Better late than never! I have finally gotten around to posting about my fabulous Salt Lake City 3-day pub crawl! For a state that is known for strict alcohol laws, I was happily surprised to find lots of breweries in Utah. There are more than 20 in Salt Lake City alone and the sunny city has cultivated a thriving craft beer scene, starting in the 1980s with early pioneers in Utah like Wasatch and Squatters. To get your pub crawl juices going, you can buy a brewery pass that gives you a discount at 15 participating breweries. A beer challenge? I’m in! I can proudly say that I visited 13 taprooms over the course of three days, two of which were not included in the brewery pass (Templin and SaltFire) but very well worth a visit. Like in most big cities, the taprooms are somewhat spread out, so I recommend researching where the breweries are in the areas you are going, so you can save on travel time. Public transport in the city is excellent and not expensive. Check out some of my travel tips further on below.
One of Utah’s state rules is that draft beers can only be max 5% ABV (previously 4% until 2019), which turned out to be a blessing in disguise during this challenge! The downside is that you can’t get a taster size of stronger beers, except at Epic Brewing. No matter, fun guaranteed. Grocery and convenience stores can also only sell beers up to 5%. For anything above, known as high point beer, you have to go to a state liquor store. Most of the breweries will sell their cans and bottles to go, too.
SLC taprooms
The order of the list of taprooms I visited below is based on location and not so much on preference. I started my adventure downtown and then ventured farther out. If you’re in town for a short visit, you’ll probably be planning your brewery visit based on how convenient it is to get there, so I’ve included the addresses to make it easier to look them up on Google Maps. Click on the headers to go to the breweries’ websites for more info.
As a solo traveler, I tend to look for the more cozy places where you can have a chat with the bar tender and regulars and immerse yourself in the local vibe. And of course drink excellent beer! My favorites of this trip were Epic (no surprise there), RoHA, SaltFire and Scion Cider.
The four breweries that I didn’t get around to, who are also part of the brewery pass, are Kiitos Brewing, Shades Brewing, Squatters and Wasatch Taproom & Beer Store, and Uinta Brewing Co. Something to look forward to next time I visit!
This was the first SLC brewpub I visited. Located very strategically in the downtown area, it is an easy walk from Main Street. I had a flight of four beers of which the Black Czech Pilsner was definitely my favorite, I wasn’t so crazy about the other ones. As you can see the interior is also not the most charming. Would not consider this a must-visit.
SLC brewery pass: valid
Address: 254 S 200 W
Around the corner from Red Rock is Squatters Pub Brewery. In 2012 the Squatters and Wasatch brewery operations were sold to a large corporation (and then to Monster Beverage Corporation in 2022), but the brewpubs continue under the name Salt Lake Brewing Co. under local ownership of the former founders. Hence the large ‘Salt Lake Brewing Co.’ on the side of the building. This basically means the tanks you see behind the bar are not owned by the pub and the beers are sold under a liberal license with Monster. I liked this one better than Red Rock in terms of atmosphere. It’s ‘gastropub meets sports bar’, with an extensive food menu and plenty of other drinks to choose from if beer is not your thing. Kudos for having Cigar City Jai Alai and a non-alcoholic beer on the menu, too. My favorite Squatters beer is probably Chasing Tail Golden Ale.
Salt Lake Brewing Co also owns four other pubs: Wasatch Brew Pub (nr 12 below) and Craft Cafe in Salt Lake City, and Top of Main Brew Pub and Park City Roadhouse Grill in Park City.
SLC brewery pass: valid
Address: 147 W Broadway
Bewilder only just opened up before the pandemic hit, in December 2019, but is still going strong. I arrived not long before closing time and only got to spend a short time there, but they were so nice to let me order food (I was starving!) and have a beer. The food menu is oriented towards Germany style dishes. I had a lovely Portobello sandwich on a brioche bun. The interior is big and industrial-style, with brick walls, a gray concrete floor, and wooden ceiling and furniture. There is a nice view of the brewery through the glass walls. The three dart boards are a great diversion if you happen to run out of conversation.
SLC brewery pass: valid
Address: 445 S 400 W
Almost across the street from Bewilder is Level Crossing, their new location in the Post District. They have a second location in South Salt Lake. The floor to ceiling glass windows, concrete floor and metal chairs has a very industrial look and feel to it. The wood-fired stone pizza oven looks cool. It feels like a place where you would get a bite to eat and some beers, but perhaps not where you’ll hang out all night at the bar with friends. Though from their website photos it does look like it gets a little cosier at night. The flight of beers was good.
SLC brewery pass: valid
Address: 550 S 300 W Suite 100
This was one of the earliest breweries founded in Utah, in 1848 by German immigrant Albert Fisher. After closing in the 1960s, it was revived again by Albert’s great great-grandson in 2017. Their flagship brew – Fisher Beer – is an American style Lager, but they have many other beer styles to choose from. It’s a laidback open space with a view of the tanks, college football and a steady crowd. There is a more quiet patio out back. I really loved the merchandise and took home a purple ladies t-shirt. They do flights and have a different food truck every day serving the hungry folk. Beers are good, I recommend the Pandomonium Porter.
SLC brewery pass: valid
Address: 320 W 800 S
It’s small, it’s homey and it’s legendary. Epic Brewing is probably one of the few – or maybe the only brewery – from Utah that is well-known outside the US. They are famous for their Bad Baptist series. Epic was founded in 2009 and became Utah’s first brewery since prohibition to exclusively brew high-alcohol beer. This is why the ‘taproom’ has no taps and all beers are served from bottles. Thankfully they also serve small pours, so you can still stick to ‘flight’ mode. Tristan was so friendly and made me feel right at home! If I lived around there I’m sure this would quickly turn into a favorite hangout.
SLC brewery pass: valid
Address: 825 S State St
This is a fun place! Proper is one block away from Epic and housed in two buildings, one is the brewpub and one their burger restaurant. I think you can drink and eat at both. The brewpub has pool tables and skee ball, that certainly brought back childhood memories! They have a second location in The Avenues area and a third bar near Sugar House Park across from Wasatch. Amber and Monty were great and helped pick out the flight beers. Fun fact: the tanks are named after Reservoir Dogs.
SLC brewery pass: valid
Address: 857 S Main St
This cider taproom was one of my favorite discoveries of the trip! Simon was lovely and very knowledgeable. I wish I could have tried all 25 ciders from tap! State law classifies cider as ‘apple wine’ and therefore the rules are stricter even though cider is more similar to beer in alcohol content. A bar pour can be max 5 oz. and, like wine, packaged cider can only be purchased from state stores. Loved the merchandise and took home a t-shirt. A ‘scion’ is the part of an apple tree that you graft onto an existing root system in order to clone it. Just so you know! The tanks are named after the Golden Girls, no doubt pun intended.
SLC brewery pass: valid
Address: 916 S Jefferson St
I noticed this place was incredibly busy on a Thursday night, which is a good sign. The bar is long and L-shaped, providing a great view into the brewery on one side and a view of the beer garden on the other side. There is a lot of seating indoor and outdoors. They had very interesting beers on tap, like a Rauchbier (which was excellent), a Foeder aged pils, Dark Czech lager and a cold foam nitro stout. No flights though unfortunately, but they do taster glasses for $2. As the name suggests TF Brewing is a real family brewery, with a focus on German beer styles. There was a Raclette food truck the night I visited, very cool!
SLC brewery pass: not valid
Address: 936 S 300 W
Sometimes you walk into a bar and you immediately know you are going to like it. I visited on a Wednesday night, an hour before 10 pm closing. There were a few people outside and a few regulars at the bar. In the left corner there were some overcrowded merchandise shelves and the space behind the bar was small and a bit messy. While sitting at the bar, there will always be a curious person who starts a chat. I love that about America. The two beers I tried, Lighthouse and High on the Hop Lazy IPA, were both excellent. I can recommend RoHa for a laid-back and casual beer experience. There is no standard food menu, but they have food trucks on a regular basis. The name is a combination of the founders names Rob Phillips and Chris Haas. Chris was the head brewer at Desert Edge for 17 years in SLC prior to founding RoHa.
SLC brewery pass: valid
Address: 30 Kensington Ave
About 2 km south of RoHa (only 5 stops with bus 200) is SaltFire Brewing, another place where I quickly felt at home. I was treated to live music, that was fun! They are known for their experimental beers. The 10 Ton Truck West Coast IPA was delish! The taproom is gorgeous too, with beautiful woodpanel walls and wooden tables. I did not get to meet the famous handsome bar cat Mr Zwickel, not sure if he is still around.
SLC brewery pass: not valid
Address: 2199 S W Temple St
Near Sugar House Park, this brewpub is about a 30 min bus ride from downtown. It’s a big space with plenty of seating indoors and a nice patio. It reminds me a bit of the Brewdog bars. The menu is the same as Squatters. I tried the Brussels Sprouts appetizer, which seemed to be a popular dish, and it was indeed delish. For some reason I didn’t make it to the Hopkins Brewery next door, maybe because it’s not part of the brewery pass and I was of course on an important mission. Something for next time, from the photos it looks like it has a bit more of a ‘craft’ vibe.
SLC brewery pass: valid
Address: 2110 Highland Dr.
This was my last stop before heading to the airport and I was very fortunate to be able to join the short tour by owner Jeff Carleton. Pressing of the apples and blending is done in Washington and at this location here they ferment it to make cider, which takes about 7-10 days. When I was there they were barrel aging a cider in Sauvignon Blanc casks. I would have loved to try that one! The taproom itself is not big, but they have a lovely cider ‘garten’. They serve flights, 5 x 1 oz. for $6.
SLC brewery pass: valid
Address: 425 N 400 W
Sightseeing
After a wonderful two weeks in Park City, I spent 3 days exploring Salt Lake City. Interestingly, the area that is actually called ‘Salt Lake City’ is smaller than I expected and formally reaches until just below downtown. On the map SLC looks huge, but it only has a population of 210.000. The larger urban area has a population of appr. 1.8 million. So RoHA for example is still in SLC, but SaltFire is in South Salt Lake. Getting around the city is easy and inexpensive. There is a Trax light rail that runs from the airport to downtown and takes only 15 minutes. There are several Trax lines in downtown, which includes a free zone where you don’t have to pay any fare. To go further afield there are buses available. A day pass costs $5 and can be bought online.
Salt Lake City also has a few sights that are worthwhile and of course plenty of nature in the area for hiking and daytrips. One of the highlights for me was walking up Ensign Peak for a spectacular view of the city. As you can see from the photo below, the city has few highrises. The other – more obvious – landmark is Great Salt Lake. I took a tour out to Antelope Island State Park to get a closer look. To be honest there is not that much to see, but the tour guide was a lot of fun and made the trip worthwhile. I did get to see live owls and bison! We also learned a lot from our tour guide about the Latter-Day Saints (i.e. Mormon church). He himself had left the church, so we got some special insights. You can also learn more about LDS at Temple Square. The Temple itself was under construction when I was there, so I didn’t get to visit. To get to know the city and its history, a visit to Utah State Capitol is recommended, located on a hill in one of the city’s oldest neigborhoods. The state’s symbol is everywhere you look and it won’t take long to guess that Utah is also known as the Beehive state. There are also a few museums and some shopping, so plenty to keep you occupied for a few days!
Chances are that you are just passing through on your way to one of the gorgeous Utah national parks, like Bryce Canyon or Capitol Reef. Park City has a lot to offer as well. I thoroughly enjoyed my summer trip there. It is probably best known as a ski resort, but there is a lot of biking, hiking and stuff to do there and in the surrounding area. I even made it to Wyoming for a beer at Suds Brothers Brewery. But that is a story for another time.
All images by Tina Rogers unless otherwise specified.
Savor the craft beer journey in Salt Lake City! Discover hidden gems, local brews, and the vibrant beer culture waiting for you.