Well, its Friday here in the Republic of Intoxico, and time to put the past week behind us, for the weekend is here. My plans are simple and predictable: listen to music, drink a few bottles of beer, try to fit in a cigar, and maybe see a movie or two.
Pandora is queued up, check. A bottle of Big Sky India Pale Ale has been popped and poured, double check.
The beer, brewed by Big Sky Brewing Co.out of Montana, poured out a nice umber hue with a tint more on the orange side as opposed to the brown. The only thing obscuring the clarity of this ale is a good amount of active carbonation that races to a thick, sticky, off-white head.
If you were anticipating this IPA to have a hop forward aroma, you predicted correctly as a nice bouquet of grass and grapefruit greets the drinker’s nose. There is also a moderate tang of bread and yeast that mingles with the citrus scent.
As the beverage hits the palate, as expressed in the nose, grapefruit essence dominates the flavor profile, but is augmented by a slight raisin like sweetness on the backend. Where some IPAs assault with bitterness, the Big Sky IPA’s bittering hops seem to make their presence known at the conclusion of the quaff as opposed to the front, which gives the beer a dry, crisp finish.
Overall this beer was a fine example of the style without abusing the palate of the drinker. Is it an excellent beer? A beer to define what the style should be? Perhaps not, but well worth a try.
I brew and drink beer, smoke pipes and cigars, eat till I’ve had more than my fill, and escape in pulp rags till my eyes turn buggy. I don’t claim any expertise in any subject other than the chase of my own earthly pleasures. I write to help others find their own pleasures so that together we will decay in spirit with these lesser pursuits.
