The 45th State, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Beer
According to Utah state law: Beer and other malt beverage products that exceed 3.2% alcohol by weight or 4.0% by volume are considered "liquor", and beer with an alcohol content of 3.2% or less is defined as "beer". So, no beer that exceeds this can be made, sold or legally brought into Utah. Thankfully, when I was pulled over for speeding in Richfield, UT - the officer did not look in my car to see the roughly $400 worth of contraband that would definitely not get the Utah rubberstamp.
A little over 60% of state residents are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Wikipedia). Mormons. Boom, there's the restrictions. So you can get a can of Silver Bullet in Utah, but you cannot get the same one that get over the border Colorado. So even if you find Coors Light to be watery and unpalatable - the one in Utah is even more so.
Despite these laws there are a couple of craft brewers within the state borders. When I saw a couple local singles in the fridge of the gas station I stopped at, I figured I give them a go.
Cutthroat Pale Ale
63 / 100
This pours a yellow straw color. The aroma is part caramel, part wheatfield and slightly fruity with some citrus. Flavorwise, it has some subtle hops with some cereal oat. It is somewhat watery and not as hoppy as I would like as it sneaks right in at 4% ABV. Not to say that there cannot be a good beer made at this percentage - but this isn't it.
Wasatch Polygamy Porter
67 / 100
Obviously the first thing you notice about this is the hilarious label. No matter how bad the beer inside would be, I knew the bottle alone was worth it.
It poured with medium dark brown with a slight head. The malt character was the initial aroma followed by some chocolate and coffee. The body is thin and that's not particularly something I crave in a porter. The malt finish tries to even it out - a worthy attempt, but not terribly successful.
