It's beginning to look a lot like Utah Beer Festival! Ah, yes, that most boozy time of the year is here, and with it, a whopping 240 or so different brews that'll be available this weekend at the Salt Lake Fairpark, ranging from Ales to Zwickelbier (OK, that last one might be a stretch, but I needed something with a Z).

Along with the plethora of suds, this year's fest has a spiffy (and free) new app that'll inform you on the vivid history of this year's participating breweries. You old souls out there can check out a map on p. 40 of the current issue for a tangible guide.

Who doesn't remember their first sip of beer? For me, it came after my sister's employed Tecate while sunbathing as a natural hair lightener (Sun-In was a pricey commodity back then). I still remember the revolting, warm swig. "Adults are weird," I thought. "Who on Earth would willingly drink this?" A few decades later, as evidenced by the clinking of cans meeting bottles when I take my recycling out, this is who. I'm glad to hear I'm not alone. Travel down a boozy memory lane as some notable beer connoisseurs share their colorful first beer-drinking experiences.

Want to up your cocktail-ordering cred? Beertails are where it's at, baby. Our top picks are available just a short Uber ride away. We also tip our full-strength glass to some of those kooky, surrealist and downright artistic labels found on some of our favorite brews we tend to stash around the office and pop frantically during deadline days. Find hipster flamingos, flaming rams and jumping bass (oh, my!) here.

From the days of ol' Brigham, the original homebrewer, in the 1800s to The Beer Nut opening its State Street doors in the 1990s, Utah beer culture runs deep. Our own Colby Frazier is adding his name to that illustrious list sometime, err ... soon. Read all about him and his partners' journey to open up their own small brewery here.

We skim this special package off with an homage to the woman responsible for many sticky beer coasters in the early 2000s: the St. Provo Girl, who far from the limelight is currently kicking ass in Oregon working on finishing her master's. Take that, Spuds MacKenzie!

So go through these pages aided by a tall, frosty one. Whatever you do, though, don't use it as a means of achieving golden highlights. I'm pretty sure that Tecate gave me childhood alopecia.

—Enrique Limón