Beer Holidays.
Your wall calendar might not recognize it, but we're embarking on quite the holiday weekend.
 Each year, the first Thursday in August is designated National IPA Day. Why, *checks date* that's today! I hope you're celebrating with a freshie in hand.
Not to be outdone, tomorrow the whole world will celebrate the Best Beverage. International Beer Day is slated each year for the first Friday in August. The purpose of this hallowed holiday, according to sources, is threefold:
- To gather with friends and enjoy the taste of beer
- To celebrate those responsible for brewing and serving beer
- To unite the world under the banner of beer, by celebrating the beers of all nations together on a single day
And if that's not enough, go ahead and celebrate a beer-adjacent beverage on Saturday. After all, Aug. 7 is reserved for the 19th Annual National Mead Day. The American Homebrewers Association organizes Mead Day "to increase awareness of this sweet fermented beverage and foster camaraderie among meadmakers."
As you know, Utah beer drinkers recently celebrated perhaps their favorite summertime holiday. While this year's Pie & Beer Day festivities were a bit more subdued than in pre-pandemic years, July 24 nevertheless afforded us the opportunity to pair two all-time greats.
No one needs an arbitrary holiday, of course, to drink craft beer (or mead, or cider). But it's nice that in the world of made-up holidays, beer drinkers have several of our own. In fact, you might want to pencil in a few more between now and the end of the year.
Cheers,
Tim
Currently Drinking: As I write, I'm enjoying a classic on this National IPA Day—Detour Double IPA from Uinta Brewing. How about you?
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Hello Again & Welcome
If this is your first time receiving this monthly dispatch, welcome! If you're a longtime subscriber, thank you for sticking with it. As always, feel free to drop a line to let me know what you think. Connect with me personally on Untappd.
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🎙Utah Beer News Podcast:
Beer News for Your Ears 🎙
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The Utah Beer News podcast provides another avenue for us to tell stories about the Utah beer community. We'd love for you to subscribe, take a listen, and let us know what you think!
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Utah Beer Festival: Event Returns Aug. 21-22
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After a forced hiatus, the popular two-day 11th Utah Beer Festival is back—albeit in a new location. Utah's largest beer-sampling event will take place Aug. 21-22 at The Gateway, 200 S. 400 West, in Salt Lake City.
Purchase a Utah Beer Festival Passport online or at the door, and enjoy a variety of beers from about 50 different breweries. Here's a list of answers to FAQs.
Fun fact: More than 300,000 ounces of beer were poured at the event in 2019.
In addition to sampling delicious brews, attendees are also supporting a good cause. Since its inception, the Utah Beer Festival's donated more than $100,000 to local nonprofits. This year, proceeds will benefit Press Backers, an organization that supports local journalists and independent news gathering.
BONUS: I'm planning to chat with Utah Beer Festival organizers for the Virtual Taproom series. Be sure to subscribe to the Utah Beer News YouTube channel to be notified.
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Silver Reef Brewing: A St. George Original
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Sadly, I've yet to make it to Silver Reef Brewing. But I'm thrilled to say that recently I got my hands on a quartet of the St. George brewery's beers (shout-out to Forrest Gee, founder of the Utah Craft Beer Society Facebook group).
Below are a few tasting notes on the four beers. Let me know if you've imbibed any Silver Reef brews. I'd love to hear your thoughts. It's great to see the Utah craft beer scene stretch up and down the Beehive State.
- Snowman Golden Bock Lager: Pours a clear golden yellow, with tiny bubbles racing to the top of the glass and the thin white cap of smooth foam. Aromas of doughy bread and floral hops. Flavors of sweet biscuits and straw, with a slight finishing floral bitterness.
- Planet Utah Double IPA: A dark copper/orange with two fingers of off-white foam. Aromas of toasted malt, some bread and citrus fruits. Flavors of orange pith and grapefruit, with a rich caramel malt (the malt stands out for me).
- Java Madre Imperial Milk Stout: A dark chocolate brown with a tan cap of foam. Big coffee on the nose, and some chocolate and dried fruit. Flavors of dark roasted coffee and milk chocolate. A touch of bitterness but primarily sweet.
- White Dome IPA: Hazy yellow with a rocky white foam. Significant Belgian aromas (clove), some notes of bubblegum on the first sip. Wheat, clove, and floral hops.
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Brewery Folks: Got news, notes, or events to share? Don't count on me to find it on social media. Please send the info to Utah Beer News directly if you'd like me to help spread the word.
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Your Chance to Win: Where Am I?
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EXCITING NEWS! I'm starting a new feature over here at Utah Beer News—and it's exclusively for e-newsletter subscribers (like you!) Here's the deal:
- Email me with your best guess as to where the above photo was taken (i.e. in this instance, the name of the brewery). One guess per email address each month, please.
- I'll select two names from correct, eligible entries to each win a $25 gift card
That's it! The deadline to enter is Aug. 13, 2021. I'll announce the winners here next month. Good luck!
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 Each month, I gather beer-related news and notes to share with Utah Beer News email subscribers. Much of what's mentioned in this space is obtained from social sites, taproom visits, email newsletters, etc. (and a few are sent directly to me).
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Reminder: It's always best to confirm event dates, times, and locations with the individual organizers.
- Zoo Brews are back at Utah’s Hogle Zoo. The next event is slated for Aug. 11. And, uh, special guest Joey Fatone? 😲
- Birds & Brew: Fall Migration takes place on Aug. 12 at Tracy Aviary.
- The Hops Hunters Hikes in Summit County continue. The next one is set for Aug. 13 and the annual hops harvest will take place towards the end of August. Complete details.
- Each Thursday throughout the summer, it’s Cider Pickin’ Thursdays at The Garten. The Pick Pockets bluegrass band will perform at 7 p.m. ($8 at the door).
- If you’re looking for even more music on Thursdays, check out the lineup at RoHa Brewing Project. For August, keep an eye out for Swinging Lights (Aug. 5), High Nowhere (Aug. 12), Make Moves (Aug. 19), and Ben Brinton (Aug. 26).
- And to keep up on everything-RoHa, check out the blog and subscribe to their e-newsletter (sign up at the bottom of this page).
- Attention St. George craft beer fans: Hive 435 Tap House opened this week and features 30 taps, as well as a variety of bottles and cans, via The Spectrum.
- As mentioned above, the Utah Beer Festival is scheduled to take place Aug. 21-22 at The Gateway.
- Brewery tours are back (by appointment) at the Wasatch and Squatters West Side Tavern & Cold Beer Store. The cost is $10 and includes the tour, a flight, and a glass to take home. Contact Libby at mtaylor@utahbeers.com to reserve your spot.
- Speaking of Wasatch and Squatters, throughout August employees at each location are engaging in a friendly competition. Enjoy a $5 “guilt-free” dessert and 100% of the proceeds will benefit a variety of local nonprofits.
- It sounds like the new Slackwater Pub & Pizzeria location in Salt Lake City is coming along and is targeting a late-2021 opening, via Salt Lake City Weekly.
- Mark your calendars for Oktoberfest at Bewilder Brewing. It runs Sept. 18-26 and promises to deliver a plethora of German-style beers and German menu items. Bookmark Bewilder’s events calendar to stay up-to-date on the Salt Lake brewery’s happenings.
- Speaking of Bewilder, the Salt City Brew Supply shop in Midvale is now stocking Bewilder beer (and other local beers) to-go.
- Talisman Brewing in Ogden is planning to celebrate its five-year anniversary with “Talismania.” The Oktoberfest-style event is scheduled for Sept. 25.
- And speaking of Oktoberfest, we’re happy to see the Snowbird event is back on the calendar! Snowbird Oktoberfest starts on Aug. 14 and runs weekends through Oct. 17.
- Have you ever wanted to own a piece of a craft cidery? Now’s your chance. Mountain West Hard Cider launched an equity crowdfunding program. Here’s where you can learn more.
- And big congratulations to Mountain West Hard Cider. Its Elliott Gold took home gold at the Great American Cider Competition.
- Offset Bier in Park City is… getting closer to opening.
- As is Prodigy Brewing in Logan, which is now targeting a September 2021 opening.
- Cool story: Century-old beer found in a shipwreck. Hat tip to Chad Walker.
- For something a little different, grab a Beermosa Flight at Shades Brewing on Sundays.
- As we mentioned in a previous dispatch, Cerveza Zólupez beer is now available in several states.
- Dogfish Head Brewery co-founders Sam and Mariah Calagione took a Miami-to-Maine road trip to visit with representatives from The Nature Conservancy. Though not necessarily about beer per se, I found the four-part YouTube series—Mother Nature, Let’s Do This!—to be extremely interesting.
- The Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control reported that the state's alcohol sales topped $517 million in the last fiscal year (which ended June 30, 2021). The 3.4%—or $17 million—increase broke the record set the previous year, via The Salt Lake Tribune.
And finally…
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Brewery Folks: Got news, notes, or events to share? Don't count on me to find it on social media. Please send the info to Utah Beer News directly if you'd like me to help spread the word.
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