Popular Auburn Craft Beer Destination
Auburn, Calif. – It's an exciting time to be a craft beer fan. The competition in California's exploding craft beer market is accelerating and Auburn has quietly become one of Northern California's tourist havens for beer lovers.
When the opportunity arose, we gladly returned to Auburn to visit with award winning Moonraker Brewing Company. On a warm afternoon, we saddled up our horse for a Gold Country beer tasting session.
Moonraker Brewing jumped into the fray in 2016 with its grand opening and has quickly made a name for itself among the craft beer scene. Naturally, when blind taste tests have your Triple IPA beating out one of the holy grails of craft beers (Pliny the Younger), an influx of beer tourists is all but guaranteed. Craft beer lovers are funny that way.
Moonraker Brewing is located at 12970 Earhart Ave, Ste 100 in Auburn. Just a brief drive off Interstate 80, their location is convenient and easily accessible. We've encountered beer travelers from the Bay Area, Reno and points beyond that take the trek to Auburn just to experience the area's multiple local craft brews.
Moonraker currently has about 15 beers on tap, with a primary focus on IPA styles. During craft beer sojourns, we always gravitate towards ordering by the flight to broaden the tasting experience and uncover hidden gems.
This solar powered facility is a no frills, yet comfortable environment to chill and imbibe their tasty and unique brews. Indoor picnic table seating along with the serving bar are indoors, while the covered beer garden provides the bulk of the seating at Moonraker. A rotating list of food trucks provide a variety of delicious grub. Check their calendar for updates on partcipating food truck vendors.
Here's some of the craft beer offerings we sampled.
Moonraker Brewing Tasting
All Hops on Deck 8.4% ABV
Imperial IPA had a nice balance of hops and a smooth finish.
Delusions of Clouds 8.4% ABV
A cloudy Imperial IPA with some bite. A touch of bitter, citrus notes.
Zulu Haze 7.1% ABV
American IPA with cloudy appearance. Fruity citrus with an enjoyable and light and clean finish.
DOJO – 8.4% ABV
Double IPA, nice bite of hops with impressively smooth finish.
Goofy Foot – 6.9% ABV
A very clear and refreshing West Coast IPA. Impressed with the balance of hops and smooth taste.
Thunder Tiger –
Dry hopped American Blonde Ale is a very light bodied, light on hops, thirst quenching beer reminiscent of popular American ales.
Wicked Whisper 10.1% ABV
This Russian Imperial Stout packs a punch and comes packed with strong coffee notes in a heavy syrup-like texture. Wicked Whisper is a fun sipping beer with wonderfully unique taste.
Moonraker, Worth a Visit
So, the next time someone suggests grabbing a cold one, consider heading over to Auburn to enjoy a cold one at Moonraker Brewing and enjoy some of the brews that are generating quite the buzz in the craft beer world.
For more information, visit Moonraker Brewing.