Big Sky Brewery

Oklahoma has recently acquired some new beers from the Montana brewery, Big Sky. The Big Sky Brewery offers four varieties year-round, all which are now available at McNellies. The Big Sky Brewery has themed their beers with Montana wildlife, and I choose the one with the most interesting name to try first: Moose Drool.

I'm not sure why the name of this beer drew me to try it. You would think with such a disgusting name and repulsive picture on the label, it would have the opposite effect. Perhaps it's the train wreck theory that led me to try it. Anyhow, as distasteful as the packaging is, I found the contents to be quite the opposite.

Moose Drool is a brown ale that poured with a small head, spare lacing, and a murky dark brown appearance. It's darker in color than other brown ales that come to mind, such as Newcastle, Avery's Ellie Brown Ale, and Tilburgs Dutch Brown Ale. It's a lightly hopped beer with a smooth taste and 5.3% alcohol content. It's brewed with pale, caramel, chocolate, and whole black malts and Kent Goldings, Liberty, and Willamette hops. I found the beer to be very well balanced, not too sweet or hoppy, with substantial flavor. It's known to be the best selling beer from the brewery, and the best selling beer brewed in Montana.

Other beers from the brewery include Scapegoat Pale Ale, Trout Slayer Ale, and Big Sky IPA, as well as two seasonals: Powder Hound Winter Ale and Summer Honey Seasonal Ale. I gave the Big Sky IPA a try last night and wasn't a huge fan. I found the aroma to be very pleasing, but the taste was all hops, too much in my opinion. I know, I know, it's an IPA and therefore that's what it's supposed to be, but I felt like I was eating one of those hop pellets again.

If you want to try some new beers, get on down to McNellies. With a name like Moose Drool, you must be curious to try one.