Apres ski favorite in Deer Valley is the Goldener Hirsch Inn where the bartender is quite well informed in beers, wines and well drinks. At his recommendation last year and again this year, I opted for the 16.9 fl. oz. of this fine Pilsner served in a tall, slightly chilled glass. Somewhat parched after skiing for a few hours, this went down easily and often. At 4.9% alc., one can consume more than one which I did.
It`s made from a brewery in Salzburg, Austria and they describe this beer as:
“The lighter, gently kiln-dried malt gives Stiegl Pils its light golden colour. The marvellous bouquet of the finest Saaz hops, a characteristic bitterness and liveliness make it a favourite of beer connoisseurs that love a delicate hoppy note and a fine, aromatic flavour.”
I like it and would agree with their tasting notes.
Blake- Nice read, and I envy your beer-tasting locale. After a hard day schussing, I opt for lighter brews rather than my normal go-to’s (ales). I just need to slake it down, and that one seems like it would hit the spot.
What others did this uber-knowledgable barkeep suggest (particularly any that might be available in more plebian settings)?
Stu, I did not venture past the Stiegl which definitely hit the spot, but in this case, they had some beers on tap that he stated were good, local and one was organic. One was a stout, one was an Wasatch ale and the other, I do not recall. Wassatch Brew Co.,a local brewery, makes very good beers across the board.
BTW, for anyone who ventures to Deer Valley, apres ski on Thursdays at this Inn has very enjoyable Swiss, Austrian, German and French live music from 2-5 p.m. and provides another slant on the European accent here. Next door is the Stein Eriksen Lodge where we stay and it is replete with the finest of European class and style. Stein was the world class skier from Norway who won gold in the 52 Olympics and much more. Hes still around, in his 80`s and has that charm and stigma of an icon extraordinaire. Many of his medals pictures and awards are scattered throughout the resort.
Stiegl is a brewery in Salzburg, Austria. Their beer hall is on the mountain in the center of the city right below the famous castle but the brewer is on the outskirts of the city. http://www.stiegl.at/en/stieglat/
Stiegl beers are solid but i have had difficulty finding fresh version in the states. (i lived in Salzburg in college). DO not buy the radler (beer with lemon flavorings). The export is drinkable but rarely fresh.
IMHO, the best beer in Salzburg is the augustiner brewery on the banks of the river. Best beer garden in Austria and incredible food.
Geoffrey, thanks for correcting me on the location of the brewery and adding pertinent information to the post.
Rick, Geoffrey, I spend a month in Amsterdam each year with trips to Bruges and Paris among others places, and have become much more familiar with Dutch and Belgium beers [being a wine collector at that]. Future travels to Germany, Austria and Switzerland are in the works.
Ive found many beers crafted to age and a few that have 1-3 months of age before release. Im still in the camp of drinking fresh beers whether it`s in Europe or anywhere else.
Alas, Deer Valley doesn’t allow us ghetto snowboarders onto their mountain. But, my wife and I will be switching back to skiing soon enough…have always wanted to try Deer Valley.
Love a tasty beer after a full day riding. Never have one at lunch, but right after I’m done for the day, all bets are off.
Austria is still a country with strong small local breweries. Yes , you can find Brau AGor Zipfer anywhere. Brau AG owns a few of my old favorites - Gosser and Puntigam which they bought during an acquisition spree during the 90s. Eventually they partnered with heineken after buying a lot of eastern european breweries. My all time fav is Reininghaus from Styria/Graz !!!
For such a small country, there are 28 local breweries and 26 micros throughout the country. Definitely worth a trip !!!
Would love to go to Austria for a ski trip. I had a ski trip planned for Zermatt (Switzerland, but close enough )years ago, but then my wife got pregnant so canceled that trip. Never ended up going to Europe for a ski trip. At this point, will probably go to Europe in the summer for hiking. Maybe one day I’ll make it over there in the winter…
I work with this brewery in the Midwest - so I am a bit biased - but I think the #1 brewery in Austria is the fabled Stift Schagl, the oldest beer producing monastery in Austria and located up on the Austrian side of the Alps (the Muhlviertal - hop country) - It’s a gorgeous, gorgeous property founded in the 12th century and they produce the most wonderful helles style lagers. Their Kristall is as pure and pretty a lager as I have ever had, and their blonde doppelbock is another revelation - They are available nationwide through smaller beer importers (like me) with pretty good availability -
Joe, Ive skied all over and have some favs, Vail, Mammoth, Whistler and Alpine Meadows being the major ones. Deer Valley has some decent terrain and lots, if not too much groomed. For us at this point in our degrees of preference, Deer Valley is our choice and the Lodge [Stein Eriksen] is a big reason with its ski in/ski out and ski locker room facility. It`s so easy.
The other perks include easy proximity to quality dinning and beer, wine and spirits for apres ski. You`ll be happy on the witch back to skis here. No life lines, mostly high speed quads and variable terrain, tree skiing, a few steeps and lots of bumps not to mention great coverage for most of the season, if not all.
)years ago, but then my wife got pregnant so canceled that trip. Never ended up going to Europe for a ski trip. At this point, will probably go to Europe in the summer for hiking. Maybe one day I’ll make it over there in the winter…