SLUG Contributor Limelight
June 21, 2008
Contributor Limelight: Mikey Riedel
Mikey Riedel makes his SLUG debut in this month's issue. Riedel has been a beer enthusiast for his entre adult life, but credits his wife Krin (who bought him his first homebrewing kit) for his evolution into beer geek. Riedel has maintained the Utah Beer blog since 2005 and when he isn't drinking beer, making beer, thinking about beer or blogging about beer he can be found working for Fox13 News as a photojournalist. If you life what you see check out his blog: utahbeer.blogspot.com. Cheers to you Mikey!
Articles by contributor
Beer of the Month: Femintation American Ale
The balance here is quite nice. The robust flavors and complexity of dark/roasted malt flavors work well together. The carbonation gives the body a pleasantly smooth and somewhat slick, creamy feel. … read more
SaltFire Brewing Co.: The Brewery Built from the Bottle Up
Ryan Miller, Owner and Founder of SaltFire Brewing Co., was an avid home-brewer for most of his adult life and is now building his brewery from the bottle up with SaltFire’s bottle-filling machine. … read more
Beer of the Month: Beckerman’s Brew
Beckerman’s Brew touts an all-around tasty combination of robust cereals and toast, combined with the twangy/earthy hop flavors that create a nice balance that is smooth, crisp, clean and refreshing. … read more
Beer of the Month: Rocket Bike
Rocket Bike has a quenching, classic lager feel that is well complemented by the great use of toasted grains. This beer, made by our own Moab Brewing Company, is one of the finer specimens of Steam/California Common you’ll find anywhere. … read more
Beer of the Month: Fröhlich Pils
I discovered—upon revisiting what I thought was an old-world, fizzy, yellow beer—a flavor powerhouse that made it obvious why this had become the most popular beer style in the world. If you are looking to be reinvigorated by the pilsner, I have a locally made option that will make it all clear to you. … read more
Beer of the Month: Saint Blackout
I came across the Saint Blackout Tripel Belgian Style Ale from Shades of Pale Brewing. While there are a few locally made Belgian-style tripels floating around the Utah market, there are not many that are available year-round and fewer still that have the high level of drinkability that is commonly associated with big, boozy beers of this style. … read more
Beer of the Month: Sir Malcom’s Stout
As we enter the month of December, you may start seeing more big, full-bodied beers that are maxed out with flavor and fat with alcohol. Sir Malcom’s Stout walks the line between two worlds: it’s a flavorful option that doesn’t have that hammering blow. … read more
Beer of the Month: Big Bad Baptist
After reading this month’s Beer of the Month, you’ll be running to Epic Brewery to get a local taste of roasted malts and coffee flavors that embody Big Bad Baptist. … read more
Beer of the Month: 2X4 Double IPA
What I found was not beastly, but was in fact a miraculous blending of malt and hops. When I found out that this beer was making its way south to Utah, I had to snag a fresh can and write it up for y’all. … read more
Beer of the Month: The Down Low
One brand I never thought I’d see in Utah, never mind in a Harmons or Maverik, is Lagunitas Brewing from Petaluma, California. Lagunitas has built a fast reputation around North America for making highly flavorful beers in many varieties. … read more
Beer of the Month: Noble Hefeweizen
This is one of those great beers that will fit into any climate at any time. Its low alcohol and medium body combined with its banana/lemon fruitiness makes it a triple threat among its German-inspired beer brethren. … read more
The New Guard of Utah Breweries: Branagan’s Brewery
Branagan’s Irish-themed brewpub will see beers that reflect the Branagan’s theme with ales that typically hail from the British Isles but aren’t afraid to intermingle with a little barrel-aging. … read more
KiiTOS BREWING: A Different Kind of Green Beer
The Kiitos Brewing Company (pronounced ‘ki:tos) hopes that this concept of Earth-friendly brewing will pay off, not only for our planet, but also for the palates of Utah’s beer lovers. … read more
The New Guard of Utah Breweries: Fisher Brewing Co.
The story of the A. Fisher Brewing Company began in 1884 when German immigrant and brewer Albert Fisher moved to Utah and set up shop on 200 South, next to the Jordan River. Now, his descendants are hoping to bring some of his old-world brews to the 21st Century. … read more
The Beer is Easy: RoHa Brewing Project
RoHa Brewing Project is set to open its doors by the end of summer 2016 at 30 E. Kensington Ave. in Salt Lake City. Look out for beers of all styles in the 4-percent range up to the stratosphere range. … read more
The New Guard of Utah Breweries: Strap Tank Brewing Co.
Our journey to Strap Tank Brewing Company begins in a place that many might consider to be a beer wasteland (even by Utah standards). It’s a place that hasn’t seen a brewery since before Prohibition: Utah County—specifically, the city of Springville. … read more
Mountain West Hard Cider: Complementing, Not Competing
Mountain West’s Head Cider Maker, Joel Goodwillie, has been a working vinologist and winemaker for half of his life. “I primarily got my education in wine from the Gallo family,” Goodwillie says. “The Gallos changed America’s wine culture in the ’70s, making wine more approachable to a wider audience.” … read more
Beer of the Month: Promontory Pale Ale
Brewery/Brand: Talisman Brewing Co.
ABV: 5.5%
Serving Style: 22-oz. bottle … read more
Beer of the Month: Recommend Rye Saison
This month, I have the pleasure of introducing one of Utah’s newest breweries: Proper Brewing Company. … read more
Review: The Kimmie, The Yink & The Holy
The Kimmie, The Yink & The Holy Gose Ale Brewery/Brand: Anderson Valley Brewing Co. ABV: 4.2% Serving Style: 12 oz. can This beer pours a somewhat hazy golden/yellow color with a head that quickly fades to a foamy film. The nose is mellow with hints of lemon rind and dry wood. The taste starts tart but not overly
Review: New Zealand Draught
New Zealand Draught Brewery/Brand: Hoppers Grill & Brewing Co. ABV: 4.0% Serving Style: Draft This beer pours a dark orange/amber color with a fluffy two fingers of foam on top. The nose is flowery with spicy malts and a hint of melon. The taste starts with a bit of toffee malts and toasted bread. Grassy hops begin
Beer of the Month: Uinta Farmside Saison
These are good days for a beer nerd—it’s like a personalized Christmas designed just for me! It’s damn frigid this morning, and Uinta Brewing Company is my destination. The description that Uinta provided back in December made this beer sound too good—delaying, for me, is not an option. I strolled my ass into Uinta’s bottle shop where the bottles and other people clamoring for beers awaited me. … read more
Beer of the Month: Epic Sour IPA
IPAs are a hot item in Utah’s craft beer scene. Every brewery in the state has one, and it doesn’t matter if it’s the full-strength (true-to-style) version or the 4-percent, Utah-session variety—people want them, and they’re drinking the breweries dry. IPAs aren’t the only hot beer style out there, though. There is another trending style that’s busted its way onto the local beer scene as well—sour beers. … read more
Review: Even Keel
Brewery/Brand: Ballast Point Brewing Co.
ABV: 3.8%
Serving Style: 12-oz. bottle, 12-oz. can, draft … read more
Review: Accelerator IPA
Brewery/Brand: 2 Row Brewing Co.
ABV: 7.0%
Serving Style: 12-oz. bottle … read more
Review: 2015 Brighton Revolver
Brewery/Brand: Uinta Brewing Co.
ABV: 4.0%
Serving Style: 22-oz. bottle, draft … read more
Review: Jibe Session IPA
Brewery/Brand: Green Flash Brewing Co.
ABV: 4.0%
Serving Style: 12-oz. can, draft … read more
Review: Utah Pale Ale
Brewery/Brand: Desert Edge Brewery
ABV: 4.0%
Serving Style: Draft … read more
Review: Ales for ALS Red IPL
The nose on this beer has huge citrus peel and a healthy dose of pine needles. The taste starts juicy with orange and tangerine. … read more
Review: Lemon Drop Saison
The Lemon Drop hops add a pleasant lemongrass bitterness that counters the spiciness from the yeast. It’s nice, light and easy drinking. … read more
Review: Ready Set Gose
Ready Set Gose pours a hazy straw color with a moderate-to-thin fizzy pillow of foam on top. … read more
Review: 24K Golden Ale
24K Golden Ale pours a goldenrod color with a good two fingers of foamy and pillowy, white head. … read more
Review: Port O’ Call
This brand-new offering from Uinta pours a somewhat muddy, caramel-brown color with a bubbly ring of tan bubbles. … read more
Review: Random Double IPA Batch #2
Random DIPA is 2 Row Brewing Co.’s only beer that experiments periodically with different hop blends, while always keeping the original malt base. … read more
Review: Session Holiday Ale
This new session ale from Red Rock pours a clear, golden-amber color with a thin cap of sudsy foam that fades to ringlets around the sides of my beer tulip. … read more
Review: Pumpkin Ale
This new Pumpkin Ale from Tooele’s own Bonneville Brewery pours a nice-looking ruby/amber color with a familiar nose of allspice and clove. The taste starts with rich caramel malt, nutmeg and a slight dose of cinnamon. … read more
Review: Jacked B Nimble
Jacked B Nimble pours an ebony color with ruby highlights, and the nose reveals nutmeg, clove, cinnamon and some boozy whiskey notes. The taste starts with the basic pumpkin pie spices along with some vanilla/bourbon notes. … read more
Review: Pumpkinhead
Pumpkinhead pours a semi-cloudy, pale-orange color. The nose has strong notes of spices of nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and brown sugar. The taste is a lot like the nose, with notes of pumpkin and spices of nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, allspice and brown sugar. … read more
Review: Fermentation Without Representation
Fermentation Without Representation pours an extremely dark-brown color with a small, tan head. The nose is huge with pumpkin, squash, ginger, cinnamon, chocolate, roasted malt, clove and caramel. The taste is just as big, with chocolate, roasted malt, pumpkin, caramel, cinnamon, ginger, light coffee, clove and spices. … read more
Review: Grapefruit Sculpin
This IPA pours a nice, nearly clear, golden-orange color with two healthy fingers of off-white head that lingers nearly to the last drop. … read more
Review: Dangereux American Farmhouse Ale
Dangereux American Farmhouse Ale pours hazy golden straw in color with a big, fluffy head that is full of staying power. … read more
Review: Contrail White
Brewery/Brand: Uinta Brewing Co.
ABV: 4.0%
Serving Style: 12-oz. can, draft … read more
We May Live In A Desert But We’re Not Dry
American cheese. It’s far from the best example of what America’s dairy producers are capable of crafting, but because some corporate hack decided to call it “American cheese” we as a nation got stuck with this lousy faux cheese—representing to the rest of the world our collective “cheesiness.” … read more
The Brews of Four+
James Smith of Four+ Brewing agreed to meet with us to talk about brewing in Utah and some of the stuff they’re brewing up for this summer. … 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
Utah’s Beer Missionaries
For most of my adult life, I’ve been a beer guy. Growing up in Utah, I never really knew about the differences between “Utah beer” and “regular beer.” Let’s face it, if you’ve had any youthful experiences with beer in Utah, you’ve likely heard the terms “piss,” “water” and “near beer,” especially from those outside of the Zion Curtain. So why would anyone outside of Utah want to try any of this pissy, watery beer? The answer is simple: Utah beer is none of those things. … read more
Utah’s Best Beerfest
I would personally like to invite you all to a beerfest! Utah’s best beerfest in fact. We have close to 60 breweries from all over the West coming to this beer festival. There will be approximately 220 different beers at our super beer soirée, but there’s a slight problem with our beer festival: We have to hold it in Idaho. I know, it’s a bit confusing, but if you look at it this way, it might make more sense. … read more
Beer Reviews 1/13
Getting a beer-reviewing gig is no easy thing––every asshole out there with a tongue can pretty much tell you if they like or don’t like a beer. Apart from being a conniving bastard, I’ve also been writing about the local beer scene at the Utah Beer Blog for the last seven years. I think I have a pretty good pulse on Utah’s beer culture and hope you can find some use for my reviews. … read more
Beer Reviews 3/13
Settle down, class. Today we are going to discuss proper St. Patrick’s Day etiquette. Hopefully, this tutorial will give you the skills to navigate this most hallowed beer day. Many of the “beer nerds” you may encounter likely consider St. Pat’s Day to be “amateur hour” for the majority of revelers. These simple tips and recommendations will hopefully strip that douche-bag aura from your hipster tendencies. … read more
Don’t Be an Ass, Use a Glass!
I have a problem—a glassware problem. If it’s a vessel made to carry a specific beer, I probably own it. Some of it is tradition, how some glasses are almost ceremonial in their approach to beer, but I know there’s more to it than that. So, when people ask me, “Hey, moron! What difference does it make?” or “How can it possibly affect the taste of the beer?” I have some simple answers. … read more
Nice Cans!
Since the craft beer boom of the early ’90s, the package of choice for breweries was the good old brown bottle. For too long, people had complained that the tried and true can was making their favorite beverage taste like metal, and the new craft movement wanted no part of that. So, the can was resigned to become the bastard child of the beer world until one innovation came along—the plastic-lined can. … read more
Beer Reviews
You’ve gotten to know barley (and wheat–based) beers, amber ales and hefeweizens—now I want you to experience rye beers. Rye malt has a slight herbal spiciness that sets it apart from other grains. I beg you to step out and try some of these locally available examples. … read more
Beer Reviews 2/13
Now that we’re into February, we can finally start putting all of those heavy, spicy holiday beers into our cellars and pray they won’t become chunky, oxidized messes come next November. Now is the time we get to gear up for the early-spring beer releases: ales and lagers that are sturdy, fruity and light. We have three very different beers for February. One is a classic style, another a hybrid and the last is unique and completely new. … read more
Beer Reviews
As a beer judge and writer, I’m often presented with the opportunity to critique what’s in the glass vs. where its container came from. It removes prejudice and reminds the tongue and brain that they’re on the same team when it comes to beer. … read more
Beer Reviews
Odds are, if you’re reading this, living a “countercultural” lifestyle is at the top of the list on that whole quasi-grasshopper-vision quest thing you call a life. In SLC, beer would be considered a top player on the list. … read more
Beer Reviews
I don’t have to tell you all that it’s been a brutally hot summer. As we enter the most intense part of the summer’s heat, you may think it’s time to push aside the more flavorful beers in your arsenal in lieu of lighter, more “refreshing” beers. You could do this, but why sacrifice taste when you can have your beer and drink it, too? … read more
Beer Fest Calendar
As this is the holy Beer Issue, I, the Beer Gnerd and your pastor in beer, have provided for you this list of nearby beer festivals to help you break the heat, while giving you the opportunity to laugh at your friend, Jeff, as he pukes in his shoes. … read more
Beer Reviews
Beer reviews for Hoppers Stein Knocker, Bohemian Oktoberfesrt and Ayinger Oktoberfest-Märzen. … read more
Beer Reviews
Given that we’re on the cusp of the holidays and a shload of big, heavy, spicy beers will be invading our bottle shops and our lives, I thought it’d be helpful to remind us all that, though the seasons for beer may change, there are plenty of “go-to” beer styles that are timeless and will work for you any time of year. … read more
Beer Reviews
September is a weird month for beer. The weather is still relatively warm, but autumn is right around the corner. … read more
Review: Grand Bavarian
July beers are all about drinkability. Sure, have a big, malty barleywine on occasion, but when the heat is on, your body will quickly split with your mind, and it’s gonna want something a bit more drinkable and hydrating. Damn near every beer style out there has a lighter, quenchable subcategory that will keep
April 2015 – Beer Reviews
It used to be that Utah was a beer wasteland. For decades, it was impossible to get your hands on quality beers that were made outside of the state. This all changed in 2010 when Utah’s lawmakers created a variance that would allow beer distributors to store the beer and allocate all of that precious state warehouse space for liquor and wine.
March 2015 Beer Reviews
Living in Utah and loving beer has always been a bit of challenge when it comes to that fermented grain. It gets virtually no respect from a government that is tasked to control and distribute it, who treats it like a cheap, bottomshelf vodka that will remain virtually unchanged for years.
Brian & Dede’s Excellent Beer Adventure: 2 Row
In a short five years, 2 Row founder Brian Coleman went from a casual beer lover to a “beer baron.”
Park City’s New Namesake Brewery
The people of Park City love their beer—they deserve a brewery with some staying power. I think they’ve found it.
The Wheel of Beer
Sure, paper menus are fine, but there’s nothing like having a real-time digital menu at your fingertips. After a few months, with little feedback on this tiny option in a tiny corner of The Bayou’s website, something odd began happening.
The Beer Collector – Carlos Gallegos
After many years collecting, Carlos Gallegos became known as the “Utah Guy” among his fellow collectors in the breweriana world—that’s what they call their hobby of collecting beer memorabilia.
June 2015 Beer Reviews
From light and dry to tart and fruity to hop bombs, we’ve got your summer sippin’ situation well in hand.
February 2015 IPA Beer Reviews
This month, we have a trio of options that gives you a good idea of what’s happening locally as well as a taste of what’s going on outside of our borders.
May 2015 Beer Reviews
There’s that old adage: “If it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it!” In a nutshell, that’s our ancestors screaming at us from the past, telling us to leave a good thing alone. In many cases, that’s true—there are hundreds of things that impact our daily lives that have remained virtually unchanged since they were brought to our attention.
January 2015 Beer Reviews
Oi! Thank Thor the holidays are over! Every year, the Christmaquanzukkah ass-kicking boot seems to find its target more and more often on my delicate, beer-loving tushy. By the time January rolls around, I’m definitely in need of some of that cliché New Year’s resolution bullshit.
Ale Beer Reviews
The holidays are coming, and there’s going to be a lot of liquid cheer coming your way, which is likely going to be big and spicy like the season it represents. It’s truly one of best times of the year for beer. However, we’re only human. … read more
Beer Reviews
As craft beer becomes an even more influential player in the eyes of the state’s alcohol consumers, breweries are looking to set themselves apart to compete in a beer market in which their percentages dwindle due to an increase of outside competition. … read more
Beer Reviews
The Bohemian Brewing Company, located in Midvale, Utah, is one of the state’s most unlikely success stories in Utah’s recent beer history. Founded by Czech immigrant Joe Petras in 2001, Bohemian took a big chance on making old-world craft beer styles when the majority of craft beer drinkers were moving toward more hoppy and modern interpretations on English and Belgian styles. Joe’s philosophy was basically to make four beers, but make them well. … read more
Beer Reviews
At this year’s North American Beer Awards held by the North American Brewers Association, one of Utah’s oldest breweries had an incredible showing. Moab Brewery tends to get overlooked in Salt Lake’s beer scene for the simple fact that it’s located in the desert hundreds of miles away. … read more
Beer Reviews
Normally, for October, I’d be pestering the shit out of all of the local breweries—hitting them up and gathering up all of the pumpkin beers I could find for one massive Utah beer “gourd-gasm.” But let’s be honest—How many damn pumpkin beers can you drink in a month? My money says a handful at best. … read more
Beer Reviews
Now that we’re in the midst of summer’s full heat, it’s time to think about those thirst-quenching beers. Sure, you can visit the occasional double IPA or Belgian golden strong ale but, after mowing the lawn on a 90-degree-plus day, are you seriously going to tell me that you want something sweet with a little bit of alcohol burn? … read more
The Cold Truth on Warm Beer
Occasionally, we beer drinkers can find ourselves in a bit of a beer bubble. It’s easy to forget that that many of the great beer styles that we enjoy come from regions of the world that are as foreign to us as a BYU singles ward. These beers were not just created to help you “get your sexy on”—they were primarily created to be necessary nutritional staples in the regions from which they hail. Why you’re drinking a beer has as much to do as what kind of beer you’re drinking. Centuries ago, when you were having a beer, it was because the water was bad or because it was a more practical way to stretch your harvest’s yield, and temperature has a lot to do with that. … read more
Wild About Sour Beers
Malted barley, hops, water and yeast—if there’s one thing that beer has going for it in the world of fermented beverages, it’s the great diversity of flavors that a brewer can coax out of these four main and important ingredients. For many beer drinkers, when the word “beer” comes to mind, tastes of light-toasted grain and grassy/floral bitterness pops into mind. This is what mainstream beer has been for so many people over the last 120 years, but there is a style of beer that goes back centuries, which owes its existence to necessity and ungovernable factors: the wild ale. … read more
#BeerGeekSocialMedia
Social media has become a huge part of most of our lives. Being a “Beer Gnerd,” I’ve enjoyed getting the opportunity to simply connect and interact with people of like mind through quite a few beer apps out there, designed specifically for the craft beer enthusiast. Many do the same thing—allow the users to share their thoughts on what they’re drinking and where. I’ve highlighted a few beer geek apps to help you stay more easily connected while looking for and enjoying your favorite glass of suds. … read more
Beer Reviews
I run with a very tough crowd. Most of the guys in my little circle of friends aren’t the ass-kicking, troublemaking type of guys, though. The “tough” that these guys have been honing in their DNA is from years of liver-beating, bottle-crushing and craft beer drinking. … read more
Why is The Bayou Firkin With My Beer?
The 20th Century, for the most part, wasn’t a very beer-friendly time in U.S. history. Prohibition, for example, all but destroyed centuries of beer-brewing knowledge in the United States. When we emerged from the beer dark ages, as a people, we were at the mercy of those beer companies that had managed to survive the 13 years in brewing exile. The beer wasn’t bad beer, but it was mass-produced with adjuncts (corn, rice, millet, etc.) and was limited to European-style lagers. Now, having the benefit of a decades-long craft beer boom, we enjoy damn near every style, type and method of the beer brewing process. … read more
Beer Reviews
Believe it or not, India pale ales (IPAs) are still a relatively new beer style. Yeah, technically they’ve been around since the 19th century, but the modern incarnation of America’s favorite craft beer style is only about 30 years old. In the old days, IPAs were a necessity, not a style. … read more
Beer Reviews
One of my favorite things about beer is hops. They can transform a sweet soup of malty goodness into a palatable, heavenly dream. Once upon a time, hops were primarily used to balance out the beer’s sweetness and make it a more drinkable experience. Soon thereafter, its preservative qualities made its mark on the culture, adding to the mysterious flower’s importance. … read more
Beer Reviews
Last year, around this time, we discussed how to avoid green beer while celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. Most of you listened, your lives have prospered, and success greets you at every corner. A few of you could not resist the hype, so now I have to take time away from my important beer snob duties to fix the damage you’ve done. … read more
Beer Reviews
For the last decade, I’ve had to listen to people along the Wasatch Front (hell, across the fucking state!) piss and moan that they couldn’t get New Belgium beers in the Beehive State. It was almost as if there was some kind of JFK conspiracy surrounding the demand. … read more
Beer Reviews
Now that we’re settling into our 2014 beer groove, you may find that big, holiday spiced beers are a bit passé for our February needs. … read more