Off Tap.: February/March 2017

FEBRUARY/ MARCH 2017

WHAT’S BREWIN G P.2

Uin ta Brewin g Co.

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Caribé Tropical Cider

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New fro m Sam Adam s

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ABC is Now Untappd

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Uinta Far mSide Saison

Off Tap. is a bimonthly publication of ABC Fine Wine & Spirits.

Copyright 2017 ABC Liquors, Inc. All rights reserved.

Not all products are available in all stores. If the product you’re looking for isn’t available, ask us to order it for you!

UINTA BREWING CO.

Meghan Guarino Editor Allie Smallwood Contributing Editor

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ME G H A N G U A R I N O

The state of Utah regulates the ABV

The brewery will introduce several new

limit of beer sold in grocery stores and beer

brews in the coming months, including two

establishments to four percent, a limit that

that make up their new gluten-free line, Free

would make jaws drop and grown men cry

Form. Created with ingredients that are naturally

if implemented here in the Sunshine State.

gluten-free, these beers are suspiciously

Luckily, we don’t have such stringent rules

delicious. “It really started off as a challenge

surrounding beer here, which means we

for me personally,” Winter said. “We wanted to

can—and do—enjoy the wonders of the Utah

make a beer that is delicious and has the Uinta

craft scene from 4% all the way to whatever

stamp of quality on it, but it just so happens

ABV heights the brewers can reach. You can

to be gluten-free.” Free Form Belgian Style

thank the beer gods for that and for Uinta

Blonde Ale features coriander and Opal hops

“Something that’s both very exciting and a challenge for our staff is that we effectively have two breweries under one roof,” said

on an easy-drinking palate. Free Form IPA boasts bright tropical flavors imparted by Citra and Ella hops for a refreshingly hoppy, sessionable, gluten-free beer.

Isaac Winter, head research and development

Also coming soon from Uinta is a small batch

brewer at Uinta. “In the state of Utah, you

pilsner with lime. This version follows the

can’t sell beer on tap that’s greater than 4%

brewery’s recently released Small Batch

alcohol by volume, so we have a portfolio of

Pilsner. “The care and the time we put into

really great 4% beers for the Utah market,

crafting each batch of pilsner is really important

but then we have a portfolio for out-of-state

to me and something I’m really proud of,”

markets as well. When it’s all said and done,

Winter said. And the lime pilsner is no exception.

it’s something like 22 full-time beers and

Look for it on shelves in the next few months.

28 seasonals. Producing so many different beers from different hop profiles, different malt profiles, different ABVs makes us a really well-rounded brewing team.”

Founded in 1993, Uinta Brewing Co. is named after the largest mountain range in the Rockies that runs east-west. Many of their beers are named after important Utahn things, like the state fish, cutthroat, or the state star, Dubhe.

The homage to state symbols stems from the brewery’s passion for adventure, which extends beyond the abundance of outdoor activities available in the area. This explorative mindset drives the team behind the beers to create new and interesting brews year in and year out. “We’re definitely explorers,” Winter said. “We play around with new techniques— we’ve been playing around with some wild yeast strains this year, which has been fun and definitely new for Uinta.”

But if you’re itching for some Uinta today, pick up their flagship IPA, Hop Nosh, or Baba Black Lager with its dark coffee and chocolate flavors.

“Part of our jobs as brewers is to push our boundaries and come up with new things and challenge ourselves,” Winter said. “And to some extent, challenge the beer drinker.”

February/March 2017 | Page 3

Brewing Co.

Caribé Tropical Cider, FLOR I DA BEER CO. A L L IE SM A L LW OOD

Ciders: they’re adored for their summertime suitability, their supreme refreshability, and well, their inextricable link to apples. At Florida Beer Co., they felt it was time to finally break the bond of cider and apple and infuse the style with some tropical lovin’.

Florida Beer Company started out as Indian River Brewing Company, in the historical district in Melbourne. With a certain pioneer spirit about their business adventures, they’ve been operating continuously in Brevard County since 1997, and in 2005 the company acquired Ybor City Brewing of Tampa along with the acquisition of Key West Brewery of Key West and Miami Brewing of Miami. The combination of three of the state’s first craft breweries meant a solid future for Florida Beer Co. Today, Florida Beer Co. is one of two Florida breweries that produces tropical, Florida-made ciders. To them, the idea was kind of natural. “Caribé means Caribbean...

Florida and the Caribbean are known for their climate, waters, fruit, colors and tropical flair. [These ciders] are the marriage of Florida and the Caribbean that inspired Caribé,” shared Sherrard Spiers, VP of Sales & Marketing for Florida Beer Co. With access to such lush tropical fruit and the popularity of hard cider in the US, it was a natural next step that Florida Beer Co. release the Tropical Hard Cider line, showcasing the delectable fruits of Florida and the Caribbean. The brewery is striving to continue the growth of this innovative line, bringing more tropical flavors to Caribé Tropical Hard Cider.

Caribé Tropical Hard Cider tastes polished and invigorating. Right now it’s in three juicy flavors: pineapple, blood orange and Key lime. It’s made with a blend of apple, Champagne yeast and natural tropical flavor, for a light, dry body, subtle tropical notes and a crisp mouthfeel.

While these ciders are perfection on their own, they also make phenomenal mixers and pair well with citrusy salads, crêpes, grilled fish (light or dark), broth based soups, pork, Gruyère and goat cheeses, Key lime pie and pineapple upside down cake.

NEW F ROM SAM A DAMS M EG H A N GU A R IN O

Since the first Boston Lager was brewed in Jim Koch’s kitchen in 1984, the Sam Adams brewery has grown to epic craft proportions.

Their meteoric rise to beer giant may have led arguments in recent years to define what a “craft” brewery actually is, but it also helped pave the way for smaller breweries to follow in the Boston-based brewery’s footsteps. Through programs designed

With honey gold color and a thick, white head,

to give advice, materials and general support to

Hopscape is a refreshing, late winter/early spring

other breweries—technically their competitors—

wheat beer brewed with Zeus, Centennial, Citra

the team at Sam Adams has continued their plight

and Chinook hops. Pleasant pine, citrus and floral

to grow the industry and culture that surrounds

hop notes show in the bouquet, with aromas of

craft beer. And that’s why we love them. That’s

wheat and vanilla peeking through. On the palate,

why with every release, we’re eager to get a taste.

there’s orange peel and tropical fruits with wheat

And this year, the brewery is excitedly reimagining

and mild hops on a dry finish. Hopscape is medi-

their seasonal lineup.

um-bodied and unfiltered with nice carbonation

But why re-introduce a line of rotating beers? In

and, in true Sam Adams fashion, great balance.

a word, innovation. With craft seasonals seem-

Hopscape is followed by Fresh as Helles, a light

ingly stuck in a rut—can we please get a fall flavor

amber lager accented with orange blossom petals

other than pumpkin this year?—a newly crafted,

and brewed with Mandarina hops.

reimagined line of rotating beers is exactly what craft drinkers crave.

Look for both in ABC stores now, to be followed by the much-anticipated Ella Blanc India Pale Lager

A 2016 audit by Nielsen found that of the 3,905

and Noble Pils later

new beer items that hit shelves last year, 75%

in the year.

were craft beers. Additionally, 2016 saw numerous craft breweries bought by bigger players in the industry in an effort to get a piece of the innovation coming from craft breweries. And while Sam Adams isn’t a small brewery in line to be purchased by a bigger company, they are leaders and supporters of the innovation that has been and is driving this industry.

As one of the first craft breweries to offer seasonal followed by their ever-popular Oktoberfest in 1987, the team at Sam Adams is well-versed in what it takes to create a seasonal sensation.

The new Sam Adams seasonal line is complete with new packaging and innovative recipes.

Hopscape is the first of five from the masters in Boston and is designed to take your mind off the crappy weather this time of year is known for.

Essentially, Hopscape whisks you away to an island of beer and hops with every sip of this seasonal brew.

February/March 2017 | Page 5

beers with the introduction of a double bock

ABC IS NOW UNTAPPD A L LIE S MA L LWO O D

Almost everything is digital these days.

Even things you thought could never actually go digital, like shopping for your groceries or changing the temperature of your house from your phone. And now, thanks to Untappd, ABC is bringing you another channel of convenient digital shopping, this time for draft beer.

Untappd is a service that allows users to explore, discover and share craft beer. It’s a social plat-

UNTAPPD STATS:

form that allows craft beer enthusiasts all over the world to connect over craft beer by posting on their profiles where and what they’re drinking.

Untappd also suggests beers for you and friends according to what you’ve been loving lately.

• OVER 85% OF U.S.

But Untappd is so much more than that. It’s a community that allows users to build a taste

can also follow your Brew Stop beer consultant

profile based off of their history of beer check-ins,

on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with what’s

connect with other beer lovers to find something

being tapped.

new and actually locate hard-to-find beers. Users

If all this isn’t enough to serve every whim of your

have the ability to turn on push notifications to be

craft beer-guzzling self, we now offer a growler

informed when a new beer gets tapped at one of

VIP program. When you become a growler VIP-er

our stores or they can “follow” a specific brewery

you get $1 off growler pours between 4-7 p.m.

and get notified when we get something specific

every day. VIP cards are available at your local

on tap. It also allows us to build a better connec-

Brew Stop location.

tion with our guests that helps us figure out what we should be carrying more of. It allows all of us to become more engaged with not just the craft beer community, but with each other.

If you don’t already have an Untappd account, just sign up (it’s totally free) and follow all of our stores or the one nearest you. We fully support

BREWERIES ARE

ENGAGED AND

ON THE PL ATFORM

• OVER 220 MILLION

BEER R ATINGS

your love of only the best craft beer and we’ll be It’s also the perfect pairing with our Brew Stop

there every step of the way to fill and refill your

growler filling stations.

growler whenever needed.

AVAIL ABLE

Since no ordinary brew will do for the most devoted of beer geeks, each Brew Stop location is guaranteed to offer a gamut of the freshest,

• OVER 108,000

most local, and sometimes even rarest craft beers Florida produces. Choose 32 or 64 ounces

VENUES,

of your favorite craft beer and keep it sealed in complete freshness until you’re ready to enjoy (we guarantee it fresh for 14 days, unopened).

INCLUDING

We use a PEGAS filling system that flushes all air out, pours from the bottom up and zaps any

ALL ABC BREW

STOP LOCATIONS

unwanted air.

We rotate our taps frequently and thoroughly rinse your growler every time you come in for a refill. It can get a little overwhelming to keep up with how frequently our taps change, so Untappd is an awesome way to keep it all straight. You

August/September 2014 | February/March 2017 | Page 7

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8 989 SOUT H OR ANGE AVE. OR LAND O, F LORID A 32824

UINTA FARMSIDE SAISON Made with white grape must and

small white head. On the nose you’ll find

gooseberries, Uinta’s spring seasonal

hay, fruit and some spice with a hint of

is swinging into stores this month!

tartness that will reveal itself more on the

Utah’s famed Uinta Brewing Co. brings

of grass, coriander, lemon and honey,

craft drinkers into the spring season

FarmSide is a distinctively musty, though

with their crisp, earthy saison. Low in hops and malt, this bright, filtered beer showcases clear golden color with a

ABV: 5.6%

IBUs: 14.0

palate. Light to medium-bodied with notes

quite refreshing, offering from a brewery known for its sessionable beers.

Glassware: Snifter

Pairings: Seafood, spicy Asian dishes, cheese

int ut U o b e! da Rea g insid n i w Bre

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