Beer in St. George
St. George is a town famous for its red rocks, senior games and its footlooseesque law against dancing. Nearby Colorado City, Arizona, opened its own Edge of The World Brewery and St. George couldn’t help but follow suit. It’s a dry town and it needs a little moisture.
Silver Reef Brewing Co is named after Southern Utah’s famous silver vein just north of St. George. It was a one-in-a-million shot when a prospector hit silver in sandstone. Some would say a brewery in Mormon-heavy St. George would be a similar shot in the dark.
Types of Beer
The brewery has kicked off their operations with three beers and a root beer. Agua Del Diablo, a Mexican Style golden lager; Color Country Red, an American/Belgian style red ale; and Fresh and Juicy, a hazy session-style IPA. Moreover, they will launch their canned products sometime in the spring to early summer, with a White IPA and German Helles Bock as high point beers.
Honoring traditional taste, they will also brew a traditional Bavarian Hefeweizen as their first summer draft seasonal beer. In particular, they predict that Agua Del Diablo will be a big hit in the hot Southern Utah summer.
Powerful Start: Craft Beer in St. George
They are off to a powerful start. Namely, as of February, Silver Reef Brewing has a 12,000 bbl per year capacity with lots of room to grow. Head brew master Michael Key is “excited to bring traditional German styles with an American twist to the Southern Utah craft beer scene. We are excited to join the craft beer movement in Southern Utah,” he says. Key has 25 years experience in brewing, with the majority of that time spent with Gordon Biersch Brewing Co.
Key says, “One of the people who gave me my first break in brewing was Teri Fahrendorf, former head brewer of Steelhead Brewing Co. in Eugene, Oregon, and founder of the Pink Boots Society, the organization of Professional Women in the Beer Industry. As a father of three girls, I am a strong advocate of women in brewing. I would love to give an aspiring female brewer the opportunity that Teri gave me when we have the opportunity to bring someone aboard our brewing staff.”
In addition to bringing locally crafted beer to St. George, Silver Reef plans to build a restaurant pub and beer garden on their hilltop property which features panoramic views that include Zion National Park. They hope to be open within nine months.
Silver Reef Brewing Co is located at 4391 Enterprise Drive, St. George, UT.
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