Proper Brewing Opens in Moab, Utah

Proper’s Grapefruit Wheat Ale and LeisureBrau. Photos courtesy of Proper Brewing.

Onsite beer store and brewery lands in Moab

Proper Brewing held the grand opening of its new Moab location on February 10, but even before that, the brew pub and eatery has been popular.

“The soft opening was definitely busier than we anticipated,” said Proper Brewing co-owner Andrew Tendick. “It was a great experience for our staff. Moab gets hit so hard during the tourist season, with volumes and volumes of people coming down — so getting a taste of what it will be like to be inundated with people and work out some of the kinks … was really helpful.”

Tendick is familiar with the seasonal ebb and flow of Moab, where he went to high school and where he still has family. He now lives in Salt Lake City, the site of the original and three other Proper Brewing locations. The Moab location is the first one outside the state capital.

“I have a pretty strong connection to the community,” Tendick explained. “I don’t think we would have expanded if it had been St. George or somewhere else.”

Tendick wants to keep those connections strong. He’s hoping to incorporate live music events as the weather gets warmer, with local artists performing at the brewery’s outdoor patio, and he’s considering family movie nights. Proper has also partnered with Utah State University Moab’s technology department, arranging for USU welding students to create bike racks for the new brew pub.

“That’s an example of something we want to be doing more and more, partnering with local businesses and organizations in the community,” Tendick said. He mentioned that Proper has supported the local nonprofit Youth Garden Project in the past, and will consider incorporating local farm produce into the menu and participating in the garden’s fall dinner series.

The new pub will also dedicate one of its guest taps for a selection from the Moab Brewery, the long-standing brew pub on the other end of town. Brewers from the two businesses collaborated together on creating a beer for the Utah Brewers Guild Collab Fest last year.

“We’re supporters of them, they’re great to work with,” Tendick said of the well-loved Brewery.

Jeff Van Horn, head brewer at Moab Brewery, said it’s great to see another brewery come to Moab.

“As far as Moab Brewery is concerned, the more the merrier. Proper Brewery is a great local brewer and we welcome them with open arms,” he said.

With the spring tourist season around the corner, it’s likely all of Moab’s eateries will be buzzing. Tendick said that so far, patrons at the new Proper have been a mix of locals and visitors; he expects to see more out-of-towners throughout the tourist season. Regardless of where patrons are coming from — from down the street once a week, or from across the globe just once — Tendick said Proper focuses on good quality beer and good quality food.

The Moab location has 20 taps and 50 can and bottle selections. Most of the taps will have Proper-made beers, but Tendick said there will be consistent guest taps and some special-order and unique beers.

“If you’re from out-of-state, you’ll be able to have a nice selection not just of Proper beer, but craft beer in general. If you’re a local, you can come in a couple times a month and try new beers.”

Soon, there will also be an onsite beer store where patrons can buy bottles and cans. Tendick is hoping that it will be open this spring.

In honor of the new location, Proper has created a new beer, a West Coast IPA-style brew called “The Daily,” named after a stretch of the Colorado River that is popular with Moab locals and visitors. A West Coast IPA, Tendick explained, has a more piney, bitter flavor profile, in contrast to a “juicy” or “hazy” IPA, which is slightly sweeter. The Daily was released in mid-February.

Tendick is pleased to be open for business in Moab.

“More than anything, we’re excited to be down there and getting our doors open,” he said.

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