The first time I had this was actually IN Montana where Big Sky Brewing is based. My family was up there to go snowmobiling in Yellowstone National Park.
If there is one word to describe Montana in the winter it is, "tearductfreezingdontgooutsidecoffeesolidifyinglycold." Yes, that is me, if I was Asian, and could actually grow a mustache. So cold that Big Sky Brewing should have a winter warmer in their every day lineup not as a seasonal. I had arctic cold gear on, my snowmobile had hand and feet warmers, and I had a windscreen in front of me and I still felt like a popsicle, a ridiculously down-filled puffy popsicle. I felt even colder when I saw the animals standing in the frozen river like this beer's namesake on the label of this ridiculously good brown ale.
I managed to make it through my fast ride through a cold hell. The streets were eery. One or two cars, a fading twilight, and nowhere to go because the lanes were hemmed in by 10 foot tall walls of snow and ice. We stopped off at what I remember to be a pizza place on the way back to our hotel.
The pizza was good but they had Moose Drool on tap. I'm not going to lie, I ordered it because of the name. My mom and I still talk about the trip every time we see Moose Drool somewhere. It's fitting that a beer reminds us of good times. If you ever travel with my family, more likely than not a familiar answer to the question, "Where do you want to eat"? Will be answered with, "Somewhere we can get a beer."
Moose Drool pours a deep chocolate brown with a large tan head. The aroma is roasty, toasty, and slightly sweet. The taste is similar. Creamy mouthfeel, brown bread, yeast, and nuttiness covers up a bit of the bitterness that is present for balance. Not too thin not too thick, malty without being syrupy sweet. This beer is just well balanced and at 5.1% ABV it could be a session beer. If you see it somewhere definitely pick up a six, it's not expensive either which is a total boon! My favorite brown ale by far.
German, if you are reading, browns are your thing, pick this up.
D and I did have a good time, though short because it was hot and there were too many "bros" there. My favorite chili came from a custom butcher that was offering steak bites alongside their chili and D's had beer front and center in the taste profile. Go figure. They both were good though.
If there is one word to describe Montana in the winter it is, "tearductfreezingdontgooutsidecoffeesolidifyinglycold." Yes, that is me, if I was Asian, and could actually grow a mustache. So cold that Big Sky Brewing should have a winter warmer in their every day lineup not as a seasonal. I had arctic cold gear on, my snowmobile had hand and feet warmers, and I had a windscreen in front of me and I still felt like a popsicle, a ridiculously down-filled puffy popsicle. I felt even colder when I saw the animals standing in the frozen river like this beer's namesake on the label of this ridiculously good brown ale.
