Desert Select Scotch Ale
Moab Brewery

L: Pours an amber brown color with a small tan head and no lacing on the glass.

S: A nice toasted bread, some sweet malt, with a very strong caramel note, maybe a little one note but does taste good.

T: Toasted bread sweet caramel malt, and very little hop.

F: Smooth feel, large body.

O: A decent Wee Heavy

 

 

 

a really exceptional scotch ale here, nice and rich and deep on the grain, and benefiting from some time in oak, which i think almost always flatters this style, and big malty beers in general. there is a pretty brick red color to this, and a thick layer of khaki foam, almost nitro looking. it smells awesome too, the bready earthy wet almost musty ale yeast, the kilned and nutty malts with notes of almond, walnut, red apple, and subtle cocoa, some light smoke there as well, a scotch whiskey note with the light wood on this as well, appealing as can be, balanced and bold. the flavor is just as good as the nose, and the mouthfeel is almost shocking on the first sip, freakishly dry in the finish for a sweeter malty style like this, and the bubbles are small and delicate giving an impression of a higher degree of refinement than we ever see in these types of beer, the bottle conditioning here really makes this for me. the flavor is great, chestnuts and peat, cocoa powder and caramel, raisin and date, bran and dark bread. awesome depth of flavor from the grain, mellowed but not really flavored by the wood, and overall one of the more high level and ambitious takes on this style i have had in a long long time, really well done, up there with the best moab beers i have ever had. these dessert select offerings have been fantastic!

 

The beer is 45 degrees and served in tulip glass. The pour on the beer produced frothy two-finger ivory head. The head retention is excellent and left lacing on the glass. The color of the beer is SRM 16 medium amber with rusty brown hues. The beer has clarity when put up to a light source. The appearance of the Scottish ale is excellent for this style.

The aromas of the beer are toasty malts, butterscotch, subtle malt sugar, bready, caramel, a touch of oranges, earthy, and a bit of fruitiness.

The taste of the beer is toasty malts, butterscotch, caramel, oranges, grainy, malt sugar, earthy, and floral.

The mouthfeel is dry and creamy.

The body of the beer is medium-plus, medium carbonation, and a medium finish.

The beer is just average. The beer does lack depth and character. The beer has this harsh after taste that is unpleasant. The beer borderlines on being unpleasant to drink. This beer lacks balance and harmony. As I continue to consume this beverage, I am agreeing with the 75 percent rating. I want harmony is the beer instead of it being jagged.

Tasted from a bomber bottle bought in Utah.

L - Dark copper color; a bit hazy. Light tan head is thick and persistent.

S - Aromas are all about the malt: bread, light toast, prunes, plums, caramel.

T - Raisins, plums, prunes, low smoked malt. No hops flavors. Low fruit in the finish.

F - Medium to heavy body. Low carbonation. Medium to low hops bitterness. Moderate alcohol presence.

O - All the right elements are there. This beer is missing a depth and complexity of flavors and aromas found in the best examples, but it is a good, well-made beer on the right track.

 

 

 

Had in a bomber at the brewery in Moab, poured into a tulip glass.

L: Pours a dark amber with a thick creamy almost white head.

S: Roasted malts, a bit boozy, with dark fruits on the nose. It smells like wee heavy.

T/F: Very flavorful, toasty malts, again dark fruits, and a mild smokiness. Not overly sweet and very drinkable. Moderate carbonation and pretty smooth.

O: Probably the best beer I tasted at the Moab brewery. Very flavorful, and I love how they get around Utah's tap laws (less than 3.5% ABV on tap) by selling it in bottle at the brewery. Nicely done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clear orange amber with beautiful foam in the New Belgium snifter. Lots of sudsy carbonation. More creamy, in fact, than most beers in this style. Lovely aroma of slightly smoky grain simmering with some toasted fruit cake.

Some sweetness and a malty body. Tangy roasted barley, just a little grainy, with a smooth caramel flavor like it's been melting by the campfire. Dark raisiny flavors with a bitter walnut note. Grilled mangos, maybe. Just slightly fruity, just sweet enough, and there is a touch of whiskey somewhere. Overall this is one of the better Scotch Ales I've had. Just the right balance of sweet and sharp, just a whiff of smoke and a long bitterish finish with some hoppy notes.

I think these Moab guys are doing some great things. From the swing-top bottle purchased at Wilbur's Total Beverage in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Chill hazed brown colored beer with a thick tan colored head.

Smells strongly malty with a strong cake batter scent to it. Some chocolate caramel and coconut to this, it strongly reminds me of German Chocolate Cake. Smells boozy with a rum scent to it but not really finding any smoke in it.

Starts out sweet and strong and a little stingy from the alcohol level. Quite malty there is a smoke flavor here that didn't make it in to the smell and a slight taste of salt. Malty and tasty but it isn't as complex tasting as the scent suggests.

Mouthfeel is thick.

Overall it is tasty but I have had better.