New Beer Friday 3/15/19

Saint Patrick's Day is Sunday, but it will likely be celebrated all weekend long. There's no need for green beer, when you have a full board of new beers to choose from this week. Enjoy your weekend and please be safe!

 Zólupez - Hibiscus Wheat Beer: Inspired by Mexican Agua de Jamaica - brewed with coriander, chamomile/aka manzanilla, orange peel, and Pineapple Pale Ale (inspired by Tepache Mexicano- brewed with brown sugar. 5.3%. Available 3/16 at Zólupez Beer Store.

Zólupe Pale Ale: Described as having sweet fruity Pineapple notes, balanced with the hoppiness of a true pale ale. The unusual fresh aftertaste that hangs around after each sip derives from yerba buena (spearmint), the Mexican herb used a traditional “cure all.” Although unfiltered, nice clear appearance, solid head retention. Inspired by Mexican Tepache (a traditional fermented Pineapple beverage). Naturally bottle conditioned. ABV. 5.25%. Small batch 12 oz. bottles available Saturday 3/16 at Zólupez Beer Store.

Uinta Test Phaze IPA: The unique hop profile in this beer comes from an experimental hop that will likely never be used again. It starts grassy and herbal, then transitions into a good dose of citrus peel, then wraps up with pleasant melon notes. There's a slight hoppy bite in the end as well. One of the more unique tasting IPAs out there. 6.5%. Available at Uinta.

Odell 180 Shilling:  A hearty roasted malt base balanced by subtle earthy hops and aged on oak to create notes of toffee, plum, vanilla and dried cherry. 9.6%. Avaialble Beer Bar, Beerhive

Odell Bull Proof: This barrel aged imperial stout has a nutty chocolate Aroma. Taste of almonds, hazelnuts, dark chocolate and a hint of coffee. A little marshmallow in the slightly boozy finish.

Rogue Outta Line: The aroma is full of pineapple and orange peel. The starts with ripe pineapple, orange along with other tropical fruits. malt profile is honey-like and balancing. Finishes with a nice hop bite. Nice IPA. 6.9%. Available at Beer Bar, DABC

Upslope Blackberry Lemon Kettle Sour: Missed this one. Look for Blackberry and lemon (duh) and low bitterness. 4.2%. Available at the Bayou

New Belgium Mural: Slight pink hue with a fruity and sour aroma. The flavor starts mildly tart with a light malty base. Hbiscus pretty much, lime, melon and some unidentified elements. Beer Bar, Dick n Dixie’s

The following are "beer adjacent". They're not beer, but may appeal to beer drinkers. 

Squatters Grandeur Peak: Grapefruit aroma with light grapefruit peel in the taste. It watery because it's an alcohol based seltzer water. Defiantly a summertime pool beverage.  4.0%. Available at the UBC's West side Tavern.

Lagunitas - Hop: This sparkling water has heavy hop aromatics with citrus flavored water. This will give Mormons and non alcohol drinkers a good idea of why beer nerds like IPAs, This is a good non-alcoholic representation of what we are talking about. 0% ABV. Found at Harmon's.

Returning favorite

Epic - Elder Brett: I know we keep saying this but this may be the last release of this beer. This batch was hidden away for over a year and you can defiantly taste it. It's very tart with an almost balsamic fruitiness. Considering its age, this one is perfect for drinking now. Cellering this one may make it a bit too over the top.

Cheers!

May the 4th Be With You - New Beer Friday

Today is practically a holiday for me. When two of my great passions collide (Star Wars and New Beer Friday), I get chocked-up quicker than Admiral Motti - pissing on the force. There's a nice selection of beers available today that will make your May the Forth Be With You pub crawl a huge success.   
  
Strap Tank IPA #2: Pineapple and stone fruit with a backbone of dank, but drinkable sense of bitterness (ain’t no NEIPA). This is an  O.G.W.C.I.P.A. 7.0% ABV; 75 IBU. Available only at Strap Tank. 

Brasserie Bocq Blanche De Namur: A solid aroma of coriander, wheat, and light fruit. The taste has a moderate amount of wheat, some coriander notes, light malt, a little bit of licorice, banana, a some orange peel. 4.5% Available at select DABC stores.

Upslope Nitro Pale Ale: I missed out on this one yesterday. If you've tried it please share! 4.0% Found at Beer Bar.

Base Camp Rye Saison: Spicy rye nose with a hint of Band-aid and apple. The taste is a nice combo of heavy rye malt, sweet honey, some graham cracker with a moderate dose of clove rounding out the back end. There is Brett in here as well but it's not huge on the palate. I'm currious to see how this tasty beer evolves over time. 7.5% Available at Beer Bar.

Lagunitas CitruSinensis:  The aroma is strong orange, grapefruit and sweet malt. The taste is a mix of semisweet caramel malt and citrus and pine hops. There is a substantial bitterness as well for balance. A very nice pale ale. 7.9%. Available at the Bayou.

Samuel Adams Sam '76: Missed this one too. It's supposed to be some kind of Ale/Lager hybrid. Have you tried it? Please share. 4.7%. Available at Bayou, DABC. 

May the Force Be with You!

New Beer Friday: End of June Edition

There's no better way to say, adios to the month of June than with a little New Beer Friday action. It's not a massive NBF but it will satisfy. Today's beer meme is dedicated to Kirsten, who doesn't drink alcohol but loves her some New Beer Friday.

Oskar Blues Fugli - If you're not familiar with Yuzu and Ugli fruit, think Passion Fruit and that'll give you an idea of what's going on here. The Yuzu and Ugli fruit are subtle and just add a enough sweetness to balance out the bitter hops. 5.8% ABV @ Bayou

Upslope Citra Pale Ale - Orange peel pretty much dominates this beer. There is some hop bitterness and the malts are subtle, but if your not into orange peel? you will be sad. If you're a fan of Citra hop you won't taste 'em here. Not too bad for a fruit enhanced Pale Ale. 5.8% ABV

Sierra Nevada 3 Weight IPA - This new beer from Sierra Nevada was brewed especially for our market with input from local beer industry insiders, including Beer Bar's Rich Noel and Duncan Burrell. The Boys actually went to the Chico Brewery and help design the beer. The malts are light and somewhat cracker like. The hops have a dankness to them along with some citrus smack. Right now it's just on draft at Beer Bar, but it will start popping up in grocery and c-stores [12oz. bottles] in the coming weeks. 4.0% ABV

Strap Tank Dampfbier - This one is akin to steam beer. Lots of toasted malts, biscuit caramel. hops are mostly piney and herbal. The big difference here is the banana/clove flavors that you get from the yeast. A nice "change of pace" beer. 4.0% ABV.

Don't forget about tomorrow's SLUG Mag On-Tap Beerfest that's in support of the Utah Brewers Guild. I'm hearing there will be a DUI Blitz tomorrow, PLEASE USE PUBLIC TRANSIT.

Slainte!

New Beer Friday 5/12/17

This week's New Beer Friday finds are mostly local, including the highly anticipated Flanders Red from Uinta Brewing and home brewer Rob Rutledge. Have a great weekend!

Bohemian's Pro/Am Lagerpalooza IPL - Nose of light citrus fruit, herbal hop notes. Flavors follow the nose with honey and citrus notes on the front and sides, a bittering herbal hops note to the middle and rear, and a toasty grain flavors in the back and aftertaste. Very nice.6.0% ABV @ Bohemian

Desert Edge's Kellerbier - This is an unfiltered German Helles. The aroma is full of sweet grainy malt. The flavor is doughy malt and subtle spicy and floral German Saaz hops. Low hop flavor and bitterness let the pilsner malt dominate for a malty yet light and refreshing lager. @Desert Edge

Squatters' Laurel Lager - Herbal and grassy nose. The taste had sweet and toasted grains with balancing herbal and grassy hops. Very nice lager. 4.0% ABV @ Squatters

Uinta Cahoots Flanders Style Red - This came out yesterday afternoon, and I missed out. I'll have tasting notes this afternoon at 3:30pm on KBER 101. 8.0% ABV @ Uinta

Deschutes Pacific Wonderland - The nose has sweet biscuit, earthy and lemony hops. Flavor follows and has a nice dry finish on a well balanced. 5.5% ABV @ Bayou, DABC

Upslope Citra Pale Ale - Not had this yet. Upslope describes it as prominently featuring Citra hops, our Citra Pale Ale delivers pungent grapefruit and tropical fruit aromas on the nose with a semi-dry finish. Juicy notes imparted by the hops pair with the light caramel malt character to balance this drinkable, “go-to” American Pale Ale. 5.8% ABV @ Bayou, DABC

Fisher Brexit Brown Ale - haven't tried this yet. 4.0% ABV @ Fisher

There are more new addition to your American Craft beer Week Calendar from Bohemian and Roosters. You can find them here.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday the 13th!

It's a Wee New Beer Friday this week. The two beers that I was able to scrounge up this week both hail from out of state, but are dialed in with the grocery store and tap handles in mind.
  
Upslope Belgian Style Blonde with Guava - The nose has honey and apple with some hints of clove. The taste starts a little vinious with some tropical flavors backing it up. Coriander and some doughy spices round out the back end. A pleasant beer with a fruity character that's not overdone. 4.0% ABV @ Grocery/C-Stores

10 Barrel Cucumber Crush - The nose is dry with lemon and pepper. The taste starts with lemon tartness which continues on to the end. Midway you get subtle cucumber mixing with wheat crackers.
It's a beer that doesn't seem like it should work, but it strangely does. Think summer salad. 4.0% ABV. @ Beer Bar

Pelican Dirty Bird IPA - I havsn't tried this one yet. It's described a being mildly sweet with caramel, mild hop bitterness with a shade of resin and a nice hop flavor. There's tangerine, pine a little grapefruit present as well. 6.5% ABV. @ The Bayou

Don't forget New Beer Friday continues this afternoon on KBER 101 at 3:30pm with Mick and Allen.

I've added some new events to the Craft Beer Week Calendar. There will likely be more coming so keep checking back.


Prost!

Upslope Brews Exclusive Beer for Utah

Upslope Brewing Co has created a new Belgian Style Blonde, an ale brewed with guava, specifically for Utah's craft beer drinkers. The beer meets the state’s requirement to be sold at any retail location that sells beer & wine. The soft tropical fruit character imparted from the guava puree offers a touch of complexity to the clean, bright, Belgian blonde experience.

I'm told this beer should be hitting grocery and convenience store shelves next week. It's nice to see our market get some specific attention from breweries outside of our market.

Cheers!

Image found at Shipcomplient.com

New Beer Friday 4/22/16

I've been doing New Beer Friday for quite a few years now, it still blows me away that there are still so many new options hitting bars and store shelves on a weekly basis. I wish I could try them all before Friday, but I'm only one man. Here's your latest, New Beer Friday lineup. 

Bohemian Cottonwood Common (Brewers Stache Series) -Haven't tried this one yet. This beer is Boho's interpretation on a California Steam Beer. They are typically malty with some mild fruitiness and have an assertive hop bitterness. 4.0% ABV @ Bohemian

2 Row Bier De Garde - Dried fruit aromas in the nose with some light floral notes. The taste starts with big bubble gum flavors,  rich dark fruits and some dried apricot. Herbal bitterness and some phenols from the yeast round out the end balancing out the palate. Medium body. A great tasting Bier De Garde. 7.0% ABV. @ 2 Row, Beerhive, Bayou

Proper Brewing Hop vs Hop - Haven't tried this one yet. For the first version of this beer Brew master Rio Connolly decided to go with Crystal and Summit hop varieties. 7.1% ABV @ Proper Brewing, Beer Bar, 

Proper Brewing Halfway to Concord - (an old-timey phrase meaning you've had a few) is a Colonial-style porter brewed with molasses, corn, and rye. Session-strength with just the right amount of body, this is the perfect "warm weather porter" 4.0% ABV @ Proper Brewing

Lagunitas Waldo's Special Ale - Pours a orange-ish, with a nose of strong pine resin, dank hops, grapefruit and herbal notes. The taste starts with a blast of pine resin and dank hop bitterness. Grapefruit grass, pineapple, mango and vanilla, round out the back end. Finishes lemony and herbal.
Full bodied, alcohol is hidden well but will rear it's head as it warms. 11.5% ABV @ Beerhive, Beer Bar

Mother Earth Sweet Spot IPA - Graham cracker like maltiness with notes of passion fruit, melon, green berry and a light floral dankness. Finishes with a bit of peppery bitterness. Nice IPA. 6.7% ABV. @ Bayou, BeerHive  

Full Sail Bourbon Barrel Wheatwine Ale - Haven't tried this one yet. Thanks for the locator Brady! 12.0% ABV @ 300 w. Wine Store

Full Sail Classic IPA - Haven't tried this one yet. Not sure if this is just a re-branding of their regular IPA. @DABC

Upslope Oatmeal Stout - Haven't tried this one yet. 5.0% ABV. @ DABC

Blue Moon Belgian Table Pils - Haven't tried this one yet. 4.0% ABV. @ Grocery/Convenience Stores

Estrella Jalisco - This light-flavored Mexican pilsner from Guadalajara, Jalisco is very popular south of the boarder and is now available in the states. 4.0% ABV @ Grocery/Convenience Stores.

Don't forget, we do New Beer Friday reviews and discussions on KBER 101, every Friday afternoon at 3:30pm with Mick and Allen. Check it out if you can.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 11/13/15

Congratulations, you've made it this far. Now you just have to take it! No worries though... there no trap - just good beer and cider in this week's New Beer Friday. Just a reminder that New Beer Friday has it's own radio segment now on KBER 101 Fridays at 3:30pm on Mick and Allen's show. Tune in if you have the time. 

Bohemian Session Bock - Bohemian Brewery’s latest Brewer’Stache is made from the second runnings of their upcoming Doppelbock. Meaning, after collecting enough strong wort for a high alcohol Doppelbock there was enough sugar left in the mash to make a second session beer.  The Session Bock is unfiltered with a hazy reddish brown appearance.  The flavor is sweet and toasty with hints of toffee and caramel.  The beer finishes with rich malts and hints of dark fruit from the German lager yeast. The 4.0% Session Bock is available on draft today at the Brewery and we'll of course keep you up to date on the new BoHo Dopplebock as it's release date get near

Upslope Blood Orange Saison - Pours a clear golden, cider color with a thin but tight white head. The nose has oranges peel with some spices. The taste starts with oranges and some spicy/estery yeast. some thin doughy wheat flavors come next with notes of coriander and white pepper rounding out the back end. 6.0% ABV @ Slackwater Soon to DABC

Mountain West Ruby Hard Cider - Pours a brilliant clear golden color with a nose of dry apple. The taste follows the nose with subtle apple sweetness combined with some minor green apple tartness. Finishes nicely dry. This is my kind of cider. Brilliant! 6.8% ABV

Squatters Rye Chai -  This beer is a chai tea infused dark rye ale that is served on nitro. 4.0% ABV @ Squatters Downtown Brewpub.

Squatters Rauchbier -  A rye a ale that is brewed with smoked malt.  This imparts a smoky dryness to the beer  that is meant to complement the sweeter malts in the brew. 4.0% ABV @  Squatters Downtown Brewpub

Returning Favorites

Wasatch Winter First One Down - The former Wasatch Winterfest, pours a clear ruby color with a moderate fluffy off-white cap of foam. The nose is bright with citrus and pine with subtle spicy caramel malt beneath. The flavor starts out with grapefruity hops and a bit of orange zest. Next comes a faint hint of gingerbread then transitions to a rich maltiness. I think there may be a little roastiness in there as well. Very nicely balanced with a well hidden 7.1% abv.


New Belgium Accumulation: The nose is a hoppy blend of grass, grapefruit and lemon with a touch of earthiness. The taste is similar, tart and grassy, but more earthy and with a pleasant spiciness as the flavor lingers on the tongue. Better than most White IPAs, still not better than Ghostrider. 6.2% ABV
@ Bayou, soon to DABC

Full Sail Session Fest: Pours a nice shiny copper color with just a bit of haze. Little bit of eggshell colored head makes a brief appearance. The nose is of toasted grain, slight caramel & floral hops in the background.  The taste starts with biscuits and toast alongside some caramel malty goodness make for a nice refreshing brew. Hops add just a bit to florals to balance things out. Mouthfeel is light, crisp, and refreshing. Flavors don't exactly 'wow' you but it's still got enough going on to keep it interesting. @ Bayou - DABC

Also, Congrats to Epic and Uinta for medaling in the 2015 Brussels Beer Challenge. Uinta's Cutthroat came away with a gold medal for best Bitter and Epic's Big Bad Baptist came away with a silver medal in the coffee beer category. Shades of Pale's Tap Room is finally opening. Head on over to the brewery tomorrow and check it out. They'll have food truck(s), music and of course Beer!

Cheers!

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 6/12/15

Sorry that New Beer Friday has been absent the last few weeks. Between a slow release schedule and a little "me" time, things got lost. Well, it's back now - in all of it's twisted glory... tall tales and all. Oh and by the way, The Upslope beers are here!

Uinta Contrail White: Pours a somewhat cloudy straw color. The nose is doughy with hints of coriander. The taste is similar with doughy bread and dry crackers. Coriander spiciness comes next with a moderate amount of florals and grass rounding out the end. 4.0% ABV @grocery

Ballast Point Even Keel: Pours a golden amber color with a nose that citrusy and floral. The taste starts with tangerine rind and grapefruit. Thin malts come next - the end is quite bitter and dry. It's nice, I was hoping for a little more from a Ballast Point offering. 3.8% ABV @Bayou, Beer Bar on draft. Should be available in can a some grocery.

Rogue VooDoo Doughnut Lemon Chiffon Crueller: Me no try yet. 6.9% ABV @better beer bars and some DABC

Rogue Brutal IPA: pours a light amber color with a citrusy nose - whiffs of malt as well. Nice balance  of caramel malts and citrus peel. A very easy drinking IPA. 5.8% ABV @most better beer bars and DABC

Full Sail Cascade Pilsner: pours a brilliantly clear golden yellow with a nose of toast, citrus and pine. The taste follows with nice toasty grains and bright cirus from the cascade hops. A bit of malt sweetness comes next with pine rounding out the end. A wonderfully drinkable American lager. 4.5% ABV @Bayou, DABC

Mother Earth Big Mother: Pours a hazy apricot color with a big fruity citrus nose - a little boozy too. The taste starts fruity with some mango and apricot. Big juicy hops come next, full of grapefruit and tangerine. Chewy caramel comes next with a little alcohol heat. For a 10.8% IPA it's pretty well balanced. Just don't underestimate it. @Beerhive

Upslope Craft Lager: Yup! They're here. Pours a crystal clear pale yellow color with a nose of toast, grain and grass. The taste is grainy sweet with a slight corny flavor. Hop are grassy and spicy. Nice, very drinkable lager. 4.8% ABV @Beer Bar

Upslope India Pale Ale: Pours A somewhat dark amber color with a nose of citrus peel and pine – hints of chewy malts as well. The taste is malty up front with a hint of toffee. Big bitter citrus rind comes next with a bit of pine resin in the end. This is more like a strong pale ale to me - rather than an IPA. Nice beer. 7.2% ABV @Beer Bar

Upslope Brown Ale: Me no try yet. 6.7% ABV @Beer Bar

Did I miss anything? Let me know. 

Cheers!

Upslope Brewing is Utah Bound

My sources are telling me that Boulder, Colorado's Upslope Brewing Company has inked a deal to start sending their beers to Utah. The environmentally friendly brewery currently has ten beers in their portfolio, including a Thai Style White IPA, a 90 ibu Imperial Pale Ale and a just released Manhattan Style Rye Ale

Salt Lake will likely be recieveing some of Upslope's primary labels which consist of a Pale Ale, Brown Ale, Lager and an IPA. Upslope focuses on cans for their packaging - keeping to their low environmental impact philosophy. We're hearing mid-June will be their arrival date. Keep checking back for their actual arrival and locations.

Cheers!