Uinta Brewing Company - Bristlecone Brown Ale

Bristlecone straddles the line between a brown ale and a dark mild ale, having won medals in both categories, in fact (Gold in 2012 at the Great American Beer Festival as a mild, and Silver at the 2011 World Beer Championships as a brown). On the pour, there's a distinctly reddish tinge to its brown depths, with plenty of long-lasting foam. We definitely picked up a moderately sweet impression on the nose, with notes of rich caramel, some toffee, lightly toasted brown bread, and a whiff of cocoa powder. In the flavor department, expect the malts to come through quite toasty and lightly nutty. There's a mild sweet tone, but it's easily countered well by a mild and very clean hop bitterness, which dries the beer out nicely in the finish. Fairly light on the palate, we found Bristlecone a very inviting, well-balanced, and tasty brew – a quintessential session ale in the English tradition. Uinta recommends pairing with nutty or pear-based desserts, to which we'd add BBQ chicken for an entree. Cheers!

When founder Will Hamill established Uinta (“you-in-tah”) in 1993, he succeeded in merging his love of brewing and his passion for the outdoors. Originally from Maine, Will enjoyed a lifestyle very much like many other Utahans when he arrived in the state, including kayaking, skiing, and biking. But, something was missing – the great craft beer that he had enjoyed in his native state. To satisfy his own cravings, Will took to home brewing and quickly became consumed. After years of perfecting recipes, he was producing beers that not only satisfied him, but also impressed his friends. At that point he enrolled at UC Davis to study brewing and develop his knowledge of the industry.

When Will began Uinta, it was at a very modest facility – a small, converted auto mechanic’s garage. From these humble beginnings, Uinta began brewing and distributing beer to local pubs and restaurants, and three years later demand had escalated enough to install a bottling line. By 2001, the brewery had outgrown its original location, so a 26,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility was built with energy efficiency as a prime goal. Not only was the new brewery outfitted with the best in brewing technology, it was built to be completely wind-powered. Yep, the brewery is 100% powered by Mother Nature herself, becoming the first business in Utah to achieve that milestone. But, their commitment to the environment doesn’t end there; they established a recycling location for brown glass, installed solar panels, donate their used grain to local ranchers to use as feed, purchase recycled paper, and use natural lighting in the brewery as well as energy-efficient electric lighting. Great job guys, we’ll raise a glass to that! To learn more about Uinta Brewing Company and scheduled tours, call (801) 467-0909 or visit www.uintabrewing.com.