The Stein Eriksen Lodge welcomes anyone over 21 to its Flagstaff Deck for the return of its Hops on the Hill series, a weekly Tuesday gathering centered on craft beer and comfort food.
But this year’s run is bittersweet because it’s Executive Chef Zane Holmquist’s last one.
After 26 years with the hotel, Holmquist will retire in December, or, in his words, be “put out to pasture.”
Hops on the Hill was Holmquist’s creation alongside Food and Beverage Director Jason Barrett, and it has been running since 2011. As beer lovers, they wanted to bring a casual event to the hotel to draw more foot traffic during the slower summer months. It stuck.
Each week, the culinary team designs a menu of light bites meant to pair with beers from two guest breweries. This year’s series started Tuesday with Bohemian Brewery and Uinta Brewing Co, and will have five more events through Aug. 18.
For Chef Jonathon Miller, who will help Barrett take over Holmquist’s responsibilities, Hops on the Hill has become a chance to spark creativity in his chef team.
“We’ll try some of the beers if we haven’t tried them and be like, ‘Oh, what do you get? What do you want to have with this?’ And so it’s a fun little throwback collaboration where we sip a beer together,” he said. “Get their palates working and their brains thinking about food. It’s more fun than the daily grind.”
The casual nature of the event lets him relax, too, like wearing sunglasses with his chef coat, or maybe even a backward hat. But being on the deck for the summer evenings is the real highlight.
“It gets me out of the kitchen where I can do this,” he turned to look out at the emerald Deer Valley Resort slopes behind the deck. “I’m in a cave back there, and I don’t have a window, and so it’s nice to be outside and breathe fresh air and more or less remember why we all live here in Utah.”
In all its years, Miller said Hops on the Hill has never had a repeat dish. Tuesday’s lineup included options like a bison meatloaf with a house-made red chili ketchup, crispy potatoes with two types of house-made aioli, Korean fried chicken on a sweet potato waffle with an Asian-style coleslaw, bites of crispy rice topped with ahi tuna, two types of salads using local greens and even a beer float served with a grapefruit sorbet.
Miller said they often turn to comfort foods when designing menus each week, and ensure each item matches the Stein quality. Because it’s summer, IPAs or lighter beers are often featured, but Miller is usually most excited to see a porter or a stout on the list.
“There’s something about sipping beer and eating chicken and waffles and having meatloaf or ribs, just that more comfort food,” Miller said. “Comfort foods are fun, just as much as caviar and all the fine dining stuff as well. That’s probably the reason why I love it so much.”
The next Hops on the Hill events:
- July 21: 2 ROW & Bewilder Breweries
- July 28: Fisher & Epic Breweries
- Aug. 4: Mountain West & Salt Lake Brewing Co.
- Aug. 11: Silver Reef & Helper Beer Breweries
- Aug. 18: Level Crossing and Mad Fritz Breweries
It will be the last summer to see Holmquist serving out on the deck, to chat with him about biking and what’s next, but Miller said it doesn’t mean the end of Hops on the Hill.
“As much as Zane’s leaving, and this was kind of his little baby, I’m almost positive that me and Jason will keep it going,” he said.
To purchase tickets, visit steinlodge.com/hops-on-the-hill.