Going Rogue in Utah

 

Talk about a great location for a brewery! Moab belongs to that happy genre of small town which hosts a lot of outdoor sporting activities, making it a great jumping off point for adventure.  Lying at a curve in the Colorado river, Moab is flanked on three sides by towering cliffs of deep ochre and orange.  The entrance to Arches National Park is literally on the way into town, and there were bikers, hikers, and rock climbers everywhere.  My mouth was watering as we passed aging school buses full of rafting equipment and watched blue fleets being gently launched into the muddy water.







Okay, so I realize that I'm sounding effusive, but there's nothing I like more than a little town with a lot of heart, and preferably a lot of outdoorsy people in it.
Moab fits the bill perfectly, and Moab Brewery fits the bill for what every small town with outdoorsy people needs: a craft brewery.
You may have been thinking to yourself....wait a minute: a brewery in Utah? How does that work? Yes, it is tricky (we asked), and involves some irritating laws such as - you need to order food with your beer, and you can never have more than two beers sitting in front of you at a time. The people we talked to literally said "Hey, we're just happy to be here!"

Well, we're happy they are there too, because the beers were fresh and interesting, and the feel of the brewpub was upbeat, friendly and outdoorsy - just like the town. I love a good combo.
Jeff and I had a flight of beers (but only two at a time, thank you very much - even though they were 2oz each).
The highlights were the Lizard Wheat Ale: creamy and clean, refreshing with a touch of sweetness in the middle and a satisfyingly dry finish, and The Merrimack: a steam lager with a beautiful color, a spicy forward punch and a malt-biscuit sweetness in the finish.
Their Elephant Hill Hefeweizen and Black Raven Stout were disappointing - the Hefeweizen is one of their flagship beers but we felt that others had surpassed it and that it lacked the traditional banana and clove flavoring of a good Hefe. The Stout had a great bouquet and maple syrup undertones, but felt too thin and seemed to fall off into nowhere, finishing weakly.
Overall, I am a huge fan of their location, the easy friendly vibe of the establishment, and their determination to provide outdoor enthusiasts with a brewpub within the boundaries of Latter Day jurisdiction (yes!). Now to plan the rafting trip to go with that Lizard Ale....