Hopkins Brewing Company: Good Things Come in Small Batches

Walking into Hopkins Brewing Company on a Friday evening, you immediately sense that this space is a neighborhood hub. This makes sense, as owner Chad Hopkins grew up nearby. What started as a home brewing hobby grew into a full-scale craft brewery and restaurant in the heart of Sugar House that recently celebrated its fourth anniversary.

One key to Hopkins’ success is daring to be different. “I feel like we’re probably the most unique brewery in Salt Lake,” says Hopkins. “None of our beer styles are trying to chase a trend or anything. We brew what we like to drink.” Nowhere is that more evident than Hopkins’ Small Batch Friday, a bimonthly event that has developed a fervent following. Hopkins credits current Head Brewer Matt Yeager as the creative genius behind Small Batch Friday. Initially a way to experiment during the brewery’s early days, these small batches quickly expanded into something more.

“None of our beer styles are trying to chase a trend or anything. We brew what we like to drink.”

Today, Small Batch Friday features a rotating menu of six taps. When I attended in late February, Hopkins was drinking the Honey Lager, so I started my tasting there. It’s a Mexican-style lager brewed with honey, which gives it a touch of sweetness without overpowering the distinct corn flavor. “To me, it tastes kind of like honey graham cereal,” says Hopkins. It’s crisp and easy drinking and has already been nominated to join the full menu soon.

The best thing about the Small Batch Friday menu is that it’s constantly evolving. Yeager continues to dial in repeat recipes and bring new flavors forward. Some Small Batch brews are so popular that they recur, such as the Red Velvet Amber, a dessert amber ale brewed with lactose, cacao, vanilla and, surprisingly, beets. Yeager says he didn’t want to use red food coloring, so he adds fresh beet purée to the kettle. You wouldn’t know this beer contains a vegetable from the taste, though—it’s thick and sweet with a smooth finish that bears a striking resemblance to the cake that shares its name.

Beyond the recurring favorites, Yeager always brews up something new, too. Every week, he creates two or three different beers, building a library of more than 100 recipes. He takes a seasonal approach, which means flavors such as maple syrup and cinnamon in the winter and light and fruity beers in the summer.

“A lot of breweries are either focused on malty or hoppy, and it’s not very often that you get to see the two together.”

My next sample, The Dry-Hopped Amber Ale, is one both Hopkins and Yeager are excited about. This first-time Small Batch release is special because it’s not very common for an amber ale to be dry hopped. The result is a beer with low bitterness that smells of pine and tastes of caramel and a hint of citrus. “A lot of breweries are either focused on malty or hoppy, and it’s not very often that you get to see the two together,” says Hopkins.

Yeager says, “This has always been a dream of mine, to brew beer. It’s definitely a good feeling knowing people are into it.” No matter what’s on tap, expect it to go fast. Yeager brews one five-gallon batch of each Small Batch beer and it’s usually gone within a week; Hopkins says they’ve even seen some go within a few hours.

“This has always been a dream of mine, to brew beer. It’s definitely a good feeling knowing people are into it.”

Small Batch Friday takes place every other Friday, falling on April 7 and 21 this month. A full, 16-ounce pour costs $6. If you want to try them all, each sample pour costs $1. Hopkins posts the details of each Small Batch Friday lineup on their website at hopkinsbrewingcompany.com and Instagram @hopkinsbrewingco a few days before the event. Stay in touch to make sure you don’t miss any of Yeager’s inventive creations!

Read more about local beer:
The Old Back and Forth with Clay Turnbow, Head Brewer at Kiitos Brewing
Beehive Boilermakers and Bombs