At this year’s North American Beer Awards held by the North American Brewers Association, one of Utah’s oldest breweries had an incredible showing, grabbing an unlikely (for any brewery) five medals for their standard beers. Moab Brewery tends to get overlooked in Salt Lake’s beer scene for the simple fact that it’s located in the desert hundreds of miles away. I thought it was about time to give the Moab crew their due and profile the great medal-winning beers coming out of Utah’s desert.
Rocket Bike Lager
Brewery/Brand: Moab Brewery
ABV: 4.0%
Serving Style: 16 oz. can/draft
Description: This lager pours a deep amber color, with a single finger of foamy head. The nose has a nice, fragrant, toasty cracker smell, with slight floral/pine notes. The taste starts with the same toasty maltiness and a hint of grain spices. Nice herbal grass notes bring up the end—a rich taste for a lager.
Overview: This is a Gold Medal winner in the California Common category. These typically have the body of an ale with the smoothness of a lager.
Dead Horse Amber Ale
Brewery/Brand: Moab Brewery
ABV: 4.0%
Serving Style: 16 oz. can/draft
Description: The Dead Horse Amber Ale pours a deep, somewhat hazy, copper/amber color, with an average foamy head. The nose is malty, with hints of apricot and pine. Its taste is fruity with toasted malt. Slight notes of pine and citrus round out the back end.
Overview: Silver Medal In Ordinary Bitter category. Lightly hopped with some fruity malts. Quenching, but not overpowering.
Squeaky Bike Nut Brown
Brewery/Brand: Moab Brewery
ABV: 4.0%
Serving Style: 16 oz. can/draft
Description: This beer pours dark brown with a frothy, mocha-colored head. The nose is malty, with brown sugar and nutty grains. Look for big nutty and cocoa notes mixed with nutty caramel and bread roastiness.
Overview: It won Silver in the English-Style Mild Ale category and is remarkably flavorful and refreshing for a 4-percent beer. One of the best one-two punches around.
Desert Select Export Stout
Brewery/Brand: Moab Brewery
ABV: 8.59%
Serving Style: 22 oz. bottle
Description: This beer is opaque black in appearance with a near nitro-looking tan head. The nose has mellow char notes with a hint of milky caramel notes. The taste is somewhat sweet with deep roasty notes and fairly potent hop bitterness. It’s strong in flavor with a mellow finish.
Overview: Bronze Medal winner in the Foreign-Style Stout category.
Desert Select Tripel
Brewery/Brand: Moab Brewery
ABV: 8.59%
Serving Style: 22 oz. bottle
Description: The Desert Select Tripel pours an opaque, lemon-yellow color, with a creamy, white finger of head. The nose is full of apple, peach and melon fruitiness. The taste starts with juicy peach and clove. Faint hop grassiness comes next, with nice vinous notes in the end. It is sweet and slightly boozy.
Overview: This Belgian-style beer won the Bronze Medal in the Belgian Tripel category. It’s mostly big and sugary and has a nice fruitiness that makes it quite palatable.