Good afternoon fellow brew lovers and headbangers! The Meista here with a special treat for you... an interview with Dave Cole, co-owner of the wonderful Epic Brewing Company located here in Salt Lake City, Utah - a truly unique brewery with a large variety of beers to choose from... over 30 in fact!!
1.
Epic Brewery is a fairly new
micro-brewery here in Utah, but you immediately made a very big splash and your
beers also hit the market fairly quickly in competitiveness
with the "big boys" of Utah micro-brew. Did the immediate
popularity and sales take you by surprise?
We were optimistic about Epic being a hit, but we were
definitely surprised by the immediate popularity and amount of sales. In fact, we had to triple our brewing
capacity within the first 6 months we were open in order to keep up with demand
for the beer.
2.
Can you tell us a little bit about
the history of Epic? How did this all get started?
Myself, Dave Cole, and Peter Erickson are the
founders and co-owners of Epic Brewing Company. We are originally from
California and started an international aquaculture company in Utah in 1992. In
2008, Utah law changed allowing us to pursue our longtime dream of opening a
strong beer microbrewery in Utah like those we frequented in the Golden
State. We teamed with Brewmaster Kevin
Crompton, formerly from Bohemian Brewery, who had been brewing for more than 13
years and brewed for three Utah breweries and another in Hawaii. Admittedly, beer geeks, foodies and epic
adventure junkies, all three of us share a passion for making and drinking fine
ales and lagers. The Epic team has a strong belief in doing everything “all
out.” Today we are fortunate to have
distribution in almost every Utah State Liquor Store and in 11 other markets in
the US and two overseas export markets.
3.
Right out of the gates,
Epic built a reputation of being willing to experiment and brew some beers
that really had not been seen in Utah (or if seen only as seasonal beers)
before. Are you working on any new beers for your line? If so, what
are they and when will they be available?
Yes, we are working on a new beer called “Blue Law Porter”
that will use blackberry puree and Blue Spruce tips, Utah’s State tree, picked
from around the Capitol Building. It is
planned to be available this winter.
4.
What is your favorite beer of the
Epic line and why?
I like my hops and reach for Hop Syndrome Lager and Hopulent
IPA or the Imperial Red. If I feel like
something dark I make it an 825 State Stout and if I want something just
beautiful I will share a Brainless on Peaches.
That beer is a truly beautiful how it opens up in your glass.
Peter’s favorite is the Imperial Red Ale. Lots of flavor and hoppy, but not too
hoppy. Plus, a little aging brings out
some fig-like flavors.
Kevin’s favorite is the Pfeifferhorn Lager because it’s
crisp and light and extremely drinkable.
5.
Our blog, Brews and Tunes pairs
music and beer. So you get home from a long day at the brewery...
what beer do you crack open and what album to you play to go along with it?
Growing up in LA during the punk
movement it might be some X but lately, to be more chill
after work, it is Tragic Kingdom by No Doubt and a Hopulent.
Peter
loves to enjoy his Imperial Red with some Talking Heads, Clash or Elvis
Costello.
Kevin
enjoys his beers with anything by the Grateful Dead.
6.
What is your best selling beer
currently and why do you think that is?
The Spiral Jetty IPA is our best selling beer in Utah from
our classic series. However, we have
many seasonal beers, such as the Imperial Pumpkin Porter and Big Bad Baptist
Imperial Stout, which also do very well. People really love IPAs and the Spiral Jetty
offers full IPA flavors and is easy to drink.
Our seasonals are only available for a limited time and are produced in even smaller batches so
that customers get excited for their release and any changes that occur in the
recipe/ingredients from year to year.
7.
What do you think sets Epic beers
apart from other beers?
It starts with a commitment to make
great beers and a bunch of interesting beers.
We always start with premium ingredients, including unique
water chemistry, to brew the most distinctive beer in Utah. We also brew in small batches to ensure that
our product is always fresh for the consumer.
In addition, the fact that we offer over 30 unique, handcrafted beers
continues to keep customers engaged with the brewery and anticipating our
boutique brews
8.
What is the future of Epic Brewery?
Are there any plans of expansion?
Yes, we are hoping to
expand our current location and are in the process of requesting that the city
re-zone the area where Epic is located downtown in order to make it happen. We are also in the planning stages of opening
an additional brewery in a neighboring state, allowing Epic to keep up with the
current demand for our beers, and open new markets across the state and
hopefully the world!
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