Ogden Beer/Kiitos Tmavé and Uinta 801 Coffee Pilsner
Two light and roasty beers to facilitate the transition from summer to autum.
By Mike Riedel @utahbeer
As autumn approaches, you're going to start seeing some breweries offering darker, bolder flavors to ease you into the season. I thought it would be helpful to get into two lagers that have rich flavors, but are light in body. They're perfect transitional beers to take you from summer to fall.
Ogden Beer/Kiitos - Tmavé: This collaboration beer is a Czech-style dark lager that takes the richness of dark beers and combines them with the clean smoothness of a light lager. It certainly looks nice—a deep, dark brown color with ruby notes and good clarity. A creamy two-finger light-brown head eventually dissipated to a thin layer. The nose yields dark, roasty notes along with a bit of charcoal; hints of coffee and baking chocolate along with a subtle hop presence appear on the finish, along with a slight licorice note. It's redolent with dark walnuts, and a bit of creaminess on the nose as well.
It's very smooth and pleasant on the taste, featuring lots of roasted malt, nutty notes and coffee, along with a subtle sweetness, mild bitterness and overall dry finish. I think the bitterness is achieved through a combination of both roasted malts and hops. I appreciated the charcoal dryness on the finish, almost reminding me of a smoked porter. It's tasty, but I wish that it had a bit more depth of flavor and complexity—definitely easy to drink and enjoyable, though medium- to light-bodied in a manner appropriate for its weight.
Verdict: Malt-forward with a rich and layered malt character, supported by just the right amount of noble hop spice and bitterness, this one is highly drinkable—and coming in at 5.0% ABV, it is sessionable as well. This is an excellent dark lager from two great lager breweries. Highly recommended!
Uinta - 801 Coffee Pilsner: While the aforementioned dark lager has some coffee-like flavors, this pilsner is actually infused with local Yes Yes Coffee. The pour is coppery orange, with a slight chestnut-brown hue from the coffee they used. There's an eggshell-colored creamy head that lasts well and clings to the glass. Nose is predominantly coffee with little richness to it, and a slight touch of toast. The beer looks like a medium-roasted coffee bean: just red, so much vibrant color. Hops lend a light peppery spice, and the coffee is mellow but prominent. It does not push itself too far forward in the nose, nor does it hide under the malt.
Firm, bready richness glides across the palate with a touch of soft, light sweetness. Mellow coffee fills up the middle with a soft-spoken roast that is pretty strong considering the light flavors it yields. The carbonation is perfect, with just a light tingle, the smallest bite to showcase secondary flavors without letting them come to the forefront. The coffee is the dominant flavor, and while you might think this is drinking just a bit thinner than your usual lager, that's a result of the dryness imparted by the combination of coffee and the malts, although they kiss you a bit at the finish.
Verdict: This pilsner presents a characteristic moment of sweetness in the finish as a counterpoint to all that coffee richness. As you drink, it gets richer rather than sweeter, and the coffee does not overwhelm the modest hop profile.
801 Coffee Pilsner was shelved by Uinta a few years back, but has been brought back for a limited time at Uinta's brewery pub on draft only. Tmavé is in 12-ounce cans and draft, and can be found at both Ogden Beer and Kiitos Brewing.
As always, cheers!
About The Author
Mike Riedel
Local boy and pilot of City Weekly’s best gig, The Beer Nerd column since 2017. Current photojournalist at KSTU TV (Fox 13) and host of the Utah Beer Blog and Beer Nerd Radio on KUAA 99.9 FM radio.
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