Salt Flats Brewing Company - P1 Pilsner

This German-style pilsner from Salt Flats radiates a golden straw color in the glass, topped by a cap of bright white foam. Look for lots of subtle German noble hop complexities in the aroma, which came across for us as lightly herbal, floral, grassy, and earthy, with hints of orange & lemon zest. Those hop notes come through quite brightly in the flavor department, too, with plenty of spice, earth, hay, and a zesty moderate bitterness that easily keeps this pils dry throughout. The malts offer a quintessential German pils backbone, giving us light crackery and papery notes, while the lively carbonation adds plenty of lift and bite to keep this brew nimble as it ends with a crisp finishing note that beckons another sip. German-style pilsners are a very food-friendly breed, especially with simple pub fare like fish & chips, chicken fingers, and burgers, and we love ourselves a slice of pepperoni and/or spicy sausage pizza, too. A snack of creamy goat cheese with crackers is a winner, as well. Cheers!

Salt Flats got its start back in 2016 when the Garage Grill in Draper, UT began brewing under the name RPM Brewery on a tiny 15-gallon system. Originally, the beer was produced just to serve the restaurant’s taps, but the dream soon expanded to the goal of building an actual regional brewery. In 2017, Scott Parker joined RPM as brewmaster after eight years with California’s Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Used to a 250-barrel brewhouse, Parker helped the RPM team scale up their operations from that original 1/2-barrel system to a new 10-barrel system. In March of 2018, the decision was made to rebrand the brewery to the new Salt Flats name, which better represented their region while retaining the motorsports theme.

Motorsports is everywhere at Salt Flats Brewing Company. Besides the brewery and beer names, the brewery itself is located within what used to be a professional race team building. Owner Steve Pruitt is the team principal of Corsa Motorsport and has a lifetime of experience in motor racing stretching all the way back to 1975 and his stockholder interest in the Long Beach Grand Prix. The Garage Grill locations in Draper and Herriman are equal parts restaurant and museum, featuring incredible arrays of racing memorabilia and actual exotic sports cars and NASCAR, IndyCar, and F1 racecars, among others. Want to have a brew at the bar next to a 2007 McLaren-Mercedes F1 car mounted to the wall, or dine directly underneath a Ferrari 360? You can do that. For racing fans visiting the Salt Lake area, it’s a must-try experience.

In 2021, Brennan Caley took over as brewmaster. The first employee hired under Scott Parker, Caley has honed his brewing skills at Chicago’s world-class Siebel Institute of Technology, the country’s oldest brewing school. Currently, Salt Flats produces about a dozen beers, all with automotive or motorcycle themed names. They also produce an award-winning line of spirits including rum, whiskey, vodka, and gin, plus canned premixed cocktails. For more info on their brewery Tap Room and Store, and the Garage Grill locations, visit saltflatsbeer.com.