Desert Select Black Imperial IPA
Moab Brewery

Stopped at this brewery while on travels. Had a flight. all were good as was this one. I like a good Black IIPA, and this was a really decent one. Rated about 7 or 8 years ago.

 

 

 

Pours a root beer brown with medium light tan head. Great looking beer.

Smell: strong hops and dry malts. Maybe a hint of caramel somewhere in there. A little bit yeasty as well. Also pine and oak.

Taste: Bitter hops that really hit you fast and stick with you on the way down. Definitely getting the oak on the taste too. Could be a more complex taste, but as with Moab’s other Desert Select beers, this is simple in a good way

Feel: Black IPAs aren’t for the faint of heart this is incredibly hoppy and aggressive. I enjoyed this one very much.

Woah. Huge, bold flavor all over the place. Bitter, metallic, dry, and totally ferocious. This beer is not for the faint of heart. We love that we had a bottle, because it is so different than Moab's standard lineup.

Dark brown, not black, with minimal carbonation. Drinks better if warmed a bit. Balanced, creamy mouthfeel. Malt takes center stage with hops very much in the background. Not sure I would call it an IPA. Smells like a brewery - that's a good thing. The high alcohol level is not noticeable. Nothing off-putting about this beer. I think it would go down well with beer drinkers of all tastes.

[Original rating 2012-12-24] 1L bottle. Pours cloudy dark brown with a hint of red. Huge tan head that lasts and lasts. Aroma of caramel, toffee, a little woody, something funky. Taste is super sweet caramel, a bit burnt. I’m not tasting any hops... Not what I’d call a black IPA.

 

22oz bottle brought back by a friend from Utah. New Belgium glass. No freshness dating on the bottle.

Appearance of root beer, dark brown not tending to red with a nice finger or two of tan head. The lacing is nice.

Sweet, piney hops, lemon, hints of roast, vanilla, and oak. Smells like a standard IPA at first, but opens up into something like a hoppy Porter or Export Stout.

Very bitter and hoppy up front. Medium roast, short bread, and bitter alcohol to follow. This is a significantly bitter beer between the IBUs, roast, and alcohol.

Medium bodied, soft carbonation. Slightly astringent, bitter finish.

The oak was a try to give this beer a little something more I'm guessing, but I don't think it needed it. I'm not sure I would have noticed if I didn't read the bottle as another reviewer commented. It's a good Black IPA, hoppy, a little roasty, and bitter.

 

 

quite surprised folks havent liked this one more, seems way underrated to me. my bottle was exceptional, thanks to drlovemd87 for sharing it with me. this is a unique take on the style, being fermented in oak and later dry hopped, it retains most of its hops, even with a little age on the bottle. the oak is subtle, but it certainly brings the beer together and adds a sensational mouthfeel mellowing component. the pour is pretty, chocolate brown with a tall thick almost nitro head to it, tan in color. lighter than i would expect for a black beer, but its attractive, at least until i notice all the yeast chunks floating beneath the head, definitely unflattering. smells great though, big piney hops but without all the oil, must be some oak softening of these, but the aroma is still there. the flavor is too, and it goes great with the darker side of the malt base, campfire char, a hint of smoke, dark chocolate, its great. the hops have a cool savory element, like a hint of rosemary or something, really a neat play with the wood and the dark grain. this is very much unlike other black india pale ales. smooth and big, but very dry, almost burnt tasting at the end, and whatever yeast i can see, i cant really taste. this is a unique beer and without question my favorite i have had so far from moab!

 

 

This beer looks and pours well. 22 oz brown bottle. More brown than true black, but you get the dark roasted notes. Very floral hoppy aroma, with a persistent white lace. Smooth hop and malt flavor, the dry hops bitterness softened at the end with a woody after taste. Flavorful sipping beer. Not a chugger.
Enjoy!

 

 

It is called a black IPA, looked more like a light brown. Decent beer.