A recent trip to Capitol Reef National Park, a red-rock wonderland 215 miles south of Salt Lake City, amply demonstrated that much of Utah is bone dry. Still, brewers bristle when ignorant outsiders refer to Utah as a “dry” state.
“We are definitely underestimated,” said Jacquie King, head brewer at Ogden Brewing. “The Utah craft beer scene is alive and thriving.”
Nonetheless, King and her colleagues operate under some of the nation’s most restrictive alcohol laws.
In theory, the state’s 40-plus breweries can produce whatever they want, but boozier beers — anything boasting alcohol by volume in excess of 5 percent — are only found in bottles and cans. On tap, nothing can exceed that limit.
(Czech Your Head, the 6 percent pilsner reviewed here, was a canned beer which I ordered at a restaurant; it was served in a glass.)
Utah’s alcohol laws are as twisty as Capitol Reef’s Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile-long geological formation visible from space. One example: wine, spirits and higher-octane beers are sold in state-run stores, and are banned from supermarkets.
“It’s kind of a thorn in everybody’s side,” King said.
Yet these limits have encouraged a fair amount of cheeky humor — witness Wasatch Brewery’s Polygamy Porter with its tag line “Why just have one?” — and award-winning experimentation.
At this year’s World Beer Cup, an annual competition sometimes dubbed “the Olympics of beer,” Templin Family Brewing of Salt Lake City captured two gold medals, one for Guava Coconut, a field beer, and another for Squirrel, its entry in the “juicy or hazy strong pale ale” category.
Another Utah stalwart, St. George-based Silver Reef Brewing, took a World Beer Cup gold with its smoke beer, Mas Fuego, and a bronze with Smokin’ Barrel, in the “wood- and barrel-aged beer” category.
Moreover, Utah breweries may reap some benefit from the current trend toward lower-alcohol beverages. “Five percent and under,” King said, “is really a sweet spot.”
The Next Round
Sunday: Beer Fest, the Del Mar racetrack’s annual blend of ales and tails, is set for 1 to 5 p.m. in the track’s Seaside Cabana. Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. dmtc.com/calendar/detail/beer
Aug. 2-4: I mentioned this in my last column, but it’s worth repeating: My Yard Live will host a three-day fest for its fifth anniversary. Expect food, beer, corn hole and live music — dueling pianos, Aug. 2; Band Over Board’s yacht rock, Aug. 3; and Cash’d Out, the Johnny Cash tribute band, Aug. 4. My Yard Live, 288 Rancheros Drive, San Marcos. Reservations, free but required: myyardlive.com/reservations.
Aug. 10: HessFest XIV, celebrating Mike Hess Brewing’s 14th anniversary, will feature live music — I’m especially pumped to hear The Walrus, a Beatles tribute band from New Orleans — food, beer — I’m especially pumped to try MHB’s cold IPA, Chill Factor — craft root beer, hop water and free bottled water. All proceeds will benefit Oncology and Kids (OAK), a San Diego nonprofit that serves children with cancer. Imperial Beach Pier Plaza, 940 Seacoast Drive, Imperial Beach. Tickets, $30-$80, can be purchased at mikehessbrewing.com.
On a personal note
Given the overwhelming number of choices, where do you direct out-of-towners eager to explore San Diego’s craft beer scene?
Gary Stoller, Forbes magazine’s beer correspondent, recently asked me that question with one key caveat: look beyond breweries that already enjoy a national following (Stone, say, or Ballast Point). My answers can be found online: rb.gy/bihes2.
Your choices may differ — heck, mine might differ by the time this appears in print. But if you want to engage in this great San Diego beer debate, send your picks to [email protected].
Quick Sips, Utah Excursion Edition
Beer: Look Up!From: Level Crossing Brewing, Salt Lake CityABV (Alcohol By Volume): 5 percentStyle: Amber AleDrink or dump: Drink. Not too light and not too dark, this Goldilocks of an ale showcases sweet caramel malts. Also just right: the piney and herbal hop character which lift the beer off the palate in the finish.
EVOFrom: Wasatch Brewery, Salt Lake CityABV: 5 percentStyle: Amber AleDrink or dump: Drink. Exceptionally quaffable brew, its toasted malts supplying notes of toffee and roasted walnuts. Willamette and Super Galina hops add a refreshingly bitter snap.
Czech Your HeadFrom: Proper Brewing, Salt Lake CityABV: 6 percentStyle: PilsnerDrink or dump: Dump. Proper’s website insists this beer leans into a bracing hop bitterness, but I found it surprisingly – and disappointingly – sweet.
