by Greg Mayer
Because the Snowbird Resort (where this year’s Evolution meetings were held) is an “all in one” resort isolated from anyplace else (kind of like Jerry’s casino-in-the-desert for TAM), pretty much all of the food was produced in house. And it was generally quite good. Unfortunately, I neglected to take many pictures. So we’ll have to settle for dessert.
Above are the desserts from the last night (June 25) banquet, apple strudel and German chocolate cake. I had the strudel and my colleague Sher Hendrickson had the chocolate, but she gave me a taste. Both were very good, but the strudel was especially delightful. The banquet had an “Oktoberfest” theme: bratwurst, red cabbage, spaetzle, etc.
I was somewhat surprised to find that Utah, despite the predominance of the anti-alcohol Mormon Church, has a very healthy craft beer industry. Here’s the hands down favorite at the conference:
So why does Wasatch Brewery have an Evolution Amber Ale? To protest attempts to bring intelligent design into Utah schools!
The Wasatch Brewery has a history of humorously standing up for their rights and tweaking the theocratic impulses of the Utah government. They first made their name with Polygamy Porter and one of its slogans: “Bring some home to the wives.” (For those unfamiliar with U.S. history, the Mormons had to renounce polygamy, which they had previously embraced as divinely ordained, in order for Utah to be admitted as a state. Mormons have had a hard time living this down ever since, and there are schismatic “fundamentalist” Mormon sects which still practice polygamy.)
To punish Wasatch for Polygamy Porter and other advertising they didn’t like, the Utah legislature increased taxes on beer. The brewers’ response? A “Salt Lake Beer Party” and a new beer, First Amendment Lager with the slogan, “Give me liberty, and give me a cold one!”
In addition to the three above, I also had Provo Girl Pilsner, but on tap, so I don’t have a label to show you; it’s made by Squatters Beers, which seems to have some relationship with Wasatch, but I’m not sure exactly what. All of these beers were quite good, and although I can’t rule out that the setting and the company made everything taste better, I really think the beers were good.
Wasatch Brewery has about the only corporate “mission statement” I’ve ever seen that seems the least bit authentic or appealing:
Our Mission: To make the best ales and lagers possible. To achieve commercial profitability, while maintaining the highest level of social responsibility. To have as much fun as we can legally get away with.
I do so want to try one of those!
The founder of the Wasatch Brewery is from Milwaukee.
GCM
Reminds me of that old and very long joke with the punch line “The Beer that made Mel Famey walk us.”
Perfect! And now I want one that much more!
I just found out you can get Polygamy Porter in Racine, so it must be available in Milwaukee.
GCM
The task has been assigned.
Ditto.
Cheers!
Thanks for a great post Greg. There are so many wonderful craft beers these days that it is sometimes hard to focus! But, I will definitely now watch for Wasatch.
I’m probably too late, but if you are in Salt Lake, stop by Uinta Brewery. Owner (and former college buddy) Will Hamill makes some truly extraordinary specialty brews. He also gets much of his power from regional wind farms.
http://www.uintabrewing.com/brews.php
The ones at the bottom are the especially monster killer brews. (starting with Cockeyed Cooper.) Tell him I sent you… (Stephen Muth) He’ll freak.
Did you two go to CC?
CU Boulder.
OK – was thinking that Muth a good COS name and of course so is Uintah 🙂
That’s right… they just leave off the “h” in Utah. There’s a bunch of us Muths here is COS – most of them direct relations to yours truly. The other imposters are mostly German types, many of whom got into the ranching / steelworking biz (making fencing, cow grates, cattle pens, etc.) The “real” Muths here do Pubic Health. er… Public Health. Same thing.
Did not catch the absent H. Seems like I remember Dr. John as the head of the El Paso County Health Department. The other John back in the day was Potterat.
The former be my daddy. The latter be my former boss. Both be doing fine.
Good to hear. Thanks.
I was wrong… he gets 100% of his power from the wind.
Another factoid I gleaned from his website (blog, in his case) is that his beer is OU-certified kosher.
Apparently he never brews with bacon, and I trust he will never have any shrimp-flavored beer. Sorry if that puts anybody off.
I did try their Cutthroat Pale Ale– very good.
GCM
Sounds like a first class brewery! And a wonderful place to work. I’ll have to keep an eye out for this label.
I love beer. Alcoholic beverages of all kinds actually. I don’t drink much quantity wise, so when I do have a beer I really prefer high quality and variety. Especially types of beer I’ve never had before.
Just this weekend I had a pecan brown ale, brewed with toasted pecans, that I had never come across before. It was very good.
We have pecan beer in New Mexico. Ours is… not particularly good.
It’s not bad, just not good.
Oh yeah. Not all attempts pan out, that’s for sure. Probably most don’t.
Not sure about your pecan beer, but the stuff I tried was basically a traditional brown ale scented with toasted pecans. Fairly subtle pecan taste and very good brown ale base. Not sure what part of the process the pecans are added, the mash, the wort or added later?
Trying craft/micro beers is one of the things I enjoy about going on holidays. There are a lot of great products out there.
Gee, maybe we Californians can send vanloads of people to Utah to fan out through the state to harangue Utah voters to vote the way we want.
From Wikipedia: LDS members contributed over $20 million,[73] about 45% of out-of-state contributions to ProtectMarriage.com came from Utah, over three times more than any other state.[74] ProtectMarriage, the official proponent of Proposition 8, estimates that about half the donations they received came from Mormon sources, and that LDS church members made up somewhere between 80% and 90% of the volunteers for early door-to-door canvassing.
Some good news today, thanks to your Supremes. The Mormons can now officially know themselves, in the Biblical sense.
Wasatch Brewery has about the only corporate “mission statement” I’ve ever seen that seems the least bit authentic or appealing:
Our Mission: To make the best ales and lagers possible. To achieve commercial profitability, while maintaining the highest level of social responsibility. To have as much fun as we can legally get away with.
Why do you say that their mission statement lacks “authenticity” and is “unappealing?” Am I misunderstanding?
You are misunderstanding. I said that the statement does seem authentic and appealing.
GCM
Yes, thank you. I understand now. I read it a dozen times but read it incorrectly each and every time!
Scheeze, I think it may be time for a brain transplant. Seriously.
That was Jesus trying to protect you from your godless side. 😀
This exchange made me laugh out loud when I should be working on a contract negotiation.
Yah, but, 4% alcohol by volume? You’d drown before you got any kind of buzz on. Give me a Bell’s Hopslam or Great Lakes Lake Erie Monster anytime.
Bell’s – one of the greats in Michigan!
As a proud Kalamazooian, Bells is the best.
But at least Utah brews can be 4% in the state. Everything else is 3.2. The Mormons prefer you to be waterlogged.
If you can find it back your way and you enjoy hoppy brews, check out Boulder’s Upslope Pale Ale and Durango’s SKA Modus Hoperandi. Just made myself thirsty!
Higher alcohol beers are allowed in Utah, but you have to get them at special places. See “Higher alcohol beers” towards the bottom of this page.
GCM
Yep! Some of the Uinta brews (the ones that run $8-$14 per big basket-capped bottle – bottom of the list in my post up above) are around 10%. I only recently cajoled Will into making them available in Colorado – select stores.
This post drove me to drink… I just picked up another expensive basket-headed one not listed on his site – a porter. A big nasty completely opaque porter.
If you’re passing the Munster IN area I recommend Three Floyd’s.
Haven’t eaten there yet, but I like most of their brews and they have a carry out window.
If looking for beer in Indiana, however, one should head first to Upland Brewery in Bloomington. 🙂
(OK, I haven’t had any beer from Three Floyd’s… but has anything good ever come out of The Region?)
Now Im thirsty for beer!
I like all those cheeky beers. A friend and I wished we could market wine to the Catholic Church with the tagline “Mmmmm that’s good Jesus”. He liked the idea so much, he wanted to go back to church just to make the joke.
I love the Polygamy Porter’s “Why Have Just One!”. 🙂
Wonder fuel!
I’d try one of those Polygamy Porters just because of their pretty pictures – taken from various works of Adolphe William Bouguereau, if I’m not mistaken.
I had a Polygamy Porter last time I was in Utah. As I was driving, I did not have two.
Sadly.
**Our Mission: To make the best ales and lagers possible. To achieve commercial profitability, while maintaining the highest level of social responsibility. To have as much fun as we can legally get away with.**
By very far and away the best mission statement I’ve ever read, and I was employed to write them for some time.
Wow, I am so jealous! Wheat being more and more problematic for me as I get older, when I do give in and indulge in beer it results in Bowling Ball Stomach. Geez, those look good though. To heck with it! Totally worth it!! Where can I get some Polygamy Porter (best name ever)!