Upcoming Reviews

I have a lot of catching up to do starting tomorrow as I have been busy with the family and sick unwilling to work on the blog. I have gotten behind on my reviews and haven't been on here in awhile but plan on doing a number of reviews over the next couple of days to get caught back up. I am going to start out reviewing the 2nd Annual Evanston Brewfest which my wife and I attended over Utah's Pioneer Day Holiday. I am going to follow that up with the reviews in which I am behind (Deschutes Brewery Black Butte Porter and New Belgium Brewing Fat Tire Amber Ale) both of which happened to be featured at the Evanston Brewfest. I am then going to individually review the beers that were featured at the Snowbird Brewfest. Before getting back to my proposed weekly routine of featuring a beer, wine or spirit I am going to feature five of the blog followers requests (High West Distillery Rendezvous Rye Whiskey, Deschutes Brewery The Abyss, Hair of the Dog Brewery Adam, Heater Allen Brewing Co. Pils, Idaho Brewing Company Dunkelweiss).

Thanks for your support and accept my apologies for my lengthy absence.

Mr.Brew

Review of The 2nd Annual Brewfest at Snowbird

My wife and I attended The 2nd Annual Brewfest at Snowbird which was held on Saturday June 19th and featured live music, food and beer samplings from a dozen Utah breweries, including Bohemian, Desert Edge, Moab, Red Rock, Squatters, Wasatch, Uinta, Hoppers, Roosters, Ruby River, Four + and Utah's newest addition Epic. There was no admission fee with plenty of free parking. It cost $1 for each 3oz sample. Each brewery featured 2-4 different brews. The event was held from noon to 8pm and provided an escape from the valley heat. It was almost 15 degrees cooler with a fresh mountain breeze. We arrived in the early afternoon and there was already quite a few people enjoying themselves and more than a few who had already had a few to many. We stood in line a good 20 minutes to get our sampling mug and tokens, but it wasn't long after we arrived that it became very busy and the lines had become twice as long. We bought a $5 glass mug and $10 worth of tokens which provided us with 30 oz of good beer. I only tried brews from a few of the breweries. I didn't try Moab because the line was always so long. Epic because their samplings were $2 for a 3oz sample because they are a high point beer and I have already had plenty of the 3 brews they were offering anyway. Squatters, Hoppers, Uinta and Four + because I have had plenty of the brews they were featuring and Ruby River as they didn't offer anything I cared to try. I started things of with a Heavenly Cream Ale from Roosters. I followed that up with a Nut Brown Ale from Red Rock which I have had many times before but because both my wife and I love it so much we just had to fill up our mug with it's deliciousness! Next in line was Desert Edge's seasonal Schwartz Ein Lager, which was easily my favorite brew at the fest. My next favorite was Bohemian's Cherny Bock. I finished the day with Wasatch's seasonal Summer Twilight Kolsch. Somewhere along the way I had some type of Belgian ale but I can't recall which brewer it was from. If you have the chance next year, I would encourage you to head up to Snowbird and enjoy some good brews with your friends and family. It was much better and had a larger turn out than I was expecting, overall I would say it was a success and was great for a Utah beer event! I will soon be doing individual reviews of all of the beers I tried. Stay tuned

Mr.Brew

Squatters Hells Keep

Hells Keep is a limited release brew from Squatters Pubs and Beer AKA Salt Lake Brewing Co. which started in Salt Lake City in 1989 and has grown to include 3 pub/restaurant locations and a microbrewery/storefront. Squatters offers 11 brews on tap, some of which are also available bottled in many restaurants, the state liquor stores, grocery stores and Squatters microbrewery/store location (THE BEER STORE). Squatters also offers a variety of seasonal and limited release brews. Squatters Hells Keep brew is a Belgian strong ale, which is a light to medium golden color with a lively head that creates nice lacing along the glass as you drink. It has a spicy aroma with hints of yeast. It is very mild for a strong beer with a spicy yet sweet, citrus fruity flavor, primarily orange with a hint of banana. It is a highly carbonated beer yet is soft. It is a beer that can get to you quickly as it doesn't have a strong beer taste or feel...... so watch out! It is great paired with just about anything.

I give this beer a rating of 7

Mr.Brew

Next up: Deschutes Brewery Black Butte Porter and New Belgium Brewing Fat Tire Amber Ale

Also coming: Review of the 2nd Annual Brewfest at Snowbird

Rogue Dead Guy Whiskey

Rogue Spirits was established in 2003 by the very popular Rogue Ales Brewery. Rogue Spirits creates award winning, small batch, artisan distilled rum, whiskey and gin using the same philosophy that has made it's brewery so successful. Dead Guy Whiskey is an 80 proof award winning whiskey that is made with the same 4 grains used to make Rogue's popular Dead Guy Ale. Rogue's Dead Guy Whiskey took home silver in the 2008 World Beverage Competition. Rogue's Dead Guy Whiskey is smooth and sweet with a rich malt complexity. The whiskey is created in the brewery by combining the 4 grains used in Rogue's Dead Guy Ale along with free range coastal water. Distiller's yeast is added, it is then fermented. Next it is hauled across the parking lot to Rogue's House of Spirits, which is Rogue's Newport distillery. It is then double distilled and aged in charred white oak barrels. Because Dead Guy Whiskey is produced in a limited number of batches, it is on the pricier side. However it is well worth the money if you enjoy whiskey.

I give Rogue's Dead Guy Whiskey a rating of 9

Mr.Brew

Next up: Squatters Hell's Keep

Columbia Winery 2005 Gewurztraminer

Columbia Winery produces an inexpensive but very good variety of wines using European vinifera grapes grown from their vineyards in the Columbia and Yakima Valleys in Washington State. It became the first premium winery in the State in 1962 and has won numerous awards and accolades every year since. The Gewurztraminer is part of Columbia's Core Series and is a medium dry wine, light in color with a spicy aroma of fruit, including lychee, melon and grapefruit. It is a great wine paired with spicy foods. Columbia's 2005 Gewurztraminer received acclaim from Wine Enthusiast with a 90 point rating and a Best Buy recommendation. Columbia's Gewurztraminer continues to bring home awards and accolades every year, with it's 2008 Gewurztraminer winning a Gold Medal at the 2010 San Fransisco Chronicle Wine Awards. This is a perfect wine for new wine drinkers because of the light, sweet, subtle taste that is not overbearing like a red wine.

I give this a rating of 7

Happy Drinking!

Mr.Brew

Next up: Rogue Dead Guy Whiskey