dark berry fruit flavor. The addition of cocoa nibs helps balance the heat from the peppers, adding to the mouthfeel. The result is a complex, yet delicate beer, with flavors of earthy chili pepper, cinnamon and cocoa. 7.8%

Stone Jägermeister & Arrogant Bastard Ale: Flavor-wise there's a bit of pine and black licorice up front. An oaky character brings notes of cinnamon. It finishes with dark fruits and an herbal bite - similar to strong mint tea with lemon. The flavors in this beer are extremely strong. Not for the timid. 8.5%.

Stone - Enjoy by 01/01/20: These IPAs rarely disappoint. Havn't had this one; it's more of a double at 9.4%.  

Jester King - Super Ultrameg Hyperforce: This saison has a orange, golden color with a nose of funk, tartness, melon, yeast spiciness and wheat. Taste follows, but it finishes with melon, and a nice crisp tartness. Very nice. 4.5%.

Jester King - Vague Recollection: Funky yeast with wine barrel notes. Grape must, apricot and lemon as well. Apricot and peach notes with lemon acid round it out. The mouthfeel is tart, dry and crisp. 6.0%.

Jester King -  B.A. Bier de Miel: Missed out on this 6.9% Bier de Garde.

Jester King - Das Wunderkind: This saison was refermented in oak barrels with wild yeast and souring bacteria. It was then blended with fresh, dry-hopped beer prior to bottle-conditioning. Dry and lightly tart, with notes of citrus, barnyard, and tropical fruit. 4.5%

Jester King -  Hibernal Dichotomous: This wild saison is brewed with cardamom pods and refermented with roasted beets and carrots. Notes of earthy carrots, pears, apricot, dark fruits, plum, lemongrass and beets. Finishes slight tart. 5.8%.

Jester King - Le petite Prince: Throughout Northern Europe, light-bodied, well-hopped, low alcohol table beers were often the beverage of choice with all meals at times and in places where the water wasn’t always safe to drink. This is a clear and simple expression of the delicate interplay between noble hops and farmhouse yeast. Low point beer haters need not apply. 2.9%.

Jester King -  No Whalez Here: This witbier has notes of sweet wheat crackers, plantains and coriander. Subtle floral hops play well of the white pepper from the yeast and lemony twang. 6.8%.

Jester King -Nobel King: Missed this one. This is a highly attenuated, unspiced farmhouse ale brewed with an abundance of organic noble hops, and fermented with wild yeasts from the Texas Hill Country. 5.9%.  

Prairie Artisan Ales/Evil Twin - Bible Belt: This huge Imperial Stout is based on Evil Twin Brewing's "Even More Jesus" Imperial stout, but spiced like Prairie Artisan Ales' "Bomb!" made with coffee, vanilla, chilies and cacao nibs. This one may make you clutch your pearls at 13.0%.

Prairie Artisan Ales -  Birthday Bomb: Caramel Sauce and a healthy dose of coffee and spices make this one unique from the standard Bomb! 13.0%.

Prairie Artisan Ales - Oh Fudge: This a chocolate brownie stout. The flavor is roasted malts, dark chocolate brownie and raisins. It's a bit sweet and quite tasty.11.5%.

Prairie Artisan Ales -  Bomb!: This imperial stout is aged on coffee, cacao nibs, vanilla beans and ancho chili peppers. 13.0%.

Cascade Cuvée Du Jongleur: A blending of select barrels of Cascade's Flanders Reds and soured Belgian Triples aged in oak for up to 18 months. Then blended with fresh 25° Plato, Blonde Quadruppel - then aged, allowing lactic fermentation. 8.4%.

Cascade - Rose City Sour: This is a blend of wheat and blond ales aged in oak wine barrels for up to 14 months with rose petals, rose hips and hibiscus tea. Look for fresh roses matched with notes of dried cranberries, pomegranates and a hint of white pepper. 6.8%.

Cascade - Brunch Line: This sour was made with chardonnay grapes and orange zest and aged in white wine barrels. A mature, puckery, and clean sour ale. 9.6%.

Cascade - Coastal Gose: Missed this beer. 7.3%

Cascade - Coral Horizon:  This is a blend of sour blond ales aged in oak wine barrels for up to 16 months with late infusions of grapefruit zest, hibiscus tea and freshly chopped ginger root. Pouring a brilliant coral-red hue reminiscent of a summer sunset, this small batch blend offers a soft, approachable acidity level with aromas of ruby red grapefruit and a refreshing ginger spice. 8.0%.

Cascade - Pistil Whipped: A blend of sour strong blond ales infused with saffron, annatto and chamomile flowers. Pouring a rich golden-yellow from the saffron’s distinct color infusion, this Sour Flower Fest creation captures saffron’s earthy, hay-like spice character with a gentle chamomile tea background. 7.6%.

Cascade - Tropical Embers: Missed this one. 7.3%.

Cascade - Vlad the Impaler: Dark Fruit with big sour and heat from the 12.5% alcohol. Notes of bourbon and a lactic bite as well. This sour quad is hugely complex.

Revision -  IPA: Simcoe hops lay the hop foundation for this extremely delicious, flavorful and quaffable American IPA. Tropical citrus, orange and pine accents meld seamlessly. Low impact bitterness, high impact aroma and flavor. Very nice IPA. 6.5%. Also at Slackwater

Revision -  Double-Up IPA: Simcoe and Mosaic hops battle for domination in your mouth. 8.0%. Also at Slackwater

Revision - Citra Slam: This West Coast IPA is of course hopped with Citra and is tropically sweet with ripe tangerine, with an edge of mango and passion fruit. 6.5%. Also at Slackwater

Petrus Cherry Chocolate Nitro Quad: This is a perfect blend of Quadrupel, using 6 different types of roasted malts and cherries. The nitrogen adds nice body to the quad, giving it more body and creaminess and making it extremely drinkable. The only Belgian Quad on nitro! 8.5%.

Have I given you enough! If not, please share, damn it!

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 10/11/19

New Beer Friday may not be the biggest thing in your life, but for some of us, it's a strong third and for that we're pretty damn thankful.

2 Row - Boysenberry Sour: Tart lemon/lime base with a generous dose of boysenberry. 2 Row always manages to create fruity sours that don't skimp on fruit. 6.1% - Available at 2 Row.

Avenues Proper - Where the Wild Hops Are: They're referring to this new ale as an Autumn Ale. The base beer is Proper's Best Bitter. Hops were foraged from the mountains near Wanship, Utah. Boiled and dry hopped with the wild hops. Smooth, rich, earthy, stone fruit.

Level Crossing - Look-Up Amber: Aroma is toasted malts, thin caramel with a small dose of floral hops. Taste is slightly a slightly more robust version of their 4.0% Amber Ale - with more hop character emerging in the finish. 5.0% Available at Level Crossing.

Level Crossing - In the Pines: Citrus filled aroma. Initial taste is very mild. Light-moderate bittering with moderately juicy - citrus, orange and pineapple. Certainly tropical. 5.0% Available at Level Crossing.

Fisher - Best Fresh: This wet hopped pale ale was made with 100 lbs. of fresh Idaho 7 hops. All hops were added post boil; giving the beer a grassy citrus quality with a good dose of hop bitterness in the finish. Nice beer. 4.0% - Available at Fisher.

Fisher - Chandler’s Backyard: This pale ale was hopped from the bines in "Chandler's" back yard. I belive they said, Chinook and Cascade? Thanks for the Hops Chandler! 4.0% - Available at Fisher.

Fisher - Fist Full of Aces: This pale ale was hopped with Sorachi Ace. this hop has a slight lemony profile which comes though in the body of the beer. It's not tart just subtle lemon. 4.0% - Available at Fisher.

Fisher- (IM) Peach Sour: This one definatly has a tart lemon base with peach that is detectable and not completely over powered with the base beer's tartness. 4.0% - Available at Fisher.

Wasatch Barrel Aged Polygamy Porter (High West): Last year's version of the beer was aged in  Heavenly Hills Bourbon barrels. This year we get our whiskey: High West. This version offers a tad more bourbon and rye components with all of that wonderful chocolaty good you expect. A nice blend. 9.5% - Available at all Wasatch locations.

Dre Fontaine Ode Geuze: This geuze is dusty dry with sharp & tart lemon, poppy seed and oak  tanins. It has all of the classic gueuze characteristics. Puckering finish. 6.0% - Found at Beer Bar

Dre Fontaine Cuvée Armand Gaston: The nose is acidic with Smarties, apples and hay. There is also a light funk. The taste is dry and tart with more hints of apple, lemon and hay. The finish is clean lip smacking, making it easy to quaff. 6.5% - Found at Beer Bar.

Jolly Pumpkin/Monkish - Problem No Problem: This saison was brewed with raw sugar, green lentils, sweet and bitter orange peel, and a funky homemade curry spice blend (cumin, ginger, mustard seed, peppercorns, coriander, and fenugreek).  Aromas of brown sugar, oak, and funk in the nose. Tastes of oak, maple syrup, and just a hint of spices pairs well with the subtle funk, and light tartness. 7.6% - Found at the Bayou. Cheers!

Ninkasi - Dry Skies: This brut IPA smells of cracker malt with floral hops and citrus hops. The taste is mostly bitter piney hops with a modest backing of cracker malts. The finish is crisp and dry, but given the style could be drier. 6.8% - Found at Bayou

Green Flash Tropical DNA: Missed this one. 7.0% Available at DABC

Wild Ride - Nut Crusher: This peanut butter porter is mostly chocolate and caramel complimented by the addition of creamy peanut butter flavor. Think: Reese's Peanut Butter cups. 6.0% - Found at the Bayou.

Pipeworks - Ninja vs Unicorn: Missed this one. It's supposed to be big and dank with 5lbs of hops per barrel. 8.0% - Found at the Bayou.

Pipeworks - Lizard King: Flavors of Stone fruit, orange and caramel start you off with strawberry and melon accents rounding it out. malt profile is caramel-y and round. 6.0% - Found at the Bayou.

The Bayou also got a bunch of exclusive beers for those of you that prefer a European twist.  I haven't had a chance to try any of these. 

Brouwerij Alvinee - Sour'ire De Mort

Brouwerij Alvinee - Cuvée Freddy (Sofie Edition)

Birrificio - Loverbeer Bruga

Birrificio - Loverbeer Nebiulina

Dulle - Teve Beer

Bayerischher - Bahnhof Leipziger Gose

Baladin - Xyauyu Barrel Aged '13


Cheers!

New Beer Friday 9/27/19

You can defiantly tell it's autumn by the beers that have been released this week. When the evenings develop that slight chill these are the types of beers you'll want. Happy New Beer Friday.

Epic - Big Bad Baptist Chocolate Rapture: The second release in the 2019 Big Bad Baptists is a chocolate dream. Rich, roasted coffee bean nose with a good amount of earthy potent chocolate. The taste largely echoes the aroma, with notes of caramel syrups, roasted barley malts, and dark chocolate undertones, matched by a rich, roasted coffee bean flavor, generating a balance of fruit, acidity and roast characteristics. Finishes moderately dry with a lingering roasted coffee finish and hints of bourbon manage to make an appearance. Best enjoyed on the warm-side. Available starting today at Epic's SLC brewery.

Saltfire - Mobius Trip: This barrel aged golden sour has been sleeping in chardonnay casks for 15 months. Cherries were also added for more depth. This a collaborative beer made with home brewer, Rob Rutledge an award winning brewer of sour beers. Mobius Trip officially goes on sale this Saturday at Saltfire. I'll have some tasting notes on this at 2:30pm on KBER 101 with Mick and Allen.

Desert Edge - Wet Hop Chinook: Juicy citrus fruit aromas make my mouth water. I could sit and smell it all day. The hops smack you in the face. Sweet malt is present but the hop rule here. Finishes more bitter than expected, but I'm not complaining. Very noice. 4.0% - Available at Desert Edge.

Proper - Winchester: This American golden ale utilizes oats and rye, which make for a pleasant combo in this very light golden hued beer. The hops take on a slight citrus quality with a floral finish. 4.0 - Available at Proper. 

TF Brewing - Smoked Helles: The smoke element here is quite light and it adds a round sweetness to the beer that would otherwise be there. You still retain the a hint of nuttiness and the spicy floral component of the Saaz hops. Quite nice. 4.0% - Only at TF Brewing

TF Brewing-  Oktoberfest Märzen: TF released a smoked version of this later last month. This is the traditional version that feature a good dose of caramel and vanilla flavors that come across as creamy smooth. the hops are subtle with herbal spiciness and let the malts do most of the heavy lifting. Very nice. 4.0% - Only available at TF

TF Brewing - Dos People’s Doppelbock: Lots of bready malt, dark chocolate, light roast, faint booziness, and just a touch of syrupy sweetness. Medium-full bodied with slightly sharp carbonation but also very smooth and creamy in the mouth. Lingering stickiness and aftertaste leaves plenty of malty, sweet, complex breadiness and a late emerging floral hop bitterness. 7.9% - Only available at TF Brewing.

Fisher - Baby Beast: This Belgian style table beer is mostly yeast driven with light malts and hops. The flavor is mostly phenolic spices with a slight floral snap at the end.  4.0% - only at Fisher

Fisher - Falling Leaves Lager: This pleasant looking amber lager is light and toasty with some malt driven nuttiness. The hops are traditional with a nice grassy quality that drifts into the floral side of the spectrum by the finish. 4.0% - only at Fisher

Hopkins - Munich Dunkel:  The aroma is malty sweet and bready, while the flavor profile is rich and complex, displaying notes of toasted bread, chocolate, and graham cracker. Bitterness is minimal. The flavor is reminiscent of Golden Graham cereal. A delicious dark lager without the roasty character of a stout or a porter.

UTOG - Top Shelf: The smell is lightly hopped up front, still a nice dosage of caramel malts appear. The taste is mainly sweet, becomes slightly bitter, and has a sticky sweet aftertaste and finish. On the palate, she sits about a light to medium, comes across as a fairly sessionable IPA.

Dogfish Head - American Beauty: This American Pale Al has an earthy- orange quality with a good amount of slightly sweet honey grains. The hops take over from here adding orange peel, floral, and herbal bitterness. Plenty of malt depth with a moderate bitterness in the middle, continuing through to the finish coupled with the floral hops and slightly sweet malts.Nice pale ale. 6.5% - found at DABC.

Stone - Tropic of Thunder: They're selling this as traditional lager, but it tastes more like an IPA. So, think IPL. The aroma is full of tangerine, peach and pear. with a hint of floral hops. There's a ton of fruit to go around, with a touch of honey and grain. There's a faint herbal bitterness in the finish. It all comes together quite well. 5.8%  found at DABC

New Belgium - Hop Avenger: Missed this one. It's brand new and not too many people have tried this one anywhere. Have you? Tell us a bout it. 7.7% - found at DABC.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 9/20/19

Epic - Big Bad Baptist Vanilla and Brandy Barrel-Aged Stout: Epic's first of five BBB variants is here! This version of Big Bad Baptist was aged in brandy barrels and has vanilla, roasted cacao nibs and coffee. It wonderfully smooth with coffee and cocoa jumping out at first. When the barrel kicks in, it comes across as vinous plum and fig. It's nicely complex best when enjoyed on the warmer side. Right now this in only available at the SLC brewery.

Avenues Proper Brett Pale Ale: This latest batch of Brett Pale Ale brewed with Sorachi Ace and Huell Melon hops. It showcases an incredibly well-balanced combination of dry, fruity, and funky flavors. Find it on draft exclusively at Avenues Proper. 4.0%

Fisher White Star: This nitro pale ale is big with citrus peel bitterness and a good dose of pine bitterness in the finish. Really drinkable for the amount of bitterness. 4.0% - Available at Fisher.

Fisher Rye Me a River: This rye ale has a nice dose of rye that slightly spicy with malts that are on the lighter side. Hops are mostly floral with a hint of citrus. 4.0% - Available at Fisher.

Melvin Thaiger Style: This a nice, well balanced IPA that features a lemony hop profile. Some Mosaic citrus flavors as well.  I love the hop profile here and the 5.5% makes it highly drinkable. Found at Beer Bar.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 8/2/19

Welcome to August! It looks like you need a beer. Strangely enough I just happen to have found a few that you may like - including a bunch of limited offerings from Hopkins Brewing that go on draft today. If you have any gluten free folk in your life, let them know there are some no malt options as well. Happy New Beer Friday.
 
Hopkins - Chocolate Strawberry Stout: Brewed with organic strawberry, lactose, dark chocolate and white chocolate. 4.0% - limited availability only at Hopkins.

Hopkins - Oxymoron Black IPA: This BIPA was hopped with the Pink Boots hop blend and will have some deep cocoa notes. 4.0% - limited availability only at Hopkins.

Hopkins - Raspberry Spiked Seltzer: Look for raspberry flavored sparkling water with an alcohol kick. 4.0% - limited availability only at Hopkins.

Hopkins - Strawberry Sorghum: This "gluten free" beer is made with organic strawberries, sorghum syrup and local honey. 4.0% - limited availability only at Hopkins.

RoHa - "Chinookie on the Porch":This is a double dry hopped version of RoHa's Back Porch Pale. It has a good malt base with a healthy dose of pine bitterness and lesser citrus peel towards the end. Super drinkable. 4.0% - Available at RoHa.

Avenues Proper - SMaSH (Ekuanot hops): Missed this one. Ekuanot hops have a citrusy and herbal profile, if that give you an idea of what to expect. This one is exclusive to Avenues Proper. 4.0%.

Fisher - Dug: This pale ale has a good amount of rye that adds richness to the malt. The hops are for the most part citrusy, and work well with spicy base. Very nice. 4.0% - Available at Fisher.

Fisher - Lemon Hop Dancer: Loaded with Lemon Drop hops; this pale has a hazy golden color that looks and taste 'lemony'. The hops are very lemon like, which gives it a nice, fresh taste. Aother winner.

Wasatch Bear River Blonde: This one debuts today and is only available at Wasatch's Sugar House location. 4.0%.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 06/07/19

Boy, you miss one New Beer Friday and people start sending out the rescue dogs. Thanks for the concern though, everything is fine, I just went on vacation. This week we're back - big as ever with new suds to help get your weekend rolling.

Kiitos - Barrel Select Imperial Stout: Starts off with the sweet bourbon over roasted coffee and cocoa bean. The taste replicates the aroma boozy bourbon sweetness that slides into the finish. On the palate, this one sits at about a medium body with a great sipping quality about it.This is a beast at 13.2% - Available at Kiitos.

Kiitos - Huell Melon Pale: Named for the hops used, this pale ale starts with a grassy, euro-hop profile that then transitions into green melon rind. The malt sweetness is light and complimentary. Finishes quite bitter. 4.0% - Available at Kiitos.  

2 Row - Extra: This copper hued lager has a light grain sweetness, that is also vaguely nutty and toasty. The hops are nice and floral with a hint of spice. This is super crushable and a highly drinkable lager. 5.0% - Available at  2 Row.

Fisher - Doc Sarvis: This pale ale has a grassy hop character, almost noble-like hop flavor with citrus peel and pineapple. It's got a nice hop flavor that turns a bit spicy towards the finish. 4.0% - Available at Fisher.

UTOG/Zolupez - Mandarina Kolsch: This new collaboration between Ogden's newest beer purveyors was just released yesterday, Sadly I missed it. Mandarina Bavaria hops have an intense pineapple, lemon and citrus flavors with a resinous, herbal followup. Should be tasty brew. 4.0% - Available at UTOG. 

Talisman 3rd Anniversary Ale: This Flanders Red Wild Sour Ale was aged for 15 months in Pinot Noir Wine Barrels from Talisman Wines in Northern California. It will be released today at 11am in the brewery's bottle shop. 9.5% - Available at Talisman.

Toasted Barrel - Imperial Stout: This hit yesterday at the brewery and I missed it. 8.7% - Available at Toasted Barrel.

Elevation - Pineapple Acide: Mildly tart with mild pineapple notes and malts. There's some slight wheat cracker tones as well; finishing with a hint of spicy hop bitterness. 4.5% - Found at Bayou and DABC

Stone - Enjoy By 07/04/19: Piney, herbal and zesty up front with some sweet chewy malts backing it up. It's quite bitter in the finish, showcasing a huge hop bill. Probably not their best offering, but it's still pretty good. 9.4% - Found at Beerhive.

I'm sure I missed something, help us all out if I did. Cheers!

New Beer Friday 4/5/19

After last week's massive New Beer/Brewery Friday, it was nice to have a chill beer "research" day. This week we have another solid, all local beer showing to end the work week.

Bohemian Ode to Solstice: This beer is made with malt from local maltster “Solstice Malt”. It is unfiltered and amber in color, using healthy amounts applewood smoked malt to provide an apparent yet subdued smoke character. Bready and biscuit notes add complexity for a beer that is smoked out and loc’ed out. 4.0% - Available at Bohemian

Avenues Proper - Blackcurrant and Blueberry Brett beer: The nose has currents, with tart brett funk and a light spice. Taste is full with complex red berry notes, and yeasty spice. The addition of the blueberry works well, as they are fairly light and add an additional flavor rather than take over the beer. The Brett is strong and very flavorful. Great stuff. There aren't many local breweries that are willing to put brettanomyces beers on draft, take advantage of this special beer. 4.0% only at Avenues Proper.


Proper Brewing - Apricot SkittleBrau: Missed this one yesterday. I hope to have tasting notes for you when New Beer Friday continues this afternoon at 3:30 on KBER 101 with Mick and Allen. Please tune in.

Level Crossing - Unfiltered Kölsch: A nice toasty aroma with hints of green melon. The taste follows with some toasty grains and biscuit flavors. The hops come in late and add citrus peel and honeydew flavors. Not exactly to style, due to the hops but it's damn tasty. 4.0% - Available later this afternoon at Level Crossing.   

Fisher - Yet unnamed Sour beer with blood orange and black currents: Yogurt and berry aroma with a sharp tartness on the tongue. the berries are subtle at first but begin to pop through the tartness towards the end. Finishes dry. 4.0% - Available at Fisher.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 2/22/19

The theme for today's New Beer Friday is "limited". If you want today's beer you need to hit the road sooner than later and avoid throwing those elbows. Have a great weekend.

Bonneville - AnniversaRYE: This beer changes every year (less the rye), this year’s take might be a true original for our market; it’s the area’s first Brut Rye Pale Ale. The rye adds a distinctive earthy, spicy character that plays with an experimental hop: EX 10416, which has its own spicy and herbal character offset by a punch of fruity citrus. The beer is pale in color with an aroma of lemon, tangerine and hints of rye. The sweet fruitiness is offset by the dry spiciness of the rye and the ultra-dry finish. Bittering hops were not used, as the complete fermentation leaves no cloying sweetness.4.0%.
Raise a glass of the 6th AnniversaRye to celebrate 6 years of Bonneville Brewery!

Kiitos - Tangerine Dream: This fruited IPA is a breakfast lovers dream and is probably one of the best brunch beers around; I'd go as far to say it's a 'beermosa'. It's full of all of the qualities that you want from a hazy IPA with the addition of citrus juice. You can tell there's real juice (not just juicy hops) by the way it lights up your salivary glands. This one is going fast, don't wait, it may not last the weekend. 

Uinta - Old Ephraim: This Flemish style brown is tart vague berries, a little metallic and lightly tart. Fruity malt character with more berry-like qualities. Nice bretty sourness, though it’s pretty subdued. I like this but seems like it was stretched a bit thin to yield more bottles. Worth snagging a bottle or two if your a fan of the style. 7.0%

Uinta Single Barrel Migrator: When Uinta originally released Migrator last November it was a blend of many barrels into one large batch. The best tasting single barrel was set aside, allowed to mature a little more and is now ready for you to try. This is a very limited run of 160 crowlers from Barrel #27. As you may recall: this bourbon barrel aged dopplebock is full of rich caramel and toffee. Next up you get a hint of roasted malts, then the bourbon kicks in adding complex vanilla and wood flavors. Finishes a tad sweet with not too much heat. Medium mouthfeel. The previous version came in at 8.0%, the single barrel dialed in at 10.5%. This goes on sale today 11am at Uinta.


Fisher - King Fisher: to celebrate the brewery's 2nd anniversary Fisher is releasing their 6th "high point offering an amped-up version of their Fisher Lager. Look for an unfiltered beer that has a  bolder malt and hop profile. Lager nerds won't want to miss this one. Along with this beer there will be other brewery events happening all day Saturday. Check out Fisher's social media more info. 6.6%. available at Fisher starting 10am??? 

Toasted Barrel Heaven Hill Bourbon Barrel Aged Chocolate Stout: No notes on this one, the name says it all. There will be a limited released tomorrow (Saturday 2/23), with the full release coming next week.  

Deschutes - Fresh Haze: Nose is marmalade and honey, but could have been bigger. A pretty solid IPA with flavor that leans toward orange and a hint of pine. Honestly, Hopped with Mandarina Bavaria, Amarillo and Simcoe. Overall, a pretty decent beer. But if Haze is your game you may come away wanting. 6.5% - Available at DABC.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 2/1/19

Many of the out of state craft beers that you enjoy were made possible by the efforts of a hand full of beer pubs that dot downtown Salt Lake. Breweries like Cascade, Mother Earth and Brewery Ommegang likely wouldn't have distribution here, if it wasn't for the efforts of the Beerhive, Bayou and Beer Bar. The Newest acquisition comes to us from SLC's Beer Bar, and I think this one will make many of you happy. As of Wednesday a half dozen of AleSmith Brewing Company's beers hit the Beer Bar's fridges. And if you think that's great news, just wait 'til next week so stay tuned for that announcement. Happy New Beer Friday!

T.F. Brewing - Dry Hopped Passion Fruit Berliner: The aroma has a tartness with tropical hops. The taste starts with a good dose of passion fruit sweetness. It's a nice balance with the lemony tartness from the base beer. It's pretty subtle. The end is fairly hoppy. 4.0% - Available at T.F. Brewing.
   
Uinta - Clear Daze IPA: The aroma starts off with tropical fruit-driven hops; pineapple, mango and tangerine smells swirl around. Taste wise tropical fruits get it started again with pineapple and mango flavors; the tangerine and big, fleshy orange show up in the middle, but not before that softly sweet, almost lactic, sugar-cookie sweetness hits. Quite light and tasty. 6.0% - Available at Uinta and better beer pubs

RoHa - Stewpid Sexy Flanders: This is basically a sour pale ale with a slight dose of tartness from acidulated malts. This slight tartness plays well off of the sweet malts and gives it an almost berry like fruitiness. The end is noticeably bitter. Finishes slightly dry. 4.0% - Available at RoHa

Fisher - Kitchen Sink Rye Pale Ale: Missed this one. 4.0% - Available only at Fisher

Talisman - Adventures in IPA: This beer was created using a Special limited release Blend of hops called “The Veterans Blend” that was created by Yakima Chief Hops. A percentage of the proceeds from the purchase of this blend were given the the Semper Fi Fund. The Semper Fi Fund is dedicated to providing urgently needed resources and support for post 9/11 combat wounded, critically ill and catastrophically injured members of the United States Armed Forces and their families.

Adventures in IPA pours a light copper orange color with big frothy slight off white head. You will get lots of aroma including earthy pine and resin complimented with big fruity notes like papaya, passion fruit, strawberry, pineapple and mango. The taste is very similar to the nose with ripe fresh fruit on the front balanced with an earthy pine dankness on the finish followed by a mild but assertive bitterness. Great mouth feel, creamy and effervescent with excellent lacing."

Toasted Barrel - Mango Tart: Missed this one. I'm guessing the name says it all. 6.5% - Available at Toasted Barrel

Epic - Maximum Cowbell NE IPA: This is part of Epic's Thursday Growler program. Cloudy orange with a fat finger of creamy off-white head. Peach, mango and orange in the nose. Same in the taste with a definite sweetness but light citrus bitterness and distinct yeast character, too. Full bodied with nice soft carbonation. An excellent IPA. 7.0% - Limited availability at Epic Brewing.

Wasatch - NE Style Double IPA: I missed this one. This part of Wasatch's new Kick-Back Series that are brewed in at the source brewery in Park City. 8.0% - It can only be purchased to-go at Wasatch's Park City brewery; however, it can be enjoyed in-house at most Wasatch and Squatters locations.

Red Rock - Peaches and Steam: I was expecting a good dose of peach flavor in this beer and was happily surprised to find the fruit here very subtle. The taste is doughy and caramel-like with lightly toasted malt and grassy, floral hops that turn more herbal towards the end. Mild notes of peach and berries round it out. Finishes with some lingering toasted grains. 4.0%. Available at Red Rock locations and at Harmon's Grocery.  

Hoppers - . Viennese Lager: A light amber colored lager with flavors of premium German malts, hops and lager yeast. Made with toasty Vienna malt and Munich malt. Hopped with German Tradition hops that have a fresh floral, spice, earthy and straw notes. Medium hoppy flavor, bright, crisp and refreshing. 4.0% - Available at Hopper starting today.

Melvin - TGR - Pilsgnar: Melvin partnered with Teton Gravity Research on this beer. It has a pale straw a nice fruity/grassy aroma. The flavor follows the aroma; excellent mild sweetness infused with a good dose of herbal and pine hop bitterness. Finishes crisp with a semi-dry mouthfeel. 4.5% - Found at Beer Bar.

AleSmith - IPA: Pours a hazy golden color with a thick foamy head. Head retention is good. Lacing is great. Has a grapefruit aroma with a good piney hop. There is a hint of caramel. Not as fresh as I would like it but still good. Nice juicy taste with grapefruit and a good transition to a piney hop. There is a mild lemon tartness at the end. 7.2% - Available exclusively at Beer Bar.

AleSmith - Speedway Stout: Pours black with copper foam. Aromas of chocolate, coffee, alcohol, and roasted malts. Tastes of roasted malts, chocolate, mild coffee, and with some alcohol. Medium-heavy in body and medium in carbonation, with a smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Nice beer a little boozy though. 12.0% - Available exclusively at Beer Bar.

AleSmith - Sublime Lager: The nose is malty, slightly herbal and bready. The taste is solid with toasted malt, sweet grains and herbal hops. Medium body, ABV is well hidden. A tasty Vienna/Mexican lager. 5.2% - Available exclusively at Beer Bar.

AleSmith - Nut Brown:  Aromas of caramel malt and toasted nuts The taste follows the nose with toffee and malty nuttiness a semi-sweet caramel malt finish. medium carbonation with a medium/thin body. A drinkable light brown ale .5.0% - Available exclusively at Beer Bar.

AleSmith - Horny Devil: The nose is citrusy with banana with hints of melon and clove. The taste starts with a grape-like sweetness and citrus. Sharp cloves in the middle with some vague spices. A bit of sharp, fruity alcohol in the finish and in the lingering aftertaste. 10.0% - Available exclusively at Beer Bar.

AleSmith - Spezial Pils: Grassy hops, grainy pale malt, and lager yeast esters on the nose. Taste is honey and pale malts, with a slightly bitter hop finish. Medium body. 4.9% - Available exclusively at Beer Bar.

We'll discuss these beers and other beer related topics today at 3:30pm with Mick and Allen as we do New Beer Friday on KBER-101

Cheers!