I recently had an excellent new canned beer from Uinta called Rise and Pine. Sort of an amped up Anchor Christmas Ale, but there is another wintry offering from the brewery as well….
A New Stroll on Mission Street
Trader Joe’s has a few house brands, Ol’ Burro (Golden Road) and Joseph Brau (Gordon Biersch) and Mission Street which was done by Firestone Walker but now is brewed by 4+ Brewing in Salt Lake City.
So it is time to see how the Utah version of the session pale and IPA taste….
The slightly mercenary naming of the pale ale as a “session pale” is the only turn-off for the blue labeled Mission Street. The beer has a juicy citrus and tea taste with a nice layer of bitterness and malt underneath. It tastes lighter than the 4.7% ABV.
(On a side note, the label is stamped with the bottling date which is very helpful.)
On to the IPA, which is quite fine. Woodsy would be the main flavor attribute. A little toffee sweetness to it which is a bit of a detriment. Tastes heavier than it’s ABV which is a fitting counterpoint to the pale ale. Again, it is rather a juicy beer with some pepper notes in it.
I would take the Session Pale over the IPA but both are screaming great deals at $6.99 a six-pack with tax that comes out to about $1.25 a bottle.
Numbers Game
Keep the craft pilsners coming. When is see the 801 from Utah’s Uinta, I will grab it and 805 from Firestone Walker and have a taste-off. Los Angeles gets hot, so I will need more light but flavor filled beers.
Now who brews in area codes 802-804?
Uinta Brewing
I don’t think I have mentioned the beers of Utah but in keeping with the 50 Beers – 50 States theme, let me introduce you to some Salt Lake City beer…
“Uinta Brewing was established in 1993 to produce fresh, full-flavored beers for distribution. Named after Utah’s highest mountain range, Uinta was the first distributing craft brewed brewery in Salt Lake City.
At the time, no other brewery was concentrating on supplying the demands of Utah’s many pubs and restaurants. Our brews quickly gained a strong following.
The requests for bottled beer became louder and more frequent. In 1996, Uinta began to bottle its award-winning beers and quickly grew to become the largest craft brewery in Utah. In 2006, Uinta produced over 17,000 barrels. Cutthroat Pale Ale, Uinta’s flagship brand, is now the number one selling craft beer in the state. Uinta Brewing Company is now one of the top 50 volume producing craft breweries in the USA.
Uinta moved into a new facility in 2001. The 26,000 square foot brewery is located in the southwest section of Salt Lake City at 1722 South Fremont Drive (2375 West) and is open for tours and tastings weekdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.. Please call ahead to check for tour availability so we can accommodate you or your group.”
