ADVENTURE // The Lake Effect

As one salty body of water helps create some of the West’s best snow, an unexpected beer scene flourishes in and around Salt Lake City, Utah.

Story by Lucy Burningham, Photography by Anthony Lordemann

Every year, hundreds of inches of light, fluffy powder transform the steep slopes of Utah’s Wasatch Mountains into one of the best winter playgrounds in North America. I know. I grew up in Salt Lake City, a place perfectly wedged between the Great Salt Lake and serious granite mountains peppered with world-class resorts, including Snowbird, Alta, and Deer Valley.

Locals start tuning their equipment in November, when storms begin slamming into the Wasatch Mountains after gathering moisture over the lake—an event known as “the lake effect,” which helps produce much of the sought-after super-dry powder. Then come the inevitable “sick days” that just so happen to coincide with some of the season’s biggest snow dumps. And everybody knows that during the winter, it’s easiest to see your friends on the slopes or after 4 p.m., when the lifts have closed for the day.

Somehow, though, work still gets done, even at local breweries. Uinta Brewing owner and brewmaster Will Hamill moved to Utah from Portland, Oregon, in 1992 to be close to the world-class powder. These days he can ski and brew on the same day. “I can arrive at the brewery by 7 a.m. and be on the ski lift at 3 p.m., which leaves me time for eight runs before heading home,” he says. “I am so lucky!”

Even though the state has a reputation for restrictive liquor laws enacted by Mormon politicians, beer has long played a role in winter’s magic, whether it’s a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon in the backcountry or a local
craft brew in a slope-side bar.

In 1986, the state joined the world of craft beers with Wasatch Brewery (producers of the memorably-named Polygamy Porter), followed three years later by Squatters Pub Brewery. (In 2000, Wasatch and Squatters combined forces and became Utah Brewers Cooperative, which allowed the breweries to increase distribution and reduce costs by sharing facilities.) These days, about 15 Utah breweries make beer everywhere from red-rock Moab to the far northern city of Ogden, making for a surprisingly wide array of freshly brewed beer.

But don’t get me wrong. We’re still talking about Utah, a place that presents the beer drinker (and brewer) with some challenges. Wild rumors persist about just how and when you can drink in Utah, but these are the facts.

If you find yourself standing around a keg with a bunch of ski bums, know that someone broke the law to get you that beer. Kegs are illegal in Utah. The brave often become unlucky by receiving fines for driving kegs into the land of Zion from Wyoming.

Bars were once “private clubs” that required patrons to pay and register as members in order to enter. But the 40-plus year-old practice was abolished on July 1, 2009, as part of a liquor law overhaul. That means you can go into any bar (with appropriate ID), without paying a fee or dealing with other complications.

Other significant changes? Beer strength. While you’re still not going to get a beer on draught, in a grocery store or at a gas station with more than 4 percent alcohol by volume (these beers are commonly known as “three-two beer” for the 3.2 percent alcohol by weight, which equates to 4 percent ABV), you can now get stronger Utah-made beer at the places they are brewed.

The shift represents a big deal, says Jenny Talley, brewmaster at Squatters Pub Brewery. Since the law changed, allowing her to store stronger beers onsite and sell them directly to the public, she released her first bottle-conditioned Belgian beers. “I needed to watch these beers, which were alive and wild,” she says. “I was way too fearful to let them out of my control. Before, they might have gone on to sit in some hot DABC [Utah’s department of alcoholic beverage control] warehouse.”

(Editor’s note: Jenny Talley has announced that she will be moving to Woodinville, Washington where she will be taking on the position of brewing operations manager at Redhook Ale Brewery)

The legal change also inspired David Cole and Peter Erickson to form Epic Brewing Company, which calls itself the first Utah brewery since Prohibition to brew exclusively “high-alcohol” beers, over 4 percent ABV. Cole and Erickson realized the new law meant they could sell these kinds of beers outside the state liquor store system, but that was only the beginning. “First we had to convince the DABC that what we wanted to do was legal,” Cole says. “Then they told us we would fail.”

Happily, they proved the state agency wrong and now offer 28 beers crafted by head brewer Kevin Crompton. In Utah, all Epic beers come in 22-ounce bottles and can be found at the brewery (sorry, no tasting room or place to drink onsite), in some restaurants, and on tap at many bars.

For example, at Salt Lake City’s three Red Iguana restaurants, where you’ll find some of the best moles outside Oaxaca, Mexico, wash down the chocolate, nut, and chili pepper sauces spooned over turkey with say, an Epic Brewing Spiral Jetty IPA, a balanced, dry-hopped beer with 6.6 percent ABV.

It’s the kind of dreamy food and beer pairing that makes for a perfect end to a day on the slopes, which frequently requires a drive to Salt Lake City—a 25- to 45-minute jaunt from the nearest resorts in Park City or the Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons.

If you’re staying in the city, be sure to visit a few mainstay beer joints. The Bayou, which serves Cajun and Creole pub food, has one of the most extensive beer lists in town, which includes plenty of local and imported bottles. Live music on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night draws the crowds, so be prepared to wait for a table or stool at the bar.

One of the Bayou’s founders, Del Vance, now runs the Beerhive Pub, a downtown beer bar with more than 200 beers on tap and in the bottle. Vance says the bar serves a good range of imported beers, including many from Belgium, but ultimately he aims to promote the American craft beer scene in the offerings.

During the winter months, Vance says he welcomes skiers of all stripes, many of whom unintentionally become pioneers of the local beer scene. “If you’re out here and you’re in the beer business, you came out here to ski and you arrived in the beer business by accident,” he says. “No one comes here to do anything else but ski.” He’s kidding—kind of.

If you prefer to have your beer closer to the slopes, consider packing a stash for the parking lot. “I do a lot of backcountry splitboarding,” says David Cole from Epic Brewing, “so I make sure I have some good beers in the car that aren’t going to freeze all the way.”

Or, hit a resort bar. Some local favorites include the bar in The Peruvian Lodge at Alta, a laidback place where lodge guests from around the world mingle with locals, and The Aerie restaurant at Snowbird, which was recently remodeled but still offers the same stellar views of the resort’s groomed runs from the 10th floor of the Cliff Lodge. If you’re looking for a more low-key Snowbird experience, try the Tram Club, which offers your choice of a beer and a shot for $5.

Speaking of shots, if you’re curious about Utah’s recent foray into craft distilling, visit the High West Distillery at the base of Park City Mountain Resort’s Old Town chairlift (which makes the distillery and its restaurant a true ski-in location). Try the High West whiskey flight or one of many outstanding cocktails, including an Applejack Sazerac or Manhattan. Or, hit the beer list for bottles of Firestone Double Barrel Ale or Uinta Anniversary Barley Wine.

No matter where you choose to end your day in Utah powder, there’s nothing like a cold one, says Jenny Talley, who lives in Park City and skis at the Canyons Resort. “There’s nothing better than to sit après-ski and have a tasty, full-flavored craft beer,” she says. “You’ve just had lots of adrenaline running through your body, so your senses are alive and the flavors of the beer are just coming at you.”

For the full article, subscribe to Beer West today