FestDevious #1- Autumn Seasonals Are Finally Here (like we needed an excuse to drink more beer): Epic Brewing Company- Salt Lake City

I had a blast with Kyle at Snowbird’s Oktoberfest but I was bummed there wasn’t any real Oktoberfest style beer (marzen). When I heard Epic’s first seasonal was going to be a Marzen I was glued to hear the release date, and finally its here! Props on the label and name, pretty cool.

The beer is really good. The nose is pretty malty, not a hint of hop. The flavor is malty, I can taste a little pilsner coming through, it gives it some tang, but mostly the flavor is soft munich. Munich is the grain flavor I usually associate with “malty” taste (think Viennese malty X 3) This beer has real body. The malt heft is balanced by slightly heavy carbonation and the finish is-you guessed it-malty! It is just dry enough to make me drink more, but not as dry as say Paulaner Oktoberfest. All in all I am a hophead but the thing that keeps me coming back for the Marzen style is the uniquely savory flavor the malts and marzen/oktoberfest yeast create. If you can get your hands on one enjoy! Only 10 barrels of #1 are available and at $4.29 for 22oz they won’t be around for long.

Beyond Delicious Crown Burgers- SLC

SLC has quite a few good burgers around, but when I think quintessential SLC Burger it's Crown Burgers that always comes to mind. Prepare yourself for mouthwatering meat on meat madness. Take a regular Utah style cheeseburger -think burger, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and thousand island dressing in a bun and add a 2x-the-burger size hand-full of tender pastrami. Now you have a Crown Burger! Approaching a Crown Burger is delectable in itself- you can smell it before you can see it! That's not to say the burger isn't pretty. I included so many photos because you can definitely taste it with your eyes. Eating this mound of a burger is a gastronomical experience. The hamburger balances the strong pastrami taste, the thousand island adds a bit of tang. At least for me the bun usually gets pretty mangled cupped around so much meat but it's a small price to pay for so much savory goodness! Eaten with their steak cut fries this is a lunch that can't go wrong. DO ask for fry sauce. Theirs is the relish included style and strikes me as a little less sweet and a little more sour on the fry sauce spectrum. Have you ever accidentally tried to order fry sauce not in Utah? Be prepared for odd looks and loads of ketchup. It's too bad fry sauce isn't available EVERYWHERE. At least I think it should be..

Besides their Crown Burger (and Jr Crown Burger for those who can't get through a whole regular one) this joint has some awesome not typical burger spot fare. If you want something more Greek try a gyro or a souvlaki stick! They also have some pretty awesome sandwiches like patty melts and french dips. Order a classic shake or baklava if you have any room left in your stuffed tummy.

The only thing I always wish I could have with my burger is an ice cold beer. That's
why I tend to do takeout/drive-thru when I can't stop myself from a pastrami fix. Unfortunately this means I miss out on the awesome decor. They must be the only fast food restaurant with a chandelier and fireplace!

Crown Burgers is family owned, even with all the different area locations. This is what they say about that on their website:

"In all of the Crown Burger locations you will always find 1 to 5 family members working along side of our employees. Some of the restaurants may differ with 1-2 different items or different prices, but you will always find the Best, freshest food and friendliest service in all of our Crown Burger locations."

No wonder they have consistently awesome food.

MMMMM! Copper Cone Pale Ale- Epic Brewing Company SLC

Ok so this isn’t really an “eat” per se, but who doesn’t want to drink their grains anyway??? Epic Brewing Company makes beers that are sooo delicious they sell out in just a few days! Tonight (after a day of not so awesome job interviews) I am unwinding with my favorite from their Elevated Series – Copper Cone Pale Ale. This pale ale is not whimpy so if you’re looking for something to soothe your American Water Lager Palate (that’s right, your AWLP and it’s as unattractive as it sounds) this beer is probably not for you.

True to it’s name the color is warm copper and the head is just off white with beautiful lacing. The aroma is strong, think California IPA with a lot of citrusy notes. The flavor packs a punch, hop heads you are going to LOVE this beer. To me the taste is grapefruity, with a piney background and caramel finish. I can’t say I have had a hoppier tasting beer EVER! At 6.8% alc/vol this beer is way too easy to drink! The malts balance out the IBUs perfectly. I disagree with those who say this is an IPA. It has a lot of hop flavor and is on the high side for pale ale IBUs but the malty mouthfeel and sweetness takes it back to APA status.

Epic Brewing is new in town, not that they haven’t made a name for themselves already. Specializing in “strong” beers you’ll need to drop by their Brewery on State St. to pick up most of what they have to offer. Currently they are selling 4 beers through the state stores and to be honest I haven’t had a chance to try them yet. Go to their website to check out all the awesome places in town that are serving Epic beers. Lastly, if you become addicted (like me) then save your bottles to be recycled at Cali’s Natural foods (details here), or find a local home brewer (like me) who always need more 22ozers!