Utah Beer Run: Big Cottonwood Amber Ale

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Surprise!  I'm back!

But just for a few days.  Miss me? You may be wondering how I've been surviving these last 6 months... or maybe not. 

Have I been keeping up, more or less, with the beer quest?  Not really.  Of course, I'm always on the lookout for new and interesting beers, but it hasn't been quite the obsession it was last year.  In fact, in May the crew that I normally go with to visit breweries took a different direction.  We spent a couple days and visited the six distilleries along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail from Louisville to Lexington.  Did you know there are more barrels of bourbon currently aging in Kentucky (4.7 million) than there are residents of Kentucky (4.3 million)?

But we did stumble upon the small Country Boy Brewing Company in Lexington - they currently only produce beer for sale at the brewery, either at their pub or in growlers to go.  Their Chipotle Porter definitely packed a kick!

How's that 50 pounds thing going? Unfortunately, about the same as last year...

So, why am I back?  If you recall, I threatened that I might come back for a Beer Run or two this year.  As I'm typing this, I'm on a plane back from a business trip / sales meeting in Provo, Utah, about an hour south of Salt Lake City.  Now, Utah isn't the first state that comes to mind when you think about craft beer.  Colorado, California, Pennsylvania, Oregon, maybe...but not Utah.

But I've got to think with the prominent Mormon population and rather strict alcohol laws, there was a lot of pent-up demand for good beer in the state.  So over the last 10 - 15 years, a handful of breweries have popped up, many producing award-winning, nationally distributed beers.  I was in charge of the beer run for a cookout at the sales meeting, so I managed to squirrel away a few bottles in my suitcase and I've put together a Utah Beer Run!

Big Cottonwood Amber Ale

Squatter's Pub / Utah Brewer's Cooperative

Salt Lake City, UT

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Squatter's started as a brewpub in downtown SLC in 1989, and now is one of the largest brewers in Utah, with distribution to about 10 states (Virginia is not one of them).

The Big Cottonwood Amber poured a cloudy amber into my glass, with very little head. It had a grainy, slightly sweet and enjoyable taste.  This medium-bodied ale clocked in at 5.7% ABV (more on that tomorrow).  Overall, a decent beer, but nothing too exceptional.

By the way, I did stop into Squatter's downtown pub on the Monday night I arrived, for dinner and a brew.  The place was packed at 9pm on a Monday - I guess there's not a whole lot else to do in SLC (if you're not a Mormon, that is).