ABV: 8.1%

2017 left as swiftly as it came. Year after year, the clock seems to tick more rapidly. Repeating the daily grind of the morning wake up, leaning on a java and finishing the night with a great beer. Did that a few times and BAM! There we were–drawing gape as the Patriots won the Super Bowl, experiencing a total solar eclipse and then suddenly watching the ball drop on the broadcast of New Years’ Rockin’ Eve. Okay, the time lapse may be a bit of an exaggeration, but for real—the past 365 days flew by like no other.

Our year in beer has been entertaining. We saw the rise of the mighty hazy IPA, but then the push back as craft beer purists stood their ground in defense of traditional styles of beer. (Maybe this was similar to Germany Purity Law enthusiasts and how they may have felt about some of the first American craft beers back in the day.) It was also fun to see craft beer integrated into pop culture through some pretty great commercials including Sling TV’s #GetPicky campaign portraying a hipster ordering a nano brew, “…with hints of chocolate and leather…, not shoe leather…” Even Anheuser-Busch’s Bud Light’s, “ …pit of misery, dilly, dilly,” gets a chuckle.

We sadly missed our first Great American Beer Festival this year, too. (And faced the inevitable FOMO when the Facebook and Instagram posts started to hit our feeds–we will make it back!) However, we did make up for it by relishing in multiple breweries starting up in our home state.

The successful growth of neighboring breweries appears to have pushed friendly competition buttons of local legends, such as one of Utah’s biggest breweries, Uinta Brewing Co. These guys push limits of adjunct flavored IPA’s or brettanomyces, showcasing many craft styles. For a while, it seemed like every other week a new tasty beer was being released from Uinta. In the closing of 2017, they brought back a fan favorite, Stompin’ Grounds Coffee Stout.

Stompin’ Grounds is a great beer to share, especially with coffee lovers. It is an American double stout, brewed with a quality, local coffee from Publik Coffee Roasters. To enhance flavor and aromas, we like to pour it into a wide mouth tulip. This allows the beer to breathe, breaking through the robust coffee bitterness that is clearly present. Little on the nose but pouring a heavy chocolate, almost-black shade, it is a coffee fan’s dream. Imagine being served a perfect cold brew from a well-trained barista who knows your order. As the beer warms, the malty stout mingles with the java. It creates a smooth mouth feel with massive hints of sweet chocolate and black coffee. Consume leisurely to experience all of its intriguing phases. Unless you like to swig a pressed cold brew, then gulping one of these may make you feel a bit warmer during this colder weather.

Here’s a toast, with a combo of two of our favorite things in a glass, coffee and beer: In with the old (breweries), in with the new (breweries)! Happy Brew Year! Cheers!

Chris & Sylvia are a #craftbeercouple who love everything beer! Check them out on Instagram @chrishollands & @sylily

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