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CITY WEEKLY The Beer Issue City Weekly’s annual guide to Utah brewing, bartender tips, can’t-miss beers and more. BY CITY WEEKLY STAFF

U TA H' S I N D E P E N D E N T N E W S PA P E R

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AUGUST 20, 2026 — VOL . 43 N0. 13

salt lake

CONTENTS

Cover Story

The Beer Issue City Weekly’s annual guide to Utah brewing, bartender tips, can’t-miss beers and more. By City Weekly Staff

Cover art by Gretchen Mills

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PRIVATE EYE A&E CINEMA DINE MUSIC COMMUNITY

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SLC FORECAST Thursday 20 101°/74° Mostly sunny Precipitation: 1%

Friday 21 98°/72° Partly cloudy Precipitation: 20%

SOURCE: WEATHER.COM Saturday 22 93°/69° Partly cloudy Precipitation: 17%

Sunday 23 92°/67° Partly cloudy Precipitation: 17%

Monday 24 90°/67° Partly cloudy Precipitation: 13%

Tuesday 25 91°/68° Mostly sunny Precipitation: 6%

Wednesday 26 92°/68° Partly cloudy Precipitation: 9%

STAFF Publisher PETE SALTAS News Editor BENJAMIN WOOD Arts & Entertainment Editor SCOTT RENSHAW Contributing Editor WES LONG Music Editor EMILEE ATKINSON Executive Editor and Founder JOHN SALTAS

Editorial Contributors KATHARINE BIELE, ROB BREZSNY, BRANDI CHRISTOFFERSEN, ELIZABETH CONVERSE, MARK DAGO, LANEY HANSEN, BILL KOPP, GRACE X. MAYA, MIKE RIEDEL, ARICA ROBERTS, STEFENE RUSSELL Graphic Artist SOFIA CIFUENTES Developer BRYAN BALE

Circulation Manager JOSH LAMBROS Associate Business Manager PAULA SALTAS Account Executive DOUG KRUITHOF Marketing & Events Coordinator KAYLA DREHER Delivery Drivers WYATT AMES, CHRIS CHRISTENSEN, DON LANIER, MELVA LANIER, DEBBIE LONGSHAW, KADEN REESE, GENEVA TANNER Display Advertising 801-654-1393 National Advertising VMG Advertising | 888-278-9866

Salt Lake City Weekly is published every Thursday by Copperfield Publishing Inc. We are an independent publication dedicated to alternative news and news sources, that also serves as a comprehensive entertainment guide. 16,000 copies of Salt Lake City Weekly are available free of charge at more than 1,000 locations along the Wasatch Front. Limit one copy per reader. Additional copies of the paper can be purchased for $1 (Best of Utah and other special issues, $5) payable to Salt Lake City Weekly in advance. No person, without expressed permission of Copperfield Publishing Inc., may take more than one copy of any Salt Lake City Weekly issue. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the written permission of the publisher. Third-class postage paid at Midvale, UT. Delivery might take up to one full week. All rights reserved.

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Phone 801-654-1393 | Email comments@cityweekly.net Office address: 75 E. 400 South, Ste. 204, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER

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“Dirt Cheap,” July 30 Cover Story

Trump Derangement Syndrome is real. I have it, an affliction that every patriot, decent person who cares about this nation and anyone who has common sense has contracted from him. (MAGAs have crowd immunity.) We’ve been getting a lot of serious illnesses, thanks to the Trump administration saving us lots of money by cutting many jobs at the CDC and putting in charge incompetents—like illnesses from another food product every few days. But we’ve got to have the funds for Trump’s ego projects

come from somewhere, or else the national debt will explode. (Oh, it’s exploding anyway? Hitting $40 trillion in a few weeks!) Well, at least Trump’s increased the need for jobs … medical professional jobs. Oh, but he’s made it more difficult for people to pay their medical bills? Go figure. Upon reading the article “Dirt Cheap” on the gondola fiasco, I realize I’ve been getting struck by a violent mental illness I call “brain babble.” Brain babble is a bit like TDS. It’s brought on by Trump and his Merry Minions’ unending mother lode of extreme lies (The Iran War has ended now about 16 times already) in the face of facts and even his sequential contradicting statements. It’s when you feel your head exploding from the brain cells crashing into each other at the speed of a Large Hadron Collider, trying to grasp this unprecedented destruction of reality. Started in his first term, it gets worse each day.

It’s also expanded by his loyal criminals leading federal agencies—now his, not ours—and by his congressional political allies. And it’s spread to general society. Which brings me back to the gondola fiasco, brought on by UDOT project manager Devin Weber’s two statements: 1. “Who would we get to evaluate the site to see if there’s any contaminated soils that’s better than the EPA and UDEQ?” Well, the EPA has been corrupted by the Trump administration to put business profits over environmental and health damage, and the UDEQ has a clear bias, shown by ignoring the strong public objection to the high cost of this publicly financed, private business project. There are a number of experienced independent companies that do this professionally. That’s who you get involved. And you either have the land owner get it done before the purchase, contingent on the results, or after, with

the option to cancel the deal. For a project like the gondola I’m positive knowing contamination only to the depth of 18 inches is meaningless— probably more like ten or more feet would be necessary. 2. “This isn’t a negotiated sale,” Weber said. “We don’t go into this and say, ‘Hey, we’re trying to get the number as low as possible.’” Ah, yes! We do! Except this deal clearly “isn’t a negotiated sale” because the project manager is either unqualified or this deal is really happening “under the table.” Likely both. The courts need to throw out the entire project, from approval on, require it to start over with total public disclosure. Please, for the sake of calming my babbling brain! DAVID HORN Salt Lake City Care to sound off on a feature in our pages or about a local concern? Write to comments@ cityweekly.net or post your thoughts on our social media. We want to hear from you!

THE WATER

COOLER If you could spend an hour with any music legend, who would you pick? Zach Abend

Neil Diamond. Need to get his take on Song Sung Blue and pitch my rock opera.

Terri Anderson

Oh, easy! ROBERT PLANT!!

Elizabeth Converse

Billy Joel. He dropped all new content every 1 to 3 years from 1971 to 1993. It had to be cocaine. I want to know.

Paula Saltas

Elvis Presley, because we share the same birthday so we are cool like that.

Bryan Bale

Right now I’m thinking Brian May, guitarist for Queen. If he’s willing, we’d talk about music and astrophysics.

Derek Carlisle

Maynard James Keenan would be the perfect chat on music, art, wine, business and marketing. An hour wouldn’t be enough time.

Benjamin Wood

I’m a piano player, so maybe Ben Folds? Several years ago I had a short backand-forth with him on Twitter, and he’s such a brilliant, unconventional musician. Besides, it’s all about the Benjamins, baby.

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PRIVATE

EYE BY JOHN SALTAS

Pioneer Perk

ong before there was a Greek Festival on the grounds of Salt Lake City’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral, there were once businesses that operated in what is now the cathedral’s parking lot. These days, the parking lot is mostly vacant, except on nights when there is a game or concert at the nearby Delta Center. I’ve seen more cars in that lot for a funeral or wedding than for a regular Sunday church service, barring the two days when many Greeks reluctantly go to church—Christmas and Easter. When I was young, nearly everyone parked on the street. About mid-block there was a little market or a sausage grinder or something. On the corner at 200 South and 300 West was a café or bar, I forget, but I’m certain Bill Rekouniotis will remind me. It was a favorite place to have a coffee while skipping either the church or Sunday school, or both. It’s also where I witnessed my first ever marshmallow dropped into a cup of hot chocolate. For a kid from Bingham, being in the presence of such largesse was an inspiration; an invitation to imagine even greater heights, like, “gee, I wonder if I can ruin that with a dose of pumpkin spice.” As often as not, we didn’t find a parking space close to the church. My mom or Pete Dimas drove us in from Bingham Canyon and we’d start searching for spots from a block away. And as often as not, that parking place was alongside Pioneer Park. Back then, the central attraction of Pioneer Park was an old train engine, apparently as an homage to the onceproud Rio Grande Pacific Railroad Depot just one block

away. In the 1980s, that engine—No. 233—was removed to the Salt Lake City Union Station in favor of a soon-tobe-unused children’s playground. The hitch? No kids lived near Pioneer Park. Not that it mattered, since even if they did, few parents would allow their child to play in what was already becoming a community eyesore. In 1972, Salt Lake City plopped yet another choo-choo onto the northeast corner of the park, this one a massive steam locomotive. It too just sat there, until it was removed to Ogden’s Union Station in 1999 as part of the Utah State Railroad Museum. I suppose there is some connection between the pioneers, for which Pioneer Park was named, and those locomotive engines. But that connection is lost to history. Back when even I (as a pre-teen) would not venture from the sidewalk into the park itself, Pioneer Park was a dumping ground for things that people and cities just didn’t want—like old trains. It wasn’t always so. Pioneer Park sits where the city’s first log cabins, first school and a fort were built. Pioneer Park was as vitally important to all things Mormon as were the grasshopper-eating seagulls. A Daughters of Utah Pioneers pamphlet of an older era said that the old fort itself was as important to the locals as Plymouth was to New England. Well, that didn’t last. As we all know, people moved east and south from there, leaving Pioneer Park to the pigeons and all else. Today, there isn’t a functioning LDS meetinghouse within one mile of Pioneer Park. It’s just not a place people think of when asking, “Hey hon, what say we go to a park and let the kids romp around?” Salt Lake City is home to nearly 90 individual public parks and spaces of every size. Pioneer Park is not likely among the top 80 choices to open a picnic box. Which makes it all the crazier to keep on doing to Pioneer Park what hasn’t worked for decades. As anyone

who does visit the park knows—perhaps for the Saturday Farmer’s Displacement-of-the-Homeless Market—destruction and construction are again in full swing. Over the years, City Weekly has reported all too often about the homeless, the neglect, the malfeasance, the ugly damned viaduct, the crime and slippery white-collar drug dealing that has defined the modern-day Pioneer Park. One of the best things it had going for it in the modern era was being home, for a time, to the Twilight Concert Series, now blaring in greener and more concrete pastures (read: cleaner and safer). So, driving by today and recalling stirring memories, I see what I’ve already seen: a dollar pit of every metaphor. Until that area of town becomes—if ever—a desirable place to live, Pioneer Park is just another place to spend more tax dollars. I’m out of the loop. Who is doing the construction there? I don’t recall reading about that bid. Utah’s very own Reflecting Pool? If I were fixing things, I’d rename Pioneer Park for Tony Caputo, my departed friend and founder of Tony Caputo’s Market and Deli. Tony nearly singlehandedly changed public perception of Pioneer Park and its environs. He shepherded the return of people to the area—not the city. Not a new dog park. Not a promenade. Not even the Greek church. When the $18.4 million dollars are fully spent, Pioneer Park will be home to six pickleball courts (because, why not, as soulless as pickleball is?). Tony got bocce ball courts installed, but they’re not in the plans now. I get it. Who plays bocce? But that’s the point. Bocce spoke to the neighborhood; its roots and values. People returned to buy cheese, then again for markets and concerts. In 50 years, someone will write this story again. They can start by describing the northeast corner of Pioneer Park, where an empty Tesla sat today. CW Send comments to john@cityweekly.net

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HITS & MISSES BY KATHARINE BIELE |

@kathybiele

MISS: Cause and Effect

It’s not like there’s no other news, but Utah wildfires dominate the TV newscasts. Maybe it’s the videos, which can be quite amazing. And for sure, the state is facing an ongoing drought amid major water concerns. Something big, however, is missing—context. A comprehensive Deseret News story delved into the latest effects of wildfires on the economy, the ecosystem and, of course, personal lives. But several commenters noted climate change wasn’t even mentioned. KSL reported that 840 fires have burned roughly 530,000 acres, even as human-caused fires have dipped. But again, the cause is missing. While most wildfires are caused by weather events like lightning, humans remain a problem. Only when an arson is detected do news organizations say how a fire was caused. Readers are getting no information on the actual causes of individual humancaused fires. They can ignite from vehicles dragging chains, campfires and target shooting, but readers are hardpressed to learn the specific causes of a fire and how to avoid them.

MISS: Manifest Destiny

So we’re dry, very dry. Some 12 million birds pass over Great Salt Lake in the Pacific Flyway, all while the wetlands are shrinking and agriculture is soaking up water. Now, Logan and Cache Valley are considering cutting back on their wetlands protections to make way for development. We saw how this played out in Box Elder County, with proposals over data centers and how the governor said the people just don’t recognize the enormous needs and benefits. Protests are now an every-day occurrence, but big business is a formidable opponent. The minute the president reduced Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, mining claims started rolling in. Concerns over the loss of public lands or water resources are seen as detrimental to growth.

HIT: Name Calling

You can say a lot about Sen. John Curtis, who helped approve the Trumpservile attorney general, who helped send massive funds to ICE and who supports the voter-suppression SAVE America Act. You can say those things and like or not like him. But you might want to stay off Twitter, aka X. There, the senator is considered a Democrat— or worse. But of course, he’s disparaged all over social media. Curtis and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) introduced the State-Sponsored Visa Pilot Program Act to create a voluntary, state-led temporary work visa program. It’s something that Congress should have tackled long ago and for Utahns, we might remember the Utah Compact, a 2011 declaration that never made it into federal law and has become a favorite talking point of the anti-immigration far right. They call it amnesty for illegals—or worse. They say Democrats want open borders—or worse. The name-calling just gets worse in a country where it’s expected from the highest office. But hey, the bill is a start, although one that depends on all 50 states. CW

BY ELIZABETH CONVERSE

Speak for the Trees

rowing up, there was a massive tree in my neighbor’s yard. I’ve had terrible vision my whole life, and every time I got new glasses I would stand at the window looking at that tree—taking my glasses off and putting them back on, over and over. I remember how the leaves were breathtaking—sharp, crisp edges; the bright shade of green. Every detail stood out as if it had been waiting for me to see. Decades later, I still have a tree. It is a Catalpa, planted by a stranger in the park strip outside my home. Every year, I take the same photographs—after the first substantial snow and the first bloom. In winter, the tree looks dormant and severe. In spring, it explodes with giant green leaves and clusters of white and purple speckled flowers. I know my attachment isn’t entirely rational. But judging by the way Salt Lakers react whenever a mature tree is threatened, I’m hardly alone. Spend enough time in this city and you’ll see it—residents rally around preserving these giants, and neighborhoods mourn their loss. A couple years ago, hundreds of trees along North Temple were accidentally poisoned. The reaction wasn’t just frustration over a mistake—people were genuinely upset. The conversation was never really about landscaping. It was about losing something that had endured for so long. My Catalpa survived hurricane-force winds, heavy snows, drought, years of neglect (before we moved in) and every change our neighborhood has experienced. If it were cut down tomorrow and replaced with the exact same species, I would feel a profound sense of loss. That tree, my tree, has history. A sapling may eventually become magnificent, but it cannot inherit decades. Maybe that’s why mature trees inspire such awe. When I see a massive tree that is clearly older than I am, I wonder what it has witnessed. What did the street look like 50 years ago? Who walked beneath those branches? How many winters has it survived? Years ago, a boss asked me what a successful life looks like. I told him I want to sit on a bench and watch children play in a place I helped create— not because my name would be on a plaque, but because I liked the idea of helping build something for people I would never meet. Salt Lake sits in a high desert valley. The shade we enjoy today was not by accident. Generations planted and cared for trees in a place never naturally known for them. The city’s urban canopy exists because someone decided decades ago that future strangers deserved a cooler, greener place to live. In a place that knows drought, wind, heat, snow and hard seasons, trees remind us that endurance and beauty are not opposites. Sometimes they are the same thing. That’s why a city full of mature trees feels different than one without them—not just cooler, not just prettier, but kinder and softer. Trees are strange friends that way. They remind us that it is possible to weather difficult seasons and still become something remarkable. CW

773 Fort Union Blvd

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Museum Quality Specimens

Skulls and Skeletons

Butterflies and Insects

Minerals, and Fossils

AUGUST 31 - SEPTEMBER 5 ZEPFEST

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Urban Arts Festival keeps evolving to pursue its mission of accessibility and artist support. BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net

ow in its 16th year, the Urban Arts Festival—produced by Utah Arts Alliance—is the state’s largest free arts festival. That’s a pretty impressive achievement for something that, according to Utah Arts Alliance executive director Derek Dyer, wasn’t even supposed to be a festival at all. The initiating idea was a show dedicated to decorated skateboard decks, a component that remains a fixture of the festival to this day. But as planning moved forward, other notions started sneaking in. “The first year, we didn’t have a grand plan, like ‘this is going to be the biggest, craziest festival,’” Dyer recalled. “We started to think, ‘Maybe we could have some bands play; maybe we could have a [skateboard] ramp; maybe we could have some vendors.’ We were just going to do a group skate deck show, and the idea got out of hand.” That unplanned festival has evolved and shifted over time, whether it’s the components of the festival or its scope. Yet one of the bedrock principles has remained keeping it accessible—which means keeping admission free. “I’ve talked to artists, and people who’ve grown up going to the festival,” Dyer says. “For most of them, it was their first time going to a festival, and it was really life-changing for them, a first intro to this kind of community event. So we feel like it’s really important for the community to have that accessible entry point. … It just gives everyone an equal opportunity to check it out.”

Attempting to maintain accessibility is one of the reasons for the new venue for the Urban Arts Festival in 2026 at the former Smith’s Ballpark. While many other potential venues were becoming more expensive, Salt Lake City offered a grant program to encourage events to take place at the ballpark. “One of the things I do like about our organization is that we are relatively flexible and creative,” Dyer notes. “The festival has moved to about four different locations over the years. We saw this opportunity come up for the Ballpark, and I thought it would be interesting to try this venue. There’s lots of free parking. The concourse area seemed great for a vendor space. The field is a blank canvas to create on.” That willingness to adapt and try new things has been a trademark of the festival over the years, though many popular staples return annually. That includes the juried skate deck show at Urban Arts Gallery, the festival’s showcase of low-rider culture and particularly the live mural painting, which Dyer believes has had a huge impact on the community. “I know it’s a national trend, but I don’t think we’d have the mural scene we have locally if not for Urban Arts Festival,” Dyer says. “I think we’ve made a big impact in the scene here for street art.” Yet it does remain a goal to switch things up each year in a way that makes it worthwhile for attendees to come back and not feel they’re seeing the same festival all over again. “For me it’s that we always try to have something new,” Dyer says. “If you come every year, you’ll see some new stuff. I’ll go to events and sometimes have a déjà vu moment, like, ‘It feels the same.’ We do constantly try to look for what changes can happen, what trends can we support, what platforms can we give attention to that aren’t as traditional.” That does not, however, include supporting AI art, as the festival has instituted a strict policy against admitting work that is wholly AI-generated. Dyer under-

“We always try to have something new.” — Executive director Derek Dyer

A&E

COURTESY PHOTO

Urban Planning

stands that there are complexities to the issue, noting that one of Utah Arts Alliance’s other events, Illuminate, included an installation addressing AI creation. “There are a lot of discussions that could be had around that,” he remarked, “but we just determined it was now necessary to make that very clear, to not support a kind of artistic theft. … The concern that I think a lot of the creative community has is, it takes other artists’ work; to just come in and steal, that is not right. We want artists to be able to make a living, have their unique expression. [AI] can be used as a powerful tool; a lot of the artists I talk to use it for visualizing what a piece could be, but they’re not just printing an AI image that they come up with from a couple of prompts.” And ultimately, supporting artists in the diverse work they do is a huge part of what

motivates the continuation of this festival, along with allowing anyone in the door to be inspired. “I recently just got a call from an artist I hadn’t talked to in a couple years,” Dyer says. “He wanted to think me and the Utah Arts Alliance: ‘I’m not sure I would even be alive, but I’m now a touring artist, living this dream life I never thought I could have.’ … We’ve seen that in different ways over the years. It’s really quite a platform for emerging artists to incubate and take their art to the next level.” CW

URBAN ARTS FESTIVAL Smith’s Ballpark (77 W. 1300 South) Saturday, Aug. 22 noon – 10 p.m. Free admission utaharts.org/en/urban-arts-festival/

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Josh Johnson @ Kingsbury Hall

COURTESY PHOTO

When does Josh Johnson sleep? It’s easy to wonder how many candles the gifted comedian is burning at both ends, given his remarkable output of material on a weekly basis. In addition to a long-standing gig on the writing staff of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show—where he also serves as on-camera correspondent and occasional behind-the-desk guest host—Johnson maintains a regular touring schedule on his weekends off from the show. And somehow, he manages to produce a new hour of fresh material nearly every week, posting sets to his YouTube channel where he turns out timely observations on topics including the arrest of the Tate brothers, the death of Lindsey Graham, the cyclospora outbreak and the online right’s meltdown over race-blind casting in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey—and that’s just in the past several weeks. The amazing part is not just that Johnson is so prolific, but that he’s so consistently great. Taking the stage in his trademark grey hoodie and jeans, Johnson always feels like he’s having an intimate conversation with his audience, mixing anecdotes from his life seamlessly into his topical material. He does so with an uncanny mix of wisdom and humanity, so that he feels as much like a philosopher trying to build a better world as a comedian—but a very funny philosopher. Josh Johnson brings his Comedy Band Camp tour, mixing comedy and live music, to Kingsbury Hall (1395 E. Presidents Circle) Aug. 21 – 22 for three performances. At press time, performances are sold out, but secondary market tickets may be available. Visit utahpresents.org for additional event information. (Scott Renshaw)

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In one sense, the new novel by British author Natasha Pulley, The Salt King, can be described as a kind of apocalyptic fantasy. But that may only be in the way that faith intersects with fantasy, complicating the way we understand what happens in the world as part of a natural process, or the result of supernatural forces. The story follows a young Jesuit priest named Avelyn who was raised in a strange religious cult in the fens of England before his departure and vocation. He’s called by the Vatican to return to his hometown after a viral video suggests a miraculous healing, followed by the healed man being transformed into a pillar of salt—with other strange salt-based phenomenon beginning to take place all around the world. “The more I read about the Catholic procedures for this kind of thing, the more I realized that, actually, there’s an acceptance of supernatural things that happens quite quickly,” Pulley says in an interview with Publishers Weekly. “Of course there is. This is what belief is. The question is not, Is this real or not? The question is, Is it real and God, or is it real and something else?” Natasha Pulley visits The King’s English (1511 S. 1500 East) to present The Salt King on Friday, Aug. 21 at 7 p.m. Ticket options include $5 admission (proceeds going to the non-profit Brain Food Books), or $29.99 including a book copy. Places in signing line are reserved for those purchasing via The King’s English. Visit kingsenglish.com for tickets and event info. (SR)

If you ever wonder what can come of participating in National Novel Writing Month, take Sara Gruen’s 2006 novel Water for Elephants as an example. Gruen took up the challenge, and the resulting novel became a national best-seller, multiple award-winner, the source material for a 2011 film adaptation starring Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon, and a Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical in 2023. And just in case you needed any more bona fides, it’s been banned by several Utah school districts. It’s easy to understand the appeal of the history, which includes sweeping historical fiction, romance and a unique milieu. It tells the story of Jacob, beginning as a nonagenarian nursinghome resident, then flashing back to his life in a Depression-era travelling circus, where the orphaned Jacob applies his training as a veterinarian. Along the way he’s entangled in the volatile relationship between animal trainer August and August’s wife/circus performer Marlena, which may lead to tragic consequences. With a bluegrass/Americana-tinged song score by folk band PigPen Theatre Co., this musical adaptation provides an example of why this narrative has the juice to succeed in a variety of settings. Broadway at the Eccles’ presentation of the touring company of Water for Elephants comes to the Eccles Theater (131 S. Main St.) Aug. 25 – 30, 7 p.m. Tuesday – Thursday; 7:30 p.m. Friday; 1 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Saturday; and 1 p.m. & 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Options include ASL interpretation Aug. 27, and closed captioning for the matinee on Saturday, Aug. 29. Tickets are $69.39 - $167.75; visit saltlakecountyarts.org for tickets and additional event information. (SR)

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Natasha Pulley: The Salt King @ The King’s English

CINEMA Sarah Coffey and Kenny Riches in Mouse

Confidence Games SLC native filmmaker Kenny Riches talks about his new crime thriller Mouse.

Mouse, the new feature by Salt Lake City native filmmaker Kenny Riches, deals with a professional thief named Denny (played by Riches) who gets involved circa 2007 with a pair of con artists taking advantage of lonely people. Riches spoke with City Weekly about the origins of the story, casting himself in the lead and the movie’s social and economic themes. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

KR: Salt Lake City in the film I think is interesting. I grew up here, but I think that Salt Lake City is an interesting place because it has such a strong monoculture, and it creates even more depth of loneliness for people who don’t fit within the culture. So for me, I feel like that helps paint Denny’s loneliness in a different way.

From the jump, I knew I was writing it for myself. I didn’t know if I could pull it off or not, so I made an audition tape for myself and my team—which is a weird thing, to audition for yourself, but it kind of helped show the team that this was worth pursuing. And I knew, it was such a small film, that if I ruined it, we could always just keep shooting my stuff until it worked.

I had my producing team, which is like my close friends, and my partner Cara Despain, she’s art-directed all of my films. Because I’m so close to them, there’s no formalities. They’re very honest. If I made a weird face in a take, Cara would be quick to ask, “What are you doing with your face.” So I feel like I definitely relied a lot on them, and playback. We wasted a lot of time on playback.

How much did you already know about the world of thievery and fraud, and how much did you have to research?

My parole officer says I can’t talk about this stuff. [Laughs] I grew up being a troublemaker. It was a different time; I grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, pre-Internet, you entertained yourself by getting in trouble. Shoplifting and all that stuff was just what

Was there something you felt was particular to 2007, rather than a contemporary setting, that was right for this story?

Definitely I hate smartphones in movies; you have to write your way around that sort of stuff. But the main reason is that social media and smart phones connected us in a way that I didn’t want to explore in my film. I wanted the old version, which was, if you were an introverted person, you couldn’t go online and find someone, troll someone, interact with someone. Pen pal services were a thing that existed at that time for that reason, 1-900 numbers for lonesome men existed for that reason. There were all these old-school avenues that I think are more interesting, story-wise, especially for a kind of

• BREWVIES.COM •

I think this is a major theme of the film: class and posturing, and how people identify with their status, and how much importance we put on it. I know so many young people that buy expensive cars, but still live at home with their parents. They want to appear successful more than they want to find true happiness. I definitely wanted to comment on how we live in such a strong hustle culture, prioritizing wealth and success so much, and how that gets tied into our feelings toward other people and towards our own self-esteem. Mouse opens Friday, Aug. 21 at Broadway Centre Cinemas. CW

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The economic ideas in Mouse are pretty clear, this idea of people thinking “maybe I’m not worthy of love if I’m not wealthy.” How did you think about how money affects the psychology of relationships?

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you did if you were growing up at that time in a neighborhood of other young men who also wanted to cause trouble. But I’ve never scammed anyone with a pen pal service or done any of the more nefarious stuff.

Why did you decide to cast yourself in the lead role?

On set, who was the person who could be your additional eyes to make sure your own performance was working?

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CW: Why did this feel like it should be a Salt Lake-set story?

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BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net

salt lake

CITY WEEKLY AND

UTAH BEER FESTIVAL Presents the

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THE

A traveling mini beer festival series hosted at local taprooms featuring unique themes, guest breweries, craft beer and cider samples, and curated entertainment

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CHEERS

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DRINK IT UP

he history of City Weekly is inextricably linked with beer. This paper began as a news source for the state’s heavily-regulated private clubs and their member patrons, during a time when bars were prohibited from advertising or even serving walkin customers. In time, CW launched the Utah Beer Festival, providing an annual showcase for the state’s brewing industry and defying the puritanical overlords on Capitol Hill who prefer that drinking be kept hidden away, out of sight and out of mind. Much has changed since those days. Adults can now walk into any bar at any time and, provided they carry a valid ID, order a tasty beverage. The bars themselves are free to advertise and even occupy buildings with— gasp—windows looking out onto the street. And there are so many large beer events cribbing the CW model that the Utah Beer Fest has pivoted to the Utah Beer Hop, a series of smaller tasting events that spread the love around while prioritizing the human connection between Utah beer fans and the state’s best brewers (find dates and details at UtahBeerFestival.com). So where does the annual City Weekly Beer Issue find itself in 2026? Change may be the only constant, but some things stay the same. Dedicated and innovative professionals are finding new and creative ways to serve the drinking public while under constant pressure from the Legislature, from the supply-chain economy and from indifferent landlords. An army of unsung bartenders and hospitality employees are showing up, ready to greet regulars and visitors alike with a tall pour and a friendly smile. Local chefs, musicians and artists are connecting with the community through the venue of a local watering hole. And of course, CW is here to document, celebrate and inform it all. Let this issue be your personal invitation to give a little back to the local beer industry. Meet up for drinks with that friend you’ve fallen out of touch with. Check out the local band playing at your neighborhood spot and slip a few bucks into the tip jar. Try that small-batch release with the funky flavors, then take a six-pack home to try it again. Order another round, and one more for good measure—and then thank your bartender, tip generously and tell ‘em City Weekly sent you. It’s been an outrageously hot summer. Prices are through the roof. The air is full of smoke as the mountains burn. Government is crumbling. Jobs and lakes are drying up left and right. But Salt Lakers are tough. We’ll get through this together, and a cold beer sure helps to take the edge off.

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—Benjamin Wood, Mug Manager

Utah breweries find innovation and resilience through tough economic times. BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net

tah’s craft beer industry continues to show resilience, despite a difficult economic climate and a wave of brewery closures tied more to real estate pressures than declining demand, according to Utah Brewers Guild executive director Stephanie Biesecker. Biesecker, who has led the nonprofit trade organization for nearly two years, said Utah’s brewing scene remains relatively stable compared to larger markets around the country that have experienced sharp contractions and heavy brewery saturation. “Utah beer is still growing for the most part, which is different from a lot of the country right now,” Biesecker said. “When we’re not growing, we’re pretty stable.” The Utah Brewers Guild advocates for the state’s breweries, works on alcohol legislation and promotes awareness of local craft beer businesses. Biesecker said Utah’s brewing community stands apart because of its unusually collaborative culture. “I think our brewers work well together. They’re genuinely friends with one another,” she observed. “Sometimes they share hops and malts and cans and all kinds of things, because we are kind of all under the same thumb here in Utah.” That sense of community, she said, has helped breweries weather years of rising costs tied to inflation, supply chain disruptions and soaring property values. “People still love craft beer,” Biesecker remarked. “Beer festivals are still popular. Tap rooms are still full on the weekends.” In recent years, breweries across the country have struggled with rising aluminum prices, higher grain costs—linked in part to the war in Ukraine—and shifting consumer habits. Utah breweries have faced those same challenges, but Biesecker said many closures in the state stem from rent increases and property disputes rather than falling beer sales. Among the highest-profile closures was the shutdown of the former Utah Brewers Cooperative operation, including the Squatters and Wasatch brands, after Monster Beverage consolidated production into larger facilities outside the state of Utah. “They were doing great here,” Biesecker said. “But when you work for a giant corporation, sometimes that doesn’t make a difference.” Other breweries, including Policy Kings, Shades Brewing and Kiitos Brewing, faced challenges tied to expansion projects, landlord disputes or rapidly increasing lease costs. “Growing right now is hard because the cost of supplies is higher than it used to be, but property values are ridiculous,” Biesecker said. She pointed to Park City as one of the clearest examples. The closure of Top of Main, located in the historic home of Utah’s modern craft beer revival, underscored how difficult it has become for local businesses to compete with escalating real estate prices.

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THE STATE OF UTAH BEER

Utah Brewers Guild executive director Stephanie Biesecker “There are a lot more national businesses that have come in,” she noted. “It’s sad because I think they’re going to start losing more and more local businesses on Main Street.” Despite the setbacks, Biesecker said Utah brewers may actually be well-positioned for one of the industry’s biggest emerging trends: lower-alcohol beer. As consumers increasingly gravitate toward lighter beers and nonalcoholic options, Utah breweries already have years of experience perfecting lower-ABV brewing because of the state’s unique alcohol laws. “We’re pretty dang good at it,” she said. “A lot more people are looking for lower-ABV beer.” She also noted growing interest in nonalcoholic beers, which allow consumers to enjoy the flavor and social aspects of beer without alcohol. Biesecker believes perceptions about declining beer consumption are also skewed by comparisons to pandemic-era drinking patterns. “Everybody was drinking all the time during COVID,” she said. “You can’t really compare the situation we’re in right now with such a strange year.” Even with recent closures, new breweries continue to emerge. Wolf Dog and Rabbit’s Foot both opened recently, while The Roja Brewing Project changed ownership through new investment. Looking ahead, she expects the market to stabilize as economic pressures ease and consumer preferences continue to evolve.

“Craft beer in Utah still has a great audience,” Biesecker said. “I think we’re all going to be okay. It’s just got to level out from lots of weird bumps in the road.”

Offset Bier Builds a Reputation in Park City

For Conor Brown, beer was never supposed to become a second career. The founder and owner of Park City’s Offset Bier Co. still works full-time in the ski industry, a job he has held since graduating from college in 1999. But somewhere between growing up in Vermont’s craft beer culture and building skis for mountain towns across the West, he found himself pulled into the endless rabbit hole of brewing. “I’ve only had one job as an adult other than running this business,” Brown said. “But beer was always something I was passionate about.” Brown grew up surrounded by Vermont’s early craft brewing scene in the 1990s, when local breweries and artisanal food culture were already thriving in New England. While many beer drinkers were grabbing massmarket lagers, Brown and his friends were drinking local beer almost by default. Years later, while living in Utah, his sister tipped him off to a new generation of highly-sought-after Vermont breweries, where customers lined up for limited releases that were often only available at the brewery itself.

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RoHa Brewing Project owner Shawn Smith. “I’d love for this to eventually become my only job,” he said. “But more than anything, we just want to keep making better beer.”

Neuroscientist Finds Second Calling at RoHa Brewing Project By most measures, Dr. Shawn Smith already had a demanding career. As a neurointensivist with Intermountain Health, department chair for neurosciences across Salt Lake Valley hospitals, and medical director for neurology in Intermountain’s Canyons Region, his professional life revolves around high-stakes decisions, precision and data. Yet ask him where his passion lies, and another answer quickly emerges. “Medicine is what I do,” Smith says. “But this brewery is phenomenal. I love it.” That passion has been brewing for more than three decades. Growing up in Butte, Montana, Smith discovered homebrewing while attending Montana State University in the mid-1990s. Armed with five-gallon buckets, glass carboys and more enthusiasm than experience, he and his roommate produced what he laughingly described as “a ton of terrible beer.” Fortunately, Bozeman had a thriving homebrewing community fueled by microbiology and biochemistry students. As a biochemistry major, Smith embraced the scientific side of brewing long before dissolved oxygen meters and closed-transfer systems became standard practice. The group experimented relentlessly, analyzed yeast performance with laboratory equipment and slowly transformed their hobby into a craft.

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As a former marketing major, Brown became fascinated not just by the beer, but by the branding and scarcity behind it. “I was intrigued by breweries that wanted complete control over their product and how people experienced it,” he said. “That really started me down the path of exploring beer more seriously.” By 2016, Brown decided to try brewing himself. He dove headfirst into research before making his first batch—a hazy pale ale that accidentally became a stronger IPA than intended. That first beer launched an obsession. “I was brewing close to 100 batches a year at home,” Brown recalled. “I wanted to know if I could make the kind of beer I personally wanted to drink.” At the same time, Brown saw an opportunity in Park City. Despite being one of the country’s premier ski destinations, he felt the town lacked a true neighborhood brewery built for locals rather than tourists. “There weren’t many spaces for people who actually live here,” he said. “I wanted to create a place where people could gather after work or after skiing without needing reservations or paying for parking.” Opening a brewery in Park City, however, came with obvious risks. Brown signed his lease in November 2020 during the height of the pandemic and opened Offset Bier Co. in September 2021. “Honestly, all we’ve really known is hardship,” he said with a laugh. To keep costs manageable, Brown built much of the brewery himself using secondhand equipment purchased from auctions around the country. Even today, nearly everything in the brewery is used. Offset’s beer program reflects Brown’s dual personality as both an experimental beer geek and a student of classic brewing traditions. The brewery divides its menu into two categories: “Offs,” which are creative one-off beers heavy on hops, sours and experimentation; and “Sets,” which focus on straightforward traditional styles. “Some people just want beer-flavored beer,” Brown emphasized. “Simple lagers and traditional styles are often the hardest beers to make, because there’s nowhere to hide mistakes.” Operating in Utah also means overcoming perceptions about the state’s alcohol laws and beer culture. Brown said many visitors arrive expecting watered-down beer or limited options. “We like surprising people,” he said. “Once they walk in, read the menu and talk to the bartenders, they realize we’re paying attention to what’s happening nationally in beer.” Being located in a ski town has also helped Offset gain attention from brewers and industry veterans visiting Park City on vacation. Brown recently partnered with brewing industry heavyweight Finn Sternat, who previously helped build brands including Goose Island, Southern Tier, Victory and Sixpoint. Still, Brown insists Offset remains small by design. “We’re not making a ton of beer,” he said. “The goal is just to keep improving every batch.” That pursuit of improvement extends beyond hops and fermentation techniques. Brown said Offset’s biggest focus is drinkability—creating beers that are smooth, balanced and easy to return to, sip after sip. “If a beer finishes harsh or bitter, subconsciously you don’t want another drink,” he said. “We want beers that feel soft and enjoyable all the way through.” Looking ahead, Brown hopes expanded opportunities at Park City Mountain Resort and Deer Valley will help Offset grow enough to become fully sustainable.

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Offset Bier founder Conor Brown.

“We had bottle bombs all the time,” he recalled. “We’d put the bottles in the bathtub under a tarp and just listen for them to explode.” Over the next 30 years, brewing became a lifelong pursuit. His home system evolved into an elaborate, three-vessel setup, complete with pumps, sight glasses and professional-level controls that closely resembled a commercial brewhouse. Medicine may have become his career, but brewing never stopped calling. That dream accelerated after a life-changing accident in October 2024. While speed flying—a sport combining skiing or hiking with a small paraglider canopy—Smith crashed into a fence, suffering multiple broken bones that required several surgeries. Recovery forced him to slow down. While brewing from a wheelchair with help from his wife, Jenny, Smith had an epiphany. “I realized I was lucky to still be here,” he said. “We should just do it. We should start a brewery.” Soon, the family business was born. Jenny embraced the leap, despite understandable reservations, while their son, Steele—freshly graduated with degrees in accounting and finance—put law school on hold to help launch the venture. Instead of building a brewery from scratch, the family seized the opportunity to purchase RoHa Brewing Project, dramatically shortening the years-long licensing and construction process that new breweries often face. The transition wasn’t easy. Significant investments were needed to modernize operations, navigate licensing hurdles and establish new management systems. Smith approached every challenge the same way he approaches medicine: with evidence.

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“We wanted everything to be data-driven,” he said. That philosophy extends beyond brewing. RoHa’s new “Lab Line” pilot system allows customers to sample experimental small-batch beers and provide tasting notes, giving the brewery real-world feedback before scaling recipes. It’s research and development fueled by neighborhood drinkers rather than laboratory studies. Smith admits his homebrewing experiments occasionally pushed the boundaries—including one memorable attempt to brew beer using cicadas. “It was pretty terrible,” he laughs. Today’s experiments are considerably more successful. Beyond the beer, the Smith family has transformed RoHa into a community gathering place. Weekly trivia, live music, Mario Kart tournaments, oyster nights and even an unexpectedly packed spelling bee have helped redefine what a neighborhood brewery can be. “We’re really here for the community,” Smith said. “That’s who keeps this place alive.” Smith originally planned to launch Fly Brewing, inspired by his love of aviation sports and fly fishing, but after acquiring RoHa Brewing Project, he embraced its strong community roots while envisioning a future where RoHa and Fly Brewing exist as distinct yet complementary brands under the Evidence Based Brewing umbrella. For newcomers and longtime patrons alike, his invitation is simple: “Come back and try RoHa for the first time again.” It’s both a promise and a philosophy; one rooted in science, fueled by curiosity and served one pint at a time.

Surviving the Storm at Shades Brewing In the landscape of Utah’s craft beer scene, few stories are as resilient or as experimental as that of Shades Brewing Company. At the helm are Alexandra Ortiz and Trent Fargher, a husband-and-wife team that has navigated nearly two decades of financial crises, regulatory hurdles and global pandemics. What began as a tiny brewery in Park City has evolved into a brand synonymous with award-winning sours and a fierce independent spirit. Today, however, the conversation isn’t just about brewing; it is about survival, litigation and the harsh realities of a changing real estate market that threatens the very industry they helped anchor. The Shades Brewing story traces back to the 2008 financial crisis. “We started researching in 2008 what it would take to start a brewery,” Fargher recalled. By 2010, they had secured state licensing in Park City. Their first commercial space was a 500-square-foot unit they affectionately dubbed the “beer closet.” It was a grueling, hands-on era. Without forklifts, the couple manually hauled 2,000-pound grain shipments up second-story stairs. “We were very hands-on,” Ortiz says. “It was just the two of us at the start.” As the business outgrew the tiny brewery, Park City’s lack of manufacturing-friendly real estate forced a move to South Salt Lake. They found a cavernous former meatpacking plant on Utopia Avenue. While the building was a refrigeration shell with no heat and required extensive remediation—including clearing out literal trash and needles from a compromised boiler room—it became their anchor. In a neighborhood then dominated by drug use, Shades helped pioneer the area’s transformation into a nightlife destination, lobbying the City Council for a year to modernize liquor laws and allow for manufacturing brewpubs.

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Shades Brewing co-founders Alexandra Ortiz and Trent Fargher. But when the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the service industry, Shades faced an “oh shit” moment. “We sat down on the couches and formulated a plan,” Fargher explained. This pivot led to the “quarantine kit”—a $50 pack of 24 different beers that saw lines stretching around the block. But the real game-changer was biological. The team’s biologist and Head Brewer, Marcio Buffolo, had acquired a unique strain of Kveik yeast. In its raw form, it was a souring lactobacillus strain. Buffolo used his expertise to “clean it up,” isolating the underlying yeast to create a signature house strain. This Kveik yeast allowed for high-temperature fermentation that yielded a distinct “Juicy Fruit” ester profile, or cleaner notes at lower temperatures. This discovery enabled Shades to produce some of the best sours in the country, winning national medals and defining their current identity. “Nobody in the country has the same strain we have,” Fargher noted. “If COVID wouldn’t have happened, we would be a completely different brewery.” The second half of the Shades story is marked by a bitter transition. After moving to the Engine Block location on 300 West (near 1300 South), the company found itself trapped in a volatile real estate situation. A disagreement with the landlord culminated in a legal battle that Shades eventually lost in its first phase. And that loss ultimately turned on what Fargher described as “technicalities.” The judge ruled that the lease had been breached because rent—though paid—was allegedly late twice (even by a single day), and because the brewery operated under a temporary certificate of occupancy (TCO) rather than a final CO. While Shades argues that the TCO was legally sufficient for safe operation, per city standards, the court prioritized the strict wording of the lease. This judgment allowed the landlord to assume control of a space in which Shades had invested approximately $2 million.

Currently, Shades is in a state of flux. Their Engine Block location is closed—a competing bar operation has moved into the space—and the company is navigating a second lawsuit. There are also ongoing disputes regarding the ownership of the brewing equipment remaining in the facility. While the situation is “raw,” the owners are careful to stick to public records to avoid further liability. “We now have $2 million in loans and no space,” Ortiz said bluntly. This struggle is not unique to Shades; it reflects a broader real estate woe affecting Utah’s breweries. Fargher points to other local breweries like Kiitos and the former Wasatch location in Park City that have faced similar rent-driven crises. For Shades, the 17-year journey has hit its most challenging chapter yet, with litigation serving as a barrier to their planned expansion into a “stellar” new facility in Evanston, Wyoming. Despite the “stormy seas,” Ortiz and Fargher insist that Shades is not done. To survive, they have shifted to a contract brewing model. By partnering with another manufacturer to produce their core brands—like Peach Cobbler, Pina Colada and the award-winning K1 Golden Sour—they have maintained their presence in Utah liquor stores without the unsustainable overhead of their former space. “The quality is up to our standards,” Fargher said. “It frees us up from being handcuffed to overheads we can’t afford.” Looking ahead, the company is diversifying. Fargher has spent the last year developing “Kettle IQ,” a demandplanning and materials-requirement software designed to fill the gaps in existing brewery software systems. As for the beer, they continue to release rotating sours and re-evaluate their lineup based on rising costs. After all the twists and turns, the takeaway from the owners is one of cautious optimism. “Shades is still around,” Fargher emphasized, “and we’re becoming better sailors on these rougher-thannormal seas.” CW

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STRANGE BREWS

From mole to miso, these Utah beers find alchemy in uncanny ingredients. BY MARK DAGO comments@cityweekly.net

n the Beehive State, we love our hoppy and bitter ales. Belgian-style Tripels are are my usual go-to. Locally, think TF’s Albion, or Red Rocks’ Marvella. But for the 2026 Beer Issue, my assignment was simple—search out beers built on ingredients that shouldn’t work, but somehow do. Certainly, I don’t have the depth of knowledge required to be a professional beer reviewer, so I thought I’d just approach this as an enthusiastic amateur. Firstly (and thirst-ly), I do believe my taste buds actually work. I want a one-of-one. If a spot has a plethora of IPAs, that’s hardly a variety. Keep a singular pale ale and give me a Porter, Stout, Pilsner or Lager. Also, bring back drinkability. Everybody and his brother is brewing a horrible concoction in an old army boot. Glitter, champagne yeasts, lactose, Calabaza spices and a lot of other adjuncts—none of them scream “beer at the end of a long day.” Finally, keep it locally bizarro. Being quirky is part of the allure, as is the discovery of something new. If you’ve got an outstanding, unique poison that is reflective of that jazzy label, go for it. And on the flip side, not every limited run is a smash hit. Here are several of the most uncanny pours from local brewers in the Salty City.

Imperial Mole Porter (English-style Porter) Bewilder Brewing Co Finally, a saucy sipper that I can enjoy. When a friend asked me to describe it, I answered that it could probably be used to remove paint, but Imperial Mole Porter is somehow, nevertheless, completely awesome. The excessive, kitschy-cutesy skull printed on the label sets it off, and it has earned the right to that unique decal with its sublime and unexpected peppery cinnamon, mulato and chipotle flavors. Aged in tequila barrels, it did not have the “canned” taste. I refuse to buy beer that has a taste that doesn’t come from the beer itself—or the worm (larva not included).

Nights Out (Belgian Stout) RoHa Brewing Project Ah stout, my old friend. How nice to see you. The recipe here is the cherry on top, as this heavy beer has a head on it that is just so creamy. Maybe it is the chocolate malt’s fault? Or the hint of vanilla? Or the fruity, hopped-up fizzy sludge? Either way, you have to dip your finger in this pastry delight.

This one feels like it is meant to be swirled in a snifter over the course of an evening. People may try what’s different, but they come back for what’s good. I’m still kicking myself that I missed out on the jalapeno small batch RoHa did recently.

Brainless Honeycomb (Belgian Golden Ale) Epic Brewing Traditional labels and fonts make sense to me: a guy in lederhosen at a picnic table; a snow-capped alp in the background. In this case, it’s bees on a honeycomb. Done. There is not enough appreciation for classic styles executed well and the sourced raw Utah honey makes this one a sure shot. The 12% ABV doesn’t hurt either. While Epic’s Horchata Cream Ale is currently off the menu, be sure to give it a whirl when it returns. It’s reminiscent of Cinnamon Toast Crunch suds in a pint. Definitely not a waste of print or a waste of pint.

Miso Sour After Soaking (Tart Ale) Chappell Brewing It’s one thing to have a gimmick, but most of the time I’ve tried a flavored beer, I’ve regretted it. Until now. Balancing five flavor components, Chappell has come up with one of the most distinct brews I’ve ever tasted. Eff the high art of doing the fundamentals right before adding a bunch of frills; Chappell Brewing is having the most fun with their creations. Aged in sake barrels and refreshing as hell—it’s the sour with the power. And look, tart ales shouldn’t be white whales one needs to scour the seven sees to find. This one here feels like it has a caloric content comparable to a liquid Big Mac. Maybe that was just the Filet-O-Fish I smashed before I raised one up. Cheers, Ahab.

Gelato Blaze (Hazy India Pale Ale) Kiitos Brewing A nice adult beverage is one of life’s little enjoyable, unhealthy pleasures, like croissants, madeleines, decency, democracy or a legendary cannabis strain. This gateway hazy IPA is made with the finest craft ingredients, it fuzes Blue Dream and dank Gelato terpness without any THC. Not quite as successful at capturing the taste of the skunkiness, this beer gave me the idea that they threw ideas against the wall to see what sticks—or in this case, stickyickys. I won’t drink another IPA, unless you’re buying. CW

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HOME WORK

Beer 101 with The Beer Nut and Red Rock Brewing Co. BY: ARICA ROBERTS comments@cityweekly.net

In a Nut Shell Over the past three decades, the local beer landscape in Salt Lake City has changed significantly; now there are multiple breweries within walking distance of The Beer Nut, and homebrewing is motivated more by the desire to create personalized products, similar to cooking at home rather than eating out. Homebrewers can experiment with infinite possibilities, from fruity lime and mango recipes to traditional rye beers. Beer Nut’s core offerings include homebrewing equipment and ingredient kits, which are the main way they get people started. The shop also has extensive walls of grains and hops, which allows long-time customers to build their own recipes by using many different ingredients. When a customer walks into The Beer Nut, they’ll likely be welcomed by Austin’s son, Dexter, who grew up around the shop—helping brew beer long before he was legally allowed to drink it—along with AJ Vanzeben, who took up homebrewing during COVID lockdowns in 2020. “They kind of help steer people and help them build recipes,” Austin remarked, “and hopefully, steer them away from AI building their recipes.” For new brewers who have no idea what they’re doing, Beer Nut has developed more than 30 proprietary ingredient kits over the past three decades. Some recipes have remained unchanged, such as their first kit, an Amber Ale recipe labeled BNL1, which is still among their most popular items.

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t can feel intimidating to step into the world of beer. You may walk into a store where there are shelves full of endless hazy, West Coast and double IPAs, with terms like IBU, ABV, esters and malts that sound like science class, leaving you overwhelmed and clueless. Fortunately, Salt Lake City has two places in particular—The Beer Nut and Red Rock Brewing—that are full of passionate people who want to make your beer experience both accessible and fun. The Beer Nut is a homebrew shop founded by Mark Austin in 1994, making it the longest-running and sole remaining homebrew shop in the city. It opened on 1200 S. State Street at the beginning of the local craft beer movement, when only a few breweries existed and exotic beer styles were largely unavailable through Utah’s distribution, so people brewed at home in order to get a taste of those styles. “I own the Bayou too and used to judge the Idaho Fest, so my job is drinking beer all the time,” Austin explained. “By far the best beers I’ve ever had have all been home-brewed.” Red Rock Brewing Co. has also been in business for 32 years and operates two brewery locations: the original downtown brewpub and a production brewery at 443 N. 400 West. Michael Druce, the Director of Production Brewery Operations at Red Rock, characterizes beer as both his hobby and profession. “Some people golf and they’ve got all these fun outlets for their life,” he explained. “Well, for me it’s beer, and what I’m passionate about.”

Red Rock Brewing’s Woolly, a double IPA, is brewed with New Zealand hops. Staff members encourage beginners to brew a few of these kits to learn the process before branching out. Customers approach recipe creation in different ways. Some bring completed recipes and ask for feedback, while others come in wanting a style like an IPA and expect a bespoke recipe rather than a standard kit. In those cases, staff may customize or make something up that is essentially based on an existing kit. For all-grain brewers who lack confidence in recipe design, the staff helps build recipes, sometimes by adapting kits (for example, by replacing extracts) or constructing grain bills on the spot. For hazy IPAs, they commonly use grain bills built around two-row, wheat and oats, with flexible hop choices, noting that such grain bills are similar across many producers. The shop carries a wide range of brewing gear, including newer electric brewing systems that resemble kettles and have made brewing much easier and simpler over the last decade, especially in terms of cleaning and maintenance. They also sell kegging equipment and kegerators, which simplify the serving of homebrewed beer, compared to bottling. For advanced hobbyists, Beer Nut also offers high-end fermenters that resemble professional rigs, though these are a niche product. Dexter Austin reassures beginners that homebrewing beer is straightforward and accessible, especially with provided instructions and support from the shop staff. “If someone can make ramen and keep things clean, they can make beer,” he said, emphasizing the simplicity of the process and the use of ingredient packets and timed additions. Customers sometimes want adjustments, like more sweetness or more coffee flavor, and the shop can make those changes, even when beginners lack the vocabulary to describe what they want from their beer. The Beer Nut also provides a Home Brewing Guide with seven simple instructions: Sanitize; Steep; Boil; Cool; Ferment; Bottle; and Age.

“If you follow these directions,” it reads, “your beer will turn out fine.”

Red Rock and Roll The downtown brewpub Red Rock Brewing Co. focuses on 5% draft beers, brewed and largely designed by longtime brewer Chris Harlin, with at least half of the beers on tap made by him and sold on-site. The production brewery handles packaged beers in bottles and cans, including higher-ABV “high point” beers and lower-point 5% beers destined for grocery channels, and also supplies kegs to other licensees such as Beer Bar and various restaurants around town. Brewery manager Andrew Rinaldo—who has been with Red Rock for roughly 15 years—oversees the complex production schedule, yeast strains and inventory management. Druce noted that he and his colleagues like Rinaldo “eat, sleep, and drink beer.” They travel to try other breweries’ products and discuss flavors and aromas together, which has led them to have a strong “hop forward” mentality. This means they emphasize modern hop varieties that deliver intense aromas and flavors, including tropical fruit notes that were not previously common in beer. Druce also acknowledged that the evolution of the weed and cannabis business has influenced the rise of hops in beer production. “A lot of people don’t realize what a close cousin the hop is to cannabis,” Druce said. “If they’re like a chromosome off—I mean, they’re very close cousins.” The production brewery currently makes about 18 different beers, including big Belgian styles like Marvella (a Belgian tripel at 11% ABV) and several 5% “grocery” beers such as Grand Bavaria (a Bavarian-style Hefeweizen) and West Coast pilsners, all of which are challenging to balance. Customers have likely seen Red Rock’s flagship beer, Elephino, which is a double IPA that became one of

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Hop On In! Whether you want to try homebrewing for the first time or better understand what makes hops in beer so great, Salt Lake City has folks like Austin and Druce, whose passion for beer culture focuses on quality, freshness, innovation and a foodie-like approach. Go pick up an Amber Ale brewing kit from The Beer Nut, or try a classic Red Rock Elephino. If you’re feeling adventurous, try out Red Rock’s double IPA called Woolly, built entirely on New Zealand hops that recently received a 95-point rating out of 100 from Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine, which Druce jokingly called “diesel dank New Zealand stank.” Drink it within 30 days (and generally not holding IPAs longer than 60 days) to fully experience the bright, prominent hop character. “If you can get a beer like this in the first 30 days, you’re going to understand this hop conversation that we’re having, because they’re bright and they’re prominent,” Druce explained. “We’ve kept it cold, it’s fresh, it’s never been in heat, which is the reason that you would walk into a beer store and buy it directly from the brewery.” CW

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the early cult craft beers in Utah and remains their top-selling brew. Elephino helped establish Red Rock’s reputation in the double IPA category, with beers in this style typically above 7.5% ABV and Red Rock’s versions usually between 8% and 9%. Red Rock is unique in that it does not distribute outside Utah. They are currently struggling to keep up with demand, prompting plans for a new brewery. They recently pulled a building permit for a new brewery on property at the corner of 400 North and 400 West, remaining committed to the Marmalade neighborhood. Zoning restrictions, inflation and rising costs slowed the project for several years, but pulling the permit now gives them six months to begin construction before having to restart the process, and they expect to get underway in the coming weeks, aiming to make progress before winter. The new facility will include a taproom, which the Red Rock team sees as crucial for more direct contact with customers outside a restaurant setting. “The more contact you have with your customers outside of the restaurant setting is good for our business on the beer side,” Druce said.

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DRAUGHTS AND DROUGHTS

A brief history of beer in the Beehive State. BY BRANDI CHRISTOFFERSEN comments@cityweekly.net

round 4,000 years ago, the oldest known recipe for beer was recorded in the Hymn to Ninkasi, which praised the Sumerian patron goddess of brewing. The Sumerians were known to treasure beer, as it was a safer alternative to water. Not surprisingly, the tasty drink became a cherished commodity in the ancient world. For the next several hundred years, the fermented drink remained popular throughout Mesopotamia, Egypt and Europe. During this time, ale was brewed locally in homes, inns and country estates. This all changed during the Middle Ages, when monasteries took over large-scale brewing and introduced hops to the recipe. The addition acted as a natural preservative and allowed for widespread distribution. By the early 1600s, beer had reached the Americas, with the Dutch West India Company establishing the first commercial brewery in New Amsterdam—modern day New York. Centuries later, during the Industrial Revolution, the brewing process went through another transformation when advanced, mechanized malting and updated systems were introduced. And by the mid-1800s, Pabst Brewing Company and Anheuser-Busch had revolutionized the industry by using refrigerated railcars and massive distribution networks to disperse their pasteurized German beers across the country. It was around this time that Latter-day Saint pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. And while fermented drinks had been a part of many indigenous cultures in the southwest, the Utes of the Great Basin did not produce or make alcoholic beverages, but the newly arriving Euro-American settlers definitely did, and they introduced their native neighbors to bottled beers and small-batch recipes as a safer, more flavorful alternative to contaminated water. You see, unlike present-day members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, early Mormons considered the Word of Wisdon—a health code introduced by church founder Joseph Smith—to be more of a recommendation than a strict, mandatory commandment. While the code advised against “strong drink,” it did permit “mild drinks made from barley” and home-brewed varieties in particular. Consequently, many church members—including Joseph Smith and Brigham Young—regularly drank and brewed beer and ciders. Indeed, early Mormon brewers like Richard Bishop Margetts were well-respected and admired members of the local community. In fact, Brigham Young’s personal bodyguard Orrin Porter Rockwell is credited with starting the state’s first beer brewery in 1856. The Hot Springs Brewery and Hotel, located at the Point of Mountain, operated as an inn, stable, Pony Express station and a brewery that created and sold its own lager beer. A decade after Rockwell’s brewery opened, an immigrant named Henry Wagener came to Utah and established the California Brewery in Emigration Canyon. The German native saw a business opportunity with the arrival of the transcontinental railroad and the discovery of silver in the Park City area. With the mining boom, thousands of immigrants from Ireland, Scotland and Eastern Europe flocked to the mountains. Most of these newcomers practiced Catholicism, and drinking traditional ales and lagers was part of their long-established lifestyle. As Wagener’s brewery was located on a major emigrant and transportation route that led to Park City, his brewery became wildly successful. Soon after, other adventurous entrepreneurs recognized this untapped—pun intended—business opportunity. And by the early 1900s, Utah was home to more than 15 breweries. However, it was during this same time that the American Temperance Movement began to take hold across the nation. The basic tenet of this campaign stated that restricting alcohol consumption would protect families from the societal ills of excessive drinking. Many Mormon women took up the cause and were soon deeply involved in organizations like the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and the Anti-Saloon League. Through their persistent pressure on church leadership and government officials, state representatives took heed. In 1911, Utah passed the local option law, which granted municipalities the authority to prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages, including beer, within their jurisdictions. Cities with large non-LDS populations—like Salt Lake City, Ogden and Park City— opposed the ban on the sale of alcohol, but most voted in favor of it.

By 1917, Utah representatives fully buckled under the temperance influence and a statewide ban on alcohol was officially enacted. Soon after, the United States Congress followed suit, and on January 17th, 1920, Nationwide Prohibition took effect. One year later, Mormon officials transitioned from allowing the consumption of beer and wine to requiring total abstinence, when church president Heber J. Grant canonized the Word of Wisdom as a mandatory commandment. But following Prohibition’s repeal in 1933—with Utah as the decisive 36th state securing ratification—the church’s updated edict remained in full effect. Subsequently, Utah’s legislators established the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (then DABC, now DABS) in 1935. Utah tightly restricted beer by allowing standard grocery stores to only sell beverages with up to 3.2% alcohol by volume, or ABV, while requiring stronger beers, wine and liquor to be sold exclusively through state-run package stores. With these new state laws and restrictions, only a handful of breweries re-opened after Prohibition. These included A. Fisher Brewing in Salt Lake City and Becker Brewing and Malting in Ogden. The next few decades were turbulent times for alcohol in Utah. Upon the closure of Fisher Brewing in 1967, Utah entered a 19-year drought where absolutely no beer was brewed or bottled in the entire state. This beer famine lasted until October 1986, when Greg Schirf opened Wasatch Brewery in Park City, reintroducing beer production to Utah and kicking off the modern craft beer movement. On November 1st, 2019, after maintaining its infamous 3.2% law for 86 years, Utah officially bumped its retail limit to 5% ABV. Ironically, because of the 3.2% law, local brewers had become skilled at creating complex, flavorful concoctions and, consequently, are consistently awarded national honors and accolades for their craft beers. Today, the state boasts roughly 50 craft breweries. CW

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Bartenders share their tips and tricks for navigating Utah’s unique alcohol culture. BY GRACE X. MAYA comments@cityweekly.net

iscussions of Utah’s brewing scene often center around unique combinations of hops and creativity among the state’s brewers. And yet, Utah’s beer scene wouldn’t be complete without those behind the bar. Many of Salt Lake’s veteran bartenders have spent years, even decades, serving up frosty pints to customers from across the valley (as well as the nation). Their professional insights reveal the trials and tribulations of the bar scene, complete with beloved regulars, emerging drinkers and, of course, the headache of enforcing Utah’s unique liquor laws.

The Post-COVID Crowd Salt Lake’s bar-hoppers have been largely unchanged over the past decade. Despite legislative updates regarding ABV limits and ID requirements, the biggest influence on drinking habits has been something else altogether—COVID. Eve Gordon has spent 16 years tending bar at the Green Pig Pub, just northwest of Washington Square. She described the pub as having a neighborhood bar feel without the frills of luxury craft cocktail bars. She’s one of several decade-plus employees there. “We operate like a family,” Gordon said. “I like being able to go to work and it’s never the same day to day.” She saw the pandemic as a turning point, ushering in a new wave of drinkers. “COVID changed a lot of things for the older crowd,” Gordon observed. “The younger crowd comes in and does things their way. Kids show up with Apple Pay, no credit cards. It’s more of a generational thing. The older people drink at home now.” Even years out from the pandemic, the impact on the workforce remains. A recent Kem C. Gardner policy brief found that over 16% of Salt Lake County workers are still working from home, as of 2024, down from a COVID high of nearly 25%. In particular, high earners with bachelor’s degrees are more likely to stay home, meaning fewer patrons stopping for a drink on the way home from work. Gordon noticed the change particularly on themed events. While older drinkers still come out for Monday Blues Nights, the weekends are dominated by college students in search of $5 tall boys. “It’s the rotation of the world I guess,” she said. For other neighborhood haunts, the coronavirus years cemented a core group of regular patrons. Wednesday Toole has spent the past eight years at Dick N’ Dixie’s east of downtown. “We’ve got regulars that have been coming in for longer than I’ve worked here,” Toole noted. “They’re more like friendships at this point. I see the same people just about every shift.” Toole said her regulars are most likely to frequent Dick N’ Dixie’s after work, and found no change to the frequent visitors (or their orders) during and after COVID.

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BEHIND THE SCENES

Delta Skyclub at the Salt Lake City International Airport “Here is pretty consistent,” Toole said. “The majority will have a beer and a well shot. Miller Lite and tequila.”

Visitor Frustrations Of course, the mug isn’t always half-full. For Gordon, some of the biggest bar frustrations come from out-ofstate visitors. “People from out of town come in and want to talk shit about the liquor laws,” Gordon said. “They look at me like I make these laws. Like yeah, man, I get it. I’m sorry that you can’t have 17 ounces of alcohol in front of you. The drinks aren’t watered down. You’re at a different elevation.” Utah’s legal eccentricities frustrated Toole as well. In 2025, the Utah Legislature changed its policies to a system of 100% ID checks, no exceptions. Previously, bartenders or bouncers were required to ID any patron who appeared to be under 35 years of age. Beginning in January of 2026, all patrons must be ageverified regardless of appearance. “It’s annoying about how fearful I have to be because the laws are so strict,” Toole said. “IDing every person even though I know them personally—even my mom.”

The (Missing) Secret Menu In a land where doubles remain illegal and restaurants

can’t sell a drink without a side of fries, there aren’t a whole lot of loopholes to Utah’s bar culture. The sole exceptions come from airport bars and ski resorts, which enjoy legal carveouts like serving shots as early as 8 a.m. Julio Smith tends bar at the Delta Skyclub at the Salt Lake City Airport, where he’s worked ever since leaving a previous bartending position at Bambuza restaurant. “The experience is different, obviously,” Smith said. “The complimentary drinks mean less charges, and my job is really simple. Make sure the customer’s having the best experience possible.” He serves up mimosas in the morning and old fashioneds in the afternoon. Because the Delta bar operates as a club, staff are able to serve drinks earlier in the day and don’t prohibit children from the bar area. He understood the frustrations regarding Utah’s liquor laws, but urged patience for both drinkers and bartenders. “Every state has their own rules and regulations. My suggestion is just to enjoy the ride,” Smith said. “When you hear, ‘can I see your ID?’ just take advantage of it. Feel flattered. Make the most out of it.” Gordon aimed her advice to newcomers to the state. “Be nice to your bartenders!” she stressed. “You’re not going to get anything special by being mean to them.” Toole’s advice was simple: “Have your ID ready! It’s 2026. There’s no way to get around it.” CW

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TASTING NOTES

Breweries in Salt Lake City where music and beer become one. BY MARK DAGO comments@cityweekly.net

t no time in history have so many styles of well-crafted beer been available in Salt Lake City. And with a variety of brewpubs and breweries operating within city limits, hospitality is at an all-time high. But as younger crowds snub bars more than previous generations, there appears to be a shift toward a culture where the consumption of alcohol forms one part of the night out, rather than binge drinking being the whole point. For many, clubbing is boring. And the places that are really booming are the ones that are offering more. So what does my local watering hole do that keeps me coming back? The feeling of it being a third place, where I can sit and have a chat with friends (or other patrons once sufficiently sozzled). The staff are friendly, the beer selection is top tier, and it has an interactive musical piece to it. Open mics, sip and listens, jam sessions, etc. They give options to participate instead of just enjoying the intimacy of earbuds. Also, I’m not talking about all the cringey, alternative nightspots with their infantile themes—fun for five minutes, and then not really giving a reason to stay beyond that. I appreciate brick and mortars and their back-to-basics approach, where anything goes. The adage that “the definition of a good beer is one you enjoy” still rings true, and these establishments represent drinking local pours with a passion and belief in the music and the scene.

Fisher Brewing (FisherBrewing.com) Lovers of choreographed dance moves are in for a treat. Honky Tonk at Fisher happens on the first Tuesday of each month. Hosted by Trash Moon Collective, this event features a Salt Lick dance lesson (where they teach two-step and line dancing) and an open dance after with a live band. It’s not the type of event where all of the regulars will dance you to a standstill, where you will have to sit down and wait for breath to recover. No experience required! Just put on those boots for some fresh toe taps and heel stomps. Notes: Pairs well with the Space Cowgirl (Blonde) or the Conventional Wisdom (PaleAle American).

RoHa Brewing Project (RohaBrewing.com) When you go to RoHa Brewing Project’s website, there is a “start an inquiry” option where you can let them know what you have in mind. Pitch it. Whether it’s the fingerstyle, patterns and rolls of banjo and bluegrass, or the timeless comfort of Americana cover songs or, say, a performer armed with parody songs and very clever lyrics, take a chance. This taproom showcases live music Thursday through Saturday. Genre mash, crossgenre collaboration, anti-sameness—whatever your relationship is to music, shoot your shot. What have you got to lose? Plastic palm trees or luminous skeletons not included. Notes: Pairs well with the Red Snake Ale (Red Ale) or the Pink Boots (Pilsner).

Hopkins Brewing Company (HopkinsBrewingCompany.com) The players at the Jazz Jam on Wednesday nights are right there. It’s not a recorded live performance, not streamed—I was listening to an actual band actually playing live where I could actually hear them. Sure, improvisational music is an acquired taste (discovering Zappa helps) but I liken it to turning a radio dial and find that once I’ve tuned in, I can often—but not always—follow the music. It’s all about being there with musicians when they perform something that won’t be repeated ever again. Hopkins also hosts a Jazz trio on Thursday nights, when you just can’t get enough of the drama or the unpredictability. Notes: Pairs well with the Friendly Introduction (Pale Ale) or the Table Beer (Belgian).

Epic Brewing Company (EpicBrewing.com) Epic hosts what is no doubt the coolest new concert series—“cool,” as in it all happens on the dog-friendly outdoor patio. This is definitely not the kind of place you would

go to with the intention of documenting a gimmick, having a beverage and then leaving later when said gimmick loses its luster. Each and every Friday night, It’s about the music. Sing responsibly with the Beer Choir (Great Salt Lake Chapter) or possibly catch giant guitar players with the sound of old-timey bluegrass and its harmonies or swoon with a captivating stage presence. Musicians—reach out to them. The energy and cosmopolitanism on state street is second to none. Notes: Pairs well with the Utah Hip Check Ice (Imperial Lager) or the 825 State (Stout).

Level Crossing Brewing Company (LevelCrossingBrewing.com)

I love old-fashioned open mics. Nothing big or showy. Just a dark, not-too-divey, comfy environment to enjoy a couple of sudsies and listen to a few tunes sung by someone unknown, with a good or unusual voice, who doesn’t feel the need to belt out every song like it’s an anthem for the end of the world. On Wednesday nights at Level Crossing, you get just that. They welcome local artists to play original songs or covers—three songs or 15 minutes max. Sign up on the list, be ready when it’s your turn and anything goes. Well, almost anything—no full drum kits. Dig the scene. Notes: Pairs well with the You-Tah Uncommon (Kentucky Common) or the West Coast Session (IPA). CW

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Salt Lake’s bar scene offers something for everyone. BY GRACE X. MAYA comments@cityweekly.net

or drinkers new and old, the most fundamental question of a successful night out is where to start, continue and finish off the evening. While veteran bar-hoppers may reject the concept of vibe-based drinking, they’re victims to it nonetheless. Fortunately, long gone are the days of bland, postprohibition drinking clubs. With a flourishing bar scene, Salt Lake City’s got a spot for whatever vibe you’re searching for.

Closing Time For a bar that feels like home, Twilite Lounge could be mistaken for a neighbor’s garage on a warm summer night. This cozy neighborhood haunt just east of downtown draws working professionals on their way home, students on their way out and everyone in between. The cash-only space spills onto a front patio, where patrons mingle all night long. Expect a classic Salt Lake selection of beers—like Uinta brews among PBR and Budweiser on tap. For a bar that evokes another city (and another era), Duffy’s Tavern is modeled after Chicago’s classic ‘90s dive scene, right down to the Malort Mondays. As the Chicago Blackhawks and Cubs memorabilia suggests, the bar features a handful of TVs for professional sports enthusiasts, and a few pool tables for the amateurs. Duffy’s has a traditional dive bar variety on tap, so prep your taste buds for Coors, Blue Moon and Guinness. The vinyl booths host a diverse age range and the cheap drinks that are equally enjoyable alone or with friends.

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CATCH A VIBE

Great drinks, great food and great movies combine at Brewvies Cinema Pub.

The Overstimulation Special From the extroverts who cherish those raucous nights out to their introverted friends who occasionally desire a room loud enough to sustain them for the next several weeks, Salt Lake has a few locations worthy of cover charges and shoes that pinch. At first glance, Keys on Main feels like something out of a larger metropolis. Maybe it’s the rare need for a reservation, or the even rarer Friday and Saturday covers. Maybe it’s because they do actually have two locations in Seattle. Keys on Main is Salt Lake’s premier dueling piano bar, where visitors can enjoy live music and even request their own, given the price is right. The crowd’s a mix of parties and tourists, all in search of an interactive and immersive night on the town. A $20 tip for the pianist is usually enough to buy your own rendition of “WAP” or “All I Want for Christmas is You,” but your money could be equally-well-spent on any of the bar’s Golden Spikes, Cutthroats or Konas. If watching classical pianists belt Britany feels cringey, Lake Effect is a great, equally-loud alternative. The bar’s live music requires significantly less audience participation and the vibe is much more upscale—think Yellowstone for people who dislike horses. From the comfort of a plush booth, steel high-top or one of the bar’s various nooks and crannies, patrons enjoy the Moab Brewing selection with a particular emphasis on IPAs.

First Date

The Anti-Social Social Club

If none of these spots seem right for your most recent Hinge match, Fisher Brewing Company is great for the casual first date. Even with the steady stream of 20- and 30-somethings, expansive indoor and outdoor seating bypasses the awkward angling for tables, and the frequent pop-up art shops and food trucks offer excellent distractions for when the conversation starts to slow. As the name suggests, Fisher Brewing primarily stocks their own beer on tap. Their range skews traditional with Kölsches and Hefeweizens, but a few interesting ingredients like their coffee-based Space Cowgirl and rotating sour beers prove tradition doesn’t limit innovation. In the blazing summer sun, patrons trend lighter with the Fisher Cerveza and Lemonade Stand Lemon Sour as popular choices. If checking out local pottery and watercolors isn’t enough of a first-date distraction, Quarters is an action-packed alternative to small talk. The arcade bar tragically lost its Sugar House location earlier this year, but the downtown bar is still going strong. The pinball machines and vintage arcade games make for playfully competitive nights for the bar’s core patrons of young couples and friend groups. The draft selection is surprisingly robust, with popular local Kiitos and Uinta brews.

There’s no shame in a solo night out when a plan falls through, or just for the hell of it. For those who prefer to enjoy a brew without the small talk, Brewvies Cinema Pub just south of downtown allows for the perfect distraction. Their expansive draft menu heavily features Red Rocks and Uinta varieties and their friendly staff is sure to offer the best pairing selections for the latest movie releases. For the chance to bump elbows with fellow solo drinkers, any of the SLC Airport’s three(!) lounges is the eclectic mix of travelers who are equal-parts chatty and exhausted. The Centurion Lounge in Concourse B offers the perfect opportunity to strike up conversations with strangers before abruptly receding to the innermost sanctum of anxiety pill-based solitude and back again over the hours leading up to your flight. Perhaps the lounge’s indoor and outdoor bars’ true beauty comes in its radical acceptance of drinkers of all kinds. From late-night Bloody Marys to 6 a.m. tequila, the bartending staff has prepared and served most every kind of drink at most every hour. Still, the selection of local brews is the real ticket to a first-class drinking experience. While Delta lounges are limited to rotating complimentary IPAs, the Centurion lounge in the corner of Concourse B has a candy-store selection of Salt Lake Cervezas, Black Sheep lagers and more. “Just enjoy the ride,” Delta Skyclub bartender Julio Smith said. “Order whatever you want, and if you don’t like it, come back for another.” CW

Burger on a Pun Christin Vetter of Bad Humor Meat & Cheese Company slings dad jokes and killer smashburgers—hold the fries. BY STEFENE RUSSELL comments@cityweekly.net

Christin Vetter of Bad Humor Meat & Cheese Company

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Company on 25th Street last fall. Like Ballard, who serves up a curry bowl for under $5, Vetter is a big believer in accessibility. “I still make a good profit margin off a $6 cheeseburger, because it’s just meat, cheese and sauce,” she says. That’s still her most popular sandwich, though she also serves a monster $16 “meat lover,” with two burger patties, pastrami, bacon, Muenster, and Swiss. Inclusive, for Vetter, also means having gluten-free bread on hand, as well as vegan patties and cheeses (“God knows how many vegan cheeses I tried until we found the right one!”). She keeps dedicated gluten-free fryers at Red Light. “The breading on any of the chicken is gluten-free,” she adds. “The onion rings are battered to order, and those are gluten-free. The cauliflower wings, the French fries—it’s all celiac-safe. There’s no cross-contamination in the fryer. I like making sure that we have options for like anybody to come up and eat. Allergen-wise, price-wise.” Vetter says she took her first restaurant job at 14 because she wanted to get better at talking to people. She’s obviously mastered that skill, along with cooking. At Red Light Bar, “It’ll often be the same 30 people,” she says. “I can tell you all of their names. And I love that.” CW

served with fries, at least on the truck. “That’s my most controversial decision, but I stand by it,” she says. “I don’t want to deal with hot grease. I know some people do; I know that there are trucks with deep fryers. Which is great. So I’m like: ‘You pull up, I’ll pull up, you do the French fries, and I’ll make cheeseburgers.’” Vetter wanted to make “Americana food,” but because it’s so easy to find in Utah, Vetter set out to do it differently. Part of that was to push against the wastefulness of American hamburger culture; she wraps food in paper, slips it into paper bags, and streamlined her cooking and serving processes with scientific precision in order to minimize food waste. But the food had to be delicious, too. “I can be really nerdy about this,” she laughs. With her signature smashburger, for instance, “it depends on your beef ratio, how much fat is in it, the marbling you get within the texture of the beef, how much surface area you have for the browning effect. If you have too much moisture, your burger steams rather than browns. It’s about nailing down the whole process…for the Smash, it was about speed, and being able to make it quickly, but also to turn something as generic as 80-20 ground beef into something that has more texture, and more layers, without having to do anything to it. We don’t put any fillers in it.” The truck and bar menus are different; Vetter does serve fries at Red Light Bar, because the fry daddy isn’t slopping hot grease around inside a truck. (The cheese sandwiches are truck-only items, though.) When she can, Vetter sources ingredients from Ogden farmers and suppliers like Steve Ballard, who opened Ogden Produce

| CITYWEEKLY.NET |

hen Christin Vetter parked her food truck, Bad Humor Meat & Cheese Company, at her first event in 2023, she strolled around to introduce herself to the other truck owners. “I was like, ‘Hi, this is my truck, nice to meet you, what’s your name?’ And this guy turns and looks at me and says, ‘It’s really brave of you to be a woman in food trucks.’” Vetter says that comment left her a bit gobsmacked, even though she’s been in food service since high school. She’s seen how women work front of house, while guys cook in the back. “But that always seemed weird to me,” she says. “For me, cooking and feeding people, and that love, to me it feels very feminine.” Bad Humor itself embodies a Riot Grrl feminine energy—honest, cheeky and progressive. The truck’s logo is a smashburger with horns, and its slogan (“Seriously Good Food, Seriously Bad Humor”) isn’t just an idle threat. “I’ve been telling dad jokes since I was 14, when it was not cool,” Vetter laughs. She loved Laffy Taffy for that reason. She’s translated that idea to the paper she wraps her sandwiches in, which is printed with jokes submitted by customers. (Example: “I used to hate facial hair, but then it grew on me.”) She says people send jokes to her by DM, by email, or just tell her jokes at the window while waiting for their order. For a while, she had a deal where if someone told her a joke and she laughed, the food was free. She had to stop because she lost her ability to deadpan (“I was giving away too much free food”). She says she’s also filtered out some of the saltier jokes, which almost inevitably came from her Ogden patrons—which is most of her customer base. Vetter grew up in rural Kansas but relocated to Ogden after college and loves it here. She loves her regular view of Ben Lomond Peak. She loves driving past horse pastures every morning on the way to Red Light Bar on 25th Street, where she now has a permanent home in the kitchen. Formerly Lighthouse Lounge (whose beloved neon sign still remains), Red Light Bar takes its name from the building’s history as a brothel. Vetter points out the ceiling brackets, upon which motorcycles hung back when this was a biker bar. Ogden’s 25th Street is … well, more wholesome these days. Its Farmers Market runs nearly year-round, and Vetter is a regular there. Every Saturday, she serves up bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches, then transitions to her signature smashburgers in the afternoon. Which are never

COURTESY PHOTO

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36 | AUGUST 20, 2026

A list of what local craft breweries and cider houses have on tap this week 2 Row Brewing 73 West 7200 South, Midvale 2RowBrewing.com On Tap: 24K Golden Ale Avenues Proper 376 8th Ave, SLC avenuesproper.com On Tap: Drop Top - English summer ale (collab with Salt Flats) Bewilder Brewing 445 S. 400 West, SLC BewilderBrewing.com On Tap: Pink Boots - Pink Pony Pilz Bohemian Brewery 94 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale BohemianBrewery.com NEW Releases: Kölsch, Dusseldorfer “Alt” Bier Bonneville Brewery 1641 N. Main, Tooele BonnevilleBrewery.com On Tap: Peaches and Cream Ale Chappell Brewing 2285 S Main Street, SLC chappell.beer On Tap: Pie Hole Strawberry Rhubarb Tart Ale Desert Edge Brewery 273 Trolley Square, SLC DesertEdgeBrewery.com On Tap: Edge’s Special Bitter ESB Epic Brewing Co. 825 S. State, SLC EpicBrewing.com On Tap: Honey Wheat Ale Etta Place Cidery 700 W Main St, Torrey EttaPlaceCider.com On Tap: Orange Creamsicle Session Mead Fisher Brewing Co. 320 W. 800 South, SLC FisherBeer.com On Tap: A rotation of up to 17 Fresh Beers! Grid City Beer Works 333 W. 2100 South, SLC GridCityBeerWorks.com In a Can: Extra Pale Ale Heber Valley Brewing 501 N. Main Street, Heber City hebervalleybrewing.com On Tap: Cöld Fusion Kölsch Style Ale 4.7% ABV Helper Beer 159 N Main Street, Helper helperbeer.com Hopkins Brewing Co. 1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com On Tap: You Can’t Do That On Television! IPA

Kiitos Brewing 608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com On Draft: Bliss IPA (Extremely Small Batch) Kiitos Brewing Sugar House 1533 S. 1100 East, SLC KiitosBrewing.com On Draft: Bliss IPA (Extremely Small Batch) Level Crossing Brewing Co. 2496 S. West Temple, SLC LevelCrossingBrewing.com On Tap: Nitro Sinday Pale Ale

Red Rock Fashion Place 6227 So. State Redrockbrewing.com On Tap: Grand Bavaria Red Rock Kimball Junction 1640 Redstone Center Redrockbrewing.com On Tap: Bamberg Rauch Bier RoHa Brewing Project 30 Kensington Ave, SLC RoHaBrewing.com On Tap: Bramble Brown

Roosters Brewing Multiple Locations Level Crossing Brewing, POST RoostersBrewingCo.com 550 South 300 West, Suite 100, SLC On Tap: Hibiscus Sour LevelCrossingBrewing.com On Tap: Helles Munich Pale Lager SaltFire Brewing 2199 S. West Temple, SLC SaltFireBrewing.com Moab Brewing On Tap/Canned: Monachus 686 S. Main, Moab Adriatic Pilsner 5% TheMoabBrewery.com On Tap: “Big Drop” Salt Flats Brewing West Coast Pilsner 2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com Mountain West Cider On Tap: OPEN ROAD SERIES #3 425 N. 400 West, SLC - Barrel Aged Grand Cru MountainWestCider.com On Tap: Island Orchard Punch Scion Cider Bar (Strawberry and peach cider) 916 Jefferson St W, SLC Scionciderbar.com Offset Bier Co On Tap: Koala Shorts 6.3% ABV 1755 Bonanza Dr Unit C, Park City offsetbier.com/ Second Summit Cider On Tap: DOPO IPA 4010 So. Main, Millcreek secondsummitcider.com Ogden Beer Company On Tap: Honeycrisp 358 Park Blvd, Ogden Single Varietal OgdenBeerCompany.com On Tap: 11 rotating taps as well as Shades Brewing high point cans and guest beers 1388 S. 300 West, SLC ShadesBrewing.beer Park City Brewing New Batch: Raspberry 1764 Uinta Way C1 Pistachio Sour Ale ParkCityBrewing.com On Tap: Das Bier - Helles Lager Shades On State 366 S. State Street, SLC Prodigy Brewing Shadesonstate.com 25 W Center St., Logan On Tap: Six Wheat Under Prodigy-brewing.com Hefeweizen On Tap: 302 Czech Pilsner Proper Brewing/Proper Burger 857 & 865 So. Main properbrewingco.com On Tap: Concerning Hops West Coast IPA Proper Brewing Moab 1393 US-191, Moab properbrewingco.com On Tap: Concerning Hops West Coast IPA Red Rock Brewing 254 So. 200 West RedRockBrewing.com On Tap: Gypsy Scratch

Silver Reef 4391 S. Enterprise Drive, St. George SGBev.com Squatters Brew Pub Sugar House 2110 S. Highland Drive, SLC squatterspubs.com On Tap: Salt Lake Brewing Co. Big U Pilsner Squatters Brew Pub West Valley 3555 Constitution Blvd, West Valley City squatterspubs.com On Tap: Salt Lake Brewing Co. Acapulco Gold Mexican Lager

Squatters Pub Brewery / Salt Lake Brewing Co. 147 W. Broadway, SLC squatterspubs.com On Tap: A Necessary Evil - Black IPA w/ Centennial Hops Strap Tank Brewery, Lehi 3661 Outlet Pkwy, Lehi StrapTankBrewery.com On Tap: “Virgil the Guide” (Italian Pilsner); “Smiles und Sunshine” (German Leichtes Weizen) Strap Tank Brewery, Springville 596 S 1750 W, Springville StrapTankBrewery.com On Tap: “Orange Hopsicle” Hazy Pale; “Trouble” American Sour with Mango and Passionfruit TF Brewing 936 S. 300 West, SLC TFBrewing.com On Tap: Twelve taps and high point cans available. Talisman Brewing Co. 1258 Gibson Ave, Ogden TalismanBrewingCo.com On Tap: Helles This?! (Helles lager); Punchline pilsner (Classic German Pils) Thieves Guild Cidery 117 W. 900 South, SLC thievesguildcidery.com On Tap: Scorching Ray - Sweet pepper cider with a beam of habanero spice | 6.5% Uinta Brewing 1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC UintaBrewing.com On Tap: Was Angeles Craft Beer UTOG 2331 Grant Ave, Ogden UTOGBrewing.com On Tap: Bar Down IPA Vernal Brewing 55 S. 500 East, Vernal VernalBrewing.com Zion Brewery 95 Zion Park Blvd, Springdale ZionBrewery.com

NERD

BEER

the

BACK BURNER BY STEFENE RUSSELL

Light Side, Dark Side A zesty lemon ale meets its hoppy, roasty counterpart in a study of extremes. BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net

Creole & Sliders Adds Brews

Creole & Sliders Café (2285 S. Main St.), which took over the former Old Cuss Coffee space last year, received its beer license this month. On Aug. 1, it celebrated by pouring Chappell Brewing’s Crispy Boi Ale and holding “a good old-fashioned fish fry and fried chicken party.” One of the few places in town to serve truly authentic Louisiana food (check out Alex Springer’s review from last October for the deep dive), you can now get a true New Orleans experience by pairing gumbo, po’boys, and muffaletta sandwiches with a cold one. Creole & Sliders is currently serving on Fridays and Sundays, and often changes up its menu; check out the cafe’s Instagram for the latest updates: @creoleandsliderscafe

Breakfast and Bigfoot

In cryptid—and all-day breakfast—news, Sasquee Eats, a Bigfoot-themed diner in Mantua, officially opens its doors Aug. 31 at 130 N. Main Street. The dining room is paneled in rustic wood, and the menu— released in late July via Facebook—commits to that woodsy theme with dishes like campfire pancakes and tinfoil dinners (beef or smoked pork roasted in foil with carrots, onions and potatoes). Of course, the real theme isn’t the woods but the mythical wildlife living there, and Sasquee, the diner’s mascot, lends his name to waffles, a breakfast burrito, nachos and giant Utah-style scones. As the back page of the menu explains, the Bigfoot theme was inspired by owner Patti Hicks Seffker’s father, who once encountered a furry, 10-foot-tall mystery creature while hauling boats on the Salmon River in Idaho. A considerably tinier monster pops up on Sasquee Eats’ social media, most recently with the offer of free ice cream for those who guess the location where he was photographed. Sasquee Eats will be open Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Instagram @sasquee.eats

Protect Your Loved Ones

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olfdog - Lemon Shark: In a craft beer landscape often crowded with experimental fermentations and overwhelming adjuncts, there is something profoundly refreshing about a brew that is simple and to the point. The latest release from Wolfdog Brewing is done with focused execution, offering a bright, citrus-forward experience that feels both familiar and exceptionally elevated. If you are a fan of the traditional kettle sour or lactic sour ale, you are likely well-acquainted with the lemony tartness that naturally emerges from the souring process. While that sharpness usually stems solely from the presence of lactic acid, this particular ale takes that profile a step further. It isn’t just a chemical mimicry; there is an unmistakable, actual lemon aroma that greets you the moment the glass is raised. This isn’t just the byproduct of yeast behavior, but the vibrant, zesty punch of real lemon flavor shining through. What makes this 5.0% beer truly stand out is its restraint. Many contemporary sours aim for an “enamel-stripping,” bracing acidity that can be a bit much for a sessionable afternoon. Instead, this base beer remains subtly sour, providing a crisp, approachable tang that cleanses the palate without overwhelming it. The experience is beautifully rounded out by a delicate vanilla presence. Rather than acting as a lead flavor, the vanilla stays in the background, providing a soft, creamy counterpoint to the bright citrus. It smooths out the edges of the tartness, resulting in a harmonious balance that keeps one coming back for another sip. I absolutely love this sour for its honesty and its brightness. It is a perfect choice for those who appreciate a

well-balanced, thoughtfully crafted ale. Verdict: A must-try for lemon- and citrus-lovers. SL Brewing/Squatters - Necessary Evil: About a decade ago, Cascadian Dark Ales—often referred to as Black IPAs— captured the imagination of the craft beer community. This unique style, defined by a chocolatey porter base combined with assertive doses of citrus and piney hops, took the industry by storm during the late aughts. While these dark, resinous brews have lost some of their mainstream luster over the years, they remain a beloved niche for those seeking a departure from the ubiquitous haze of modern taprooms. Brewers continue to craft them for the “faithful” who desire something a little different, and this latest entry is a testament to that enduring appeal. SL Brewing and Squatters locations have recently introduced a new Cascadian Dark Pale Ale that serves as a faithful interpretation in this revivalist style. Clocking in at a sessionable 5.0% ABV, this beer manages to be both complex and incredibly drinkable, balancing the weight of its color with the levity of its alcohol content. The aromatic profile is striking. It leads with a deep, roasty malt presence that evokes toasted bread and light cocoa, quickly followed by a sharp, invigorating bouquet of pine and citrus zest. This duality is the hallmark of the style, and here it is executed with refreshing clarity. On the palate, the decision to use only Centennial hops pays off. The character of the Centennial hop shines through, providing a robust layering of pine and bright zest that dances over the darker malt notes. The bitterness is firm without becoming overwhelming, ensuring that the citrus flavors pop against the roasty background. Verdict: The result here is a solid Cascadian Dark that feels nostalgic yet perfectly suited for a modern afternoon. It is an excellent choice for anyone looking to rediscover a classic craft profile. Both of these are draft-only options at their respective brewpubs. Growlers and crowlers may be an option if you’d like to take some home. Call ahead before making the trip if “to-go” beers are a part of your plans. As always, cheers! CW

If you miss Drink Masters, check it out: On Saturday, Aug. 22 from 5 to 8 p.m., 10 Park City bartenders will set a temporary bar on the deck at Silver Lake Lodge at Deer Valley and go cóctel a cóctel for the Second Annual Mountain Mixer Cocktail Contest. Judges spent the last month clandestinely sipping contestants’ cocktails on-site, and now the crew will shake it up for that panel and a live audience. This year’s contenders include Jordan Greiner, Goldener Hirsch (40° North); Allan Joseph, Handle (Bloods Lake); Adam Crebs, Cena Ristorante (Cena Strawberry Spritz); Charles Franco, Grub Steak (Coco Verde); Adriel Danan, Dos Olas (Crimson Smoked); Chace Ciulla, Timbers at Park City Sheraton (Jalapeño Gimlet); Tristan James Beattie, Flanagan’s on Main (Guava Getaway); Katelyn Fraser, Butcher’s Chop House & Bar (Hive Mind); Milana Powers, The Nelson Cottage (Sounds of Dolomites); and Victor Wilson, Pine Cone Ridge (Freedom of Peach). Tickets are $48 through eventbrite.com, and include two drink tastings of your choice, with additional tastings available for $7.

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MIKE RIEDEL

Mountain Mixer Cocktail Contest

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Mutiny Music Collective brings new energy to Granary Live, along with summer-weather challenges. BY ARICA ROBERTS comments@cityweekly.net

MUSIC Mutiny Music Collective at Granary Live

“I think even a lot of the other businesses that are not affiliated feel like Granary Live is kind of like this hub in the neighborhood where you get this big influx of patrons coming in,” explained Krotz. What feels most impressive about Mutiny Music Collective is that they’ve found a way to push Salt Lake City’s music scene at the exact moment the city needed it the most. As some local production companies have felt more distant and corporate, Mutiny remains local and relatable. “We want people to be there longer and dancing and enjoying like other large national acts that are not just like the headliner for instance,” Prevatt explained. If you have the chance, check out the open-air urban space with an industrial neighborhood backdrop, shade structures and multiple food and beverage stations. Purchase a signature “Mutiny Mule” drink at the bar, and let’s hope it will be cooler weather for the rest of the shows in the series. Check out Prospa on Sept. 7, Beltran on Sept. 11, Tape B on Sept. 26 or Eli Brown on Oct. 10. Tickets sell out fast, so get on the texting list or follow their Instagram: @mutinymusiccollective. CW

for a previous show, so for this event they mainly reassembled and repositioned existing rigs rather than creating everything from scratch. But weather was a major factor; Manuel explained that when the rain started, the crew had to cover stage decks and protect lights mounted on top of Conex containers, especially those that were not weatherproofed. Some lights are highly durable—many could even be submerged underwater and still function—but nonweatherproofed units required extra covering to remain usable. The setup demanded significant physical effort from a small crew. It took four people to lift and install the heavy beams on top of the rear rig. The team originally consisted of about six people, but on the last day, when Manuel worked until almost 2 a.m., only four were present. In an area that is pretty residential and adheres to a strict sound curfew of 11 p.m., Krotz and Prevatt made sure to establish relationships with neighbors to ensure community cooperation, such as honoring the annual Empanada Festival at Granary that occurred mid-April.

| CITYWEEKLY.NET |

n April, Mutiny Music Collective owners Danny Krotz and Alex Prevatt announced their new venue for the summer: Granary Live. The establishment officially opened in mid-June 2023 in the west side’s Granary District (742 S. 500 West), but the huge improvements from Mutiny have made this venue flourish in a new way for this summer’s Granary Open Air Series. Australian DJ and producer Odd Mob (Harry Hope) headlines the second official show of Mutiny’s series. Since his 2014 breakthrough track “Is It a Banger,” Hope has become known for his high-energy house and tech house stylings, such as his single “Left to Right,” released in 2022. While he’s played in Salt Lake City before at Mutiny’s old venue (Boxpac Project) last year, the outdoor summertime vibes of Granary Live provide a completely different experience. A long-time raver in the Salt Lake City scene, Dennis Kim had been at Granary Live for previous events, but this was his first time there for one of Mutiny’s shows. “The venue was set up well with the open space and the shade provided,” Kim noted. “I saw a show where the stage was set up at the side instead of on the end like it was for Odd Mob. This was better.” Reorienting the stage, adding a massive shade structure and designing a unique multi-level stage to allow fan access are some of the logistical choices Krotz and Prevatt made prior to the series. Instead of the stage being on the north end of the

property, shooting south, it is now on the west side of the property, shooting east, allowing for the Woodbine building’s local graffiti artwork to serve as backdrop. Another key feature is the number of lasers that have been installed, which really brought the rave ambiance and complimented the top-notch sound system. “The lighting was fun and I enjoyed all of the lasers they set up at the stage and what they had displayed on the building behind the stage,” said Allie Harris, another long-time raver. “There were plenty of porta potties and restrooms available all around the venue that I noticed, which is a huge plus for an event like that.” With a show on the last day of July during record-breaking heatwaves throughout Utah, the heat was on everyone’s mind. This was especially difficult for those who showed up early (doors opened at 5 p.m.) and had to wait an average of 40 minutes in line. For a sold-out show with a venue capacity of around 6,000 people, many felt the heat was overbearing. “With how hot it’s been outside this summer, I do think having some sort of fans or air flow throughout the venue would be nice,” remarked Harris. “We had a hand fan we used to try and keep cool, but it only did so much.” Local company Pink Bird Productions designs and produces live experiences for concerts, festivals, nightclubs, corporate events and parties. One of their employees, Justin Manuel, said he helped work on building the staging and lighting rigs for Mutiny’s series. “Pink Bird Productions handled all the metal stuff and the stage itself,” he noted. This included the front-of-house area where the lighting operator’s tent was located, the stage deck where DJs performed, the lighting rig in front and a large rig in the back. Other elements, like the tent covering and some black totems, were provided by different companies. Fortunately, much of the equipment used for Mutiny had already been built

MATT DIPPLE

Feel the Heat

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AUGUST 20, 2026 | 39

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40 | AUGUST 20, 2026

MUSIC PICKS

SCOTT LEGATO

Joe Bonamassa

Joe Bonamassa @ Eccles Theater 8/20

Not even counting collaborative projects, prolific New York-born blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa has released 17 studio albums since his debut, A New Day Yesterday (2000). His most recent studio album, 2025’s Breakthrough, top-tenned the charts in four countries. Bonamassa holds a record as the blues artist with the most Number One albums (30 to date). Yet as well-received as his studio releases have been, Bonamassa’s reputation has been built and cultivated on the strength of his live performances. His steady stream of live albums—21 and counting—splits the difference. Released in June, Bonamassa’s The Spirit of Rory: Live from Cork pays tribute to another blues-rock guitar titan, Rory Gallagher. Through his career, Bonamassa has been nominated five times for a Grammy Award. In 2020 he launched his own record label, Keeping the Blues Alive, dedicated to offering support to established and aspiring artists. An avid guitar collector and self-described guitar nerd, Bonamassa reputedly owns between 500 and 600 instruments; he often plays rare guitars from his collection (self-effacingly dubbed “Nerdville”) live onstage. Joe Bonamassa comes to Delta Hall at the Eccles Theater on Thursday, Aug. 20 at 8 p.m. Ticket prices start at $73 and at saltlakecountyarts.org. (Bill Kopp)

UPCOMING SHOWS 8/20

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MASHPAD MONDAYS

$2.25 PINTS AND FREE POOL!

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MUSIC PICKS

The Lip

COURTESY PHOTO

TURN A TEMP JOB INTO A CAREER!

The Lip, Glory Trip, The Drought @ Kilby Court 8/21

Summer may be coming to a close, but that doesn’t mean the live shows will be toning it down—it just means you’ll be inside more. If you’re feeling like jamming out, this lineup of locals is going to be an epic show. Rockers The Lip are headlining, bringing their satisfying brand of funky tunes to the stage. They’ve been steadily releasing singles from their new album, which is now out. One of the last songs released before the full work debuted is “Summer,” which is perfect to help send the season off, but is more focused on using the different times of year to describe personality differences. “I was summer, you were winter / You got cold when it got hot / So bad at taking pictures, but I still love your eyes a lot,” the song goes. Also coming out to play is heavy rock group Glory Trip. Their latest EP Catatonia dropped earlier this spring, and has epic, head-banging tracks that are going to be incredible to hear live. Headbanging while on your own at home is all well and good, but it’s a lot more fun with the band right in front of you and fellow showgoers doing the same. SLC group The Drought has been steadily finding their sound and building up a fanbase, and that can be heard on their latest track “Aimlessly.” It’s got great guitar soloing, unique vocals and cool effects. Catch these local acts on Friday, Aug. 21 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $12.15 in advance and $13.99 at the door. Grab yours at 24tix.com. (Emilee Atkinson)

Software Engineer V (SEV-VB) in Midvale, UT. Telecommute permitted within area of intended employment 2 days/week. Dvlp & maintain the front-end interface of appls, ensuring user exp & interface design fidelity. BS followed by 5yrs prog rltd exp. Send resumes to Zions Bancorporation at ZionsCareers@zionsbancorp.com. Must reference job title & code in subject line.

Life is Better on the patio! Live Music

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THURSDAY, AUG. 20 NUFF SEED & SIONE LITI

FRIDAY, AUG. 21 STRUMBUCKET

SATURDAY, AUG. 22 S TO N E F E D

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 26 SCOTT STEWART

THURSDAY, AUG. 27 COUNTRY RAMBLE W/ MORGAN SNOW

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 19 SPENCER MARLYN BAND

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3200 E BIG COTTONWOOD CANYON ROAD 801.733.5567 | THEHOGWALLOW.COM

AUGUST 20, 2026 | 43

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

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44 | AUGUST 20, 2026

MUSIC PICKS ADAM MANWILL

Advent Horizon

Grid City Music Fest @ Various Locations 8/21-23

WEEKLY LINEUP: Vinyl Tuesdays Open Mic Thursdays

Karaoke

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Live Music every Sunday

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The annual representation of Utah’s music, local arts and brewery scene, Grid City Music Fest is back for another round. The three-day festival invites all patrons to view the creative boundaries of the South Salt Lake Creative Industries Zone, which are vast beyond regard. As the event heads into its fifth year, local acts Terence Hansen Trio, Advent Horizon and BadFeather headline the kick-off on Friday, and along with them, 70+ more bands will play throughout the weekend, with vendors, beer, art walks and a Fun Bus to entertain all festivalgoers. As the afternoon sun showers above and you take the final sip of your first brew, don’t forget to check out the local art and music that surrounds you, to say nothing of the community that has grown since the festival’s debut. And at each stop, a new friend may just be waiting for you. The venues along The Zone include The Commonwealth Room, Pat’s BBQ, Grid City Brewery, Chappell Brewing, Drunken Kitchen and others. Tickets to the Fun Bus and bike ride are free along with each venue entry. You can find your tickets now at gridcitymusicfest.com. (Laney Hansen)

Courtney Barnett @ The Complex 8/22

From alternative country hits and MTVunplugged mastery to the festival stages and modern indie scene, Courtney Barnett returns to Salt Lake City on Saturday, Aug. 22 at the Rockwell within The Complex. Following the release of her Creature of Habit record earlier this year, Barnett brings a new sound to the stage. As Barnett states in the track “One Thing At A Time,” the artist chimes “I’m ready for a change,” and a change is definitely evident in Creature of Habit compared to earlier records. It’s a refreshing shift from tracks filled with angst and weary ballads, and turns the listener to wonder where else Barnett’s mind may shift to next. But whatever may come, Barnett’s music as we now know takes on a façade of distant days of glory and daydreams of past and future mistakes. Altogether, it makes for the perfect record

to fill an afternoon of boredom, lying on the floor with a gaze going further than the ceiling can take you. But all of this has been the power of Barnett before, and it seems to be reaching back through a new form. So, go and observe it yourself and get your tickets now for Courtney Barnett’s show at The Complex on Aug. 22. Doors are at 7 p.m. and tickets are $53. You can find them now at axs.com. (Laney Hansen)

Sofi Tukker @ Ogden Amphitheater 8/22

The Ogden Twilight Concert Series is a great all-ages summer activity that’s easy to get to via the FrontRunner train from Salt Lake City. This weekend, the upbeat duo, Sofi Tukker (Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern) headlines. Known for their eclectic, Brazilian-influenced beats, you can expect the energy of Carnival—perfect for this summer-time festival. They boast two Grammy nominations: Their album “Treehouse” was nominated for a Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album, while “Drinkee” from the Soft Animals EP was nominated for a Grammy for Best Dance Recording, which was adapted from a poem written by the Brazilian poet Chacal. It uses unique instruments like cowbells and bongos mixed with electric guitars and a deep house bass combined with sensual Portuguese singing. The artists also often take inspiration from poems; another Sofi Tukker song, “Soft Animals” (inspired by Mary Oliver’s poem “The Wild Geese”), says, “You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” Their talent is taking a catchy-yet-deep phrase and putting it to beats that one can’t help but dance to. Their most well-known song, “Best Friend” goes, “I think that I’ll keep loving you, way past 65 / We made a language for us two, we don’t need to describe,” capturing the vibes of forever friends. LP Giobbi also performs. This show takes place on Saturday, Aug. 22 at the Ogden Amphitheater (343 E. 25th Street). Doors open at 5 p.m. General admission is $64.66 at 24tix.com. Although this show is currently sold out, resale tickets may be available at 24tix’s Fan Marketplace. (Arica Roberts)

free will ASTROLOGY

salt lake

CITY WEEKLY

BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

Consider this your official alert that you’re close to getting too much of a good thing. To safeguard the lovely momentum you’ve built lately, be vigilant that genuine abundance doesn’t bloat into plain old overload. Say no to becoming indentured to your own brilliant ideas. Don’t let your victories drag you into depletion. Steer clear of grand gestures of generosity that are driven mostly by the urge to dazzle onlookers. You really can keep every delicious reward you’ve earned, dear Aries, as long as you begin installing some graceful new boundaries right now.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

In 1925, Taurus astronomer Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (1900–1979) discovered that stars are primarily composed of hydrogen and helium. Famous astrophysicists of that era rejected her conclusions because she contradicted the prevailing theories. Nevertheless, she persisted in her claims and was eventually proved correct by other experts. Sound familiar, Taurus? If it doesn’t yet, I expect it will soon. Naysayers may insist you’re wrong when you know and I know you’re right. My advice: Be faithful to the truths you’ve directly observed even if they don’t match consensus reality. Your understandings are valid even if they’re inconvenient.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

In architecture, the keystone is the central, wedge-shaped stone at the top of an arch. It’s often the last piece placed, and it’s what holds everything together. If it’s removed, the entire structure collapses. But the keystone itself is held in place by the pressure of the other stones. I love the fact that it’s both the most crucial piece and yet totally dependent on everything else. This is an excellent metaphor for you right now. You’re like a keystone: holding everything together and also being held by everything. Please accept my personal thanks for accomplishing the amazing feat of being both powerful and vulnerable! The structure needs you, and you need the structure. PS: Don’t overestimate your independence or underestimate your importance.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Don’t reorganize your junk drawers anytime soon, Sagittarius. Please? Refrain from scrubbing the oven, organizing your kitchen cupboards, and untangling old extension cords. I’m begging you to believe me when I urge you to allocate your energy toward the most interesting and important matters. The cosmic indicators are unambiguous. You will be happiest and most successful if you: 1. dare to access secret wisdom you’ve been hiding from yourself; 2. immerse yourself in almost too much beauty and truth; 3. let your imagination run wild as you visualize future scenarios that thrill you even if they’re also a bit unnerving.

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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

The Grand Canyon in Arizona is 277 miles long, as wide as 18 miles, and a mile deep in some places. Through persistent erosion for millions of years, the Colorado River carved it. This massive creative project happened entirely through subtraction, not addition. I suggest you regard it as one of your role models in the coming months, Capricorn. Your goal is to wear away resistance and eliminate what’s unnecessary. The magnificence you produce will be very gradual and incremental.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

In engineering, redundancy refers to the practice of building multiple layers of support into a system so that if one part falters, others keep functioning. Airplanes and spacecraft rely on this principle for safety. I urge you to adopt a similar strategy in the coming weeks. By creating backup plans or additional reinforcement, you can move forward with more daring and flair, which I highly recommend. Artful preparation will strengthen your ability to experiment and improvise.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

The ocean has different layers. Each has its own temperature, pressure and ecosystem. Many creatures are adapted to one specific stratum and don’t wander far from their chosen realm. But there are transition zones where layers meet, and they’re often rich in biodiversity. I propose we use these areas as metaphors for your power spots. You tend to thrive in thresholds and boundaries, where edges meet and overlap. That will be especially true in the coming weeks. To court good fortune and sweet delight, you should hang out at the borders where diverse influences mingle.

Go to realastrology.com for Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text-message horoscopes. Audio horoscopes also available by phone at 877-873-4888 or 900-950-7700.

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I am nursing a hopeful dream that you will give yourself a fun surprise or two in the coming days—maybe even more than two. Not necessarily the most expensive delights, but those that would inspire your nervous system to relax and your spirit to celebrate. Possible options: a few hours of free time with no obligations, a hike where you adore and praise the sky, a conversation you’ve been craving, a daring yes, or a long-overdue no. Or how about finally starting a fun project you keep postponing, or setting down a burden

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In traditional textile making, the selvage is the strong edge that holds the fabric together and keeps it from unraveling. It’s braided more tightly than the rest so it can do its guarding work. I think that’s a helpful metaphor for your life in the coming weeks, Leo. Your main weave is pretty gorgeous, but the edges aren’t sufficiently taut. What should you do, practically speaking? For starters, create firm boundaries around your work time, your rest, and your availability to others’ demands.

The first maps of Antarctica contained blank spaces labeled simply “unexplored.” Cartographers didn’t pretend to know what wasn’t yet revealed. This was a gift to future trailblazers, who didn’t have to overcome the confusion of false certainties. You could benefit from adopting a similar practice. Instead of explaining every mystery with confident opinions, designate a few regions of your inner world as magnificently unexplored. Your willingness to say “I don’t know yet” will be a fertile form of wisdom. The unanswered questions will be better allies than premature conclusions.

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The GPS system requires Einstein’s theory of relativity to work. Satellites in orbit experience time slightly differently than we do on Earth’s surface. Without accounting for that time dilation, your phone would be off by 6.8 miles every day. Moral of the story: The practical requires the theoretical and the mundane needs the cosmic. I bring this to your attention as a useful metaphor, Cancerian. I suspect you’ve been trying to solve ground-level problems with groundlevel thinking. But your current challenges require you to factor in some relativity: to recognize that different parts of your life are operating in different timeframes, under different rules. What works in one context doesn’t necessarily work in another. In the coming weeks, refrain from trying to apply universal solutions. Calibrate for context.

R E V I R D D E T N WA

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

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You’re ready and able to commune intimately with the hidden source of power that fuels your life. Hallelujah! But first, acknowledge a humbling truth: You’re not entirely sure what that source is. You’ve made assumptions, of course. You’ve told yourself stories about where your vitality comes from: your work, your relationships, your creative projects, your spiritual practices. And while these channels do transmit energy, they’re tributaries of the ultimate spring. In the coming weeks, you’ll have exciting opportunities to trace these streams back to their headwaters. Start this way: Be alert for mini-breakthroughs when you feel unexpectedly energized or mysteriously restored.

you’ve been carrying for too long? You might ask yourself: “If someone who loved me dearly were in charge of my rhythm, what would they arrange for me?”

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Military History

ort Douglas, between the University of Utah and Red Butte Garden, was established in 1862 as a small military garrison to protect mail routes and telegraph lines along the Central Overland Route. There were about 100,000 Union army volunteers there, and the U.S. government felt they had enough soldiers to send to the Utah Territory to not just protect travel and communication, but to keep watch over Native American tribes and the Mormons. The feds worried Brigham Young was one to watch, and cannons were set up pointed down toward Temple Square to show force (although no cannon ball would ever reach that far). The fort has long since been decommissioned and now belongs to the University of Utah. Last week it was announced that the remaining 50 acres will be turned over to the U on Oct. 1 and boy oh boy is the U excited! What is left from current military operations at the fort will be moved to Camp Williams while the college mulls over the future of the site, which could include student housing, another student union building and recreational spaces. During the early 1900s and through World War I, the fort was used for training and getting troops onto rail lines to their posts around the country. During World War II, it served as a command post for the Ninth Service Command and a “reception and separation center” for soldiers coming in and out of their military commitments. The base also served as a jail for prisoners of war from Italy and Germany. If you haven’t ever explored Fort Douglas, I encourage you to wander over on a nice day to see the history there. There are sandstone structures that were used for cavalry horses, the Fort Douglas Museum, a small park displaying military guns and tanks, and some really precious older buildings. There aren’t plans to tear down the historic buildings, but rather to figure out how to mix old and new with a growing Utah population and the U’s continuing need to expand and serve its students, staff and community. Apart from the architecture of the various buildings, my favorite destination there is the cemetery. It was established in 1862. There’s a monument there among the graves dedicated to the soldiers killed during the Bear River Massacre and another smaller stone monument dedicated to Utah governor James Doty following his death. A number of soldiers from Beaver’s Fort Cameron are also buried there. Fort Cameron was active from 1872 to 1883 and was named after Colonel James Cameron, who was killed at the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861. That smaller fort had buildings made of local black rocks and included barracks, a guardhouse, commissary, hospital (the only one within a 150-mile radius which served locals and military personnel, with officer’s quarters). Interestingly, inventor Philo T. Farnsworth and a friend bought the property and created the Beaver branch of the Brigham Young Academy (now BYU), which lasted until 1922. ■ Content is prepared expressly for Community and is not endorsed by City Weekly staff.

AND MY AX!

BY MATT JONES

ACROSS

1. Add sound effects to 4. FIFA official 7. Even score 10. Business card abbr. 13. “Caught ya!” 14. Prefix for the birds? 15. Lovelace of early computing 16. ___ ProvenÁale (cooking style) 17. More uneven, like fabric 19. Falls apart 21. Incredulous response when a terrible show is on after a good one? 23. Descriptor for versatile vacuums 24. Eagle’s nest 25. Back of a boat 28. Eight, in EspaÒa 30. Prom kids, for short 31. Place to stay where your luggage is stretchy? 37. Bird in some clocks 38. Was crawling (with) 42. Go overboard with your fragrance? 46. 2008 bailout recipient 49. Singing quality 50. Cut the grass 51. Second part in an instruction manual 54. Switzerland’s largest city 58. With 63-Across, the last MCU movie ever -- if they chose to focus on just Wolverine and Magneto? 63. See 58-Across 64. Derogatory term for an idealized female character in fan fiction 65. Dark bread 66. ___-weekly (newspaper category) 67. Money made from a bank acct. 68. Pizza option 69. Karl Marx’s “___ Kapital” 70. Letters on a Canadian speedometer 71. Like many trans allies 72. Cashew, e.g.

DOWN

1. “That’s a no-no!” 2. “That’s a no-no!” 3. Tapioca pearls 4. Poker action 5. 1976 Wimbledon champ Chris 6. Dalmatian, traditionally 7. Hunting call 8. “American ___” (TV singing competition) 9. Class that’s a breeze 10. They were used in an obstacle course in

2010’s “Jackass 3D” 11. Medicinal concoction 12. Drinks that may display foam art 18. “As an aside ...” 20. Opposite direction from WSW 22. Missouri monument 25. One side in the Pro Bowl 26. Strain in the winter 27. Private eye, slangily 29. “Airplane!” automatic pilot 32. Classic Jaguar model driven by Austin Powers 33. Mover’s unit 34. August, in Paris 35. “Electric” fish 36. Actor DiCaprio, familiarly 39. ___ Grand Las Vegas 40. Ambient composer Brian 41. Morning drops 43. Twelve-timer’s attempt? 44. Adequate, informally 45. Like terra cotta tiles 46. Home to the Norse gods 47. 2017 skating film with Robbie as Harding 48. Crystal-lined rocks 52. Slang for Portland, OR (based on its airport code) 53. U.K. pop trio (Barry, Burns, and

McNally) with the 2000 hit song “Back Here” 55. Tabriz resident 56. Breath mints brand 57. Rd. with many lanes 59. App with restaurant reviews 60. “___ Jeopardy!” (sports trivia show that premiered last month) 61. Party on the beach 62. Post-Mardi Gras observance

Last week’s answers

Complete the grid so that each row, column, diagonal and 3x3 square contain all of the numbers 1 to 9. No math is involved. The grid has numbers, but nothing has to add up to anything else. Solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic. Solving time is typically 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your skill and experience.

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Broker, Urban Utah Homes & Estates, urbanutah.com

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

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46 | AUGUST 20, 2026

urban LIVING

NEWS of the WEIRD

I sell homes to all saints, sinners, sisterwives and...

mountain climbers!

BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL

Toxic Teammate

A teenager in Maumelle, Arkansas, played with a rather toxic teammate during a recent high school football practice. According to an Aug. 12 report from WBAL-TV 11, after playing for about an hour, the student brought his helmet to his coach, explaining that it felt “unusual.” Upon examination, a venomous cottonmouth snake was found hiding behind the padding. They called animal control, who had to submerge the helmet in water to get the snake out. “I’ve removed a snake out of a car vent, in the engine, purses, backpacks—in a helmet? Never,” said Chris Davis, director of Maumelle Animal Services, adding that a bite could have been fatal.

Feathery Fire Alarm

A family in Fort Bend County, Texas, credits their pet goose with saving their barn after it caught on fire. KHOU-11 reported that in the early morning hours of Aug. 4, Bert Gerber was asleep on his couch when he was awakened by a series of loud honks—sounds the family hadn’t heard before from the 4-month-old aptly named Goosey. Security camera footage showed that their barn was on fire. “I just casually came outside and I saw a fire billowing out of there,” he said. Gerber used a water hose to put the fire out quickly, and none of the animals in the barn were injured.

Raccoon in a Jar

Jennifer McFadden, the owner of a bookstore in Eureka, California, received a surprising note from an anonymous author, UPI reported on Aug. 6. The apology letter was accompanied by The Unstrung Harp by Edward Gorey, and $100. In the note, the author explained they recently found the book in a box in their garage and confessed to having stolen the book from the store about 40 years ago. “I was so happy to find that the store was still in business so I could return the book and tell you how sorry I am for my utter lack of principles,” the note said, and asked the store to get in touch if there was “anything further I might do to right this wrong.”

Rush hour traffic was shut down for two hours in Washington, D.C., on the morning of Aug. 12 after a suspicious device with exposed wires—which turned out to be an adult toy—was reported outside a fire station, WUSA9 reported. A witness said they saw someone place a suspicious package in a trash can near the station in a northwest D.C. neighborhood, and police say that the person who threw the item away approached someone at the firehouse before tossing the contraband. When police arrived, they closed local streets for nearly two hours while they investigated. Eventually the item was determined to be an “electronic sex portable pump device,” according to the police report. Police cleared the scene and traffic resumed around 9 a.m.

Vanishing Goats

A pair of pygmy goats boarded a bus in Portland, Oregon, during the busy Tuesday morning commute, Oregon Live reported on Aug. 12. Security footage shows them leaving the bus after being shooed out by passengers, then wandering into a nearby shopping center, but police were unable to locate them when they arrived on the scene. “So where did they come from? Where were they going? Did they have valid fare?” The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon asked in a social media post. “Some questions may never be answered.”

Mystery Cats

Two-dimensional cat cutouts have popped up in vacant lots in Cape Coral, Florida, Gulf Coast News reported on Aug. 11. One of the lots has a burrowing owl nest, leading nearby volunteers at the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife to suspect the cutouts were erected in an attempt to deter the owls from making more nests there. Cats are a main predator of burrowing owls, who are protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Furthermore, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission classifies the owls as “threatened,” and it is illegal to disturb their nests without a special permit. Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

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■ A Shake Shack employee is charged with aggravated assault, kidnapping and armed robbery after robbing the store where he worked, Yahoo! News reported on Aug. 12. According to the Maricopa County Deputy Attorney’s complaint, Keondre Simmons, 33, of Arizona, pointed a gun at two employees, demanded $2,800 in cash from the store safe and locked them in the store’s cooler. The employees’ description of the robber matched Simmons, and he was arrested days later when investigators who were surveilling Simmons watched him leave his apartment wearing his Shake Shack uniform and return to the store for his shift. A representative from Shake Shack confirmed that Simmons’ employment has been terminated and that the company prioritizes the safety of their customers and employees. Simmons is currently in custody on a $100,000 bond.

That’ll Stop Traffic

Selling homes for 42 years in the Land of Zion

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Crime Report

Greg Gatwood of San Francisco was recently doing yard work when he came across what he thought was a small stone slab. But as he dug, he discovered that the object was actually a 2-foot-wide, 150-pound statue, NBC Bay Area reported on Aug. 10. Gatwood’s partner, artist Judy Gittelsohn, consulted with local experts and is working to determine if the statue is the work of renowned San Francisco sculptor Ralph Stackpole, who died in 1973, or perhaps one of Stackpole’s students. The couple’s house is located near what used to be the sculpture department of the California School of Fine Arts— now known as the San Francisco Art Institute—where Stackpole taught.

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Plot Twist

Statue Liberated

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A raccoon wandered a Dallas neighborhood for several days with its head stuck in a mayonnaise jar before finally being rescued by animal control workers. NBC DFW reported on Aug. 7 that after many capture attempts, the critter—which the locals named Mayonesa—holed up in a tree near an abandoned house while Animal Services officers waited patiently for her to emerge. Once they had safely captured her, they took her to Dallas Animal Services, where they sedated her and gave her fluids before removing the jar. “Aside from dehydration after several days without food and water, she was in remarkably good condition and full of energy,” Animal Services said in a social media post. Texas Metro Wildlife will care for Mayonesa before releasing her back to the wild.

■ Everette Krichbaum, 52, and James Gay, 35, are charged with aggravated battery after wielding a hatchet and a machete, respectively, during an altercation in a Publix parking lot in Panama City, Florida, The Smoking Gun reported on Aug. 7. According to the police report, Gay admitted to parking next to Krichbaum and approaching his vehicle for a confrontation over “prior issues.” During the dispute, Krichbaum brandished a hatchet “in an attempt to deter” Gay. In response, Gay went back to his vehicle, pulled out a machete and struck Krichbaum in the face with it. By the time police arrived, they say each man had injuries on his hands, and Krichbaum sustained further injuries after Gay struck him unconscious. The pair were treated at a local hospital before being taken into custody.

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