Don't Call it A Comeback

You might not have noticed but this blog has been stagnant for quite awhile now. If you're going to pick up the baton again you have to have a post that is, well, EPIC. That's why we're bringing you, for the first time ever, a review of not one but three EPIC beers.

The Epic Brewing Company (EBC) was founded in 2008 in Salt Lake City, Utah. A veritable hotbed of brewing, Salt Lake City is also known for great skiing and eclectic religions. Surely the guys at EBC came up with the name without knowing that the word "epic" would go from obscure to trendy to so overused that even Charlie Sheen stopped using it. The trilogy of Epic has a "strong belief in doing everything 'all out'" so don't let pop culture ruin this experience for you.

We sampled from the Exponential Series and we highly recommend you do the same. This series is available in limited quantities and is geared towards the "accomplished consumer" but we tried it anyway. The Classic and Elevated series' may be excellent as well but this blog post is not about being classic or even elevated. It's about being EPIC.

Imperial Red Ale (#6). The IRA is a double red ale with a hoppy aroma and a bitter hoppy finish. In short, it's really good. In between the hops you find a dry caramel, malty taste. It trends sweet and is light on carbonation. It pours amber with a creamy head.

Smoked and Oaked Belgian Strong Ale (#4). This one is all Belgian and almost no smoke but if you like Belgians this will suit you just fine. There is a nice sweetness that comes out from the smoked cherry wood malts but we didn't get much from the cask aging. For our palette, it seems cask aging results in overpowering whiskey flavor or no substantial benefit though we acknowledge a lack of sophistication in this arena (and most others). While the IRA was our favorite the Smoked and Oaked is good as well...and it's kinda fun to say smoked and oaked.

Sour-Apple Saison (#6). If there is one beer that rightfully has "Epic" on the label it's the SAS. The sour apple will kick you in the face if you're not paying attention (we were not paying attention). You know that feeling you get in the back of your jaw when you suck on a lemon? That's what SAS does to you. The Saison style is not one of our favorites but that doesn't mean we can't try them now and again. The combination of sour apple and Saison style was a bit too much for us but if we find it again we're willing to take another run at it.