• Mike Riedel

This week, we honor two beers that praise a couple of Utah originals: Albert E. Becker, founder of Becker Brewing and Malting; and Kevin Kirk, owner and impresario of the Heavy Metal Shop. While their contributions couldn't be more opposite, your counterculture sensibilities were likely influenced by both.

Ogden River/Becker's Best - American Pilsner: Head brewer/partner Pat Winslow spent hours poring over old invoices archived at Utah State University, to figure out what ingredients were used to produce Becker's original lager. "Not everything available then is available now," Winslow says, "but I've found malt and hops that are very close."

The tribute lager that Winslow came up with is crystal-clear, with a light gold body and a thick, sudsy head. Sweet, crystal malt aromas emerge, along with a sweet grass scent—pungent, with a light citrus undertone. The flavor is extremely well-balanced, featuring a hint of toffee sweetness (crystal malt?) at the start. But as the beer moves over the tongue, a breadlike maltiness starts to edge forward, before mixing nicely with the hops. It's not overly aggressive in the hops, simply a nice balance to the slight sweetness. A fine base of light cereal grain flavor mixes with a good hop bitterness presence from start to end. The 5.0 percent ABV mouthfeel is very nice thanks to a carbonation level appropriate to the lager style.

Overall: I've since sat down with a six-pack, and it is extremely drinkable. I'm very impressed by this first offering from this resurrected label. And Winslow says there are more mid-20th century retro-flavors to come.

SaltFire - Heavy Metal Parking Lot: When I first met Kevin Kirk, The Heavy Metal Shop was located in Sandy on 9400 South. He shared with me his love of metal, Alice Cooper and that he once dated my cousin. Thirty-four years later, the Heavy Metal Shop is still killing it—and with help from SaltFire's Ryan Miller, we all get to celebrate Kevin's iconic music store with a beer as black as his T-shirt collection.

My aggressive pour created a cascading action that eventually settled into nearly three fingers of dense, deep-tan head that looked like the top of a root beer float. Its retention was such that I held it up to the light to check for color and clarity, only to be blown away by its ruby color when held to the light. The nose is subtle, but still manages to have some complexity: light bubblegum and cocoa, light notes of roasted malt, some brown bread and grain. It lacks presence, but for a dark lager, it's definitely better than you would expect. Swirling doesn't add anything to the picture.

The first swig starts off with a good amount of sweetness, mostly raisins and a touch of a vinous note, before moving into a subtle mix of cocoa, light chocolate and roasted malts. Some chalk and slight woody bitterness appear on the finish. Nothing outstanding, just a very efficient and well concocted beer. What it lacks in complexity, it makes up for with solid balance and integration.

Overall: It's quite flavorful for an American black lager, and something I'll easily take over the more char-forward black lagers and ales I've visited recently. This is an above-average-to-good beer which I can see becoming a staple at Saltfire. Oh, and did I mention the ABV is 6.66 percent? I'm told that's spooky!

I know for a fact that Heavy Metal Parking Lot is available at Aces High Saloon in SLC, and of course Salt Fire's beer store and bar in 16-ounce cans. Right now, Becker's Best American Lager is only available on draft and in 12-ounce cans at Ogden River Brewing. You may end up seeing it at grocery stores in the coming months. As always, cheers!