Local beer reviews Kiitos Hyper Wave and Grid City Coyote Elvis
Satisfaction is guaranteed with these late-season beers.
By Mike Riedel @utahbeer
Kiitos - Hyper Wave: Kiitos of late has been a brewery in search of its identity. For the past few years, the Granary District brewery has had frequent turnover in the brewhouse, which had led to a lack of direction and a bit of inconsistency. That all ends now, with more cohesion under a new brew team led by Head Brewer David Jimenez. You'll start to see a new look and a new take on the Kiitos portfolio.
The first brew is a West Coast session IPA with a little New Zealand hop influence. It pours a very clear golden copper, forming about a finger's worth of white, foamy head; it has very nice retention and slowly recedes to a thin layer coating the glass in thin, soapy lacing. An abundance of slowly rising carbonated bubbles form, with a nice consistency that makes the beer almost appear like a golden-hued pearl. Plenty of earthy hops lend their aromas, while being nicely balanced with a malt background. Each hop varietal lends its own unique aroma, with earthy tropical hints of grapefruit and mango along with diesel. Nicely balanced, fairly complex.
Big juicy tropical flavors of oranges, mango, lemon and melon are balanced with a malt background that fits nicely with the earthiness of the tropical fruits. It may not be the most hop-forward IPA on the market, but hop flavors add a nice tropical fruit presence while balancing perfectly with the malts to add some sweetness. Medium-bodied with perfect carbonation, it finishes with a juicy, lightly dry bitterness that complements the flavors in a nice way.
Verdict: I can't believe this much flavor was packed into a 5.0 percent IPA; this is the flavor you would expect from an IPA in the 7.0 percent range. I love hops, and this certainly did not let me down. This beer was truly amazing, and I'm hoping it's the first of many to come. Mikey Likey!
Grid City - Coyote Elvis: This new wheat lager is far from the traditional Bavarian-style Hefeweizen. Like a pilsner, it has a much cleaner flavor profile with no banana/clove flavors that you may expect from a German wheat ale. This cool hybrid style covers a lot of ground in its flavor notes. It's still light in alcohol, dry and drinkable, and for a simple malt bill of just wheat and pilsner malt, I think this is something a little different as far as wheat beers go. It's not too hazy: just an unfiltered appearance that looks wheaty, with a great frothy Hefe head. No strong ester yeast profile emerges, either; instead, it's crisp, clean and lager-esque, a cool way to make the wheat pop out.
Even with the moderate hopping, the wheat is the main flavor agent. There's some cool earthy character from it, too, almost like there's rye in here (there's not). But the hops contribute some of that bite as well, along with a lemon peel note and a grassy noble herbal character before the moderate bitterness kicks up. Old-school hops keep this super traditional with hints of pine way in the back.
Verdict: This lager has a real clean, fluffy and expansive feeling. It's nicely carbonated, fresh as can be and very flavorful. It's a summer slammer, but it has more going on with it than most wheat beers, and I would say it's substantial enough for the colder months too. The result is a smart take on a wheat beer. Mikey Likey!
These are limited releases, and while there should be plenty to go around for the next few weeks, I wouldn't wait too long. Coyote Elvis is on draft via LUKR side-pour faucet, and Hyper Wave is in 16-ounce cans and on draft at Kiitos.
As always, cheers!
About The Author
Mike Riedel
Local boy and pilot of City Weekly’s best gig, The Beer Nerd column since 2017. Current photojournalist at KSTU TV (Fox 13) and host of the Utah Beer Blog and Beer Nerd Radio on KUAA 99.9 FM radio.
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