Community
Beer Reviews – July 2010
Every year, the first weekend in June is signaled by the migration of the Utah beer nerd. Seemingly docile creatures, beer nerds make their way out of hibernation and head north to the magical land of Idaho Falls, where the North American Brewers Awards/Mountain Brewers Beer Festival events are being held. There, brewers from all around the greater western U.S. meet to host one hell of a beer festival. It is also where Utah proves to kick more ass that what we already think we do. … read more
Utah Beer Guide
Today Utah is proud to call itself home to 19 microbreweries—many of which produce award-winning brews year after year. So the next time someone tells you that there is nowhere to get a drink in the land of Zion, whip out this handy guide and let the naysayers know what’s up. … read more
Beer Reviews – June 2010
If this is the mother fucking beer issue, then why don’t we cover some beer that is EPIC? There is no other brewery in the state of Utah that has a name that warrants that level of urgency, so I’ll be reviewing a few brand new brews from the recently opened Epic Brewing Company. … read more
The Real Care Package
Last year, I taught SLUG readers the hypothetical scenario of transporting beer, porn and fireworks (the BPF run) across Utah’s borders. This year, I figure we can teach you about the possibility of shipping beer over state lines. … read more
Uinta: Straight-Up Crooked
Releasing thoroughly unique, high alcohol craft brews in big, celebration-style bottles, Uinta Brewing Co. has gone to great lengths for their labor of love: a new line of beers dubbed The Crooked Line. When it comes to brewing the delicious cornucopia of mass-produced Utah beers, consistency is paramount. But with a Crooked beer, bending the rules is more acceptable, and creativity takes center stage. The Crooked line will be, quite literally, the biggest and strongest beer ever produced in our fair state. … read more
Bayou Brewology
It is widely understood that Utah would be a dimmer place for beer drinkers if the Bayou’s 30 drafts and 239 bottled beers were unavailable. Lately, they’ve been making things much brighter, with a new mixed-beer menu that expands on ideas like the classic Black and Tan (Guinness and lager). Contemporary beer blends, with names like “Chocolate Covered Cherry” and “Hummingbird Water,” have been sharing menu space with mixed brews like “Dirty Hoe” since January of this year. … read more
The Plight of the Utah Bar Owner
Del Vance has been an important part of beer culture in Utah for literally decades. Vance has helped found both Uinta Brewing Company and The Bayou bar in Salt Lake City—aficionados and casual drinkers alike have benefited from his love of beer. SLUG sat down with Vance to talk about the everyday challenges Vance’s business faces in a state notorious for its lack of alcohol selection, the future of Utah nightlife and that most frustrating obstacle, the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (DABC). … read more
Getting Wood for Utah Beer
The concept of aging beer in oak casks is nothing new to the brewing world. It was how the drink was served and stored at the dawn of the beer age. Hell, even oaking beer with soured bacteria was a well-known craft perfected by the Belgians at the beginning of their artisanship. So why would this have anything to do with Utah? Believe it or not, Utah has been busting out high-quality oak-aged brews for beer festivals since 2005, and the general public since around 2007. … read more
Heavy Hitters: Getting High Point Beer to the Masses
When I first arrived in Utah, I knew two things: I was going to ski over a hundred days a year and I would have to settle for 3.2 beer. The second fact was tolerable because of the first. However, over the years I have learned that this need not be the case. Due to changes in local legislation and brewing laws, all Utah residents can enjoy high point beer—they just have to know where to find it. … read more
New Utah Breweries
Years of combined planning have given rise to two new breweries in Utah days apart, proving that even in a downward economy people in Utah still thirst for great beer. Epic Brewing Company located in downtown Salt Lake City received their final license on March 26 and went into production on that day. Shades of Pale Brewing Co. in Park City acquired their permits exactly two weeks later on April 9, 2010 and began making pilot batches of beer that day. … read more