Raise a glass, friends, for the Utah Beer Festival has returned!

The coronavirus injected a dark irony into many beloved traditions—and here's one more example. In 2019, the Utah Beer Festival celebrated its triumphant 10-year anniversary as The Beehive State's best and booziest party. To think such a milestone would be followed-up in 2020 with a forced hiatus, but such is life in the time of COVID-19.

But 2020 is gone, and we who remain are thirsting. Our neighbor brewers have rallied to keep the lights on and the taps flowing, we've all learned a little about contagion etiquette, and the time has come to gather once again for the 11th annual Utah Beer Festival.

This year's two-day event (Aug. 21-22) has a new home at The Gateway and all of—if not more of—the things we love: dozens of brewers, hundreds of beers and ciders, live music and good vibes, all free from the judgmental, puritanical eyes of our anti-imbibing statesmen.

And don't worry, we know it's been a while since anyone's done ... well, much of anything. Inside these pages you'll find all the information you need to shake the dust off and enjoy some great beer.

Mike Riedel, Utah's preeminent beer expert/advocate and City Weekly's resident cicerone (confession: I had to look that word up), will help you get into the right mindset to enjoy your weekend, with tips and insights into the local and national brewing scene. Scott Renshaw, our arts editor, has the 411 on the festival itself, with information on how to purchase passports, hitch an intoxication-friendly ride to the event, and navigate the sampling system. And Aimee L. Cook and Michael Saltas check in with some of the participating brewers to see how they made it through quarantine.

So, readers, brewers, countrymen: Come one and come all to the Utah Beer Festival. It's been a long time, but it's also been no time at all, because we've been here for years, and we're still here.

Cheers!

—Benjamin Wood
Adjunct Guzzler

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Take Me to Your Leader
Q&A with beer nerd Mike Riedel

Few people are as fascinated gazing upon the head of foam rising from a freshly poured glass of beer as Mike Riedel, the scribe behind the much beloved Utah Beer Blog (utahbeer.blogspot.com) and author of City Weekly's Beer Nerd column. Riedel is also a regular fixture at the Utah Beer Festival, and as such, we asked him about what attendees might expect at this year's event.

Why he's jazzed about the Utah Beer Festival
Mike Riedel: Not only is the Utah Beer Festival the perfect one-stop shop for getting acquainted with the best Utah has to offer in regards to adult beverages, it's a showcase for new brands arriving in our market along with what's hot and trending in alcoholic beverages.

COVID's impact on the festival
The Utah Beer Festival will be the first beer event that many of us have attended since 2019—party mode will be in full effect. However, this doesn't mean that those who respect COVID health guidelines won't have access to PPE or other social distancing tools. Plan on the same great party, with a greater awareness of individuals' well-being.

How Utah's craft brewing scene compares with other markets our size
The beer lovers of Utah are lucky to have a strong beer scene that far exceeds our state's teetotaler reputation. Our market is absolutely comparable in quantity and quality to others of our size, with 37 entities operating breweries in the state—not to mention that no brewery in Utah ceased operations due to the COVID shutdown.

Brewing trends to look for
One of the more popular trends is the "impersonation brew." These are beers that mimic other foods, dishes, desserts or confections with the addition of creative adjuncts and ingredients. Pastry stouts, milkshake IPAs and pie-flavored beers will definitely be showcased, along with sour ales and wine/cider/beer hybrids. Hard seltzers, hard kombucha and canned cocktails are also popular beer alternatives.

What's a good plan of attack when attending a big beer festival?
A good plan is key to a successful beer festival outing. Be efficient, but don't go all Vulcan—you're at a beer fest, for Thor's sake! Pre-gaming is very important, and food is a solid part of that. Eat before you hit the road; beer makes you hungry, and there will be a wide array of food options to keep you level-headed while at the festival.

If there's a beer or beers that you really want to try, check out the UBF 2021 Pocket Guide, and it'll get you where you need to be. From experience: A designated driver or a reliable ride home is your best post-fest strategy. With Trax and Frontrunner so close to The Gateway, there's no excuse to drive home.

And don't forget the fundamentals: scoping out which vendors are located where before tastings; choosing which beers you must try, which ones you'd like to try if the line isn't too long, which beers are new to market, etc.

What to pay attention to when tasting beer
If you just want to get drunk, you can stay home and do that. The Utah Beer Festival offers attendees the opportunity to get familiar with the flavors that make beer the most popular fermented beverage in the world. Hops tend to be the most popular ingredient in beer. They often have flavors similar to citrus, pine, berries and grass—identifying those flavors with different malt combinations can create a fruit basket of flavors. Yeast can also add flavors ranging from banana, to clove, to berries—even cheese. Ask your brewery representative for their beer's flavor profiles if you're not sure.

Is there a preferred order in tasting beer—light to dark, for example?
Generally, starting with lighter-flavored beers is the best way to keep your taste buds from getting overwhelmed. But I've found that IPAs and pilsners are easily interchangeable, and often bring out the best in each other when alternating between styles. A bottle of water is also helpful to reset your tongue, not to mention that it will help with hydration. Also, avoid fruit beers after drinking soured beers—all that lactic acid can dull the sweetness of many fruits on the palate.

Best beer/food pairings?
Food pairings are a great way to bring out the best flavors in food and beer, but they're not necessary for the enjoyment of either. Look for complementary qualities, like a sour raspberry beer with a chocolate cupcake or a dry lager with sushi or barbecue. Flavors that are too similar can cancel each other out. Remember, if it works for you, then you win.

How to keep track of the beers you like
When you're surrounded by so many great beer options, an enthused beer drinker can easily lose track of who made those special suds and what they were called. You can utilize the handy UBF 2021 Pocket Guide to help keep track of the beers and breweries that you don't want to forget. Your smartphone's camera is also an invaluable tool along with beer tracking apps like Untappd (my personal favorite).

Exciting beers that local brewers are up to
Old-school beer drinkers like me only had classic American lagers as our gateways into beer. We quickly threw those aside when ale-making breweries like Wasatch, Squatters and Uinta hit the scene.

It's been fun getting reacquainted with Old World lagers again and becoming familiar with why they became the most popular beers in the world. That's why I'm really loving the beers from the Templin Family (T.F.) Brewery right now. The attention to tradition, ingredients and technique are practically a history lesson in a glass.

Shades Brewing is at the cutting edge of what is possible to add to beer. Their award-winning sours and their flavor bending confection beers keep you wondering, "How'd they make it taste like that?"

Your thoughts on hard ciders?
There are a lot of great ciders in our market that are made here and from other parts of North America. Ciders are a great complement to beer and can be enjoyed side by side, as long as you avoid overly sweet beers with tart ciders—then you just end up with a mouth full of tannic bitterness. Try a beer made with apples and see if you can identify what sets it apart from actual hard cider.

Hard ciders that are "must trys"
If craft beer has taught us anything, it's that there are no limits in what is possible, flavorwise. The same goes with hard cider. I'm sure you've had an apple-flavored beer, but what about a beer-flavored cider? Mountain West Hard Cider's Cottonwood is a cider that features Northwest, citrus-forward hops. Angry Orchard's Rosé cider takes you in a different direction, skewing towards the wine part of the spectrum with tannins and berries that mimic the classic summer wine.

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How to Beer Fest 2021
By Scott Renshaw

The 2021 Utah Beer Festival returns Aug. 21-22, 2-8 p.m., at a new venue (The Gateway) and with new logistics. Here are tips for getting the most out of your experience.

How and where should I purchase Utah Beer Festival passports?
Visit utahbeerfestival.com to check out ticket options for single-day ($30), full-festival ($40) and VIP ($75, Sunday only available at press time) . You can also buy tickets in person at the City Weekly offices (175 W. 200 South, Ste. 100, Salt Lake City) and skip the online service fee, or you can buy passports at the gate. However, online purchases ahead of the event are discounted (day-of tickets are $35), so make your plans early.

What's the best way to get there or park?
For those who choose to drink at the event—and there's plenty of food and entertainment for those who don't—you have multiple public transportation options. Your advance-purchase passport doubles as proof of payment for UTA buses, Trax and FrontRunner, and there's a convenient Trax station right at The Gateway and a FrontRunner station within walking distance. Green Bike is another great choice in the downtown area—with multiple docking stations near the event—or you can bring your own bike for free valet parking. If you do choose to drive, The Gateway offers covered garage parking.

Where should I enter the festival area?
There will be several entrances around The Gateway, including a main entrance at 100 South and Rio Grande Street.

What is included in my general admission price?
Each general admission "passport" begins with a value of 20 punches, and each sample you try will have a value between 2 and 6 punches, based on the specific beer you're trying. If you need additional punches, they are available for purchase with credit cards or cash at booths inside the festival area.

What determines the "cost" of the 5-ounce or 12-ounce pour?
That's a function of how much the individual vendors are charging, and based on factors like high-point brews or size of the batch.

How many beers and hard ciders will be available for sampling?
At current count, there are more than 200 different offerings. But please be conscientious and avoid sampling them all in too short a time frame.

Do you have to be 21 or older to attend?
Because The Gateway is an open-air venue, proof of legal drinking age will be required only to obtain alcohol at the event, but not to enter. You're welcome to attend for the food and entertainment if you're under 21, or to bring your kids, younger siblings or friends as non-drinking attendees.

What can I bring with me?
Low lawn chairs and/or blankets are welcome for those who want to make a comfortable viewing spot for the live music. No personal coolers or large bags will be permitted. Pets are allowed in the public areas, but be considerate of both your pet and fellow festival-goers by taking into account whether that pet is well-behaved and can handle large crowds.

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Live Long and Prosper
COVID threw a wrench into the local brewing businesses, but brewers are making it work.
BREWER PROFILES By Aimee L. Cook

No one can plan for a global pandemic. When COVID-19 shut down the hospitality industry, the outlook for craft brewers was grim, with some predicting as many as half of U.S. breweries would close in 2020. But thankfully, Utah's brewers held fast and kept brewing. And you can congratulate them in person at the upcoming Utah Beer Festival on Aug. 21-22.

While there's no denying that craft-brewing took a major hit from COVID, local brewers managed to do what comes naturally to them, which is to innovate.

Their on-premise draft beer business may have been down, but the saving grace for many was packaging their products and selling it to those who were imbibing at home. That solution, however, was complicated by an aluminum can shortage, which remains ongoing.

So, what's on tap for local breweries? The trends in places before 2020 froze or fizzled during COVID. Meanwhile, the stay-at-home lifestyle has shifted the habits of craft-beer patrons. Going forward, it is likely to be a mixed bag of opportunities, but you can count on brewers to adapt, innovate and be resilient.

In the pages that follow, Devour Utah writer Aimee L. Cook and City Weekly's Michael Saltas touched base with local brewers to get a sense of how they dealt with the challenges of the past 18 months and what they're looking forward to.
—Jerre Wroble

A Passion for Lager
In the early 1990s, Kevin Templin followed his brother, Chris, to Alta to ski. Once here, he met and married Britt Porter and became an early brewmaster in Utah's craft beer scene. After working as head brewer at Red Rock Brewing Co. for 18 years making many award-winning beers, in 2019, Kevin and wife, Britt, took the leap and started their own family brewery, T.F. Brewing. Britt Templin is interviewed for this feature.

City Weekly: How's business?
Britt Templin: Everything is great. We are busier than ever. We have been really lucky—our business never really slowed down.

How did you and your operation fare during COVID?
It was scary at first. We were so worried about our employees and making sure everyone was safe and taken care of.Thankfully, we were able to sell beer out of our beer store. We made a shift as a group and focused on production and being creative with new beers while the taproom was closed. The community rallied around us and supported us. We didn't lay anyone off; we constantly checked in on each other.

Did you have to contend with shortages, such as labor and ingredient shortages?
No shortages with labor. As mentioned before, nobody was laid off. We offered to have people clean or work in the brewery. We were also part of the All Together collaboration with The Other Half—all of the proceeds went to our staff. We were very lucky. Everyone pulled together and helped one another out. No ingredient shortages. There was a can shortage and, luckily, this did not affect us.

What changes did you make to improve COVID safety for workers and customers?
We had to completely change our way of doing things. In the past, people would just line up at the bar to order a beer. We realized pretty quickly this wasn't going to work. We had to purchase a new POS system, making it so we could have table service and train everyone on how to do this. We are lucky we have such a large outdoor space. This has really saved us.

Did any of the government pandemic programs provide a financial lifeline?
Yes, we did receive some PPP money. We are grateful for that.

Which beers are you most excited about?
Kevin's passion is lager beers. He likes to make sure we always have a good selection, which is tough because they take a bit longer. I also love that we can change things up from the traditional beers and have some fun: Hazy Series, barrel-aged beers (coming soon) and our very popular sour beers.

Anything else you want readers to know?
Stay tuned for some fun beers coming out including barrel-aged beers that have been aging for two years.Thank you for all the support!

T.F. Brewing
936 S. 300 West, SLC
385-270-5972
tfbrewing.com

The Trend Is Upheaval
Uinta has grown from a 15-barrel brewhouse born in founder Will Hamill's garage in 1993 into a Brewers Association Top 100 craft brewer. Uinta is known for making a variety of brews, with Cutthroat Pale Ale—named after the Utah state fish—being one of its bestselling beers. Uinta produces more than 40,000 barrels annually. Jeremy Ragonese, Uinta Brewing president, was interviewed for this article.

City Weekly: How is business going?
Jeremy Ragonese: It's actually going quite well at the moment. We obviously had a significant struggle as everyone in the industry did last year. We had to adjust our packaging of beer. Consumers did flock to the stores for pantry loading, and we were able to fill that demand. We had some new launches, like our hard seltzer, that have really helped us.

Did you have to contend with shortages?
Yes. The one that really caught us was the shortages of cans. The supply did not meet with the huge increase in demand. We were able to utilize some obsolete inventory of packaging, and we have tried some vendors to try and overcome the uncertainty. We were able to weather that last year. And yes, recruiting [employees] has been more difficult in this environment. We try and stay as competitive as possible.

What changes did you make to improve COVID safety for workers and customers?
We continue to follow the CDC guidelines and ask that our employees voluntarily provide documentation for their vaccinations. It has been tricky with not getting much guidance from the state. We cautiously are continuing practices we learned from the beginning. We have only lifted the mask mandate.

Which beers are you most excited about?
I am very excited about Caravan, an imperial IPA that we released earlier this year and is only now making its way into the DABC stores. Primarily, it fits a profile of more of modern double IPA that has a little West Coast influence and tropical aromas.

What's changing in the industry?
The industry has gone through such an upheaval over what is happening. More familiar styles are continuing to drive sales and hard seltzers are continuing to grow—we are seeing an explosion of these.

What about waste reduction and recycling?
We continue to strive for the best practices in all aspects of our sustainability. Uinta participates in a waste-to-energy partnership with Wasatch Resource Recovery. According to our marketing department, wort (unfermented beer), food waste and expired beer are transported to a local digester and converted to natural biogas. Every three months, Uinta's waste now produces approximately 1,046,000 ft3of biogas/natural gas—enough to supply 70 homes for three months, along with providing nutrient-rich fertilizer to local farmers.

Uinta Brewing
1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC
801-467-0909
uintabrewing.com

A Race to the Finish
Salt Flats Brewing Co. is housed in a former professional race car facility, lending unique homage in branding to the ownership's racing roots. After starting in the Garage Grill (in Draper), the brand has expanded beyond beer into spirits and canned cocktails. JC Straub, manager, was interviewed for this article.

City Weekly: Is business picking up?
JC Straub: Yes, absolutely. Business has been great—we've seen our on-premise sales skyrocket as well as us expanding into Nevada, Idaho and the entire state of Utah. We are growing fast.

How did you and your operation fare during COVID?
We faired OK. After everything closed last year, our offsite sales increased. Sales through the DABC increased, sales at grocery stores and convenience stores picked up enough to keep us maintaining and moving forward. The other side of our business is a distillery, so we converted to making sanitizer which also helped keep us afloat for several months.

Did you have to contend with shortages?
Absolutely. I just got a can order that I had placed last September! We have seen shortages mainly from the aluminum industry, the packaging side of things. Costs are going up in every direction: can, label, shipping—all going up. Right now, we are maintaining our current price points; we have not passed along any of those increases to our consumers.

What changes did you make to improve COVID safety for workers and customers?
We thinned out our taproom; we only have a crew of four to five people each day. We also have a fully vaccinated staff, which is nice.

Did any of the government pandemic programs provide a financial lifeline?
We tried but with us being able to remain open, we weren't really eligible for much. We didn't want to draw on any of those if we didn't really need it.

Which beers are you most excited about?
We are always proud of our biggest seller, Slipstream. It's a double IPA, it's our flagship, we love that beer. It's a lot cheaper than every other double IPA in the liquor store, so you are getting a great product at a great value. We're also working on a new line of small batch that we've been barrel aging.

What trends are you noticing?
We are losing tons of the market to seltzers. Seltzers are dominating; they are cutting down craft coolers and adding seltzers [in the grocery stores]. It's tough and it's competitive—especially with all the new breweries in Salt Lake, which is wonderful. We are watching things change and grow—competition brings out the best in everyone.

What else would you like your customers to know?
Just that Salt Flats is still here; we are coming out with new stuff all the time. We have fun, ready-to-drink cocktails in a can, we have spirits and our beer lineup. We go in a lot of directions, and it's a lot of fun. And can you buy from our distillery on Sundays!

Salt Flats Brewing Co.
2020 Industrial Circle, SLC
801-828-3469
saltflatsbeer.com

Curbside Brews
Fisher Beer was one the first breweries in Utah, originally founded in 1884. After it closed during Prohibition, it opened again in 1934 and eventually ended its run in the mid-1960s. The brewery was reborn in 2017 as "an employee-owned, community-focused craft brewery," per their website. Serving pale ales and lagers on draft in their taproom, they change up brews often, using impressive flavor profiles. Tim Dwyer, co-owner, was interviewed for this article.

City Weekly: How's business?
Tim Dwyer: Things are certainly starting to get back to normal. Business is picking back up, people are starting to visit the bar with more regularity. We are starting to see a promising return of normal customers.

Were you able to keep brewing during COVID?
Yeah, we were able to adapt. Our brewery was not very prepared to package beer, but we packaged beer manually using our crowler machine into a 25-ounce can and sold it outside on the sidewalk.

Did you have to contend with shortages?
There have been some hiccups for ingredients and delays with shipping. We changed suppliers where possible and had to delay some of the beers due to those shortages. Merchandise has seen the largest impact. We have hired back our core staff and some additional staff.

Which beers are you most excited about?
Our White Star Pale Ale is a unique beer—it's a really nice pale ale. Our Lemonade Stand Sour Beer is also a crowd favorite that we brought back this summer—named after selling our beer outside at the curb much like an adult lemonade stand.

What changes are you seeing in the industry?
I am seeing people diversifying into packaging, finding more outlets and different ways to sell beer. The pandemic really gave us a reality about only have one outlet. We are certainly grateful that we were able to find a way to pivot and move forward.

What about waste reduction and recycling?
We, by design, are a very low-waste brewery. Again, we focus on just serving people pints at the bar and limit our packaging to what is absolutely necessary.

A. Fisher Brewing Co.
320 W. 800 South, SLC
801-487-2337
fisherbeer.com

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First contact
Some out-of-this-world brewers you'll meet at the Utah Beer Festival
By Michael Saltas

Bewilder Brewing Co.
About: Bewilder Brewing opened in December of 2019 and specializes in traditional beer styles and features a kitchen churning out house made sausages, pastrami, and bacon. With ample parking and a spacious taproom, Bewilder is quickly becoming a go to stop in downtown SLC.

Brewer: Head brewer Cody McKendrick got his start in the brewing industry by manning the grain scoop at Salt City Brew Supply. His passion for beer has taken him across the nation and into Europe to track down and experience the great beers of the world and learn from the people that make them.

Beers to look for at the Utah Beer Festival: Deseret IPA, Ale brewed with Honey, 7% ABV; Bewilder Kolsch, Ale, 5% ABV; Blueberry Pomegranate Sour, Ale, 5% ABV

Level Crossing Brewing Co.
About: Level Crossing Brewing Co. opened its doors in April 2019 by founder, Mark Medura. Level Crossing offers both draft and canned beer ranging from hoppy IPAs to delicious malty lagers. Their South Salt Lake location offers live music, wood-fired pizzas with over 15 delicious brews to complement.

Brewer Spotlight: Chris Detrick, brewmaster at Level Crossing Brewing Co., began his passion for brewing in college. As his brewing ability grew, so did Detrick's yearning to learn more. Many years passed as Chris perfected his craft, winning many national homebrew competitions along the way. When Mark Medura met Detrick to discuss the possibility of brewing together, upon tasting the beer, it was love at first sip.

Beers to look for at the Utah Beer Festival: Soul Rex DIPA 8.4% ABV; Suss It Out Rye IPA 6.9% ABV; Sinday Pale Ale 5.0% ABV; Dallas Alice Belgian Blonde Ale 6.2% ABV

Red Rock Brewery
About: Red Rock Brewery opened its doors on March 14, 1994. Locally owned and operated, the original brewpub has become a staple of Salt Lake City's downtown dining scene. Red Rock also opened restaurants at Fashion Place Mall and Kimball Junction. All locations offer to-go food for takeout and delivery. Red Rock produces more than 30 core, seasonal and special release beers that can be purchased directly from the Red Rock Beer Store and their downtown "Back Door" Beer Store.

Brewer Spotlight: Kevin Davis joined Red Rock Brewery as head brewer in 2018. Davis looks at the creation of new Red Rock beers as a group effort. "As far as innovation goes, I'm really pushing to innovate as a team and not just be the head brewer that makes all the recipes," he says. Davis acquired a 5-gallon system to use for test batches and has encouraged the other brewers to share ideas and help create recipes.

Beers to look for at the Utah Beer Festival: Elephino Double IPA 8.0% ABV; Marvella Belgian Triple 11% ABV; Le Quatre Saison 6.2% ABV; White Rainbow White IPA 6.2% ABV; Grand Barvaria 5% ABV; Zwickle 5% ABV, Juicy Pale 5% ABV

Mountain West Cider
About: Mountain West Cider (MTN WST) is the first dedicated cidery in Utah, responsibly producing award-winning hard apple cider in the Mountain West region. Using only the finest ingredients, MTN WST strives to craft the highest quality ciders, while maintaining the highest standards of production practices.

Cider Maker Spotlight: Joel Goodwillie came to Mountain West with literal decades of experience under his belt and more importantly a talent for the science that is required to balance flavor and texture. Joel hasn't met a fruit that he can't ferment, his wealth of knowledge and skill are to credit for the creation of our principal lines of cider and all of the special editions that we release.

Ciders to look for at the Utah Beer Festival: Ruby Hard Cider 6.8% ABV; Cottonwood Hard Cider, 6.9% ABV; 7-Mile Session Hard Cider, 5% ABV.