Melvin Brewing Arrives in Utah

Back in June I was excited to deliver the happy news that Melvin Brewing Company had decided to bring their highly regarded IPAs and Pale Ales to Utah. Today I'm happy to announce that Melvin's 2x4 Double IPA, Hubert MPA and Melvin IPA will be hitting bars along the Wasatch Front hopefully by the weekend. The Beerhive hopes to have some in later this evening. The key word there being hopes.

Last year Melvin was named Small Brewpub of the Year by the brewers association based on the number of medals they received at the Great American Beer Festival. The three beer mentioned above helped get them there.

These are really great beers, well worth your time. Well update you with added locations as we acquire them.

Slainte!

Uinta's Fest Helles Debuts Today

Available starting today, Uinta is the first local brewery to gear into fall with the release of their newest beer, the Fest Helles. - the nose is malty with biscuit and grass. The flavor starts with a hint of honey, graham cracker and more biscuit. Spicy hops punch-in to balance it out and actually tend to try it out a bit. The result is a remarkably smooth and highly drinkable lager with a semi-dry finish. A perfect prelude for Autumn. Packaged in a 22 ounce bottle 5.5% ABV @ Uinta, Bayou

Prost!

Label found at Shipcomlient.com

Utah Beer Trailer: Talisman Presents

Talisman Brewing out of Ogden has yet another Limited Release label coming our way soon. For today's Utah Beer Trailer (see yesterday's post) we give you your first peek at Talisman Presents. This is a new series that is designed to give some of Talisman's previous releases new life through subtle tweaks and alterations.

It's great to see a small start up brewery hit the ground running with such an emphasis on seasonal and limited editions. Can't wait to see what they come up with here.

Cheers!

New Uinta Beer Trailers

I thought it would be nice to start off the week with some more "beer trailers". You know, they're like movie trailers, except they preview beers. Today we have a couple of beers that will be coming their way from Uinta.

The first beer we're profiling is actually the return of a very, very limited release that Uinta kegged last February. Uinta's 801 Coffee Pilsner was just as the name described a pilsner infused with coffee. If that sounds odd to you? then you must not like coffee. The beer was actually brilliant blend of two seeming opposites. The result was a beer clear as a pils with the flavor of a cappuccino. Not sure when this beer will make it in to 22oz. bottles and kegs - of course I'll spread the word.

The other beer trailer is for Uinta's Season Pass Vanilla Porter (pictured top). This makes me very happy because I freak'n love vanilla porters! Not sure what the ABV will be on this one yet, but it will come in 12oz. cans. This will likely be a Autumn or Winetr release. Stay close for updates.

Prost!  

Images found at Shipcomplient.com

New Beer Friday - Stone Cold Edition

I guess the big news this week is probably Stone Brewing Company's entry into the market. There's also the big, new release from RedRock that'll have you waiting in line if you want to take some home that is.

RedRock Forbidden Peach - The nose is big with fresh peaches, funky saison notes and a bit of oak. The flavor follows with a lightly sour fresh peach flavor, hints of oak and a subtle tart smack. The dry/tart/sweet balance here is really nice. Medium bodied, some prickly plus carbonation, fruity and smooth. 8.4% ABV @ RedRock locations - To-go sales begin Saturday 8/6/16 at 11am.

Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale - The nose has piney hops, caramel, fudge and maple syrup. The taste is big with caramel, maple syrup, bready and slight roasty and nutty. Also a lot of really robust hop character, pine resin, florals, lots of aggressive hi-alpha hops, rich dried fruit cake, with raisin and prune notes. Finishing with a nice dry bitter finish. 7.2% ABV @ Beer Bar, BeerHive & Slackwater

Stone IPA - The nose has orange peel, grapefruit and sweet malt. The fruit from the nose returns up front, but soon opens up into a spectacular array of grassy, resiny, sharp hop flavors and spices. Bitterness is high throughout, but the fruity and malty sweetness balances it rather well while still allowing it that hop smack. Very drinkable. 6.9% ABV @ Beer Bar, BeerHive & Slackwater

Stone Delicious IPA - The nose is lemony with faint pine resin. The taste has biscuit and malts up front giving way to a very citrusy hop profile. Strong notes of lemon and lime, with mild grapefruit and faint pine. Spicy and peppery... really dances on the tongue with the generous carbonation. A little sticky and oily.... finish is dry and clean. 7.7% ABV @ Beer Bar, BeerHive & Slackwater

Stone Ruination - The nose has oranges and peache notes with grapefruit and a little pine. The taste has a big grapefruit explosion, with other fruits coming through more subtly. Big resinous pine finish with pleasantly strong bitterness. It's malt forward but the fruity, bitter hops are the main show here. Alcohol is well hidden.8.5% ABV @ Beer Bar, BeerHive & Slackwater

Stone Who You Callin' Wussie Pilsner - The nose has grassy hops and toasty/grainy malts. The taste starts with grainy malts with notes of bread, grain, cracker, and a bit of sweetness. Hops come through next with floral and grassy notes mostly along with some lemon. Finishes fairly clean with a slight bit of hops lingering. Great Pils. 5.8% ABV @ Beer Bar, BeerHive & Slackwater

If you see these anywhere not listed please share where you saw them.

Cheers!

IPA Day 2016

If you've ever thought about getting to know America's favorite Ale, today is propbably one of the best days to begin your journey. Not only is it IPA Day around the world but there are fresh bottles and cans of Stone Brewing's beer floating around SLC and Ogden.

There are plenty of delicious local options floating around as well. Here's a list of  just a fraction of the IPAs and Imperial IPAs out there for Utah's beer lovers.

Epic Hopulent 
Uinta Hop Nosh
RedRock Elephino
Shades of Pale Missdirected 
Park City IPA
2 Row Accelerator IPA
Roosters Hellevation IPA
Hoppers Session IPA
Bonneville Free Roller IPA
Moab Johnny's American IPA
Proper Faultline IPA
Squatters Hop Rising IIPA
Talisman Dagda IPA
Vernal .50 Caliber IPA
Wasatch Ghostrider WIPA
Zion Canyon Hop Valley IPA

Cheers!

Stone Brewing Debuts in SLC Today

You'll start seeing beers from Stone Brewing popping up in Salt Lake and Ogden as early as today. The beer bars around town are already stocking up and DABC stores may see them as early as Friday.  I know the Beer Bar got some. 

I'm not sure of what beers every individual place ordered, but I know Stone IPA and Stone Delicious IPA are definitely in. As more info comes in I'll fill you in - please return the favor if you see them as well. 

Cheers!

The 2016 Utah Beer Festival

It's time to start thinking about the Utah Beer Festival, Salt Lake City's largest outdoor beer gathering. Every year the beer fest brings in more and more breweries to participate, this year you can plan on enjoying beers from:
2 Row Brewing
Anderson Valley Brewing
Bohemian Brewing
Bonneville Brewing
Desert Edge Brewing
Epic Brewing
Great Divide Brewing
Hoppers Grill and Brewing
Hopworks Urban Brewery
Laughing Dog Brewing
Moab Brewing
Mountain West Cider
Proper Brewing Company
Red Rock Brewing
Sockeye Brewing
Upslope Brewing
Vernal Brewing
Full Sail Brewing
New Belgium Brewing
Ninkasi Brewing
Park City Brewing
Pelican Brewing
Roosters Brewing
Selkirk Abbey
Sierra Nevada
Shades of Pale Brewing
Strap Tank Brewing
Strongbow Cider
Squatters Beers
Talisman Brewing
Uinta Brewing
Wasatch Beers
This list is not complete - we'll be updating it as new breweries are added, so keep checking back.

There will be some new changes to the festival as well. First off the location. This year's festival will be held at the Utah Fairgrounds. One of the things you'll need to plan on in this regard is lack of shade. Be prepared with hats and sunblock.

The second big chance will be that your issued wristband will be your method of payment. Basically, When you arrive to the Utah Beer Festival you’ll receive your personalized festival wristband to get into the festival - it can also be used as your digital wallet to make purchases at the beer vendors – all
with a simple tap of your wristband. You can add funds to your account at a physical Top Up Station located throughout the event or through the Beer Festival's mobile app right from your phone! Once your account is topped-up, you’re ready to make purchases at the beer vendors by simply tapping your wristband to one of the payment points. The amount will automatically be deducted from your account. If you're still confused here's a more detailed explanation.

There will still be multiple ticket packages for attendees. General, Early Bird and VIP. Follow this link for prices.

We're still four weeks away from the Beer Fest, I'll post updates when they're released. The City Weekly Utah Beer Festival benefits the Humane Society of Utah.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday 7/29/16

I've only come across two beers this week and they couldn't be more different. A sour fruity IPA and a chewy Bourbon barrel aged Dopplebock. This New Beer Friday will give your tongue whiplash!

Uinta Pit Stop Sour Apricot IPA - This beer is being released today at the brewery. I've not had it yet, but will have a review at 3:30pm on KBER 101 with Mick and Allen. 6.2% ABV @ Uinta

Payette Hoop and Stave No.5 -Whiskey nose with a a bit of sugary toffee. The taste is fairly sweet with big chewy toffee and caramel leading off. Bourbon comes next - not too over powering, it works well with the dopplebock's hearty body. A bit of alcohol heat in the end. Finishes sweet and boozy. 8.2% ABV @ Beer Bar

Did I miss anything? Please let me know.

Prost!

Epic Sour Brainless on Pineapple

Epic's Sour Brainless series has become quite the hit with sour beer nuts ever since it debuted back in 2014 with the very limited release of "A Beautiful Disaster". Basically, this was an unintentionally infected barrel of Brainless on Peaches that was identified to have highly desirable, strong puckering acetic…and horsey funk flavors. The beer was bottled and sold only after it was analyzed and duplicated - It's now know as Epic's Sour Brainless.

The last couple of releases of this beer has been the classic Sour Brainless on Peaches - this year they're going for something a little different. Pineapple is the chosen fruit to balance out the puckering tartness in this uniquely wild American ale. We're still waiting to hear when this new beer will be released. Denver will like see this sooner than SLC - as soon as those dates are firmed-upped you'll see it here first.

Also in Epic's world, their Elevated Series of beers is getting a slight make-over [just the labels]. Nothing too extreme, just a little polish - so, don't freak out. The new labels will be hitting shelves soon. 

Cheers!

Labels found at Shipcomplient.com

Moab Especial

Moab's Especial American Style Golden Wheat Ale is getting a new look and packaging. This is your first look at this brilliantly designed 16 oz. can. It will be hitting grocery and c-stores around the state in the coming weeks.

Look for a beer that light and bready with a minimal amount of hops to create a quencher designed for drinakabily. Stay close for it's debut.

Salude!

Label Found at Shipcompient.com

New Beer Friday - Pie and Beer Day Edition

Pie and Beer Day, our favorite faux holiday is nearly here! Legend has it - back when the early beer nerd pioneers settled this area back in July of 1986. Thier provisions were running dangerously low, all they had left from their late mid-Spring party harvest were Pies and Jägermeister. To be honest, we (I mean they) we not going to pair Bourbon Pecan Pie with a damn herbal schnapps! Luckily they found the beer cooler of a nearby Albertson's and the rest is well... um, history I guess. Ever since then we have thanked Thor for delivering us to that most holy of markets and this most infamous counterculture Utah phenomena took flight.

Anyway, that's what I heard....

If you don't already have plans, here's a quick sampling of some public Pie and Beer Day Events happening around the Wasatch Front and Back this weekend. Please stay safe!

Beer Bar/KRCL 2nd Annual Pie and Beer Day

Park City Brewery's Pie and Beer Day

Pie and Beer Day at The Madeline School

Goddamn Hooligan's Pie and Beer Day

Now, on to New Beer Friday!

Shades of Pale: Malosi Pils - Hazy straw color with a nose that's grainy with subtle spicy noble hops. The taste follows the nose with toasted grain, dry saltines, bread and a nice floral and spicy hoppy bitterness. Clean finish. Very nice. 4.0% ABV @ Shades of Pale

Shades of Pale: Hogs Head Reserve No.1 - High West Rye Imperial Amber Ale - Rye nose with some chewy malts. Taste has a English Barleywine thing with spicy whiskey and toffee. 10% ABV for sale 2pm Saturday at the brewery.

Shades of Pale: Hogs Head Reserve No.2 - High West Bourbon Imperial Amber Ale - Noticably a little darker than the rye. A little sweeter than it's brother. More toffee and vanilla notes are present. The whiskey notes are pleasant but assertive. A year in the bottle will bring out more of it's complexities I think. 10% ABV for Sale 2pm Saturday at the brewery.

Proper Brewing Czech your Head Pils -Pours a hazy gold with a nose that has wheat crackers and strong grassy notes. The flavor is straw-like and grassy up front with a rather intense, earthy hop bitterness. The mouthfeel is smooth and crisp. There is a moderate amount of carbonation and an overall light body. 5.6% ABV @ Proper Brewing - for sale on Saturday

Uinta Ales for ALS - This year's batch of Ales for ALS will be a Session IPA. Brewed with experimental hops, this IPA features a light toffee body and is bright with notes of lime zest, mango, honey, and pine. 4.0% ABV. It will debut at the brewery's ALS fundraiser is this Saturday, July 23rd. This beers kill every year. Drink the Hell out of these while their fresh, fresh!

Squatters Arnie Palm Ale - Brewed with Black Tea and Lemon Zest. Drinks like a beer - tastes like iced tea! 4.0% ABV @ Squatters Downtown

Don't forget to tune into KBER 101 at 3:30pm for more New Beer Friday and local beer talk. 

Cheers!

Shades of Pale Hog's Head Reserve Series

Shades of Pale Brewing will soon be debuting their new barrel aged series of beers to the public. The Hog's Head Reserve Series will feature a wide array of beers in all matter of wood enhancements, covering the full gambit of what is happening in craft beer .

The first two Hog's Head beers will go on sale to the public this Saturday at 2pm. Release No.1 is an Imperial Amber Ale aged in High West Rye Whiskey barrels. Release No.2 Is the same Imperial Amber Ale, this time aged in High West Bourbon Barrels. Pay attention to the release number on the bottles, that's the only way to identify them.

These two beers dial in at about 10% ABV and are very reminiscent of English Barleywines. I'll have full tasting notes tomorrow on New Beer Friday.

Slainte!

Hell's Keep Returns

 

Back in August of 2009 the gang at Squatters created a brand new brew for we, the sons and daughters of the city of salt. The beer was a Belgian Golden Strong Ale named Hell's Keep. If you never got a chance to try it, the nearest beer to compare it with would probably be Duvel from Duvel Moortgat Brewery in Belgium. 

It was a wonderful representation of the the style and it garnered many awards, but it was time for the Utah Brewers Cooperative to explore other styles and the brand was shelved. I'm happy to tell you that Hell's Keep will soon be making a return, complete with a new look and a 12oz bottle [previously 750ml].

Hell's Keep is not too far off, so keep checking back for it's return date. I have to admit - I'm going to miss the old label. Much better looking than the new one. It's what's in the bottle that counts. Right?

Cheers!

Talisman Brewing to Introduce Exclusive Line

Here's your first glimpse of what you'll be seeing soon from Talisman Brewing Company's new Exclusive Line. These beers will unique seasonal or one off beers that will cover Talisman's 4.0% ABV offerings and will be sold either at the Ogden brewery or Grocery/C-stores around the Wasatch Front.

No word yet on what type of beer will debut under this new label. If your good, I'll share that info when it comes about.

Cheers!

Wasatch Brings Back Their Original Extra Pale Ale

For a limited time, Wasatch Beers will be bringing back their original Pale Ale to help celebrate their 30th Anniversary. This beer will be exclusive to Utah and will dial in at 7.3% ABV. Look for it in the coming weeks. It will be sold in 22oz bottles and it will be available at The Beer Store and better beer bars around town.

This was a great pale ale when it first burst upon the scene. It was also one of the first high point beer to be sold in liquor stores by a local brewery. Stay close for it's release date.

Cheers!

Label found at shipcompilent.com

New Beer Friday's Go Edition

One day we'll have our own App that'll have you running all over the universe looking for bottles and cans of brilliant real beers. Until then you'll just have to get off your ass [under your own motivating factors] and settle for some good ol' fashioned New Beer Friday.

RedRock Gineva - Yea! been waiting on this one for a while. A lot of juniper berries in the nose. The taste starts with coriander with a bit of tart juniper. The end moves to the yeasty side a big phenolic flavors take over. Would have liked to had a little more of the berry present. Finishes semi-sweet. 5.5% ABV @ RedRock

Rogue Honey Kolsch - The nose is grainy and grassy with white grape. The taste is much the same with white grape juice and honey flavors on the finish. There is a very mild amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. 5.9% ABV @ DABC

Hoppers Summerset Saison - Technically this isn't new, but it has been tweaked since it's long-ago debut in 2011. So I'm taking a Beer Gnerd liberty on this one. The first release of Summerset was hopped with Citra hops - this batch is dry hopped with German Mandarina Bavaria in place of Citra. More subtle with more dimensional in flavor and aroma with tangerine and spice. Base hasn't changed with Pilsener malt, malted spelt, and hint of raw oats. Upfront malty yet bright and the finish is fruity a dry. 7.4% ABV @ Hoppers after 5pm today [Friday].

Proper La Belle Peche -Not tried this one yet. Available starting today. @ Proper Brewing

Cheers!

Squatters Nitro Red

This new Red Ale coming soon from Squatters will be the Utah Brewers Cooperative's second nitrogen conditioned bottled beer since it debuted with Polygamy Nitro Porter Last year. The Nitrogen should add a nice perceived sweetness to this already malty and fruity hopped ale.

This will be a 4% Ale and will be at grocery/C-stores, and nitro tap handles in the coming weeks. Dedicated to all Firefighters.

Definitely looking forward to this nitro option!

Cheers!

Label found at Shipcomplient.com

Proper Brewing Previews

There are a couple of tasty brews coming soon from Proper Brewing Company.

First we have Le Belle Peche [pictured above]. This is a classic saison made with peaches. The peaches are added pre-fermentation for added body and sweetness and it's fermented at warmer temperatures to bring out the more spicy characters from the yeast. Sounds like a great combo.

The next beer that's coming soon from Proper is Czech Your Head - Czech Style Pilsner. Unlike the Saison this lager will be fermented much cooler and will be bittered with Spicy Saaz hops, along with other local and European varieties.

Stay close for release updates on these and other new summer offering.


Prost!

Images found at Shipcomlient.com

New Beer Friday 7/8/16

We have a strong mix of local and nationally available labels this week. Pale Ale is the theme this week.

Proper Brewing Litha Imperial Saison:
The nose is earthy with some funky peppery saison yeast countered by zesty rye spices, bread, alcohol and light tropical fruit. The taste starts with a bit of pepper, clove and and coriander followed
by estery fruits. Brady malts come next witha touch of alcohol. The end has a nice balance berries and tropical hops. Finishes semi-dry. 8% ABV.  @ Proper Brewing

Goose Island Goose Green Pale Ale:
The nose has citrus and is heavy with orange rind and malt. The taste follows the aroma with a nice balance of orange and lemon zest and a solid bready malt backbone. Finishes light and dry. Overall a solidly session APA. Nothing to extraordinary but you'll be satisfied. 4.0% ABV @ Harmon's

Moab Pale Ale:
The nose has sweet, grassy malt, piney and herbal hops. Starts mildly grainy with a bit of caramel. The taste is a bit astringent herbal pine flavors come next with some heavy roasted flavors. Finishes very dry and hoppy. I really wasn't digging this one, I'm going to have to revisit this one again. It just seemed a little to dry with little in the way a malt character. 6.0% ABV. @ DABC

Full Sail Session Cream Ale:
Haven't tried this one yet. 5.4% ABV. @ DABC - Bayou

Prost!

Image found at Shipcomplient.com

Uinta Piggy Back Peach IPA

We've got another preview of new suds coming from Uinta. This new offering will be called Piggy Back Peach IPA. The name is pretty self explanatory and it looks like it will be packaged in twelve ounce cans. There's no ABV listed, which tends to lead in the direction of this being a 4.0% beer.

I haven't had many peach IPAs, though I am a big fan of Odell's Tree Shaker. Really looking forward to trying this one. Of course I'll fill you in when it hits taps and shelves.

Prost!

Image found at Shipcompliant.com

Pie and Beer Day Bottle Share

Over the last few years I've had the pleasure of hosting a phenomenal holiday bottle-share. Some of the best beers on the planet have made their way to our little corner of the universe to help warm up the long pre-holiday winter nights.

Three years ago, Mrs. Mikey, Ma and Pa Riedel and myself decided to try a Summer Beer Powwow to bring together some of the best damn people and their beers to our beer barn. It was a huge success and after a long three year hiatus we've decided to give it a shot once again. 

As we've done in previous years, the invite to the bottle share is the blog post that your reading now. If your seeing this, we'd love for you to attend our Pie and Beer Day - Bottle Share. All we ask is that you be over 21 years of age - that you bring a nice/rare large format bottle to share [or two small bottles] - some pie [sweet or savory] and most importantly, that your not an asshole that is able to handle his or her drink. If you think you can handle those three things we'd love to share our pie and beer with you.

One of the nice things about hosting this outside is that more people are able to attend. That being said, there will still be a attendance cap, so please RSVP sooner than later. This bottle share will happen on Saturday July, 23rd. You'll get the specifics with your RSVP - send to utahbeer@gmail.com

To recap. Please bring:

A large a bottle bottle of non Utah ordinary beer [or two small] to share.

Kegs and Homebrew are good. Let me know ahead of time if your bringing them.

Your taster glass [we will have plastic for back-up].

Some Pie [large/small - sweet or savory]

A plan for a ride home.

No kids and all of your wits.

This should be a brilliant celebration, hope you can make it.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday: Independence Edition

Many of you may have a long Independence Weekend. It's looks to be hot and windy out there, luckily our two New Beer Friday options will take the edge off your thirst nicely.

Mountain West Cottonwood Dry Hopped Cider - Dry apple with herbal and citrus hops in the nose. The taste is subtle tart apples. The hops are nicely complimentary and provide a added herbal/fruity element. Finishes very dry with prickly champagne like effervescence. If your on the fence about ciders, this one may push on to the orchard side. Mountain West's Vinologist, Joel Goodwillie has created a perfect summer drink that is very approachable and highly crushable. Available starting today at Mountain West's Cidery. 6.0% ABV

Full Sail Blood Orange Wheat - There's a pleasant biscuit, caramel malt flavor up front that has some saison-like qualities. Next comes blood orange juice, and artificial sweetener flavors. The finish has a mild bitterness that slightly piney on the finish.  Light and mildly tangy. 5.2% ABV @DABC

The Great Divide Beers are starting to pop up at a few DABC stores and a few of the beer bars. I know Beer Bar and Slackwater have picked some up. If you spot some, please share where you found them. Have a happy and safe weekend.

Cheers!

Bonneville Bottles Comming Soon

Tooele's Bonneville Brewing Co. will soon be bringing their tasty suds to a grocery or C-store near you in the coming months. Look for Bonneville to debut with four labels including their Free Roller Session IPA - a piney and citrusy quencher and Redline Irish Red - another hop forward ale with the addition of sweeter/fruity malts. 

All of these initial offering will be 4% ABV, with the possibility of higher gravity beers down the road. If you haven't had a chance to try Brewmaster, Dave Watson's beers yet your missing out. These are some of these most well executed beers in our market. They're true to style beers, that are unapologetically true to style. It's not often I can blindly try a series of beers and be 100% confident in knowing what style I'm drinking.

Look for Bonneville's bottled beers towards the end of summer or you can enjoy them today at the Tooele brewery, All Star Lanes or at your better beer bars along the Wasatch Front.

Cheers!

Photo courtesy: SLUG Magazine/Logan Sorenson

Talisman's New Season Line of Beers

Ogden's Talisman Brewing Company will soon be offering a new rotating seasonal line called, umm... Season. Here's your first look at the label - you'll start seeing 22 oz. bottles popping up in grocery and C-stores in the coming weeks.

The first offering will be a 4.0% ABV Blood Orange Wheat Ale. This beer is currently available to buy right now at the brewery, but only for growler fills. Once bottling commences we'll let you know.

Cheers!

Label found Shipcomplient.com

Uinta Mid-Year Previews

We got our hands on some new images of what you can expect to see from Uinta Brewing in the coming months.

First up [pictured above] is Pit Stop Kettle Soured Apricot IPA. The name says it all. It will be packaged in Uinta's 750ml. bottles. This looks like a warm weather beer, expect to see it sooner rather than later. This will likely be a 4.0% ABV beer.

Uinta's Fest German Style Helles will be coming along towards Fall. This is a style that Uinta has surprisingly not done before.It's tailor made for Autumn and Oktoberfest celebrations in particular.
A little more subdued than it's Marzen cousin. It will dial in around 5.5% ABV.

Finally we have another surprising beer style that Uinta has never made, as stout. Yeah, Labyrinth is mostly a stout in every sense of the word, but they insist on calling it a "black ale" so that's what it is. Simply called Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout, this beer will have a lower ABV than some of it's barrel aged brothers [7.0%]  which will increase it's drinkabilty and will be less heavy on the pallet. Due to the them on the label I would expect to see this down the road a little way.

Stay close for their releases.

Cheers!

Images found at Shipcomplient.com

New Beer Friday 6/24/16

There's way too much happening. Let's get to it!

Great Divide Brewing out of Denver Colorado has quietly slipped into our market and they've brought with them quite a few of their very popular brews. Some of these will start popping up around the Wasatch Front as soon as today. If you start to see them appear, please share where you saw them. Woot!

Great Divide Titan IPA
Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout 
Great Divide Colette farmhouse 
Great Divide Hoss Oktoberfest lager
Great Divide Oatmeal Yeti
Great Divide Barrel Aged Hibernation

Strap Tank/Proper Brewing Collaboration - Properly Tanked: Have not had this one yet. It's only available at Strap Tank Brewing Co. 4.0% ABV

New Belgium - Tart Lychee: The nose has soft fruit - strawberry, lychee, musty yeast. The taste has some lychee sour/tart tropical fruit flavors with a almost wheat like malt taste balancing it out. Slight cinnamon taste as well in the finish.7.5% ABV @ Beer Bar, BeerHive

Shades of Pale - German Pils: Just released yesterday. Have not tried it. 4.0% ABV @ Shades of Pale

Shades of Pale - X36 Pale Ale: Released tomorrow and will only be available at the Hill Airforce Base's Air Show 7.5% ABV

Ska - True Blonde: The nose has grainy malt, grassy, lemons. some yeast. The taste has light lemon, sweet grainy malt. Yeasty and dusty. No hops to speak of. Finish is short and on the sweet malty side. A little cardboard as well. 5.3% ABV @Slackwater

Ska - Decadent Imp IPA: The nose has sweet caramel toffee and resiny hops. Flavor is similar, heavy and sticky caramel with a moderate hop bitterness and plenty of heft to it. Alcohol starts to creep out a bit towards the end. 10% ABV @ Slackwater

Ska - Modus Mandarina IPA: The nose has mandarin orange, caramel and floral hops. Tastes of  grapefruit and mandarin orange. Orange zest bitterness on the finish. Caramel makes an interesting but complimentary companion to the citrus. It subtle enough to let the fruit shine but strong enough to give this beer some body and character. 6.8% ABV @ Slackwater

Selkirk Abby - Saint Stephan: Saison. Not tried this one yet. 7.9% ABV @ Slackwater

Selkirk Abby - Infidel: Imperial Belgian IPA. Not tried this one yet. 8.2% ABV @ Slackwater

Selkirk Abby - Guilt: Belgian Coffee Porter Not tried this one yet. 8.3% ABV @ Slackwater

Selkirk Abby - Deacon: Belgian Pale Ale Not tried this one yet. 5.5% ABV @ Slackwater

Selkirk Abby - Saint Augustine: Rye Saison. Not tried this one yet. 6.7% ABV @ Slackwater

RedRock Tangerine Grapefruit Pale Ale: Tastes great, though not much of a pale ale. It does have a nice acidic quality which is nice. Grapefruit tartness and leafy citrus hops. Nice beer to help beat the heat! 4.0% ABV @ RedRock., The Bayou

La Trappe Isid'or: Nose of caramel malt, stone fruit, Belgian yeast and spicing; hints of banana and plum. Classic Belgian strong ale flavors, caramel malt, light and dark stone fruit, Belgian yeast, very light clove. Medium creamy body. A bit lighter in taste intensity compared to other Belgian pales, but very pleasant and well made. 7.5% ABV @Slackwater

Cuvée des Jacobins Rouge: The nose has sour cherries, lemon and a wild yeastiness. Tatse starts with a hit of lemon juice sourness, quickly progressing to a fruitier balance of sour cherry and unripe berries and aged red vinegar. A nice mild funkiness gives depth and balance, even a hint earthy herbs. Worlds of flavours here. There is a hint of sweet fruit but finishes dry. 5.5%ABV @ Slackwater

Cheers!

Forbidden Peach Belgian Style Fruit Ale

RedRock Brewing has a new wild ale headed our way in the coming weeks. Forbidden Peach was brewed with more than 700 lbs of Brigham City peaches - the beer was then aged in Chardonnay wine barrels and dosed with two strains of Brettanomyces and was finally dry-hopped with Citra hops.

This new wild ale sounds wonderful. It should be going on sale in about three weeks. Stay close fore updates.

Cheers! 

Hoppers Brings Back Bottles

Most people in Utah's beer community know Hoppers Brewing as that Midvale staple that has been serving locally made beer for years. If you're relatively new to Utah's craft beer scene you may not be aware that Hopper had a very popular and highly regarded bottling program at one time.

Starting in 2010 Hoppers began by releasing Double Black a 6.4% "Schwartz-Bock" along with an amped-up version of This is the Pils, The First SnoAle, Hot Headed Red Head and Summerset  Saison. All of these picked up various awards at the time, but Hoppers' previous owners didn't see the merchandising profits they were hoping for and mothballed the Storehouse Reserve line of beers.

Today is a new day. Hoppers new owners are all on board and have thrown their support behind Hoppers' Brewmaster and Secret Agent, Donovan Steele as he begins to resurrect their bottling program.

As we speak, Donovan is fermenting a new batch of his Summerset Saision, A hop forward take on the style that should be available to take home or enjoy there in a couple of weeks. Look for it in 750 ml. bottles. More new and old favorites are expected in the coming months as well.

Utah's year of beer keeps on getting better and better.

Prost!

New Beer Friday 6/17/16

Petrus Aged Red Ale - Taste has a slight sourness to it, some oak, and a sweet cherry aftertaste. Complex flavors, but the brunt of the flavors come from the cherry. Could use a little more sourness for balance. 8.5% ABV @ Bayou

Kasteel Barista Chocolate Quad - Rich chocolate but coffee definitely plays a roll in the taste and gives it a sweet bitterness. Feels a bit like a porter, lacks the depth in body but it has a hoppy feel to it which as the brew warms it becomes more and more complex. 11.0% ABV @ Bayou

Deschutes Hop Slice IPA - The nose is fresh with nice citrusy hops. Taste follows with a slight lemony sweetness at first, floral hops throughout, finishes with a medium grapefruit bitterness. Light body with medium carbonation, really easy to drink. A really good session IPA, fresh and easy drinking. 4.5% ABV @Bayou, Beerhve

Returning Favorites

Epic's Los Locos is now for sale in 22oz. bottles at Epic's bottleshop. Pours a hazy golden straw color with a sturdy cap dense foam. The nose is grainy with hints of lime and grass. The taste is similar with grainy Malts and some sweet corn. Lime pops next with a slight sodium bite in the end. Finishes slightly grassy and dry. One of the nicer Mexican style lagers you will ever try. I'm not sure what.  the ABV is on this one. Only available at Epic - packaged in growlers. Very limited. See yesterday's post.

RedRock/Pelican CoHOPeration is back as well. The hops in this beer are amazingly intact. Front and mid body the citrus and florals seem to dominate the palate. Gritty pale, and caramel tastes appear. Finishes very rind-like with notes of berries and some dry spiciness from the rye malt. Very soft and mild, with a decent carbonation. Not extremely sweet; but very dry and bitter. 6.9% ABV @RedRock

Cheers!

Branagan's Brewery Coming to Sandy City

The south end of the Salt Lake Valley has had a bit of a beer problem over the last one hundred years. It's not a problem of over consumption, it's a problem due to lack of locally made suds. In my opinion every community should have it's own local brews, just as you'd find a local bakery or ice cream shop.

The main reason you haven't seen local breweries pop up in the south part of Salt Lake County may have to do with a slightly overly self-righteous view on the manufacturing of alcohol. If drinking it is sinful, making it must be down right demonic, right?

Thankfully those attitudes are changing. Municipalities are starting to see that it's more beneficial to keep tourist's tax dollars close to home rather than have them visit other towns. The first benefactor of this new attitude on locally made brews is likely to be Heather Branagan of the forthcoming Banagan's Brewery.  

Heather like many of us Heather started as a home brewer and developed her passion via the kitchen, carboy and travel. Branagan's will focus on English, Irish, and Scottish beer style with some barrel aging as well. The restaurant will feature a menu of slightly higher end pub cuisine.

Heather is working with Sandy City now on permits and licensing right now, and has a location in the area of 9000 s. just east of I-15. Stay close for updates on Branagan's progress.

For more on Branagan's Brewery check out my story in the current [Beer] Issue of SLUG Magazine.

Slainte!

Melvin Brewing Company Coming to Salt Lake

Some of the most sought after IPAs in the country will soon be making their way to Salt Lake city soon. Melvin Brewing Company, currently headquarter in Jackson, WY is currently building a brand new 20,000 square foot brewing facility among the mountains and rivers of Alpine, Wyoming with an anticipated July 2015 startup.

This new brewing facility will ramp-up Melvin's production greatly and open the gates to new markets - one of which is set to include Utah's Wasatch Front.

Melvin Brewing currently makes five year round beers. Two of them, their Melvin IPA and 2x4 DIPA are some of the more coveted IPAs in the west. Melvin has also entered the session beer game with their new Clinic Session India Ale, this beer will likely hit grocery stores and tap handles all over northern Utah.

Look for Melvin's stuff to hit our market in early Autumn.

Cheers!

The Eighth Annual Snowbird Brewfest

Father's Day is this Sunday and with it comes Snowbird's Annual Brewfest. This year's fest will take place June 18 - June 19, and go from 12 pm - 6 pm. There will be live music, food stations, crafters/vendors while the Father's Day BBQ goes off on the Plaza Deck. Admission is FREE. Now for what isn't free - Pricing:

• $5 parking (cash only)
• $15 for Brewfest mug and 3 tokens
• $2 for additional tokens
• 4 oz. beer samples range from 1-2 tokens

There will also be TWENTY-SIX local and national breweries sampling 3-5 of their finest brews. The breweries include:
    Angry Orchard Hard Cider
    Ballast Point
    Bohemian Brewery
    Bonneville Brewery
    Boulder Beers
    Deschutes Brewery
    Epic Brewing
    Utah Sessions Series by Epic Brewing
    Lagunitas Brewing Company
    Leinenkugel's Brewery
    Mike's Hard Lemonade
    Moab Brewery
    Mountain West Cider Company
    Pabst Blue Ribbon
    Park City Brewery
    Payette Brewing Co.
    Proper Brewing Co.
    Red Rock Brewing Co.
    Roosters Brewing Co.
    Samuel Adams
    Schofferhofer
    Ska Brewing Co.
    Small Town Brewery
    Uinta Brewing Co.
    Wasatch Brewery
    Squatters Craft Brewery

Now, some of you may notice that Ska Brewing Company is on that list. Ska's beer has never been in the Utah Market before except for the Epic/Ska Collaboration beer called Skeptic. I'm waiting to hear back from Ska to verify their entry into the market. I'll let you know when they let me know. Hope to see you at the Fest.

Prost!

New Beer Friday 6/10/16

Since I took last week off, some of these beers may not be new to you, but may be to many. I'd also like to thank Brian Coleman, Owner/Brewer at 2 Row Brewing for indulging my request for a Summer Lager. Hopefully my limited brain cells (6) and Brian's genius knack for hopping beer has resulted in an summer quencher that'll tackle your thirst - while making your tongue happy.

2 Row Mikey's Citra IPL -  we designed this beer for maximum crushability.  It has the qualities of a Pilsner but it's hopped with northwestern citrus flavors. The malts are semi-honey sweet  and the hops   Consist of tangerine and orange bitterness.  It all comes together quite nicely. 5.5% ABV @ Beer Bar, Bayou & 2 Row

RedRock White Rainbow -  haven't tried this one yet. 6.2% ABV @ RedRock locations.

Bohemian Smoked Helles - This is a pale yellow lager brewed with malts which were smoked over beechwood, a fast-fading German tradition.  These malts impart a subtle smokiness to the aroma and flavor of the beer, something very common prior to modern brewing.  Served unfiltered, and brewed up to the standards of the Reinheitsgebot (The German Beer Purity Law of 1516), this rustic lager is like a taste of history. 4.0% ABV @ Bohemian

Bohemian German Pale Ale - Hoppier than the typical Bohemian beer, their new German Pale Ale is inspired by contemporary German brewers, who are making beers outside their traditional comfort zone.  While it’s not old-fashioned, it is German through and through.  Fermented with Kölsch yeast, this beer has a clean flavor profile that allows the Mittelfruh and Opal hops to shine through.  Floral, citrus and spicy hop flavors dominate this beer while a pleasant caramel character waits below.4.0% ABV @ Bohemian

Talisman Blood Orange Honey Wheat -  not tried this one yet. Only for growler fills. 4.0% ABV @ Talisman

Hoppers Farmhouse Ale - Breadt malts with some toast. Spicy eatery yeasty notes as well. Great summer ale. 4.0% ABV @ Hoppers

The Return of Fisher Brewing

In the early 1870s a man named Albert Fisher immigrated from Germany to the United States and eventually settled in Salt Lake City. Albert was a brewer by trade and he quick put his skill set to work shortly after arriving in Utah.

In 1884, Albert Fisher purchased 15 acres of land on 200 South on the east bank of the Jordan River (1206 West) where he established the A. Fisher Brewing Company.

The A. Fisher Brewing Company quickly became the largest brewery in Utah and in 1893 he constructed a grand residence (which still stands) adjacent to the brewery along the banks of the Jordan River.

132 years later four men - one of which is one of Albert Fisher's descendant is resurrecting Utah's most historically successful brewery. Tom Riemondy (Fisher descendant), Steven Brown, Colby Frazier and Tim Dwyer have secured the rights to the name and imagery associated with the old brewery are busily transforming their new brewery located in Salt Lake's Granary District into Utah's first legacy brewery.

Fisher's flagship beer will be akin to the beers of that era. Fisher's Classic American Pilsner will always be on tap and will be accompanied by 13 other beer taps that will showcase four main beers with 10 rotating seasonal beers—all dialing in at 4% ABV - with higher ABV beers down the road.

The image above is the historic logo that appeared on Fisher's bottle caps though out most of the breweries run and will appear in much of their new branding.

I recently wrote a more detailed story about the new Fisher Brewery in SLUG Magazine's Beer Issue. Please feel free to check it out.

Fisher Brewing Company hopes to be online summer 2016.

Prost!

RedRock Gineva

You may have noticed in the NABA awards section of yesterday's post that RedRock Brewing won a Silver Medal for a beer called Gineva. This beer is described as being a Belgian style with notes of  juniper, orange and kaffir lime leaves.

Since it has already been tried and judged as a winning beer I imagine we'll like it too! look for it in the coming days at RedRock's Bottleshop and better beer bars. 5.5% ABV

Cheers!

Label found at Shipcompliant.com

SLUG's 9th Annul Beer Issue and Utah's NABA Winners

The bitch is back! Sorry for the lack of content over the last ten days, but my ass has been on vacation. Normally I'd try to try to keep updates coming while on holiday, but I'm a little penned-out.

Part of the reason for my writers fatigue comes courtesy of SLUG Magazine's 9th Annual Beer Issue. Myself - along with seven other talented SLUG Mag contributors have put together a shload of local beer stories that spotlight the best of what Utah's craft beer scene has to offer. If you have the time think about picking up this months issue. It's guaranteed to make you thirsty. Or you can check it out here.  Much thanks to SLUG Editor, Alex Ortega for keeping the train on the rails.

Also, I along with over a hundred other judges spent last week judging beers for the North American Brewers Association's Beer Competition. Here's a list of Utah's Winners. for the full list of winners click here.


Bohemian Brewery - Cottonwood Common Bronze

Bonneville Brewing - Antelope Amber Bronze
Bonneville Brewing - Ton Up Silver

Desert Edge Brewing - Schwartz Bier Silver
Desert Edge Brewing - Downhill Dunkle Silver

Epic Brewing - Mid Mountain Mild Gold
Epic Brewing - Galloway Porter Bronze
Epic Brewing - Los Locos Lager Bronze
Epic Brewing - 825 Stout Silver
Epic Brewing - Brainless Belgian Golden Ale Silver
Epic Brewing - Brainless IPA Silver
Epic Brewing - Utah Session Golden Ale Silver
Epic Brewing - Big Bad Baptist Silver

Moab Brewing - Rocket Bike Gold

Mountain West Hard Cider - Ruby Silver
Mountain West Hard Cider - 7 Mile Bronze

Proper Brewing - Proper Beer - Gold

RedRock Brewing - Ginever - Silver
RedRock Brewing - Bobby Brown the Cat Gold
RedRock Brewing - Le Quatra Bronze

Squatters - Chasing Tail Bronze
Squatters - Live and Let Live Gold

Uinta Brewing - Bier de Mars Bronze
Uinta Brewing - 2016 Birthday Suit Bronze
Uinta Brewing - Cucumber Farmhouse Silver

Wasatch Brewery - Last One In Gold
Wasatch Brewery/Oskar Blues - Beerito Silver (Wasatch technically doesn't get credit for this but they should)

Cheers!