New Beer Friday 9/16/16

Oh baby! Everything is local this week - less one beer from Green Flash Brewing.

Talisman Bourbon Barrel Oatmeal Stout - Talisman continues with the very limited releases. This new brew is an Oatmeal stout aged in Sugar House Whiskey Barrels. Only 100 bottles produced - one per person. Available at the brewery. SOLD OUT ALREADY 6.3% ABV

Epic Tropical Imperial IPA - Whoa! this is one damn juicy IPA. Mango, pineapple and lotsa grapefruit. Has a bit of a Creamsicle thing going on in the finish. The 10.3% ABV is well hidden. Go get some! @ Epic locations

Uinta 801 Coffee Pilsner -  If your expecting a dark color from the coffee addition you can forget it. This beer has all that filtered out leaving a nice yellow straw color behind. The nose is cappuccino-esque with a taste that is similar and subdued. Surprising drinkable. 4.0% ABV @ Uinta's Brewhouse Pub - Everywhere in the coming days.

Green Flash Sea to Sea Zwikel Bier - Dry crackers and a touch of pilsner malts. Nice grassy and peppery hops balance it all out. Clean and crisp finish. Very crushable. 4.0% ABV @ Grocery/C-stores.

Wasatch 30th Anniversary Extra Special Pale Ale - Brewed with Cascade hops and four types of Australian hops. The hop flavor is massive. It comes across with a strong tropical fruit character the combines well with the sweet malt and deceptively high ABV, 7.3%. @ The Beer Store and better beer bars around town.

Returning Favorites

Desert Edge Radius - D.E.'s new Brewmaster, Chad Krusell is keeping the Radius tradition alive with this locally sourced ale that's hopped with wild Utah hops. Because the hops are wild you never know what you're going to get bitterness-wise. Don't wait too long, it goes fast. 4.0% ABV. @ Desert Edge.

Epic Big Bad Baptist - This newest batch of this Utah original has a spicy coffee blend combined with fruity cocoa - it's all backed up with with roasted toffee, vanilla and Bourbon. Damn! 12.1% ABV. @ Epic Locations

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 3/25/16

When I came across this pic of Lauren Lerch - "squeeing" over her beer and weenie, I just had to co-opt it, twist it and mangle it for my own bizarre purposes. If you want to get to know our own local Crafty Beer Girls, checkout Lauren and "co-beer girl" Jenni Shafer at Crafty Beer Girls.com It's worth your bandwidth.

Brewery Ommegang ~ Game of Thrones Seven Kingdoms - This one is described as a hoppy wheat ale. It's described as having a hazy pale yellow with a thick cap of pure white foam. The aroma is floral, citrusy with a touch of passion fruit and a slightly herbal hop aroma underpinned with yeast notes of banana, ripe fruit, and spicy phenols. The taste is a full, round hop flavor with tart orange and lemon with a substantial wheat maltiness and the finish has slightly lingering hop notes without being harshly bitter. The mouthfeel is smooth and silken owing to the wheat and oats. 6.9% ABV @ DABC

Anderson Valley ~ Spring Hornin' - The nose has some spicy citrus notes with some honey malts as well. The taste is definitely hop forward with orange and other vague citrus flavors up front with a bit of pine in the back. There good malty backbone present as well that fades to a semi dry finish after mingling with the hops. 6.8% ABV @ DABC

Green Flash ~ Passion Fruit Kicker - Haven't tried this yet. It's a Wheat Beer made with passion fruit tea and passion fruit juice with a bit of  2-row malted barley. Described as tart and fruity. 5.5% ABV @ Slackwater - DABC

As predicted, the race between Squatters 529 and Epic's Elder Brett was a close one with the Elder pulling out the win. One of our previous finalists - Desert Edge's UPA, sadly falls against the powerhouse from Squatters, Fifth Element.

This second part of Round Two will have Avenues Proper going up against themselves (explain that one to your therapist, Rio)  and 2 Row's 2K Golden Ale may get a good fight going up against Epic's Hopulent IPA. Remember Hopulent replaced Corruption from Epic. Sadly I cannot edit the bracket once the competition has begun. Please keep that in mind when voting.

Here's the voting breakdown from the previous Utah Beer Challenge votes. Voting for Round Two will end Sunday morning - Round Three will begin Monday Morning. Any comments on how the match-ups have been so far?

Prost!
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20.86%	Bohemian Bavarian Weiss	39 (20.86%)
79.14%	RedRock Imperial Red Ale	148 (79.14%)

(187 Total Votes)

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14.51%	Shades of Pale - Saint Blackout Triple	28 (14.51%)
85.49%	RedRock Elephino Double IPA	165 (85.49%)

(193 Total Votes)

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35.23%	Desert Edge - UPA	62 (35.23%)
64.77%	Squatters - Fifth Element	114 (64.77%)

(176 Total Votes)

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60%	Moab - Hopped Rye	102 (60%)
40%	Wasatch - Black O' Lantern	68 (40%)

(170 Total Votes)

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36.17%	Avenues Proper Gose the Gozerian	68 (36.17%)
63.83%	2 Row Dangeraux	120 (63.83%)

(188 Total Votes)

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47.98%	Squatters - 529 Oud Bruin	83 (47.98%)
52.02%	Epic - Elder Brett	90 (52.02%)

(173 Total Votes)

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11.48%	Roosters - Junction City Chocolate Stout	21 (11.48%)
88.52%	RedRock - Drioma Imperial Stout	162 (88.52%)

(183 Total Votes)

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38.51%	Bonneville - Redline Irish Red	62 (38.51%)
61.49%	Avenues Proper - Proper Beer	99 (61.49%)

(161 Total Votes)

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New Beer Friday - House of Cards Edition

The Mormon Francis Underwood's star may be on the rise, but that doesn't mean he has to piss all over your weekend. Here are some tasty, barley based treats to keep your spirits up!
  
Green Flash Jibe Session IPA - pours it clear golden color with a nose that is floral with some citrus and grass. The taste is piney and earthy upfront with toasty malt notes. The end is mostly piney with some floral bitterness.  Finishes quite dry. Overall this IPA is thin, even for Utah standards.  If you're a fan of Green Flash then it's definitely worth your time. 4.0% ABV @Smith's & Harmon's Grocery Stores.

New Belgium Fat Tire - This is the new 4% version that is mow available in Utah.  I haven't tried it yet,  should start showing up at most grocery stores and convenient stores around the state.

New Belgium Pumpkick - Pours a deep but clear amber color. The nose is mostly pumpkin pie spices. The taste has more of a yam character rather than pumpkin. She does not force the spices are subtle though. Drinkable but not my favorite of the pumpkin beers  that I've come across. 6.0% ABV @Bayou, Beer Bar, BeerHive

Descutes Zarabanda Saison - Pours a clear dark gold with a thin, dissipating head. The nose is full of spices and citrus. Lots of yeast, malt, lemon lime, pretty complex. The flavor is spicy yeast, pepper, very herbal, grass, grains, citrus lemon and lime. The finish is clean, crisp, very drinkable. 6.1% ABV @ Bayou, Slackwater

Rogue Pumpkin Patch Ale - Pours a dark amber/orange color. The nose has vanilla, pumpkin spices, clove, allspice, and nutmeg. The tastes starts with vanilla, clove, cinnamon, and pumpkin flesh. Caramel malts come next with some hop bitterness and coriander rounding it out. It's okay, but thinner than expected 5.6% ABV @ Bayou

Sea Dog Sunfish Wheat - Pours a pale straw color with a medium thin head. The nose is big with floral notes and heavy peach. The taste starts out very sweet with flavors of orange and peach, then some mild breadiness comes in from the wheat. It's alight beer but the peach is quite overwhelming. 4.6% ABV @ Bayou

Upslope Brown Ale - The nose is a nice mix of nuts and roasted malts with a little hint of caramel and molasses. The nutty maltiness from the nose  continues through to the tongue with just enough caramel in there to weigh the beer down and a mild, bitter twang at the end. The finish is long toasty. 6.7% ABV @ Bayou, Beer Bar

Mother Earth Belgian Quad - Pours a mostly clears amber/brown color. The nose is a bit boozy with dark fruits and a hint of whiskey. Taste wise this is more akin to a barley wine than a Belgian quad. deep toffe notes and dark spicy fruits create an almost English barlewine feel. The alcohol for the most part is masked nicely. 12% ABV @ BeerHive

Green Flash Soul Style IPA - Pours clear golden color with a finger of head. The nose is strong with citrus, floral and some malty sweetness. The taste gets more complex with some melon flavor up front then more resiny flavors of citrus and floral. Finishes nicely with bitterness of hops dominating but some sweetness from malt. Overall, a nice IPA. 6.8% ABV @ Slackwater

Prost!

New Beer Friday 8/28/15

Wow August is almost over, that means the falls beers should be getting into full swing. While most of these are not "fall beers", there is a nice theme happening in regards to the pale ales. They're not the typical varieties we've been seeing as of late.

Anchor IPA - This is not Anchors Liberty Ale which is widely regarded as the mother of American IPAs. This is a new IPA that pays tribute to the American IPAs of the early 90s. It's mostly pine and malt driven with some peach and berry notes. 6.5% ABV @ Bayou & DABC

Upslope Thai IPA - It's the Thai basil and ginger that really sets this one apart. The IPA at it's base has pleasant caramel sweetness with citrus and pine beneath the spices. You'll either love it or hate it. I quite liked it. 6.5% ABV @ Bayou - Beer Bar

Upslope Imperial IPA - Nice citrus hop driven IIPA. It is a little boozy with some nice tropical flavors and pine in the finish. 10% ABV. @ Bayou - Beer Bar

Green Flash Hop Odyssey 30th Street IPA - Very herbal with little malt backbone. A nice change from the sweet and fruity American IPA.  6.0% ABV. Bayou - Beer Bar

Shades of Pale - Beer X Galaxy/Centennial IPA - Citrus peel and some pineapple notes with a piney resinous finish.

Shades of Pale - Beer X Beehive Gin Barrel Aged Pale Ale - Boozy nose of pine and berries. Taste is much more subtle - juniper with a bit of tartness in the back. Finishes with citrus peel. Damn tasty beer from SOP, grab some at the brewery or Beer Bar. 7.0% ABV

Ace Pumpkin Cider - Not tried this one yet. Anyone? 5% ABV. @ Bayou

Cheers!

New Beer Friday: Green Flash Edition

 
Big news before we get to New Beer Friday. Yesterday it was announced that That our own Uinta Brewing Company has sold a percentage of their business to The Riverside Company, a private equity firm. Uinta is keeping the terms of the deal under their hat but Uinta's owners wants to stress that the Utah management will retain a significant percentage of the ownership and that founder: Will Hamel will continue to lead the company as Uinta's CEO. 

A press release from Uinta states, that due to unprecedented growth, Utah largest brewery lacks the ability to keep doing what they are doing on their own—producing notable craft beer in a sustainable way using quality ingredients and state-of-the-art equipment.

Riverside's website describes itself as a “global private equity firm focused on investing in and acquiring growing businesses valued at up to $250 million.” The company currently has over $4.6 billion currently in assets under management. Riverside Vice President Steve Rice said. “We’re delighted to be part of the next chapter in Uinta’s growth story, and we look forward to working with Will and his outstanding team.”

As a result of the capital injection, significant investments will be made into creating new brands, 19 new jobs, expanding the company’s barrel-aging program and the continued growth of the brewery's expansion.

I guess if you need a better understanding of Uinta's situation a tour of The breweries massive expansion is in order. In an America that has nearly 3,000 breweries and brew pubs you can't competitive without some outside help. As long as our local boys and girls stay in control. I'm good. As always, your feedback is damn important. Please share your thoughts on this news. I invite you to please check out the full press release below. Now, on to New Beer Friday!

It's a goddamn Green Flash Friday! If IPAs are your thing, put on your big boy & girl underoos on - 'cause shit is gunna get resinous up in here!

Green Flash Imperial IPA - didn't try yet. 

Green Flash Double Stout- didn't try yet. 

Green Flash Green Bullet - The nose is resinous with sweet malts backing things up. Heavy pine, grapefruit, and a bit of caramel. Taste is heavily hopped, lots of bitterness with a solid malty backbone. The bitterness is cut out nicely by the malt backbone. Mouthfeel is heavy and lightly carbonated. Overall, this is a resin pine bomb with lots of sweetness. 10.1% ABV @ The Bayou. - soon Everywhere 

Green Flash Hophead Red - The nose has a floral smell with a bit of pine resin and sweet malt. The beer tastes similar to the aroma but is less hoppy. The sweet malts are strong and have a bit of toasty character. The beer also has a strong bitter hop taste with hints of pine resin. The pine lingers in the mouth afterwards. The beer has a medium body with a smooth feel even though it has a full to medium body. Overall, a pretty great red ale. 8.1% ABV @ The Bayou. - soon Everywhere 

Green Flash Road Warrior -  The nose is of grapefruit, hop resin, and sugary malt. The taste is of caramel, black pepper, toast and spicy rye. Finishes spicy and dry. 9.0% ABV @ The Bayou. - soon Everywhere 

Green Flash West Coast IPA - The nose has grapefruit and sweet orange, florals, dank caramel, lemon, and sugar coated a hint of mango. The taste starts with grapefruit and unripened orange. Big florals and a spicy, earthy malts come in next, balancing the bitterness. The finish is very dry and bitter. Alcohol is apparent as it is much above style. 8.1% ABV @ The Bayou. - soon Everywhere

Payette Chubby Squirrel Schwartzbier - Not Tried @ Beer Bar

Petrus Dubble Bruin - didn't try yet. @ The Bayou

The Annex Still has some of their Brett Pale Ale served via Firkin. It's dry-hopped with citra hops and will be tapped at 4pm.

Here's the Uinta Press Release on the new Partnership

Uinta Brewing Company Receives Investment From The Riverside Company

August 28, 2014, Salt Lake City, UT-- After experiencing accelerated growth over the past few years and recently completing a major brewery expansion, Uinta Brewing Company looks long-term with an investment from The Riverside Company. The injection of financial and strategic resources by Riverside will grant Uinta the ability to keep doing what they are doing—producing notable craft beer in a sustainable way using quality ingredients and state-of-the-art equipment.

Founded 21 years ago by Will Hamill, Uinta has grown to be one of the top 50 craft brewers in the United States by volume. The foundation for Uinta’s impressive growth has been a strong, embedded culture with deep local roots and capable wings.  With this foundation firmly in place, the Riverside investment will provide support and resources to sustain Uinta’s incredible momentum over the coming years.  Hamill will remain as Uinta’s CEO and significant owner and will continue to lead the brewery as it accelerates its growth and presence in the craft beer market.  Comprised of passionate craft beer lovers and outdoor enthusiasts, Uinta’s employees and management team remain as committed as ever, and plans tocontinue to grow the Uinta family are already underway.

“I am deeply committed to the Uinta culture, our team, our consumers, and our distribution partners. This investment from Riverside will allow us to expand our distribution, enhance our production capacity, continue our new beer developmentand increase our efforts in getting the word out about Uinta’s fantastic beer,” said Hamill. “In considering our options for growth capital, I spoke with many smart people as it was critical to me that our new partner truly understand craft beer and appreciates what makes Uinta so special. I wanted to make sure that we could continue to build our brand while maintaining the culture and values that have made Uinta the Company it is today. I’m excited to embrace this support from Riverside. Their resources and business acumen, combined with our passion and brewing knowledge will ensure continued momentum for years to come.”

“We’re especially excited to partner with a strong and respected brand like Uinta,” said Riverside Managing Partner Loren Schlachet. “The craft beer movement is expanding significantly and Uinta has enormous growth potential in both new and existing markets.”

Uinta recently completed an $18 million brewery expansion and will continue to invest in expanding its production capacity and distribution footprint. In 2013, the brewery produced nearly 60,000 barrels of beer and 2014 is poised to be another year of record growth.

“With its fantastic beer and branding, Uinta has already won many fans throughout the country,” said Riverside Vice President Steve Rice. “We’re delighted to be part of the next chapter in Uinta’s growth story, and we look forward to working with Will and his outstanding team.”

“I’m extremely proud of Uinta and our team and eager to expand upon our capabilities. The future looks bright for Uinta Brewing and the craft beer industry as a whole and I am very excited to see what’s on tap for us in the coming years,” said Hamill. “The brewery is extremely humbled by the growing enthusiasm for our brand and the Uinta team is ‘hopped up’ to share our beer with more craft beer consumers near and far.” 

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 4/18/14

Less a couple of beers, today's New Beer Friday is all about the Belgian styles. Luckily many of you have a long weekend to get to know them all.

Hennepin Saison: Cloudy straw with a substantial head. The nose is of sweet malt and a bit of citrus. The taste is peppery and spicey with clove upfront followed by juicy citrus, banana and bubble gum . Some wheat malt flavor is present plus a bit of alcohol The finish is dry. 7.70% ABV @Beer Bar

Ommegang Witte: The nose has banana, wheat, crackers, some spice and orange peel. the taste starts with wheat, earthy yeast and coriander. Orange, banana and some coriander like spices round out the end. Solid Witbier. I like how the citrus and yeast profiles play off of each other. 5.2% ABV @Beer Bar

La Trappe Oak Aged Quadruple: The nose has raisin, brown sugar and belgian yeast. The taste
starts with dark sugar, fruity yeast and caramel malt. Raisin and cherry round out the back end with smooth oak coming through in the finish. It's quite sweet so take that into consideration. 10% ABV. @Beer Bar, Bayou

La Trappe Jubilaris: The nose is of malt, brown sugar and pear. The taste is much the same with dark malt, earthy dark fruits and and spices. Its finish is malty-dry, spicy and undeniably warm. 6.0% ABV @Beer Bar, Bayou

Green Flash/St. Feuillien Belgian Coast IPA:  The nose has Belgian yeast, clove, citrus hops and tropical fruit. The flavor starts with caramel malt, spicy Belgian yeast and light toffee. Finishes with lingering citrus hops and allspice. These are on the verge of getting old, they drink pretty well right now so gobble them now, they wont be too great in another month. 7.5%ABV @Bayou

Squatters French Saison: The nose is of malt, grain, yeast, spices, and some fruity aromas. Taste is much the same with a nice fruity flavor. There is a mild amount of spice bitterness on the palate with each sip. finishes slightly lemony. A nice quencher. 4.0% ABV @Squatters, Beerhive

Bonny Doon Query Cider: Not tried this one yet. 6.9% ABV @Beer Bar

Roosters One Trick Pony California Common:. It is a copper colored beer with mild caramel character. The “One Trick” refers to the single hop Nothern Brewer hops used which provides both the bitter and aromatic flavors. 4.0% ABV @Roosters locations

New Belgium La Folie: The nose is sharp with cherries, cider and oak. Smells tart and delicious. The taste starts Sour and it carries through. A nice blend of oak and fruit come midway. Touch of funk in the finish, would've liked more. Overall more sour then funky with a ingering woody aftertaste.  Nice sour ale, one of NB's more popular seasonals. Glad we got some in the state. 6.0% ABV @Bayou

New Belgium Hop Kitchen RyePA: Some sharp rye and pine resin in the nose. The taste starts with a bit of nuttiness along with a mild spiciness from the rye. The hops come next giving off some resiny and grapefruit-like notes. Pine dominates the finish. A solid rye. 6.6% ABV @Bayou

Firkin Friday at the Bayou has Hoppers 80 Schilling Ale on cask. This version is dry-hopped with Colorado Chinook hops. tapping is at 3pm.

The Sweet Sixteen Round is over and I'm a bit surprised by some of the outcomes. I expected a much closer race between Elephino/Ghostrider and Fith Element/Elder Brett. But in a huge upset, winning by just one point, Uinta's Sea Legs Baltic Porter bested Squatters' Outer Darkness Imperial Stout. The Elite Eight Round will begin on Monday after the holiday weekend. Here are the results from Round Three.

Cheers!

Total	Answer
51.59%	Epic Hopulent IIPA	65 (51.59%)
48.41%	Dsrt Edge Road Rage Rye	61 (48.41%)

(126 Total Votes)

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Total	Answer
74.17%	RedRock Elephino DIPA	112 (74.17%)
25.83%	Wasatch Ghostrider White IPA	39 (25.83%)

(151 Total Votes)

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Total	Answer
68.55%	Squatters Fifth Element	85 (68.55%)
31.45%	Epic Elder Brett	39 (31.45%)

(124 Total Votes)

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Total	Answer
55.56%	RedRock LeQuatre Saison	80 (55.56%)
44.44%	Uinta Labyrinth	64 (44.44%)

(144 Total Votes)

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Total	Answer
54.14%	Epic Big Bad Baptist	72 (54.14%)
45.86%	Squatters Hop Rising DIPA	61 (45.86%)

(133 Total Votes)

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Total	Answer
50.4%	Uinta Sea Legs	63 (50.4%)
49.6%	Squatters Outer Darkness	62 (49.6%)

(125 Total Votes)

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Total	Answer
70.07%	RedRock Cohoperation	96 (70.07%)
29.93%	Epic IIPA	41 (29.93%)

(137 Total Votes)

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Total Answer 58.27% Squatters 529 74 (58.27%) 41.73% Uinta Cockeyed Cooper 53 (41.73%) (127 Total Votes) _________________________________________________________________________________________

Green Flash Coming to Utah

On this day of green things I thought it would be appropriate to announce to you all that it's official, Green Flash Brewing Co. is finally filling the two state hole in their their distribution map, bringing Utah and Hawaii into the fold. Located in San Diego, California, Green Flash is known for helping to create the the "west coast" style of IPAs that have become so incredibly popular around the world. Green Flash brews ten styles of beer regularly, on draft and in bottles as well as a growing lineup of seasonal and special offerings, including several barrel-aged beers, throughout the year. Those special releases will hit local beer bars before store shelves, but keep your eyes out regardless.

With the new distribution deals comes new packaging. Consumers can expect to see the fresh packaging on store shelves beginning in late April with the entire lineup expected to roll out with the new look through the end of May.

Now, don't bust my balls if these don't hit town when their rumored to, y'all . The DABC does what they want - when they want to - at the pace they feel is most likely to piss everyone off. I'm just the fucking messenger, so don't be bring'n torches and pitchforks to my door or URL if they haven't popped up when stated. Capisce?

And before I forget, let me remind you all of the importance to be responsible vehicle operators today, avoid the car if your gunna participate in today's festivities. And an equally important part of being a good  bar crawler is to avoid the green beer. A lot of well meaning craft beer makers around town will be adding green dye #86 or whatever to their beer to take care of the "party drones" out there, you don't have to be one of them. For you, the color of your beer should be Red, Straw, Black or Brown.

Sláinte!