New Beer Friday 10/01/10

We haven't had a New beer Friday in a while, so I'm pleased to announce these new beers. Some are long overdue.

Epic Brainless on Peaches. Haven't had it yet. It's most likely being bottled as you read this. It's Epic's award winning Brainless Belgian put into oak barrels and aged with fresh peaches. Should be available sometime this afternoon (10-1-10). Available at the Brewery.

Big Sky Trout Slayer. This is a straw colored filtered wheat ale, fermented at cool temperatures, with Palisade, Glacier, and Mt. Hood hops. It's a smooth drinkable session beer. 4.7%ABV. Available DABC.

Pike Monk's Uncle Tripel. The aroma has notes of pineapple, mango, white pepper and coriander. The flavor has a honey sweetness upfront, along with some spices (white pepper, clove, coriander), as well as apple, pear, white grape and alcohol. 9.0% ABV. Available at the Beerhive, Bayou.

Full Sail Sanctuary Belgian Dubble. Rich malt aromas followed by the flavors of biscuit and roast that are rounded by a rich sweet malt character. With a light chewy finish. 7%ABV. Available at the Beerhive, Bayou.

Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary - Charlie, Fred And Ken's Bock. This one is long overdue. released last May this beer is a collaboration between Charlie Papazian and Fred Eckhart. Two men who launched a thousand breweries. Their writing on the art of homebrewing and steadfast promotion of beer culture helped propel the craft brewing movement. Charlie and Fred agreed to work Sierra Nevada on this special ale in honor of SN's 30th anniversary. It's an Imperial Helles Bock. Bold yet balanced with distinct toasted malt character, moderate sweetness and clean and floral hops. 8.3%ABV. Available at the Beerhive, Bayou.

Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary - Jack And Ken's Ale. Another overdue beer. Released last July this is the third in the Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Series. A collaboration between Jack McAuliffe and SN's Ken Grossman. McAuliffe was the first American "micro" brewer. His tiny New Albion Brewery in Sonoma, California inspired countless dreamers to start small-scale breweries of their own. Jack agreed to guest brew this very special ale. This Black Barleywine Ale is a nod to the legendary ales New Albion served at their legendary summer solstice parties. Rich with bittersweet and roasted malt flavors, balanced with whole-cone American hops, this robust ale should age gracefully for years. 10.2%ABV. Available at the Beerhive, Bayou.

The fourth and final beer in Sierra Nevada's 30th Anniversary Series is set to be released in a couple of weeks. It shouldn't take as long to get this one in state. But the way things go around here... don't hold your breath.

Cheers!

Powder Hound

Yeah! more new beer. Powder Hound is a seasonal offering From Big Sky, available at the state stores.

Poured a clear, rusty amber color with one finger of light tan head. The nose was of lightly roasted malt, caramel, chocolate and a hints of floral hops.

The taste starts with toasted biscuit and hazelnut, along with notes of maraschino cherry and red grape. The end is mildly earthy and piney. The finish was dry and nutty. Nicely balanced. Lacks real depth or complexity. Drinkability is high, definitely sessionable. Wouldn't go out of my way for it, but I'll defiantly try it again. 6.2%ABV.

I should note that Desert Edge also has a beer called Powder Hound that predates Big Sky's by a few years, check it out when Chris has it on tap. Cheers!

Twelth Beer o' Xmas'08: Moose Drool

I don't know about you guys, but the Twelve Beers o' Xmas '08 has so far made me younger, smarter and much more attractive to women.... Wait. Hold on for a moment please..........My wife has just informed me that "This is not the case" and that I'm still asleep.

Okay, while I still may be suffering the effects the last eleven days, I think my palate may still be on track(I hope). So for the last beer, I'm gunna leave you with a treat that was denied to Utahans for far too long. So, for the Twelfth Beer o' Xmas that the Beer Lush pushed on thee. Moose Drool from Big Sky Brewing.

This is one of those beers that for years was constantly being smuggled in to the state by fans who loved it's rich flavor and kitchy name. Now It's available to y'all statewide.

Pours a clear deep brown with red highlights. The head is a firm, tan pillow two fingers in size. The nose is of fresh bread, roasted malt and caramel. The taste starts out sweet malty and a little smokey, bit of chocolate too. This dries up fairly quickly and switches to mild malt with a moderate amount of bitterness. Big chocolate flavor and fruity yeast are present in the end. Good full mouthfeel. Drinkability is easily the strong point of this beer. Moose Drool just seems to hit all the right notes, making it a damn good drinker anytime of the year. One of the easiest drink'n beers to come into the market in a while. Cheers and Happy Holidays!!!

Coming & Going

For most of my adult drinking life Uinta Brewing's beers have been a staple in my fridge. I'm quite fond of most of their beers and I'm quick to pimp them to whom ever will listen. Well stand by for some pimpin' especially if you live in Georgia or Colorado. Uinta has had a great year so far, expanding into the east coast and most recently into one of the more competitive craft brew markets in the country. Brewing is big business in Colorado, it's currently home to 24 breweries(including Coors) and 72 brew pubs! Colorado is serious about their beer. The state ranks number one in terms of gross beer production, producing over 23,370,848 barrels in 2006. That being said, it's no easy thing to break into a market with such stiff local competition. Add in the fact that a good majority of Uinta's line will be at 4.0% abv, you've got yourself a tough task. It's tough enough around here for people to get past the Utah beer stigma, hopefully Colorado beer lovers will be more open-minded.

And as we give we also get to take. In this case a long time bootlegging favorite of many Utah craft brew lovers finally comes to our stores legally. Big Sky Brewing out of Missoula has started shipping Moose Drool Brown Ale, Scape Goat Pale Ale and it's Big Sky IPA. I spoke with the brewery this morning. They said they shipped out an order last week, so we should see bottles in our liquor stores with in the week. Hopefully! Things aren't exactly swift over there at the DABC. If you see them let us know where. Cheers!