- Mike Riedel
Proper - SLC Pils: The label is an obvious play on the locally beloved film SLC Punk. Proper's version of the traditional Pilsners doesn't take any crazy detours in regards to hops and malts, it looks toward tradition and what made this style of beer the most popular in the world. The aroma is light, hops are subdued and the malts are hard to find.
That old world snap is evident on the palate too, where all the fruity, herbal and floral notes are allowed to sparkle and shine over a grain bill that is so clean as to be almost neutral. Pilsners often contain bready, biscuity maltiness but this one supplies little other than a faint honeyed quality.
It's the hops that do all the talking in this relationship. But their bark is much greater than their bite; dry-hopping infused tons of flavor but left iso-alpha acids out of the picture. The bitterness at the end is crisp and brief, leaving a fleeting, grassy green aftertaste dominated by pleasant citrus skin notes. As a result, its drinkability is best summed up by that prototypical Northern Utah Skier term: crushable.
Verdict: Indeed, something about SLC Pils exudes that "every day is sunny, active lifestyle, you can ride your bike all summer long" kind of Utah essence. It'd be hard to find a better everyday beer for the modern craft beer drinker - it's an explosion of tradition in a light, bright, chill and utterly chuggable package.
Offset/Grid City - S33ing Thr33s: What a lineup of hoppy participation: Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe are all lined up for our tasting pleasure. The teams from Offset and Grid City gathered at Offset's Park City brewery to brew this special Triple IPA (TRIPA). There's no need to adjust your set, this is must-taste programing, made by the collaboration network.
Pours a translucent, sunflower-gold body topped with a finger and a half creamy, slightly off-white foam; solid head retention yields a slim layer of cap, a thin, frothy collar and a generous spattering of soapy, webbed lacing caked across the walls of the glass. Aroma finds fresh mango pith with an apricot tinge upfront, easing to earthy lemon accompanied by notes of grapefruit, pine and grassy resins; a soft, doughy malt undertone is revealed quietly alongside a subtle passionfruit inflection.
Taste brings orange and ruby red grapefruit to open, with lemon peel softened by mango esters over the mid-palate as a flaky, bready malt settles through the back end of the profile. Mouthfeel shows a deft, medium body and a rounded, silky fluff of moderate-full carbonation, leaving a pseudo-bittering sensation phasing to slick resins through the mid-palate as creamy interludes preclude a dryness prevailing on the finish.
Verdict: Soft, attenuated nuance prevails as a potently resinous undercurrent steeps a deft malt foundation in explosive fruity texturing; another highly quaffable 10.0 percent IPA offering from the keen minds at Offset and Grid City.
S33ing Thr33s comes to you in a fairly small batch. I heard rumblings that a larger batch may be produced soon at Grid City's larger brew system. We'll have to wait and see. Until then you can Find it at Both Offset Bier, Grid City Beer Works, along with The Bayou and Slackwater. SLC Pils is at 5.0 percent and will be widely available at grocery and convenience stores and on draft where you'll find Proper Brewing draft handles. As alway, cheers.
