Salt Flats Brewing Company - Lowrider

Boy, does this milk stout pour dark – we’re greeted by an opaque black potion in the glass, topped by a big crop of very dark brown foam. In the aroma, there’s a lot going on here. Expect this gold medalist at both the 2023 USA Beer Ratings and 2022 International Beer Awards to offer up a boldly roasty impression with prominent notes of ground coffee, dark chocolate, deep down scorched caramel, and toasted bread crust, along with just a hint of milk sugar, plus some earthy, lightly woody hops. In the flavor department… well, there’s even more going on here! A wave of roasted barley and deep caramel malt hits upfront, with bold semi-sweet chocolate coming on to take center stage. Look for accompanying notes of burnt bread crust, a dash of dark fruit esters, and some of those earthy-woody hops – which bring along just a touch of citrus rind zestiness. The added milk sugar (lactose) gives this milk stout its characteristic sweetness to balance the bitter malt and hop contributions while evoking and amplifying a creamy, almost vanilla-like quality that seamlessly integrates with the smoothness of the beer’s rolled oats. Look for this milk stout to finish with a lingering note of chocolate-covered roasted coffee beans for a sweet-bitter interplay. For pairing options, you can go savory or sweet with this one. On the savory side, grilled and smoked meats and veggies would be the lane we’d stay in, although creamy smoked cheeses could be an interesting play, too. On the sweet side, we’d pick a rich chocolate cake with either coffee ice cream and a drizzle of caramel, or vanilla ice cream with raspberry sauce. 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.