Epic Utah Margarita and Shades Citrus Circus 

• Mike Riedel

This week's beers are citrus-driven, to the edge of what many beer-lovers would consider to be beer. Rest assured, though, these are beers and they fill a niche you probably didn't know needed to filled until you're presented with one.

Epic - Utah Margarita: As the name implies, this beer is chasing the margarita-lover. It pours a cloudy gold, with two fingers of white head that quickly fades to nothing and leaves very little lacing. It certainly does do a nice job of mimicking the aroma of a margarita, as I'm picking up on aromas of lime juice, orange zest, sea salt, sweet bready malt and a touch of agave.

Made with real lime, the taste is natural to me, and contributes a bright acidity of its own to the beer, which goes along well with the overall sourness here. It's not super-clean, but properly refined as front-side sours go. There are more lime flavors than salt for me—zesty and even a bit perfume-y. It's moderately salty as well, and I can appreciate it all the way though; it seems to make the beer more substantial, like it calls up the malt body a bit and seems to extend the fruit—more than just an accent here. This is the kind of beer I think of when I think of Epic Brewing; it's pretty innovative. A light-to-medium body pairs with gentle prickly carbonation, resulting in a crisp and refreshing beer that finishes almost entirely dry, but still with a nice sweetness.

Verdict: The aroma and flavors are indeed very close to a margarita. It has a great lime notes without being bitter, while the clean sourness and light, salty finish make the beer super refreshing and easy to drink. This is a wonderful session beer, and I'll have to get more for warmer weather days.

Shades - Citrus Circus: This is part of Shades' Kveik series, and features real blood orange, tangerine, grapefruit and citra hops. It pours a tarnished golden body, with enough haziness that it makes seeing through the glass impossible, but not enough to create a murky mess. The nose is citrus right off the bat, as the fruit is certainly noticeable. Blood orange is the most prominent of the added citrus, bringing with it that sour tangerine/lime mix. The citrus overall leans more toward the sour than the sweet, and I can fully get behind that. A nice floral quality runs through the middle, reminding me a bit of hibiscus, while a soft, damp citra hop profile wraps it up.

The tartness of the flavor grabs right away along the inside of the cheeks and under the tongue. The blood orange pops up mid palate and pushes through the finish, adding a sensation of sweetness. That floral note again pops up just before the swallow. The weight of the body sits at the medium end of the spectrum; the carbonation is high, which is to be expected for the style, but oddly enough it doesn't add much to the body. It doesn't create that airiness that's always so nice in beer of this sort. Tartness runs from front to back, and a small amount of residual sugar is left behind after each drink.

Verdict: This is another good beer from the team at Shades, and I really appreciate their use of such fun fruits in the Kveik Series. Again, it's not the most complex beer—mostly straightforward sour, as a matter of fact—but it's bright, juicy and enjoyable.

On a dreary and rainy April day, these will brighten your outlook for sure. Epic's 12-ounce cans of Utah Margarita are available at the brewery, and will be popping up in grocery and Maverik stores. Citrus Circus is in 12-ounce cans as well, but its 6.5 percent alcohol will require this small batch to be sold at the brewery and better beer pubs around the Wasatch Front. As always, cheers!