“That inasmuch as any man adrinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him.”

These words, known as the “Words of Wisdom” from the Doctrine and the Covenants of the Book of Mormon, inform one of the most visible aspects of the Mormon faith, the avoidance of alcohol. Utah, the Promised Land to the Mormon people, has, correspondingly, long enforced some of the most idiosyncratic and restrictive alcohol regulations in America. For years, entry to a bar required applying to join a “private club” and paying an “initiation fee,”, in addition to securing a “sponsorship” from a member. Basically, this meant paying a $5 to $10 cover charge for the privilege of entering a bar and buying one of the local bar -flies a beer in exchange for his word to the bouncer that you were a person of exemplary moral character.

Gradually, the laws have been changing, and the beer is now flowing more freely, so I took the opportunity while in Salt Lake City recently to interview one of the towns “pioneers” in brewing, Jennifer Tally of the Squatters Brewpub.

Jason Stock, left, and Jennifer Tally, the brewmaster at Squatters.Jennifer is a striking brewer in any case, inasmuch as she is a one of the country’s pioneering female brewers.  After 20 years of brewing hard, she has, in my opinion, smashed any perceptual glass ceiling that might hamper women in the brewing industry. She has strong arms from lifting bags of grain, can likely drink most men under the table and wears her brewer’s boots with pride. Most importantly, she has consistently brewed interesting, flavorful beers under Utah’s state law that restricts all draught beer to only 4 percent alcohol by volume.  

When I met Jennifer and her colleague, Jason Stock, they were sparging the kettle in Squatters Brewpub’s downtown location. Jennifer set me straight on Utah’s alcohol regulations. First, the “private club” regulations are a thing of the past. Second, beer on tap is still restricted to 4 percent ABV. Bottled beer in brewpub bottle shops can exceed this, but bottled and canned beer in other outlets can’t. For bottled beer exceeding 4 percent ABV, thirsty Utahans need to visit staterun liquor stores. As I wondered aloud whether they were tempted to boost the ABV, a man with handcuffs and sunglasses entered the bar and scanned the place. Jennifer and Jason both blanched and grew silent. The man, evidently not a Utah “revenue man,” left as quickly as he came, and Jennifer relaxed and said with a laugh, “Man, that gets me every time.”  Apparently, Utah’s law enforcement agencies are quite serious about the 4 percent rule and do random sampling on occasion, so Jennifer keeps strict records and never fudges the ABV.

-If you’re just a moderate drinker, then you wouldn’t need to seek help for alcoholics later in life.

This led to a conversation about brewing within these strict limits. Oddly, Jennifer sees the positive aspects right off. “Only the strong brewers survive,” she said.  In Jennifer’s opinion, “Alcohol is a major flavor constituent and can cover mistakes.”  She contends that imprecise brewers can cover the deficit by cranking the alcohol a bit, an option she has never had. Second, brewing low alcohol is economical. She buys less grain per barrel of beer than other brewers. And third, her customers can drink more.  

I can attest to this last fact personally. I've been coming to Utah on business for years and have always enjoyed how inherently sessionable these beers are. On more than one occasion I’ve run 10 miles – at 7,000 feet, in hot, dry weather – and come home craving a cold one. Usually, after such exertion in low humidity, one ordinary beer would be profoundly strong. But a 4 percent ABV brew with great flavor allows me to have one of the most genuine, quenching experiences with beer. After three pints I find myself hydrated, replenished, and not drunk or dizzy. Make no bones about it, these beers still contain alcohol, but at a perfect level for this climate.

Jennifer caught me asking how one “dilutes” this beer and cut me off, saying: “These beers are not diluted, they are brewed to a very specific standard.”  This is an important distinction. Jennifer works as carefully as an analytical chemist to hit specific sugar levels in her wort. Too much sugar means too much alcohol, which means a visit from a large man with handcuffs and test tubes. Consequently, she has learned to brew to more exacting standards than other brewers.

Tasting a few of her 4 percent offerings confirmed that this exacting approach is producing great results.

Provo Girl Pilsner: Sparkling, yellow color, just the thinnest lacing of head. A full, clean malt flavor. Served a bit cold. As it warms, effervescent, herbal noble hops in the nose and the back of the tongue.

Full Suspension Pale Ale:  Her “flagship” beer. Brisk, zippy CO2, a thick, fluffy head, amber color a bit dark for the style, but crystal clear nonetheless. There are chewy, citrus hops in the initial taste, and a swirling cloud of citrus/pine hops the nose. A fleeting bitterness in the aftertaste, but clean and refreshing.

Immigration Amber: Dark, mahogany liquid, no head at all. Very little hop aroma, possibly due to its cold serving temperature, but an immediate, almost harsh, piney bitterness on the tip of the tongue. Slightly coarser. A very serviceable American IPA, but a bit out-of-character for an amber.

After turbo-tasting a variety of Jennifer’s 4 percent offerings, she asked if I might try her bottled IPA. I have to confess, her wicked grin and the demands of a full day of meetings made me hesitate. “C’mon, man up!” Jennifer insisted, and I acquiesced. Honestly, I had wanted to focus entirely on Utah's “indigenous” low-alcohol beers, but the peer pressure was too powerful. The IPA poured a clean copper color, with a lacy, off-white head. As the head settled, a lemony, sharp hoppy aroma floated off. The difference in texture between the 4 percent beers and this 6 percenter was noticeable, and the increased malt sweetness allowed a more intense, complex hop character. This IPA is still modest and sessionable, almost English in character, and proves that Jennifer’s skills extend beyond Utah's mandated low-alcohol beers..

Tally, center, bottling a rare beer at Squatters.Squatters does offer a wide selection of higher-alcohol bottled beers, including a “radical Saison” in a 750 ml corked bottle, but time and business forced me away. When I return to Salt Lake again, I will follow up with a report on some of the more radical and interesting beers coming from the Utah craft-brewing scene.

As I left, Jennifer shared with me some plans for a new beer, based upon some other, lesser-known passages in the “Words of Wisdom” that read:

“All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground.”

-- by Seth Levy