The latest buzz amongst the craft beer brewers and bolsters of the beehive state is now at Salt City Brew Supply in Midvale.
What progressed from an online off-roading interest forum to a home brewing website, to a brick-and-mortar home brew supply store front, now carries hard-to-find local craft beer for off premise consumers. With over 200 different beers to choose from, one is guaranteed to make you hoppy.
One of these includes that of a home brewer from their “competitor”, The Beer Nut. The beer that won Salt City Brew Supply’s recent home-brewing pro-am competition is brewed at the Bohemian and is now sold at Salt City Brew Supply (SCBS).
Other beers are rare imports and small local brews that aren’t found elsewhere, because the brewers often don’t have a distributor. Co-owner Ross Metzger said the craft beer brewing community is all about collaborating with other brewers. That’s how he can pick these beers up to sell on his own shelf.
“We’re always borrowing stuff and helping each other out,” Metzger said. “It’s a cool community that starts with home brewing. In a lot of ways, home brewers get into the professional craft beer world and bring that attitude with them.”
Of the nine refrigerator doors, three are national crafts, one is harder to find imports, and the other five are all local brews. Another local brew featured is Bewilder Brewing Company, which Metzger and SCBS co-owner Cody McKendrick started up a couple years ago.
Getting involved in the community like Metzger and McKendrick have is as easy as pulling up inventory and prices for the 200+ beers on their website. An easy way to get involved, Metzger said, is to simply walk into the store, grab an unfamiliar hop, and chat with the cashier.
They might direct you to clubs like Lauter Day Brewers, Hop Bombshells Home Brewing Club for women, and the American Homebrewers Association (AHA). Collaboration in the craft beer community comes from that of the home brewing community where people join clubs and share their recipes, some describing it as a rabbit hole of beer science.
“I mostly give away all my beer because I like people to try it and then get feedback”, SCBS customer Andrew Roatcap said. “The whole process of making beer is more fun than the actual drinking.”
Andrew enjoys the hoppy hobby because he has an engineering mind, he said. There are many fine details that brewers can use to manipulate the tasting notes and effects of the brew.
“If you change your sulfate and chloride ratios, you can completely change how bitter the beer is. It’s even playing with water chemistry. We make it exactly how you want it by experimenting a little bit,” Roatcap said.
The next big event to participate in is the 28thAnniversary Beehive Brew-off hosted by the Beer Nut, the AHA and the BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) on October 15 and 16.
For those feeling hoptimistic about their latest home brew, this could be your opportunity to see your beer in the cooler doors. Registration is on the Beer Nut website with an entry fee of $8, and entries will be accepted through October 9, with drop offs beginning September 18. To get a taste of the community and maybe a few samples, registration for stewards is accepted now through day-of, and is open to anyone interested, at www.beernut.com/beercomp/.
On any old day, Salt City Brew Supply has a variety of beers to taste and enjoy, along with welcoming you into a collaborative crafting community that is sure to make your heart malt.
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