Roosters Brewery in Ogden, UT

I'm going to be in Ogden Utah this week. Does anyone have an opinion of Roosters Brewery there? They also have a location in nearby Layton.

Brew-Jay said:

I'm going to be in Ogden Utah this week. Does anyone have an opinion of Roosters Brewery there? They also have a location in nearby Layton.

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I live in Salt Lake and I've never made it to Roosters, but I have sampled their beers at festivals. IMO they're not bad but not my favorite either. My favorite Utah brewery is Epic in Salt Lake. Give them a try if you get a chance.

Lived in Ogden a few years back. Roosters isn't the best brewery in Utah, but as far as a brew pub goes both food and beer are above average. Definitely worth spending your per diem there.

I stop in now and again. Worth a stop I say, good food and beer both. I havent been to Epic yet but have tried some of their beers at beerfests.

Took the advice on Epic. Didn't make it to the brewery, but found a place nearby that serves it by the 22oz. Nice. Also went to Roosters but was not impressed.




Thanks for the input.

Yeah that was my impression of Roosters too...it wasn't horrible so I'd probably stop in if I was in the area, but I wouldn't make a special trip for it.

All of Epic's offerings come in bombers, so no 12 or 16 ouncers there. I think there have only been two of their beers that I didn't like...one a gluten-free "beer" and the other was a brown rice ale (tasted a lot like brown rice). Too bad you weren't able to try Elder Brett...I'm pretty sure it's only available in the cold case at the brewery.

I'm actually at the airport right now enjoying a Squatters IIPA called Hop Rising. Not bad at all. I had their IPA last night and liked it. The IIPA is 9% with 75 IBU.

We're actually pretty lucky in Utah with some of our micro breweries. Epic heads that list, imho. Almost everything they make is excellent, although I'm not a fan of Belgian beers which they make a lot of. Some of our silly laws are holding back the true potential of our micros to compete on a national level, but they seem to make very good beers despite some of the handicaps.

Ya the laws here dont allow beer over 3.2 on tap but its ok in bottles, or something like that. Epic hasnt been able to make high alcohol beer for very long, but breweries here are getting lots better very quickly.
Hop Rising isnt bad at all.

meadmazer said:

Ya the laws here dont allow beer over 3.2 on tap but its ok in bottles, or something like that. Epic hasnt been able to make high alcohol beer for very long, but breweries here are getting lots better very quickly.
Hop Rising isnt bad at all.

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Well, 4%abv to be fair. Alcohol content is typically measured in abv.

I can echo what's been said. Epic is very good - not a lover of all their beers, and still believe Copper Cone Pale and their Hopulent IPA get swapped at the bottler! It has far more hop presence...

I really liked the Exponential Series Imperial Stout, and the Copper Cone Pale.

However, I am a big fan of Squatter's Hop Rising. The rest of the Squatters beers I have had are only average to good, not great.

seriously> Epic is way overrated....a few have been good, but most seem like first run recipes that have not been tested or perfected. I realize several of the brewers worked at the Beer Nut, but most of the Epic Beer I've had is mediocre at best....unless you count STRONG as good.
They have a corner on 22oz selections at my local State Wine Store...I finally stopped buying them.
Not even close to the best in Utah, Uintah is always quality, consistent, and the specialty beers are very good....Bohemian makes amazing lagers...I'll even choose squatters and Wasatch over Epic.

pwkblue said:

seriously> Epic is way overrated....a few have been good, but most seem like first run recipes that have not been tested or perfected. I realize several of the brewers worked at the Beer Nut, but most of the Epic Beer I've had is mediocre at best....unless you count STRONG as good.
They have a corner on 22oz selections at my local State Wine Store...I finally stopped buying them.
Not even close to the best in Utah, Uintah is always quality, consistent, and the specialty beers are very good....Bohemian makes amazing lagers...I'll even choose squatters and Wasatch over Epic.

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My understanding is that the original head brewer from Bohemian is the head brewer at Epic. He has quite a resume based on those two gigs if you ask me, showing incredible diversity in brewing styles.

Epic has some fantastic beers. If you think they're overrated maybe it is because people do tend to go on and on about them and in the the end they are "just beer." But if you can tell us what's wrong with their beers I'd be happy to hear it. I personally don't like their "brainless" beers. Too sour for my taste. Their stouts, porters, IPAs and pale ales are really damn good in my opinion. I also give them bonus points for making so many interesting beers. If not for their offerings we'd lack examples of many of these styles in Utah.

I like Uintah. I like them a lot. They do force most their beers below the 4% limit to get into the grocery stores and on tap, and for that I commend them. Epic has gone in a different direction and makes only beers above 4%, and for that I commend them.

Gameface said:

But if you can tell us what's wrong with their beers I'd be happy to hear it. .

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The weakness of Epic is exactly what you call a positive: they rely on high ABV instead of quality beer, and seem to be more interested in producing variety instead of perfecting quality recipes. In any given style they rarely stand out...even among our limited Utah selections.
I will admit my perception may be skewed because I buy Epic from the wine store...and many seem to be quite old...hop flavors and aromas well faded...seems wrong considering I live 15 miles from the brewery. In addition far too many Epic bottles have had serious off flavors.

I don't buy them anymore...wasted too much $$ on subpar beer.

pwkblue said:

The weakness of Epic is exactly what you call a positive: they rely on high ABV instead of quality beer, and seem to be more interested in producing variety instead of perfecting quality recipes. In any given style they rarely stand out...even among our limited Utah selections.
I will admit my perception may be skewed because I buy Epic from the wine store...and many seem to be quite old...hop flavors and aromas well faded...seems wrong considering I live 15 miles from the brewery. In addition far too many Epic bottles have had serious off flavors.

I don't buy them anymore...wasted too much $$ on subpar beer.

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You know they sell beer at the brewery, right? I've never had a problem with the beer at the liquor store, but if you're close enough to the brewery and have been concerned about the condition of the bottles I'd pick a few up from the brewery. Or taste samples in their tapless tap room.

I'm not some huge Epic fanboy so I'm not sure why I feel the need to defend them, but I really don't think they rely on high abv. I think they make a lot of interesting beers to style and do it well. Perfection? Well, I wouldn't call their beers perfection. I don't know that I've ever tasted a perfect beer. In fact, over the last few years I've fallen in love with a beer now and then only to not drink it for a while and imagine how good it was only to pick it up again and be disappointed. I've realized that my own tastes change and that something like beer is so dependent on then when, where, why and how in how it is perceived. Put the right beer in the right time and place and it'll knock you off your feet. Put the same beer in the wrong time and place and you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.

In reading your posts I get the impression you don't like Epic beers because you think they're overpriced (thus the need to mention you bought them at the wine store). Yeah, I'd agree that they're overpriced. I try to taste them for what they are and not for how much I paid. All beer at the state run liquor and wine stores are overpriced.

not really about price... quite honestly it is about quality, and predictability. I have tried many different styles from Epic, most several times.

Just my opinion, but I stopped buying them because the most consistent attribute of their beer seems to be a sense of dissapointment. No better example than almost any of the IPA and IIPA choices...the primary descriptive of them seems to be "malt forward" with little distinctive Hop flavor...the most "hoppy" thing about them seems to be printed on the label.

They make so many different styles...just seems like the beer inside and the labels don't match... Now, to be fair...some have been good, but when at least 50% of the Epic beer styles I've tried have been subpar, off, or seem to be something different than the style described on the bottle...I decided to spend my retail beer budget on other brands.

My experience buying beer @ retail doesn't motivate me AT ALL to visit the bottle/tap room

Interesting...epic seems to do pretty dang good at the GABF. They make some of my favorite beers. In fact they are opening another brewery in Colorado...I think they are probably sick of Utah laws.

I personally think a lot of the Utah breweries are underrated.

Squatters beers that they don't bottle and only serve at their pubs are killer usually. Their nitro espresso stout is delicious.

Red rock always has some awesome lagers. Secale, their doppelbock aged in whiskey barrels is amazing.

Bohemian is the most simple I'd say but what they make they make well. Their Oktoberfest was amazing!

Desert edge constantly surprises me with some delicious brews. They had one for the beerfest in Idaho that was a nut brown...dear Lord that was good.

Id say the biggest challenges in Utah is distribution and our wacky laws.

Oh and about roosters I enjoy eating there occasionally. Their beers are ok with the expection of their chocolate stout which I really like. Food is typical brewery/restaurant food...nothing terrible nothing amazing.

Because of our serious lack of being able to get our hands on a wide variety of beers in this state I'm really glad I homebrew. Definitely makes up for our ridiculous state run liquor store debacle.

I've only recently "discovered" Epic, but have tried several of their beers. The only one I couldn't finish was their pumpkin porter. It seriously tasted like an overly sweet chocolate chip banana muffin. If that's what they were going for, great, they nailed it, but based on the name I have to think something went wrong.

thirstyutahn said:

Interesting...epic seems to do pretty dang good at the GABF. They make some of my favorite beers. In fact they are opening another brewery in Colorado...I think they are probably sick of Utah laws.

I personally think a lot of the Utah breweries are underrated.

Squatters beers that they don't bottle and only serve at their pubs are killer usually. Their nitro espresso stout is delicious.

Red rock always has some awesome lagers. Secale, their doppelbock aged in whiskey barrels is amazing.

Bohemian is the most simple I'd say but what they make they make well. Their Oktoberfest was amazing!

Desert edge constantly surprises me with some delicious brews. They had one for the beerfest in Idaho that was a nut brown...dear Lord that was good.

Id say the biggest challenges in Utah is distribution and our wacky laws.

Oh and about roosters I enjoy eating there occasionally. Their beers are ok with the expection of their chocolate stout which I really like. Food is typical brewery/restaurant food...nothing terrible nothing amazing.

Because of our serious lack of being able to get our hands on a wide variety of beers in this state I'm really glad I homebrew. Definitely makes up for our ridiculous state run liquor store debacle.

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I agree with you, and all of the long established Utah breweries have some excellent products.
I would be interested to compare the Epic beer served at the GABF to the same "award winning" beers available at retail.
I should note...it is just my opinion that I've stated above, BUT it is based on at least 150 Epic bottles purchased. For the same $$ I'll buy a bomber from Rogue, Anderson valley, or try something new in the limited Utah State store selection.

If I remember, I will be giving Epic(and others in SLC/Magna) a try new March/April.

I have enjoyed Epic's beers as much as any young brewery's beers this year. Some beers are good, others bad, and some great and none terrible. They are doing good work there and should be commended.

on this forum I seem to be the only person with a negative view of Epic...so I'll stop. But...I'd also guess I may have actually purchased and sampled more Epic than many of you. Most of my friends were like me...and bought quite a bit of Epic early because we liked it...since then we have all stopped after too many poor...and some truly bad beer (2 bottles I bought smelled like trub left in the fermenter overnight)

Perhaps they serve better beer at beer festivals....and in the taproom...but the stuff going out to retail is questionable. They have a nice facility, good marketing, and solid financing...just seems to me that they pushed too big too fast....and the beer quality suffered. With that in mind I am dissapointed to hear that they plan further expansion.

Young brewery or not...the beer quality needs to be consistent....ultimately as beer enthusiasts it is about the beer not the business plan.

pwkblue said:

on this forum I seem to be the only person with a negative view of Epic...so I'll stop. But...I'd also guess I may have actually purchased and sampled more Epic than many of you. Most of my friends were like me...and bought quite a bit of Epic early because we liked it...since then we have all stopped after too many poor...and some truly bad beer (2 bottles I bought smelled like trub left in the fermenter overnight)

Perhaps they serve better beer at beer festivals....and in the taproom...but the stuff going out to retail is questionable. They have a nice facility, good marketing, and solid financing...just seems to me that they pushed too big too fast....and the beer quality suffered. With that in mind I am dissapointed to hear that they plan further expansion.

Young brewery or not...the beer quality needs to be consistent....ultimately as beer enthusiasts it is about the beer not the business plan.

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Dude we get it, you don't like Epic.

pwkblue said:

on this forum I seem to be the only person with a negative view of Epic...so I'll stop.

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You are not the only one.

I agree that every time that I try an Epic I get that feeling of disappointment. With the exception of the sour apple saison, it is pretty good on a hot day.

microbusbrewery said:

Dude we get it, you don't like Epic.

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Haha!

I think its funny how different peoples tastes can be. I know most dfh beers Im not a huge fan of but some people absolutely rave about them. Even some of the stone beers or SN that people lose it over I think to myself meeeehh. You're entitled to your opinion but I wouldn't bash them every chance I got. We gotta support craft beer as much as possible. Cut into inbevs gigantic piece of the pie as much as possible right??

pwkblue said:

on this forum I seem to be the only person with a negative view of Epic...so I'll stop. But...I'd also guess I may have actually purchased and sampled more Epic than many of you. Most of my friends were like me...and bought quite a bit of Epic early because we liked it...since then we have all stopped after too many poor...and some truly bad beer (2 bottles I bought smelled like trub left in the fermenter overnight)

Perhaps they serve better beer at beer festivals....and in the taproom...but the stuff going out to retail is questionable. They have a nice facility, good marketing, and solid financing...just seems to me that they pushed too big too fast....and the beer quality suffered. With that in mind I am dissapointed to hear that they plan further expansion.

Young brewery or not...the beer quality needs to be consistent....ultimately as beer enthusiasts it is about the beer not the business plan.

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Resurrecting an old thread here. I think I owe pwkblue an apology. I used to be real big fan of Epic. That's changed a bit the last couple of years. I still think they make some great beers, but I've also seen a lot of inconsistencies that pwkblue speaks of.

I noticed it the most as Epic has delved more into sour and wild beers. Some are fantastic, but some should have never been released. For example, I finally made it to their Denver taproom this last GABF and ordered a flight of their sours. The first beer was an acetic bomb and would have been much better served on a salad. I really enjoyed the second beer and it even reminded me of one of my favorite sours, Supplication from Russian River. The rest were either very mediocre or had big problems (although none quite as bad as the salad dressing beer). Long story short my current opinion is they can be kind of hit and miss.

Funny thing I also noticed at their Denver taproom, most of the people there were older compared to other breweries that we visited during GABF (e.g. Our Mutual Friend, Black Project, Crooked Stave). I'm in my late 40's but I felt like I was one of the younger guys there.

microbusbrewery said:

Resurrecting an old thread here. I think I owe pwkblue an apology. I used to be real big fan of Epic. That's changed a bit the last couple of years. I still think they make some great beers, but I've also seen a lot of inconsistencies that pwkblue speaks of.

I noticed it the most as Epic has delved more into sour and wild beers. Some are fantastic, but some should have never been released. For example, I finally made it to their Denver taproom this last GABF and ordered a flight of their sours. The first beer was an acetic bomb and would have been much better served on a salad. I really enjoyed the second beer and it even reminded me of one of my favorite sours, Supplication from Russian River. The rest were either very mediocre or had big problems (although none quite as bad as the salad dressing beer). Long story short my current opinion is they can be kind of hit and miss.

Funny thing I also noticed at their Denver taproom, most of the people there were older compared to other breweries that we visited during GABF (e.g. Our Mutual Friend, Black Project, Crooked Stave). I'm in my late 40's but I felt like I was one of the younger guys there.

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I've heard from someone who I believe knows someone who works there (so yeah, this is third-hand info, take it for what it's worth) but Epic doesn't dump beer, ever. If they screw up one of their standard beers they release it as a special limited edition and charge more for it.

I want to support local breweries and when Epic "escaped" to Colorado I stopped considering them a local brewery. I'll try some of their beers sometimes, but there are several local breweries I prefer over them.

Gameface said:

I've heard from someone who I believe knows someone who works there (so yeah, this is third-hand info, take it for what it's worth) but Epic doesn't dump beer, ever. If they screw up one of their standard beers they release it as a special limited edition and charge more for it.

I want to support local breweries and when Epic "escaped" to Colorado I stopped considering them a local brewery. I'll try some of their beers sometimes, but there are several local breweries I prefer over them.

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Ha, that doesn't surprise me about not dumping beer and that explains some of my complaints. Re charging extra, I'm ok with paying extra for an aged beer if it's done well. I mean it costs money to age a product that you can't sell for x months/years...not to mention having to pay for your raw ingredients up front. So I get the price difference, but if you're going to charge a premium, you better be putting out a consistent product and that's where Epic is missing the mark (IMO).

BTW, Epic just released Sour Brainless on Pineapple @$14 for a 375ml. If it's the same one I tried in their tasting room during GABF, I'd advise people to buy one and try it before buying a bunch of them. Everybody has different tastes, but I didn't care,for it. Not very complex, not very sour, and the pineapple character was closer to school lunch canned pineapple than fresh fruit. I'd happily pay $14 a bottle for 375ml of sour from Russian River, Crooked Stave, Black Project, etc., but I'd be hesitant to buy anything at that price point from Epic given the above concerns.

Brew-Jay said:

I'm going to be in Ogden Utah this week. Does anyone have an opinion of Roosters Brewery there? They also have a location in nearby Layton.

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Old thread but i love Roosters the honey wheat one i always drink. i lived really close and would walk down for a good meal and beer.

I think Roosters is all around a good place. Good food and good beer, but not the best. I really started picking up a lot of Uinta Hop Nosh lately. The base has their high point stuff and it's pretty delicious, both the Tangerine and regular.

I typically like darker beers and really loved Big Bad Baptist that Epic put out. I also like their Son of Baptist. My wife was on a Brainless on Peaches kick for awhile but we haven't had any of their beers in awhile.

sillbeer said:

I think Roosters is all around a good place. Good food and good beer, but not the best. I really started picking up a lot of Uinta Hop Nosh lately. The base has their high point stuff and it's pretty delicious, both the Tangerine and regular.

I typically like darker beers and really loved Big Bad Baptist that Epic put out. I also like their Son of Baptist. My wife was on a Brainless on Peaches kick for awhile but we haven't had any of their beers in awhile.

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i only drink Utah beer if it's free now. brewing my own is worth in every way price taste and i enjoy making it. i can also sell it to my co workers who love what i make.

sell half keep half. and make a second beer.

Jako said:

i only drink Utah beer if it's free now. brewing my own is worth in every way price taste and i enjoy making it. i can also sell it to my co workers who love what i make.

sell half keep half. and make a second beer.

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Not trying to tell you what to do or anything, but you might want to keep it on the DL that you're selling beer.

On that note, I have had several offers to buy beer. I've thought about it and I'd have to get around $5/12oz beer to make it even close to worth it to me. For the labor involved I could just pick up some overtime and pay for my hobby that way and it'd be way less work.

I do enjoy sharing my beer for free.

Gameface said:

Not trying to tell you what to do or anything, but you might want to keep it on the DL that you're selling beer.

On that note, I have had several offers to buy beer. I've thought about it and I'd have to get around $5/12oz beer to make it even close to worth it to me. For the labor involved I could just pick up some overtime and pay for my hobby that way and it'd be way less work.

I do enjoy sharing my beer for free.

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just looked up the laws interesting, well it was more of a gift with a tip. hah. thanks for the heads up.

yeah its not really worth it to me, i am now running short of what i planed and two weeks out from my next batch i will most likely run out. also for what it was it was almost like giving it away. i didn't need the money and its not worth my time to run out like i will.