Craft brewing is a big business in Salt Lake City, Utah. Did you know that 21 brewpubs and craft breweries operate in Salt Lake City? The state of Utah produces more than 171,000 barrels of craft beer annually, generating an economic impact of nearly $477 million. Indeed, Utah's and Salt Lake City's craft breweries are worth celebrating. Discover five notable breweries in Salt Lake City that you should place on your list to explore.
Bewilder Brewing Co.
If Salt Lake City had its version of “Cheers,” this brewpub would be it, a place where everybody knows your name and your favorite beer. With a focus on brewing traditional styles of beer with a modern, personal touch, Bewilder Brewing Co. offers customers seasonal brews paired with a Bavarian-inspired food menu.
If you like hazy IPAs and sour beers, Bewilder has the craft creations to pucker your palate in all the right ways. Sample the Sour Mimosa IPA (6.7% ABV), featuring newer German hops that meld orange overtones with Cara Cara orange and tangerine puree flavors. Try the Deseret IPA (7% ABV) in the convenient Can to Go form for a sweeter sip. Influenced by a homebrew recipe from Marshall Lent at Salt Lake City Brew Supply, Deseret IPA is an American IPA with citrus and floral notes balanced by mild honey sweetness from honey malt and honey harvested in Utah.
As you browse the food menu, you'll find specialties such as pickled quail egg appetizers, Mexican chorizo tacos, hot roast beef sandwiches, and a Sunday waffle bar.
As one of only two breweries in Utah that is independent and craft malt certified, Bewilder Brewing Co. bridges the "grain to glass" divide to connect local grain-farming families with customers. A portion of the malt that Bewilder Brewing Co. uses for its brews is regionally sourced and locally malted at Solstice Malting Company.
Location: 445 S. 400 West, Salt Lake City.
Telephone: 385-528-3840.
Epic Brewing Company
With a diverse lineup of craft beers in its portfolio, Epic Brewing Company is Utah's first brewery since Prohibition to brew exclusively high-alcohol content beer. The brewery's team crafts and bottles the product in 22-ounce bottles, perfect for sharing a high-quality, flavorful beer in small quantities with endless varieties. Epic Brewing Company creates unique brews to sip and savor using the finest malts from the United States and Europe, intense hops, and triple-filtered water. Natural variations of taste range from sweet malt and citrus to chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and cinnamon.
The Epic Brewing Company lineup will please your palate when you're here for the beer. Sample a selection or two from the 2022 Big Bad Baptist lineup: Toasted Coconut (10.5%-13.5% ABV), Reserve 2022 (10.5% ABV), and Ginger Bread (10.5%-13.5% ABV). The Every Day Epic line features Los Locos Mexican-style lager (5.1% ABV), a bright golden lager that takes its cues from the Gulf of Mexico's warm sun and white sand beaches. Citralush (7.0% ABV) is a New England-style IPA with fresh melon, guava, and cantaloupe flavors.
Explore the rotating series of brews, which deliver surprises from the Epic Brewing crew. Recent creations have included a Pineapple Creamsicle IPA (8.5% ABV) and Cross Country Chemists IPA (6.5% ABV).
Location: 825 S. State St., Salt Lake City.
Telephone: 801-906-0123
Kiitos Brewing
As a relatively new addition to the Salt Lake City brewery scene, Kiitos Brewing offers myriad styles of beer — many of which are available in cans. A cozy downtown Salt Lake City taproom, this brewery is a hub for good food and great beer.
The year-round beer selections feature bold flavor profiles. Organic toasted coconut and a large percentage of oatmeal in the mash give the Coconut Stout (4% ABV) a robust, creamy flavor, with coconut and different aromas punctuating the beer's flavor. Described as the "anthesis to the traditional IPA," the Northeast India Pale Ale (7.3% ABV) delivers a restrained bitterness and heightened hops aroma to captivate all your senses.
Pair your favorite brew with the dynamic food menu from Rico Foods in the Kiitos Brewing Taproom.
Location: 608 W. 700 South, Salt Lake City.
Telephone: 801-215-9165
SaltFire Brewing Co.
Call them "custodians of the craft" and "zymotic transcendentalists working on the edges of the event horizon." The master craftspeople behind SaltFire Brewing Co. prefer to eschew the trends in brewing to create beer with grit and intelligence. This philosophy translates to SaltFire's straightforward approach to their beers.
The menu reveals a portfolio of brews ranging from the Barrel-Aged Baltic Porter (8% ABV) to the Barrel-Aged Imperial Dirty Chai Stout (9.3% ABV). For a tangy taste on your palate, try the Mobius Trip - Prickly Pear (8% ABV), a sour-fruited beer.
While SaltFire mainly stays with American styles, the crew occasionally throws saisons and wild ales into the mix. Stop by the tasting room and bottle shop and give them a try.
Location: 2199 S. W. Temple, Salt Lake City.
Telephone: 385-955-0504
Templin Family Brewing
With its home in Salt Lake City's Granary District, Templin Family Brewing crafts traditional lager beers, barrel-aged beers, IPAs, sour beers, and more using the German style of making beer. The signature characteristics of the Templin Family's creations are fresh, high-quality ingredients, slow pours, and ample foam. Using a 15-barrel brewhouse, the master crafters ferment all the beers in a space connected to the brewery's downtown Salt Lake City taproom.
Templin Family Brewing is renowned for its flagship, award-winning Granary Kellerbier (4.7% ABV) and American Ave Pale Ale (5% ABV). One standout in the Templin Family lineup is the München Helles (5% ABV), a crisp, malty craft beer with enough hops aroma to balance out the nuances and flavors of this Bavarian classic. A new addition to Templin Family's repertoire, the Bauernhaus Foeder-aged Pilsner (5% ABV) achieves its signature taste from spelt, a malt with origins in ancient Mesopotamia. This crisp golden-colored pilsner is a delight to drink, with undertones of eucalyptus and cedar structuring the beer.
Location: 936 S. 300 West, Salt Lake City.
Telephone: 385-270-5972
Now that you've read this introduction to some of the best breweries in Salt Lake City, call up your friends and sample some of Salt Lake City's superb craft brew creations. What did you think about our list of breweries? Do you have a favorite that we should include in this article? Please write to us, and let us know. Our team members at Bountiful Mazda enjoy sharing information about local businesses and organizations.