Salt Flats Brewing Company - Life Elevated

Brewed as a West Coast-style session IPA, Life Elevated presents a medium golden color topped by a healthy two-finger cap of fluffy foam. In the aroma, look for big citrus tones to leap out right away evoking candied orange peel, along with prominent pine-like resinous notes and some secondary touches of softer tropical fruits. On the palate, the malt backbone offers a somewhat fuller feel than some other session IPAs, thanks to the use of some oats in the grist. There’s some characteristic wheaty tanginess here too, along with just a hint of toast. But, as this is built in the West Coast style, the malt flavors are intentionally subdued, letting the five different hop varieties lead the flavor charge with notes of stone and tropical fruits, edgy grapefruit tones, and some herbal-evergreen flourishes. We felt the hop bitterness was neither shy nor stratospheric, and, in concert with the tangy wheat and healthy carbonation, the effect is a dry overall experience from the start to the lingering finish which hangs on with a touch of pine and citrus rind. For pairing options, we’d look to grilled and barbecued meats, spicy Thai dishes with a medium heat level, or Hawaiian pizza. Cheers!

Salt Flats got its start back in 2016 when the Garage Grill in Draper, UT began brewing under the name RPM Brewery on a tiny 15-gallon system. Originally, the beer was produced just to serve the restaurant’s taps, but the dream soon expanded to the goal of building an actual regional brewery. In 2017, Scott Parker joined RPM as brewmaster after eight years with California’s Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Being used to a 250-barrel brewhouse, Parker helped the RPM team scale up their operations from that original 1/2-barrel system to a new 10-barrel system. In March of 2018, the decision was made to rebrand the brewery to the new Salt Flats name, which better represented their region while retaining the motorsports theme.

Motorsports is everywhere at Salt Flats Brewing Company. Besides the brewery and beer names, the brewery itself is located within what used to be a professional race team building. Owner Steve Pruitt is the team principal of Corsa Motorsports and has a lifetime of experience in motor racing stretching all the way back to 1975 and his stockholder interest in the Long Beach Grand Prix. The Garage Grill locations in Draper and Herriman are equal parts restaurant and museum, featuring incredible arrays of racing memorabilia and actual exotic sports cars and NASCAR, IndyCar, and F1 racecars, among others. Want to have a brew at the bar next to a 2007 McLaren-Mercedes F1 car mounted to the wall, or dine directly underneath a Ferrari 360? You can do that. For racing fans visiting the Salt Lake area, it’s a must-try experience.

Currently, Salt Flats produces over a dozen beers, all with automotive or motorcycle themed names. They also produce an award-winning line of spirits including whiskey, vodka, and gin, plus canned premixed cocktails. Additionally, in 2023, Salt Flats took home awards for Brewery of the Year and Beer of the Year, among others, at the USA Beer Ratings in San Francisco. For more info on their brewery and their restaurant locations, visit saltflatsbeer.com.