About Red Rock:
Red Rock Brewing Company opened its doors to the Salt Lake City community on March 14, 1994. While being the first restaurant located in the 200 West 200 South block, speculation on the success of a brewpub in such an industrial area was high. Approximately 20 partners that came together to start Red Rock, and that alone could have spelled a recipe for disaster. However, the vision for this little old warehouse was one with great potential, offering much more than another bar-food joint. The concept was to expand the idea of brewpubs in Utah by offering a wide variety of brews and home-made sodas alongside quality, innovative menu choices that would leave people talking!

Time of Arrival: 7:41 PM

The Brew Pub Design
The design of the brew pub is modern and sleek. The beautiful cherry wood bar is gorgeous. Carefully position lighting and minimalist decore makes this a very relaxing, inviting place to dine. Open kitchen style with a large prominent wood-fire oven. The architecture is balanced mix of rustic and modern. Exposed ceiling beams and lighting fixtures give this restaurant a unique look.

The Atmosphere:Calm and relaxed yet a bit of a buzz in the air. Looks like everyone here is watching the Chicago VS GB game. I would say that it’s mostly locals here, a few out of town patrons like myself the two guys sitting on either side of me. A mature crowd with sprinkles of young here and there.

The Beer:
Of course, I went for it all. I decided to try out the mini sampler pictured here..

Honey Wheat
Taster’s note: Reminiscent to a lager, pale straw color and aroma, clean finish with a linger taste of sweetness from the honey. The wheat characteristics of the brew are masked by the honey flavors. Light and refreshing, typical characteristics of a wheat brew. Estimated ABV: 3-4%

Hefeweizen
Taster’s Notes: Hazy golden hues, even lighter than the honey wheat which surprises me. Dry clean finish but leaves much to be desired. A bit too light for my pallet. This brew follows the style guideline to the tee.

English Summer – Brewer’s Notes: With Noble Hops on the nose and a slight, but evident malt character on the palate, our English Summer Ale will quench your soul underneath the warm Salt Lake sun. Brewed with only the finest malted barley, hops, water and yeast. No preservatives added

Taster’s notes: Reminicent of an English bitter, this malty brew has nice balanced flavors with a touch of hoppiness. An unusal straw like color, good head retention with strong lacing.

Roggen Rock – Brewer’s notes - Not to be confused with a German Roggenbier, beers that fall into this category contain a notable amount of rye grain in the grist bill. Bitterness tends to be moderate, to allow the often spicy and phenolic-like rye characteristics to pull through. Brewed using American hops and filtered clean

Taster’s notes: Outstanding head retention, creamy off white head. Good layered malty complexity and with nice hop finish. Delicious brew!

Awards: – 2007 California Fermentation Society – Bronze Medal Winner, 2006 North American Brewers Association – Silver Medal Winner, 2006 World Beer Cup – Silver Medal Winner
1997 World Beer Championships – Silver Medal Winner

Amber Ale – Brewer’s notes:
Amber Ale falls into the category of a Northwest Style Pale Ale. The brew gets its name from an amber coloring and is medium in body with medium caramel character. Our Amber Ale is brewed from copious amounts of Cascade Hops which give the brew its bitterness and aroma alongside a medium malty character.

Taster’s notes: interesting roasty aromas, almost a smokey this is a well balanced amber but I cant say its my topic pick thus far. Smooth, balanced, interesting light with a clean finish.

Bambert Rauch Bier – Brewer’s Notes:
This beer is one of Red Rock’s very unique lager biers. A Rauch Bier translates
in German as “smoked beer”. Drying over an open Beechwood fire imparts a smoky character to the malt. Inspired by many trips the brewers have taken to Bamberg, Germany where the Rauch Biers are world famous.
Taster’s Notes: Amazing dark amber hues. Persistent creamy off white head, good hints of smokiness although I thought the Amber was far smokier.

Oatmeal Stout – Brewer’s Notes: Brewed from a combination of eight different malts then served on nitro, Red Rock’s Oatmeal Stout is quite a hit for those looking for a medium to full bodied Ale. Our Oatmeal Stout boasts a roasted flavor with malty characteristics. With its slight chocolate, coffee characteristics and silky smooth finish, Oatmeal Stout pairs beautifully with a sweet dessert such as our delectable cheesecake!
Taster’s Notes: I found this oatmeal stout very pleasant. Good clean finish and surprising light for a brew that is classified as “medium to full body”. Prominent oatmeal aroma, beautiful dark hues with a persistent creamy off white head. A nice plain cheese cake or scoop of vanilla ice cream would be a perfect pairing.

The Food!
Appetizer – Beer Cracker – Reminds me of a mini cheese pizza, thin flat crispy bread crust, roasted garlic, gorgonzola cheese, kosher salt and fresh sage. A good pairing w/ the Hefeweizen, the robustness of the gorgonzola cheese and roasted garlic is quickly mellowed out by the heff.

House Salad – Organic spring mix, mixed greens, cucumbers, croutons and their special blend house creamy garlic and basil house dressing. The dressing is superb, the garlic and basil is so delicate but not lost. The dressing enhances the fresh greens and not masks its natural flavors.

Entrée – Almond Crusted Red Trout - Delicately crusted and sautéed til a golden brown. Served with horse radish mash potatoes and honey glazed carrots.

Tasters’ notes: The horseradish mash potatoes were very subtle. I was expecting a taste bud assault but it is pleasant subtle. The Almond Crusted Trout is superb. Nutty, light and flakey. Mild seasoning but a perfect compliment to the mash potatoes and carrots!

Beer Babe: Anika!

Okay fellas say hello to Anika! Anika is one of the bartenders here at RedRock Brewing. She’s dark blonde cutie with an incredible Austrailian accent. (Sexy!) Sorry fellas, she’s married! A fantastic up-beat smile and personality, its bartenders like Anika that really make the experience. Anika took a few brief minutes to chat with me about beer:

CB: How did you get into beers?
Anika: I’ve been working in breweries all my life. I started working in brewpubs in Australia and have traveled all over since.

CB: When did you first have your first beer?
Anika: I believe it was 15, friends introduced her to her first beer she was at a teeny part, unsupervised!

CB: Do you recall what it was? Did you enjoy it?
Anika: Crown Lager, she calls it a “snobby beer!”

CB: What is your favorite beer style
Anika: Without question, Amber. Everywhere Anika goes, she uses the Amber as her benchmark.

CB: What is your least favorite beer style?
Anika: Barley Wine, way too syrupy for her pallet.

The restaurant became busy quick and Anika had to go. I really appreciate you taking the time to speak with CoreBrewing Anika. It was a pleasure meeting you and will probably see you later in the week!

The Bottom Line:

This week begins the date of potency vs. taste. Utah state law limits breweries to 4% ABV brews which is just a notch over your domestic fizzy brews. I was intrigued by the number of awards this brewery has won over the years and I just had to find out for myself if potency or taste would prevail. I enjoyed the unique flavors of the brews but found the ABV lacking, that’s probably because I have become accustomed to the high ABV brews I can get in California. In order to get a brew over 4% ABV, you must go to a state ran liquor store. Despite my thoughts, this is brewery undoubtedly has their game face on! Check out their wall of awards!

I will be back later in the week for find a perfect food and beer pairing to give the brews another go around. Although the brews were tasty, I found them to be a bit too light for my pallet and found myself missing the ABV warmth. If you’re not a huge beer drinker than this is a great place to begin your journey into the wonderful word of microbrews. The mild but very tasty brews would entice any non-beer lover. Good food, good beer. A must visit while here in Salt Lake City UT

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