Utah State liquor stores will soon be carrying two award-winning beers from Oregon's Deschutes Brewery , founded by Utah native Gary Fish.

“I feel very proud to be able to bring great beer back to a state we love,” said Fish.

The company, located in Bend, Oregon, will offer Utahns its "Mirror Pond Pale Ale" and "Black Butte Porter."

Mirror Pond has been called the “quintessential American pale ale,” Fish said. Refreshing and loaded with with citrus hop flavors, it has been winning awards for more than 15 years. Most recently, it received a gold medal at the 2008 World Beer Championships.

Black Butte Porter is the best selling porter in the country and has enjoyed a loyal and passionate following since its first made in 1988, said Fish. It has hints of cocoa, coffee and roasted malts and was voted Best Porter by readers of Northwest Brewing News in 2007 & 2008.

Labels: beer

Utah brewmasters (and several of their friends)gathered Wednesday night at Desert Edge Brewery in Trolley Square to sample five different beers created in honor of House Bill 51 --- the law that makes home brewing legal in Utah.


The legislation officially takes effect on May 12. (Read how it came to be here.) But the microbrewed beers -- all named HB51 -- are available now (on tap or in growlers) at their respective brew pubs, just in time for National Homebrew day on May 2.

The Utah brew masters --- most of whom got their start in the business as hobbyists -- followed the same Amber Session Ale recipe but each added their own unique twist. The collaboration was designed to show home brewers how one change in the production process can affect the outcome of a beer.

My favorite version comes from Hoppers in Midvale which aged its beer with oak. The process made the ale dry and toasty, with a little taste of vanilla.

Runner up goes to Squatters, its version had a refreshing, citrus flavor accomplished by a process known as "hopback."

But the other beers are worthy offerings. They included an unfiltered ale from Desert Edge; a filtered ale from Red Rock Brewing; and a dry hops version from Wasatch Brew Pub in Park City.

Labels: beer, homebrewing

Cheers to the Utah Brewers Cooperative!

It is one of the "Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies" in the U.S., according to a national rankings released by the national Brewers Association.

Rankings are based on 2008 sales volume. The cooperative, which produces all the bottled and keg products for Wasatch and Squatters Pubs, was 43 on the list. See all the rankings here.

Utah also ranks 24th in the number of breweries per capita. The Beehive boast 14 breweries, or one for every 195,459 residents.

Labels: beer, Utah

The Hard Times Ale now on tap at Roosters in Ogden and Layton was made with these hard economic times in mind.

Rooster's brew master waived his salary the day he made it and used a less expensive malt and hop. The brewery is passing the savings on to customers and charging only $2.50 a pint.

It's a light bodied beer that goes down easier than the stock market, owners say.

To go along with this affordable ale, Roosters is also offering a specially priced "Hard Times" Lunch menu from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Some of the choices include soup and salad for $4.99; half a pizza with soup or salad $5.99; half a club sandwich for $5.25 or half a pasta salad and soup for $5.99.

Roosters Brewing is located on 25th Street in Ogden and 748 W. Heritage Park Blvd. Layton.

Labels: beer, Ogden

Tickets are now on sale for the one-night-only showing of "Beer Wars," a documentary about America's beer brewing industry.

Labels: beer, movies

Yes, America. Utah makes great beer!

Labels: awards, beer