New Beer Friday 3/4/16

This guy is making my brain hurt. Luckily New Beer Friday will numb us from the dumb.

Anchor - Saison Spring Ale: This beer is described as having lemongrass, lemon peel and ginger - whose synergy adds a tangy crispness and herbal spiciness to this sharply refreshing, uniquely California saison.

Ballast Point - The Commodore: This American Stout has a nose of coffee, roasted malt, chocolate, some caramel, and some bready malts. The taste has roasted malt, chocolate, some slight coffee, and a bit of vanilla. Finishes on the bitter side with hops and char. A nice stout. 6.5% ABV @ Bayou, Beer Bar, Beerhive

Boulder - Shake Chocolate Porter: The nose is is full-on milk chocolate not much else. The taste is slightly sweet chocolate syrup and roasted malts followed by coffee-like bitterness. Very creamy texture with a semi-sweet, piney bitter finish. 5.9% ABV @ Bayou, DABC

HUB - IPX El Dorado: This IPA is huge with floral and tangerine and tangerine both in the nose and in the taste. Malts are subtle and sweet with a moderate to strong bitter finish. Really nice an easy drinking beer. 6.0% ABV @BeerHive, BeerBar

Hive - Ghost town Dry Oaked Mead: described as having a bourbon nose with clover, sage and oak on the tongue. Sounds wonderful. No ABV listed @ Hive Winery

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 12/11/15

Okay, There's a shload of new stuff today, so we're just going to get right to it.

Anchor Brewing Our Christmas Ale 2015 - Pours dark mahogany color with Carmel colored head. The nose has nutmeg and toffee notes. There's a nice balance nutty chocolate, gingerbread spices up front with earthy hops and roasted bitterness rounding out the back.The finish is quite bitter. Overall, this is one of the better years for this beer.  A great Christmas ale. 5.5% ABV @BeerHive, DABC

Sockeye Brewing Winterfest - The nose is sweet and fruity with herbal hops orange peel and a bit of vanilla. The taste starts sweet with vanilla and fruity alcohol notes. The English-style ale peeks through underneath with that distinct sweeter malt edge. Herbal hops come next balancing out the sweetness of the malt. Toasted malt and sweet orange peel come next rounding out the back end. Lingering resinous hops on the finish. A really nice winter warmer. 7.0% ABV @ DABC

Shades of Pale Beer X White IPA - Cloudy straw color. The nose is tangerine with some coriander & clove. Tastes with orange peel, a bit of tangerine and lemon peel. A little doughy sweetness comes accompanied by coriander spices. 7% ABV. @ Shades of Pale

RedRock Furlong Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout - I hope you like Bourbon. Because this beer comes with a shload of it. It's very whiskey forward upfront, with some nice caramel and roasted malts punching up from beneath. The finish is herbal and quite bitter. This beer is not blended. It went from barrel to bright tank to bottle. It's raw and unapologetic. Sadly it sold out on the first day of the release. However, it is available at RedRock locations for in house consumption and it's at most better beer bars as well. 10.2% ABV

To Øl Jule Mælk - I haven't tried this one yet. This is a 15% ABV Milk Stout. Yeah, I know... me too! @ Bayou

Hive Apricot Eau Da Vie Brandy - This elegant brandy opens with a wonderful warm apricot nose, transporting you to a warm summer day standing next to an apricot tree full of ripe fruit. A distinct, but not overpowering, apricot flavor makes this a perfect spirit for sipping. @ Hive Winery

Hive Blackberry Eau Da Vie Brandy - Proudly made from Blackberries  picked fresh at Frost Farms in Layton, this clear spirit has a fresh blackberry nose with slight floral undertones.  A light pleasing blackberry flavor dominates the profile of this smooth and pleasant brandy. Enjoy it neat in a brandy snifter, or using it in place of vodka in a “screwdriver” for a delightful berry twist on an old classic. @ Hive Winery

Hive Sisterwives Sparkling Bing Cherry Wine - A delightfully sweet, subtly sparkling wine featuring a full, rich, sun ripened dark cherry flavor with pleasantly understated earthy undertones, reminiscent of a good port. Perfect addition to any Holiday Celebration; try it in place of a standard Champaign in your favorite holiday drinks. @ Hive Winery

The DABC finally let the Bayou have their shipment of Holiday beers. Here's what's available today.

Mikkeller Winbic

Mikkeller - Santa's Helper
Mikkeller From/To

To Øl Frost Bites Holiday IPA

Bourganel - Biere aux Marrons (Chestnuts)

Ridgeway Brewing Beers:
Bad Elf
Very Bad Elf
Lump Of Coal
Santas Butt
Warm Welcome
Reindeer Droppings

Serafiijn Christmas Angel

Sruise Tsjeeses 
Thiriez Noel

Also today, Squatters and Wasatch are now serving some of their "high point" beers in Crowlers! They will have 3 Wasatch beers – Ghostrider White IPA, Devastator Double Bock and a seasonal offering, which is First One Down Winter Warmer. The Squatters beers are Hop Rising Double IPA, Off Duty IPA and the Seasonal offering, which is currently Takeout Rye IPA.

They will be filling the Crowlers every morning and will only fill a certain quantity for the day in order to keep the product fresh. Since they are Crowlers, they will be filled off their tap lines, then purged and sealed, which makes it possible for them to stay fresh for a longer period of time. The price will be $5.50 per Crowler. As these were just approved yesterday, I'd call ahead before making the trip. Capiche?

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 7/10/15

Uinta - Ales for ALS Red IPL: Pours a ruby/amber color with a nice long lasting cap of  foam. Big citrus peel and pine in the nose. The taste starts juicy with orange and tangerine. Subtle caramel malts come next with pine resins rounding out the back end. The finish is fairly bitter and dry. Nice take on an India Pale Lager! 6.2% ABV @ Uinta, Beer Bar, Beerhive

Bohemian - Brewers Stache Munich Helles: Bohemian Brewery's newest "Brewer'stache" is a classic Munich Helles with a twist. The traditional smooth pilsener malts give way to the addition of Sterling hops. This hop variety is an American derivative of classic Czech Saaz and brings with it expected spicy flavor and herbal aroma. Hopped exclusively with Sterling, this lager is a great example of how a beer can be hoppy without the bitterness. Available only at Bohemian's pub in Midvale. Don't wait too long! 4.0% ABV @ Bohemian 

Wasatch Lemon Drop Saison: Pours a cloudy golden straw color with a nice pillowy white head. The nose is very light with some spicy yeast phenols. The taste is classic saison with nice clove and coriander spices on top of toasted grains. The Lemon Drop hops add a pleasant lemongrass bitterenss that counters the spiciness from the yeast. Nice light and easy drinking. 4.0% ABV @ Squatters & Wasatch locations - Wing Nuts too. Should be popping up on Wasatch/Squatters seasonal taps around town soon. 

Hive - Raspberry Jalapeno Stinger Hard Apple Cider: Hive's ninth hard cider is born from their beloved Raspberry Stinger Hard Cider which has been infused with fresh jalapenos. The jalapeno and raspberry front the taste buds with a full apple finish. The heat level on this stinger balances beautifully with the flavors and would be best described as mild. 6.9% ABV @ Hive Winery and Brandy Company in Layton, The Bayou and Slackwater Pizzeria in Ogden.

Uinta is also starting their own Firkin Friday this week in their newly remodeled Brewhouse Pub. The debut firkin will be HooDoo Kolsch w/ 3 lbs of locally sourced peaches. 4.0% ABV The tapping  will be at 5pm.

Did I miss something? Please share what you've found locally and where we can find it!

Prost!

New Beer Friday 5/21/15

Yeah there's a lot of rain. However, did you know beer is the perfect accompaniment for it? Why do you think there are so many breweries in the North West? Here are this week's New Beer Friday options.

Boulder - Single Track Rye Pale Ale: Didn't get a chance to try this one. It's described as a refreshing, medium-bodied ale, Singletrack Rye Pale Ale is brewed with toasted rye and caramel malt for a slight nutty flavor with a brilliant copper color. Reflecting a lifestyle adopted by many at our brewery and in Boulder, Singletrack is an homage to the two-wheeled athletes and weekend warriors pounding the narrow trails of our backyard mountains 4.0% ABV @Harmon's

Boulder - Buffalo Gold Golden Ale: Pours a clear golden yellow with two fingers of tall puffy foam. The nose has some sweet grains and a slight doughiness with some floral hops. The taste is more malty like a pale ale with a bit of unripened apple and pear. Floral and grassy hops round out the end.  4.0% ABV @ Harmon's

Deschutes - Armory XIPA:  Deep copper/orange color with a clumpy three fingers of head. The nose has light caramel and biscuit with an herbal spiciness. The taste starts with toffee like malts and toast. There are also hints of nutmeg and clove Lots of zesty tropical notes come next with a hint of  herbal spices. 6.0% ABV @ Select DABC - I saw it at Bountiful's Store

Hive Winery Black Cherry Brandy: The Hive Brandy Company’s first spirit and Utah’s first brandy. This light amber spirit fronts with vanilla notes finishing with a fresh cherry. Made with 11 pounds of Utah grown black cherries per bottle and aged on oven toasted French oak this spirit will warm you all the way through. For the best brandy drinking experience serve it in a large brandy snifter. This allows the aromas to fill the glass and pass into the lungs each time you take a sip. As a fantastic alternative on the sweeter side add a little real maple syrup to your brandy and swirl it in the snifter. This blends the maple with the cherries and vanilla to make a fantastic combination with a slight sweetness to intensify all the flavors. If you do not have a brandy snifter use the largest wine glass you have at home and you will get the same effects.We only bottled 122 bottles of this magnificent brandy so it will not last long. Each bottle is hand numbered and hand sealed with a double dipped wax cap. Come in and get one of these very limited brandies. This is only available at The Hive Winery/The Hive Brandy Company Location. $68.95 for a 750 ml bottle. 80 proof 40% alcohol by volume.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday: LDS Conference Edition

Need a lil' sumpin to brighten up your "conference" weekend. Look no further!

Sierra Nevada Harvest Single Hop IPA: Idaho 7 - Pours a bright golden amber color two fingers of sturdy head. The nose is a combo of  juicy citrus, floral, and spicy hops. The taste starts off like the aroma. Juicy with big notes of citrus fruit and pine. Orange peel, mango, and melon come next with notes of caramel and biscuit rounding out the back end. Finishes dry and hoppy. 6.5% ABV @DABC

Park City Hooker Blonde - Haven't tried this one yet. It's described as, being clear with a bright, straw yellow hue, the Hooker Blonde Ale makes use of a single, noble hop variety throughout the boil for a zesty spice flavor and bitterness.4.0% ABV @Jupiter Bowl

Avenues Proper Salted Caramel Porter -  Inspired by their next door neighbors at Hatch Family Chocolates, who are famous for, among other things, their salted caramel candies and ice cream, this dark ale is described as being pleasantly surprising with its contrasting flavors. The smooth and dark flavors of the porter base are contrasted by the rich sweetness of house-made caramel and both are accented by the use of local salt in the brew. The result is a balanced beer with a little something extra that would go great with deserts. 4.0% ABV @Avenues Proper

Vernal American Chocolate Stout - Haven't tried this one yet. American Stouts tend to be on the hoppier side combined with the chocolate notes it should make an interesting contrast. 4.0% ABV @Vernal Brewing

Epic Lil' Brainless Raspberry - The raspberry is subtle and tart with some dry and puckering tannin notes. You get some floral bitterness on the back of the tongue. With a finish that is semi tart and dry. It has that rich, estery and spicy, Belgian yeast funk backing up the base beer. 5.2% ABV @DABC, The Annex, ask for it at your favorite watering hole.

Hive Winery Bishop's Daughter Pie Cherry Wine - Described as having a soft and inviting cherry nose. This delightfully balanced cherry wine has a bright clean cherry flavor, the result of an unexpected flavor complexity with rich cherry back notes and a subtly tart finish that will leave you wanting more. Just in time for LDS General Conference, "Bishops Daughter" features beer lover/close friend/Hop Bombshell Misti Cobb on the label. Her classic Pin-up girl looks (I'm sure) adds greater dimensions to the "body" of the wine. 13.6% ABV @Hive Winery.

Cheers! 

New Beer Friday 3/6/15

It was obviously a really slow beer week here in Utah, we really had to dig to find some some new morsels for this morning. While they may not be new to some they did catch my eye. You'll notice that we're starting off with a Goose Island beer. This one actually snuck in to the Beer Bar late last Friday. It won't be long before you start seeing other Goose Island beers on shelves soon. Yeeeah...

Goose Island Goose IPA - Pours a clear golden color. The nose is of grapefruit and sweet malts. The taste starts with a light malty backbone with a grassy/citrucy hop flavor in the end. Finishes dry. This is yet another session IPA to enter the Salt Lake market. Not to be confused with Goose Island's "Goose Island IPA" this is "Goose IPA". 4.0% ABV @ Beer Bar

Sockeye Maibock - Not tried this one yet. 6.5% ABV @ Bayou

Vernal Brewing - Brewers Handle Black Lager. Not tried this one. 4.0% ABV @ Vernal Brewing

Guinness Blonde - Deep golden in color with a nose of bready caramel and grassy hops. The taste starts bready with thin caramel and light grassy hops notes and pretty much remains that way throughout. Bitterness from the hops pick up gaining intensity to the end. The finish is crisp and lingering. A pretty standard lager. 5.0% ABV @DABC

Newcastle Bombshell - Pours bright gold. The nose has toffee and noble hops. The flavor starts malty and bready with a bit of mineral bite. Notes of honey and lemon come next with an herbal tea smack rounding out the the end. Lingering spicey hops in the finish. I'm not a big Newcastle fan, so this came as a pleasant surprise. Light and refreshing. 4.4% ABV @ DABC

The Hive Winery Elder Jack Wine - This came out yesterday, did not get a chance to try it. It's described as having a delightful berry nose and slight hints of black currant. As the wine opens and warms, the nose subtly changes allowing more of the black currant aroma to come forward to blend with the raspberry. A smooth well balanced wine, with a delightful flavor shifting from dominant raspberry with black currant undertones to black currant with soft raspberry highlights.

The Annex firkin today features Golden with Citra Hops and Lychee. If your not familiar with the Lychee it tastes like a combo of grapes, strawberries and watermelon. Should be delicious! Tapping is at 4:30 - $3 pints. Now that's the way to start the weekend!

Prost!

New Beer Friday 1/9/15

Thanks for hanging in there during this slow time of the year, things look to be gathering momentum in the coming weeks. Look for a lot of changes in the coming months!

Ninkasi Expo58 - Pours a crystal clear straw yellow color with a fizzy cap of foam. The nose has some slight spicy yeast esters with a bit of floral hops. The flavor starts with malty with a bit of wood dryness. A bit of clove comes next with a hint of sulfur. The end has some floral and spicy hops notes. The finish is dry and light. 5.0% ABV
 
The Annex Kettle Sour IPA -  Pours a somewhat hazy apricot color with a thin to moderate amount of foam. Citrus and floral hops dominate the nose with a bit of sour dryness beneath. Look for sour green apples on the tongue with a bit of flowery bitterness and resiny citrus peel slightly underneath. The beer is not overwhelming sour, but there is some puckering. 4.0% ABV @ The Annex

Wasatch Brewmaster Special: Gose - Haven't tried this one yet. Look for lemony tartness with a light to moderate sodium finish. I believe this is the first beer produced on premises in the brewpubs's pilot system. 4.0% ABV @ Wasatch Brewpub in Sugarhouse 

Hive Rhubarb Wine -  It's described as having a slightly sweet nose capturing the essence of berries and floral notes. However, don’t let the nose fool you, this wine is unexpectedly dry with only a hint of sweetness which complements the berry notes in the wine. A soft and smooth wine with a slight tartness and subtle spice on the finish. Only 140 bottles produced.

The Annex's "Middle of the Firkin Wirkin' Week" firkin tapping has moved back to Fridays. So now I guess it's "End of the Firkin Wirkin' Week" Firkin? Today's offering will be their Bavarian Hefe with Lemon and Lime zest. I believe the tapping is at 4pm. 4.0% ABV

Returning Favorites
Desert Edge's Powdershot Porter and Desert Hell Helles 4.0% ABV


And congratulations go out to Salt Lake City's Beer Bar for making it into Draft Magazine's Top 100 Beer Bars issue. The feature's photo shows co-owner Richard Noel and praises Beer Bar's dedication to innovation, proper glassware and temperature specific storage. Prost, Beer Bar!

Cheers!

New Beer Friday: True Man Edition

Back in April 2013  we told you that Shipyard Brewing was entering the Utah market. We had no idea that it would take 15 months, but I guess that's the way things work here in Zion. Here's the first of those beers to pop up in the market. I haven't had a chance to try most of beers this week. Please share your thoughts on them if you have.

Shipyard Brewing Company - Smashed Blueberry: Dark brown in color. The nose is mild with berries, dark fruits and cocoa. The taste starts nutty with chocolate and coffee. The berries soon take over and carry on through the end. There are some hops detectable in the finish. Not exactly a "summer beer" but it's a pretty decent fruity porter. 9% ABV @ DABC

Hive - Blackberry Stinger Cider: Sadly I've not tried this one yet. I guess the name says it all. Anyone care to share their thoughts? 6.9% ABV

Roosters - Devil's Grip Blackberry Ale: Mikey no try either. It's described as having a cloudy apricot color with a bready nose full of of blackberry. Look for a sweet malt base on the tongue with plenty of pine and blackberry. 4.0% ABV @ Roosters locations

Lagunitas - A Little Sumpin' Extra! Ale: The nose has a nice tangerine/ripe orange aroma with a hint of malt and pine. The taste starts tropical with citrus up front and big sweet, bready malts. Pine resin notes come next with a hint of white pepper. The end is fresh and dry with more rind bitterness. Finishes dry - not too boozy. 8.74% ABV @ Beer Bar (limited supply)

Blue Moon - Pine in the Neck IPA: : Mikey no try. Described as having a rich malty backbone, supporting bright piney hops bitterness. 7.5% ABV

Blue Moon - Rounder Belgium Pale: Mikey no try. Described as having a nose that is slightly peppery with spice, caramel, and a bit of floral hop. Flavor is floral up front, moving to a sweet caramel and toffee finish with a lingering bitterness on the end. 5.6% ABV @ DABC

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 5/2/14

• Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza.

- Dave Berry

Wasatch Snap Down Header IPL: It's got a very clear golden color with nice head retention. The nose is mostly citrus and pine. It starts with bready malts and transitions into some herbal grassy bitterness. The end has a little cracker snap with a hint of citrus peel. A really nice session beer. 4.0% ABV @Squatters/Wasatch and their accounts.

Epic Hopulemt IPA with Citra Hops: The nose has a lot of grapefruit and tropical notes. The flavor starts with resinous pine and grapefruit. Big sweet malts full of tropical flavors come next with a hint of mango in the end. The finish is a little hot and dry. If your a fan of Citra hops you'll really love this version. Says, "Citra" in the info window on the bottle. 8.7% ABV @Epic locations & their accounts

Hive Mint Stinger Cider: Fresh apple in the nose with mint tea notes. The flavor starts with sweet apples, sulphur and mint. Hints of honey in the end with a tart sparkly finish. The mint is definitely a different take on the style. Made exclusively for McCool's Pubs

Hive Black Currant Honey Wine: This wine is made by co-fermenting black currants and Cache Valley honey. It has a robust black currant nose with sweet notes. A wine that is subtlety sweet on the front with a tart black currant bite that lingers on the tongue. A bright, clean wine that is not overly sweet. @Hive Winery

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 12/27/13

Sorry I'm late, I'm on vacation which means I get to sleep in, again my apologizes. We hope the Holidays are treating you all well, and if you didn't get enough cheer during the week we have some new beers that will go nicely with the weekend.

Bohemian Smoked Helles: Mesquite-esque smokiness in the nose with hints of biscuit beneath. The taste is full of sweet malt, and smoke with a hint of spicy hops. The mouthfeel is on the lighter side of medium. A very nice smoke beer. I could easily drink this on a regular basis. @Bohemian

Epic Old Sage Brett: This is Epic's Utah Sage Saison aged in Brett dosed barrels for about 6-7 months. The Sage is quite prominent with nice smack of sour to accompany it. This is a very limited release. @Epic

Hoppers has the Cask for Firkin Friday at the Bayou: Pale Morning Ale dry hopped with New Zealand Rakau hops. The Rakau hops have a nice perfumy blossom bouquet, mango and pine apple like tropical fruit, and a hint pine resin. The base pale ale has cascade as a late kettle hop.


Raspberry Stinger Hard Apple Cider: The Hive Winery's Stinger hard cider which is partially sweetened with real Utah raspberry juice. The result is a lightly carbonated cider, with the prefect amount of fresh raspberry to blend beautifully with the rich apple flavor. Watch out, it is easy to get “stung” by this cider’s 6.95% alcohol content. Bottle (22 fl oz) - $8.95 Now Available at The Hive Winery.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 8/9/13

Zion Apricot Ale: Tastes like a standard hefe but with major focus on apricot rather than citrus. You get wheat, apricot, and spice. The apricot flavoring is moderate. Aftertaste is mellow with wheat. @Zion Canyon Brewing


Wychwood Brewery Hobgoblin: There’s a nice side taste of tingly rich fruits. The after taste is slightly bitter, with a sweet caramely/bready linger.

Wychwood Brewery Scarecrow Organic: The nose is malty with a little sweetness and some bready notes. The taste is a bit malty sweet with a slight herbal hoppiness. Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied.
  
Many have asked me to include meads, ciders and fruit wines to New Beer Friday. Cool! 

The Hive Winery Plum Wine: A bright, clean wine with a soft medium sweet finish. This wine has a subtle floral nose with a slight earthiness in the back notes. The slightly acidic finish on the wine accents the pleasing fresh plum flavor.

Today's Firkin Friday offering at the Bayou is Desert Edge's Rye aged in Chardonnay Oak. Tapping at 3:00.

Cheers!

Stinger Cider

Local ciders are coming on strong! A few weeks ago we told you about a new cider coming out of Cache Valley called  CaCysir, from Slide Ridge Farms. Now, The Hive Winery has a two new offerings in the wings called Stinger & Stinger Dry. Stinger is still about two months away, they're still waiting on federal Label approval. We hope to have a review for you soon.

The Hive Winery reports they will have a first run of about 243 bottles of Stinger and 81 bottles of Stinger Dry. 

Cheers!