Ask Stephanie Biesecker for a beer recommendation and she’ll ask you a question back.
”What are you doing today? Are you working in the yard? How hot is it outside? Are you watching a movie on the couch?” Biesecker inquires. “... I will tell you my favorite beer for your specific activity or weather conditions, because it just changes.”
Biesecker, who works at Red Rock Brewing Co., is one of four Utah beer fans behind the Instagram account Brown Gradient Beer Wenches, @bg_craftbeer_wenches. The women agree that asking them to name one favorite brew is like asking Santa to name his favorite kid.
[Read more: Meet the Brown Gradient Beer Wenches, four women of color working at Utah breweries]
But they have no problem making suggestions if you set the scene. Here are some of their ideas.
For hiking
For hikes, Shyree “Ree” Rose said, she takes along light beers such as Whispers of the Primordial Sea from Proper Brewing Co. This pineapple smoked lager is “so frickin’ good,” she said.
Melissa Diaz said she prefers stouts on hikes because they’re typically consumed at warmer temperatures, which helps their aromas and flavors come out.
And Melissa “Mel” Dahud said she likes sours, IPAs or lagers on trails because “I know [they’re] more thirst-quenching.”
For trying something new
For Utahns who want to try new beers, Dahud recommended Griswald’s Holiday Ale from Red Rock Brewery, a spiced ale with 8.5% ABV.
Biesecker said she loves lagers and sours. Smoothie sours are getting popular, she added, though “I don’t know that they’re my thing, because I feel like I have to chew them and I don’t want to chew my beer.”
For people wanting to try a stout, Diaz recommended Prairie Artisan Ales out of Oklahoma; she particularly likes their Vanilla Noir.
To drink right now
Dahud said she loves Sauced! from Bewilder Brewing, a dry hop sour ale with cranberries, cinnamon and orange peel.
She also enjoys Level Crossing Brewing’s Cryptoporticus, which has a citrusy feel and is “like a double IPA that does not taste like a double IPA at all.”
Rose said she likes spiced ales, such as the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie from Rooster’s Brewing Company. The American brown ale is “very rich in flavor. … It’s got those spice notes, like the coriander, the clove, like cinnamon,” she said.
She also mentioned Lunar Harvest Pumpkin Ale from Ghostfish, which “blew [her] mind,” because she doesn’t usually like gluten-free beers.
