Outdoor adventurers feel an almost instinctive lure to Utah year-round. That attraction is at its strongest come ski season, which we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of right now. Just as fun as jetting down a snow-blanketed slope is enjoying convivial après-ski culture, especially if one is equipped with a world-class beverage. Thanks to inventive craft-brewers, finding high-quality ales and lagers is easier than ever. Whether you’re a snow bird or a fair-weather frolicker headed to Utah for hiking, mountain-biking or white-water rafting, our guide to some of the state’s best locally produced beers will help you make the most of your time in The Beehive State.
A note on Utah’s beer-consumption rules: In Utah, beer is separated into two categories: low-point and high-point. The former includes any beers coming in under 5% alcohol-by-volume (ABV). These are the only beers a brewery may package or sell in kegs. They are also the only type of beer a brewery may sell in cans or bottles at grocery stores. High-point beer (above 5% ABV) must be canned or bottled and can be sold to-go in those containers or poured into a glass and served at a tasting room, bar or restaurant. Packaged high-point beer can also be sold to-go from government-operated liquor stores.
St. George and the South
If you’re traveling from San Diego to Utah by car, the first stop off Interstate 15 is St. George, a city just north of the state line. Seemingly carved into The Beehive State’s crimson rockscapes, it’s a sizable community with small-town charm and metropolis-grade amenities, making it a perfect place to pull off the highway, rest up, recreate and recharge.
Start out by visiting Silver Reef Brewing (4391 Enterprise Drive), South Utah’s largest craft-beer company. A portfolio of drinkable lagers (golden, Mexican-style and multiple Pilsners) and hoppy ales (session, West Coast and double IPAs) features Great American Beer Festival (GABF) and World Beer Cup (WBC) medal-winners “Ay Dios Mio!” habanero-infused rauchbier (smoked beer), “Black Hill” schwarzbier (black lager), “Mas Fuego” smoked lager and a bourbon-barrel-aged version of the latter dubbed “Smokin’ Barrel”. Silver Reef’s assortment of housemade beverages also includes wines, spirits and cocktails, while the food menu features burgers, sandwiches, flatbreads and entrées like fried chicken in country gravy and steak frites with red-wine butter.
Next, head north to check out the third and newest motorcycle-themed brewpub from Provo-based Strap Tank Brewery (1872 Crosby Way). Here, eclectic apps (poblano queso, coconut rum shrimp, jumbo wings) give way to hearty mains (Nashville hot chicken, sticky ribs, chipotle-glazed pork chop) washed down with beers brewed with drinkability and flavor in mind. Or check out Station 2 Bar (142 N. Main Street), a satellite bar and restaurant launched by Zion Brewery (95 Zion Park Boulevard, Springdale), a business based at the entrance of Zion National Park. The St. George location’s namesake steam lager headlines a beer board with numerous American, English and German-style beers, which are served alongside a comfort menu with Mexican influence (burrito, tacos and stuffed jalapeños called “Station 2 Twinkies”). But if you’re heading east, don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy stunning views of Zion Canyon from this venerable op’s homebase.
And if you’re continuing east to Moab, be sure to stop at the city’s namesake beer biz, Moab Brewery (686 S. Main Street), where a wide array of beers and craft cocktails (some of which are canned) awaits. Moab also features the southernmost satellite venue belonging to Proper Brewing (1393 N. Highway 191), a 13-year-old business based in Salt Lake City, which has gone on to operate more locations than any other brewing company in the state, all offering their own lengthy assortments of house beers covering just about every style.
Greater Salt Lake City
Utah’s capital city is awash with quality beer companies, but arguably the best of them is Templin Family Brewing (936 S. 300 W). Located in the Granary District, this eight-year-old indoor-outdoor spot is a brewer’s brewery, specializing in traditional German and otherwise Old World beers (Pilsners and all manner of to-spec lagers, including the occasional rauchbier), while offering equally enjoyable hop-forward and Belgian-inspired ales, all served in proper glassware depending on the type of beer one orders. Bonus: The second coming of 19th-century juggernaut Fisher Brewing (320 W. 800 S) is located just a block-and-a-half away. The American lager is a thirst-quenching gateway to their mix of New World styles (clear and hazy IPAs and pales) and classic English and German brews.
(Photo: Austen Diamond via Visit Salt Lake)
The Granary District is also home to Kiitos Brewing (608 W. 700 S), which has serious GABF bragging rights, having earned gold medals for its eponymous Blonde Ale and Pale Ale as well as its Coffee Cream Ale. And if you’re looking for high-alcohol beers – something that was practically unheard of in Utah not so long ago – Epic Brewing (825 S. State St) has been the state’s lone specialist where they’re concerned since 2010 behind its “Big Bad Baptist” series of bourbon barrel-aged stouts,
No conversation about Utah beer is complete without discussing a trio of local trailblazers, both of which operate brewpubs downtown. Opened in 1986 as SLC’s first post-Prohibition beer company, Wasatch Brewery (2100 S. Highland Drive) soon had company when Squatters Pub (147 W. Broadway) touched down three years later as the city’s first brewpub. In 2012, the companies merged and now sell beers from both of their portfolios (including local faves like “Poligamy Porter” and “Hop Rising” double IPA) at their locations in SLC and the city’s airport. Younger at a spry 22 years old, RedRock Brewery (254 S. 200 W)has had as great an impact – if not greater – than its fellow beer pioneers, having been named Large Brewpub of the Year at the 2007 GABF, while racking up hundreds of medals for its beers, which run the gamut from light lagers and farmhouse ales to hop-heavy IPAs and spirit-barrel-aged stouts.
Inspired in part by the above operations, the next generation is headed by another trio of forward-thinking Beehive brewing powerhouses, one of which, Bewilder Brewing (445 S. 400 W), is also based downtown. A six-year-old brewery installed in the former home of Western Electric Co. by a duo who previously operated their own homebrew-supply shop, it’s a casual destination built on communalism and respecting European classics while making way for up-and-coming, trendy and experimental styles.
A short jaunt to South Salt Lake turns up more gems, starting with Level Crossing Brewing (2496 S. W. Temple Street), which also has a second spot downtown, an expansive brewpub serving up all manner of ale and lager in tandem with wood-fired pizzas and plenty of live entertainment. Try a trio of bronze medalists – “Cryptoporticus” (2022 WBC, American Sour Ale), “Suss It Out” (2019 GABF, Rye Beer) and Vienna Lager (2021 GABF) – plus anything avant garde or ultra-modern. Then head for Grid City Beer Works (333 W. 2100 S. Expressway), a beer hall with a rooftop bar and the most sophisticated tap system anywhere. Here, each of the largely Old World house beers is served three ways: standard CO2, nitro and on cask. They’ll even pour up a creamy, mostly-foam “milk shot”.
Park City
Forty minutes east of SLC is a winter wonderland that, though small, is packed with local beer. Right after getting on the 224 from I-80, visitors can turn off into a retail center boasting two suds spots, a satellite RedRock bar and eatery, and a brewpub bearing the city’s name. Opened in 2019 by locals, Park City Brewing (1764 Uinta Way, C1) works with larger Utah breweries to produce its core lineup (“Siren’s Call” American lager, “Powder Buoy” Pilsner, “Sneaker Tree” IPA), while producing small, one-barrel batches of beer on-site. The latter allows for constant rotation, variety and the ability to brew beers that pair with menu items like smoked chicken drums, tri-trip kebabs, and chicken and waffles.
Park City is home to venues established by a Utah legacy op, Squatters Roadhouse Grill (1900 Park Avenue) and Top of Main Brew Pub (250 Main Street). The latter was previously a Wasatch Pub, but is now owned by Squatters and, like its sister venues, serves beers from both companies. But before venturing to the city center, stop off at the area’s most exciting brewery, Offset Bier Co. (4175 N. Forestdale Drive, Unit 104). Located in an out-of-the-way industrial park, this business is best known for its hoppy ales, but dabbles in everything from Czech lagers to Belgian and English ales, and even the occasional Australian “mid”. Not only are Offset’s offerings varied, they’re award winning, with session IPAs “Divi” and “Oros”, and Gooding Farms IPA all having garnered GABF gold.
Ogden
A city with a small-town feel that’s home to multiple ski resorts, Ogden is home to its own cadre of craft-brewing institutions. The most well-known of them is 30-year-old Rooster’s Brewing (253 25th Street & 2325 B Avenue), which operates a pair of restaurants in Ogden (plus another in nearby Layton), both of which are family-friendly community hubs. Popular year-round beers include a Mexican-lager, honey wheat ale and juicy pale, plus hazy and blood-orange-infused IPAs. Those liquid wares go well with a menu of casually decadent shareables (gorgonzola-sauced “naughty fries”, beer-battered cheese curds), tacos, sandwiches, pizzas, pastas and entrees (pepper Jack mac and cheese, fish and chips, beef medallions in Cabernet demi).
Meanwhile, a youth movement is brewing at Ogden Beer Co. (358 Park Boulevard), a social hive buzzing with regulars who come back for an in-flux lineup of of-the-moment styles. A pair of American and Mexican lagers are as clean as they come, while a duo of wheat ales infused with tangerine and hibiscus, respectively, bring big flavor against an easy-drinking backdrop. Meanwhile, house IPAs tend to explore and provide case studies on the flavors and aromas of individual hop varietals. House cocktails are also available along with burgers, sammies, pastas, flatbreads, and regional items like funeral potatoes and chili verde.
Lodging Recommendations
St. George: Just 10 minutes from downtown is Black Desert Resort (1500 E. Black Desert Drive, Ivins), a luxe lodging locale that opened last year and is home to the state’s top golf course (per Golfweek), a full-service spa and a collection of restaurants headlined by the upscale locavore-focused Basalt.
Salt Lake City: Located in the heart of downtown and within walking distance of the area’s craft-beer establishments, Kimpton Monaco Hotel (15 W. 200 S) is a modern, stylish place to unwind between brewery excursions.
Park City: A convenient location halfway between the city center and the breweries near I-80, plus comfy rooms and an in-house eatery serving local craft beer makes Park City Peaks Hotel (2346 Park Avenue) an ideal homebase.
Ogden: Staying at Hampton Inn & Suites (2401 Washington Boulevard) not only places one within walking distance of most of the city’s breweries, but also a park that’s converted into an incredible Christmas Village come the holidays.