Beer reviews: Salt Lake Brewing 89 Barleywine and Fisher Beer Wet Your Willet 

• Mike Riedel

Salt Lake Brewing - 89 Barleywine: Brewed to celebrate 35 years in business for Squatters/Salt Lake Brewing Company, this English-style barleywine was crafted by the long-time head Brewer of Salt Lake's original brewpub, Jason Stock, as a thank-you to the generations of customers who have hoisted a pint over three-and-a-half decades.

It pours a three-finger, slightly foamy, off-white head with excellent retention; a clear burnt amber color shines through, with lower levels of carbonation evident. The head slowly fades to a full wisp, and coats the sides of the glass; a film remains until the end, leaving lots of lacing down the glass as it empties. It looks great, then follows with a bold nose of toffee, caramel, dried fruits, apple notes and some mango. It is really fruity and tempting.

Lots of flavor emerges here, with toffee and dried fruits upfront, then some spicy alcohol at the swallow. The finish yields more sweet toffee and caramel, mango, dried fruits, berries, spicy alcohol and a hint of piney hop bitterness on the palate—flavorful and well-balanced. Medium-bodied with moderate levels of carbonation, it's creamy on the palate, goes down smooth and finishes slightly fruity for a barleywine. You get some heat, with no lingering alcohol.

Verdict: Really good overall—and it may be overlooked, which is probably because it's not 15.0 percent ABV and barrel-aged. This 8.0 percent ale is a flavorful and enjoyable barleywine with plenty of character, which drinks far too easy. Perhaps a little more residual sweetness would help put this over the edge in this category, but as it is, I enjoyed it very much and would gladly drink it again.

Fisher - Wet Your Willet: The brewers tell me that the brewhouse smelled kinda Christmas-like when they brewed Wet Your Willet, as this collaboration with the Sageland Collaborative features rye malt over a bed of ground juniper and whole-leaf sage. It's a cloudy golden-yellow in the glass, with huge billows of foam. Barely escaping a foam-over, this white rock of a foam cap slowly nestles back down into the glass, leaving just some stray dots and sprigs of lace behind—a pretty decent-looking beer, despite the stress of the foam-over.

The aroma has a spicy, pungent whiff. Sage jumps out at first, big and perfumy, but the juniper isn't far behind. It does have that classic fir tree aroma that screams of the holidays, but the sage keeps things from getting too Christmassy. From there, it goes grainy, with a touch of citrus.

With such an aromatic start, the first swig is much-anticipated. The hops, juniper and sage start things off with a swirling and overlapping punch. There is a decent bready and malty base to the ale, but this is a spice-driven brew. Some orange and light pine flavor come next, with good restraint and balance on both. You get a little mild 5.0 percent ABV warmth going down, which is not something I'd expect from this lighter-ABV entry. There's a bit of resonant bitterness on the aftertaste, which may be the juniper. Easy carbonation, with a fluffy and easy-drinking body.

Verdict: The resulting brew features beautiful, delicate aromas of sage and juniper. In the mouth, the sage seems to stand out, with backing juniper on the finish. I enjoyed it, and would have it again, and hope it becomes a component of Fisher's returning seasonal rotation.

You can find Wet Your Willett in 16-ounce cans at Fisher to-go, or to be enjoyed at the brewery. The 89 Barleywine is only available in capped 750 ml. bottles at Salt Lake Brewing Company locations, and can be purchased to-go or enjoyed at their pubs as well.

As always, cheers!