When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. And when life gives you hops, you are bound by beer nerd law to make an India Pale Ale. However, in a very competitive market like ours, breweries seek out the atypical options to keep us interested. This week's beers are both innovative, and tested with a high degree of skill.
Epic Tart 'N' Hazy: Epic is one of the few local breweries that has invested in having a full-time line of barrel-aged sour beers (Oak and Orchard Series). They took some of this oak-soured beer and blended it with some of their hazy pale ale—and this is the result. A cloudy golden body lurks beneath a finger's width of white foam. The head holds well, which is great for a sour beer. The aroma is mainly floral, gently sweetish with a bit minerality or chalkiness. There's a bit of citrus to it, but I can't really pick out any specific fruit; if pressed, I guess I'd say orange, but there's more going on as well. It's not a bold aroma, but it's pleasant, and the floral character is a refreshing change.
As for the flavor, it's surprisingly sweet. I don't find it to be jaw-lockingly tart at all, although there clearly is some funky acidity to it, which comes across like a SweetTart candy. It has that kind of nondescript fruitiness that a lot of candies do as well; I might say apple, pear, orange, lemon, pineapple, guava and mango. It's a refreshing, juicy beer. The floral and fruity character is really satisfying—soft, smooth and charming. Along with the balance of sweet and tart, it really works. Its 7.0 percent alcohol is medium-light in body, and gently crisp.
Overall: Traditional IPA drinkers may not connect with this one. However, if funky sours are your jam, the combo of tropical hops melding with oak-aged sour beer gives you rose petals and marigolds. I would have never guessed that; I didn't even know marigolds had an aroma. So overall, I think this is a really unique, refreshing, and well-rounded beer that's well worth trying.
Desert Edge - Better Days IPA: Desert Edge has been a staple in Utah's craft beer game for decades. It's only been in the high-point beer scene for about six months, but the quality of their product is very strong, and this IPA proves it. It pours a bright golden straw color with some bronze hues, topped by two fingers of fluffy white head with decent retention and a nice patchy amount of white lacing left behind around the brim of the glass. On the nose, it's a classic hop salad all the way, with tons of fruity goodness with orange and grapefruit being the primary contributors. A tiny bit of leafy hops is thrown in, but the tropical fusion takes the cake.
Plenty of orange and some grapefruit appear in the flavor, but also a green tea-like characteristic emerges along with some more fruity bitterness, maybe passion fruit. A little bit of honey shows up after a few sips. It's smooth, moderately carbonated, a little bit oily from the hop oils in the beer, and finishes dry with the 6.6 ABV and bitterness in check.
Overall: A solid West Coast style IPA that is simultaneously impressive, yet fits in without standing out into a group of similar beers. Still, a great nose, and worth a shot from this "sleeper" brewery.
West Coast IPA is in a new 16-ounce can, and can be purchased to go, or to enjoy at the pub. Epic's Tart 'N' Hazy comes in a 22-ounce bottle, and can be enjoyed in their pub (you don't have to order the whole bottle), and of course to take home. 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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