Beers/Brewpubs in Salt Lake City

[geoffey]

I'm heading to Salt Lake City for a week of training, wondering if anyone has some suggestions as to good local beers to look for or local breweries/brewpubs to visit.

 

[Dustinj]

I was just there last month. Go to desert edge brewery. Their Utah pale is awesome. Tacos are great as well. It's in trolley square.

 

[geoffey]

Sounds great! Thanks for the suggestion. Ill mke sure to look them up.

 

[Gameface]

Two good beer bars are The Bayou and The Beerhive. The Beerhive is right downtown next to the light rail line. The Bayou is a little further south but still in what I would consider downtown.

The owner of the Beerhive also wrote a book about the history of beer in Utah, "Beer in the Beehive." Interestingly, early Mormons were not as anti-alcohol as they are today. Basically hard liquor was bad, beer was okay, even for members.

 

[quincy07]

The Bayou for sure, we call it beervana. And if you're going to be in trolley square you gotta check out The Wing. They have the best chicken wings in the valley, it's in the trolley car under the water tower.

 

[patrick524]

I recommend Red Rock Brewing, they have two brewpubs. The other good one is Hoppers bar and grill. They make excellent beers (hop rising and their bock are excellent).

Just remember to get all the beers that come in bottles. Draft beer in Utah can only be 4.0 ABV, but bottles can be anything.

If you have time stop by Epic Brewery in downtown SLC. They really started producing some great beers.

If your looking for some good bars and a great time, try the Tavernacle... It's a dueling piano bar in downtown that is a blast to go to.

 

[bob1852]

I really enjoyed Beerhive, Squatters, and Red Rock.

Red Rock often has a session IPA which is a neat concept.
Beerhive has a fabulous selection and an "ice bar" to keep your drinks cold.
Squatters has pretty good food and a solid IIPA.

 

[microbusbrewery]

Hop Rising is actually form Squatters not Hoppers. Depending on how soon you come, you might also be able to check out The Annex, a beer-focused restaurant in Sugarhouse. It's the latest project from the folks at Epic and will feature all their beers paired with various dishes. It's supposed to open in September.

Avenues Proper is supposed to be good too but I haven't made it over yet.

Bohemian in Midvale is pretty good. It's pretty much all European style lagers and the food isn't bad.

+1 on the Bayou and Red Rock Brewing. Not a brewpub, but The Bayou is prob my favorite beer destination in town because of the variety and most of their dishes are really good. Red Rock is my hands down favorite brewpub, but I definitely prefer the downtown location over the Valley Fair Mall location (food is more consistent downtown).

The last time I went, The Beerhive had basically the same beer menu as The Bayou but the food and service sucked all three times that I went, so I don't usually recommend it unless it's the only option.

 

[geoffey]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. Ill be in Provo, so probably will only make the drive to SLC two times. Any decent places around Provo?

 

[Gameface]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. Ill be in Provo, so probably will only make the drive to SLC two times. Any decent places around Provo?

Oh man...

I hate to have someone's impression of Utah come from Provo/Utah Valley, especially someone looking for a drink.

Wish I could help but I treat Utah valley like enemy territory.

 

[geoffey]

Oh man...

I hate to have someone's impression of Utah come from Provo/Utah Valley, especially someone looking for a drink.

Wish I could help but I treat Utah valley like enemy territory.

Well THAT'S interesting. A strong bed of Mormon (or other) fundamentalism? There's got to be at least one or two places to get a good beer.

 

[yewtah-brewha]

Provo is to utah as california is to the usa, They have some weird laws, I am pleased to announce that they lifted the no beer sales on sunday law. For the longest time people would have to drive to nearby cities to get thier drink on! heres te article if interested. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=960&sid=17533354

 

[yewtah-brewha]

They're "normal Mormons" nothing too weird about them. lol... I was raised jack mormon, Thought mormonism was pretty normal and even thought if ever get right with god that would be the religon for me, through my wife and her christian beliefs I now see how "un normal" it is.. lol

 

[crjpilot]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. Ill be in Provo, so probably will only make the drive to SLC two times. Any decent places around Provo?

That IS unfortunate. As Gameface said, most of us in the Salt Lake Valley make a point to never venture south into Utah valley unless absolutely necessary. I think you'll find it worth the drive to come up to SLC if you're serious about beer.

If you're just looking for selection and trying something new, The Bayou is the place to do it. They have, by far, the largest selection and a decent food menu to go along with it. Indoor and outdoor seating and a couple of pool tables too. The Beerhive is cool and also has a good selection, thought not on par with The Bayou.

If you want to drink local, I recommend The Bohemian(great German food), Red Rock, Desert Edge, or Hopper's. They all have good food and a good selection of their own beers on tap. Bohemian and Hopper's are just down the road from each other on Ft. Union (7200 S) in Midvale and Red Rock has a location just across the freeway at the Fashion Place Mall. That could save you 10-15 minutes driving by not going all the way downtown. Squatter's is probably more well-known, but I don't like their food as much. Another option since it's nice out this time of year is to go to Wasatch in Park City.

If you just want to pick up some locals beers, find the closest State Liquor Store (there is one in Provo) and grab a case. My favorites are Epic Brewing and some of Squatter's Reserve Series. Uinta is another favorite of a lot of people.

Have fun!

 

[geoffey]

Huge shout out to you guys for your help in making my stay in the SLC area a much nicer affair. Hit up the Bayou last night and it did not dissapoint. Was able to try 4 new beers I've not had before, most of which aren't available back in MN. Also hit up Sundance earlier in the week which was a nice surprise. Has made an otherwise dull business trip much more palatable.

Thanks again!

 

[MaxStout]

Provo is to utah as california is to the usa, They have some weird laws, I am pleased to announce that they lifted the no beer sales on sunday law. For the longest time people would have to drive to nearby cities to get thier drink on! heres te article if interested. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=960&sid=17533354

Hey, at least you can get beer on Sunday. Minnesota still has its blue laws firmly in place, and the legislature (with the help of the retail liquor lobby) shoots down every attempt to change it.

 

[microbusbrewery]

Huge shout out to you guys for your help in making my stay in the SLC area a much nicer affair. Hit up the Bayou last night and it did not dissapoint. Was able to try 4 new beers I've not had before, most of which aren't available back in MN. Also hit up Sundance earlier in the week which was a nice surprise. Has made an otherwise dull business trip much more palatable.

Thanks again!

Lol, I was there last night too. Glad to hear it was a good experience.