The appropriately named Epic Brewing has been producing beers of heroic stature in Utah for the last several years. Beer fans in Japan looking for an epic palate adventure need not fly to the Rocky Mountains of the U.S. to get a taste, though; the company’s strong, boldly flavored yet balanced brews are thankfully available in Japan.

For anyone familiar with the state, Utah may seem like an unlikely place for a brewery widely known for high-alcohol beers. Until 2008, anything over 4% was highly restricted. Then laws changed to allow breweries to sell higher alcohol beer direct to the public, rather than having to go through a tightly-controlled, state-owned distribution and retail system. It was, in the words of the founders, a “game-changer” for them.

Epic was founded by David Cole and Peter Erickson, with additional key support from head brewer Kevin Crompton who came to them with some fifteen years of experience at three other Utah breweries. Prior to launching this dream project, Cole and Erickson had been running an aquaculture company there since 1992. It seems like an odd, abrupt leap until they explain that brewing and aquaculture are “surprisingly similar sciences using single-celled organisms.” Oh yeah, that yeast stuff!

Epic Brewing’s success was almost immediate, but not simply because they launched in a thirsty state at the right time. Awards began to pile up and visitors to the state eagerly sought them out, their legacy having grown as if overnight. Obviously, they were doing something right with the beers.

Cole and Erickson explain, “Our philosophy was to make many styles of beer with reasonable alcohol and high alcohol very well. We wanted to have variety. We’ve therefore focused on interesting, full-flavored beer. We actually have three categories: the Classic Series, which are classic styles; our Elevated Series, which are beers that we’ve tweaked in some way, like the hops, for example; and then we have the Exponential Series which are really unusual beers and which are what we are generally known for. So we have three little playgrounds for us to make interesting beers in.”

Playgrounds? These are extravagant theme parks with thrill rides and surprises.

Cole recalls one example, “Kevin (head brewer) has a wonderful palate and will tell you a direction you shouldn’t go with a beer. We made a weird, smoked Belgian beer once that we decided to age. Kevin guided it and was nervous about how it would taste, but as we progressed, it turned out to be a peaty, whisky-like malt bomb that people loved or hated. With something like that, you can’t say it has flaws—it’s just personal taste.”

The brewing team uses smaller pilot systems to play around with ideas. Not all are a success. They once made a wasabi lager that didn’t get a very good response because it was too mustardy. On the other hand, they brewed a delightful Herb Saison that was inspired by a homebrew that somebody brought in. The beer they developed from there went on to win a medal at the highly competitive Great American Beer Festival. More than a few of their other beers have won gold at international beer competitions, including their Spiral Jetty IPA, which is available in Japan.

Epic also has a rather robust barrel-aging program, with close to 1000 barrels. Cole and Erickson laugh, “We’ve gone all in!” They typically use red wine barrels retired from the industry, with cherries being a preferred fruit for aging with the beers. Their “Brainless on Peaches” is another interesting—and delicious—departure. Aged in French Chardonnay casks from Sawtooth Winery in Idaho, it draws its flavor from organic peach puree added to the “Brainless Belgian.” It’s a beer that they do not describe as aggressive, but a “thing of beauty.”

Still, Epic Brewing tends to be known for its strong, aggressive beers, which probably works to their advantage since expanding brewery operations into downtown Denver just last year—that’s right, a second brewery just a few years after launching, along with a tap room featuring 25 taps of their small-batch wonders.

Erickson comments, “We’re doing very well in Denver. Craft beer really is a movement where a rising tide lifts all boats. Craft beer accounts for roughly 30% of the beer market share here, but I think there’s still room to grow: 60 to 70% that we, as brothers, can still grab!”

With so much local market still to reach, why would such a successful, small-batch brewery move into Japan? It seems they had always been interested in the industry here, having come from an agricultural background like so many Japanese craft breweries. For them, it was a smart market to be in.

But can we expect any special beers for Japan? Some collaborations perhaps? They all laugh and say, “We’ll consider anything.”
That sounds like epic brewing spirit to us.

Epic Brewing is officially imported by AQ Bevolution

Check out the AQ Bevolution Facebook page and homepage for details.

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This article was published in Japan Beer Times # () and is among the limited content available online. Order your copy through our online shop or download the digital version from the iTunes store to access the full contents of this issue.