1001 Beers: Moose Drool

Beer Number 75: Big Sky Moose Drool

This beer has been a favorite of mine for years but since leaving the Pacific Northwest, I have not seen it once. Luckily for me on the night that Silva threw away his title, a buddy of mine happened to have some at his house and I snagged up a bottle as fast as I could.

Missoula, where the brewery is based,is a magnet for outdoors enthusiast: attracting hikers, mountain bikers, white-water enthusiast, and those tracing the Lewis and Clark Trail. By first packaging beer in aluminum bottles in 2003 and by installing a canning line in 2009, Big Sky made its beers more portable for such consumers.

More into the reading of this beer, apparently they were sued multiple times over the name and its name was inspired by a painting. A lot of cool facts about this beer.

The first sip was way better than I remember. The upfront rush of chocolate and toasted malts followed by a nice sweet caramel stream of flavor. Roasty and the perfect hop presence and you swallow it down. I remembered why I loved this one so and I would love to have some cans... scratch that, aluminum bottles... that is interesting... to take on a trip or two with me.

926 Bottles Of Beer To Go!

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1001 Beers: Newcastle Brown Ale

Beer Number 62: Newcastle Brown Ale

Back in my non-craft drinking days, I had this one once or twice but that was just because it was at a party and it was something different from the classic BMC that is at every underage party Superbowl Party one would go to. I drank it, it did the job after enough of them and whatever else was around but I was never a fan of it or anything like that. St. Pauli girl was my drink. Her smooth green long neck body and her dark version were to die for... or so I thought.

For many years, the beer was brewed in the heart of Newcastle. However, this site closed in 2004, and production moved to the former Federation Brewery in Gateshead, where the beer is brewed to an alcohol strength of 7.5 percent before being diluted to the strength at which it meets its drinkers.

Brewed to 7.5%! Wow, I would love to try that version. I know it never sees the light of day and the final version is actually a picture perfect example of the style, but it would be interesting enough. That would definitely get college kids going... like they originally did to push this beer according to the book. The lower ABV version.





I love how clear that glass is. The beer is just as so. A lot of caramel comes off in the nose and even the flavor of this one. Very thin but a high level of carbonation. I got a little bit of a bready character but not much. Just one of those beers you look back on. It totally reminded me of the old days... I did not have many memories of them though. So, yup. Knocked off the list.

939 Bottles Of Beer To Go!

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1001 Beers: Kodiak Brown Ale

Beer Number 50: Midnight Sun Kodiak Brown Ale

While I had the IPA from this brewery not too long ago, I was happy to see that their brown ale made it into this book. It is not a style we see much of today. Though, one I really enjoy. When I first got into beer I was not impressed with the big, hoppy, and outrageous IPAs. I fell in love with some of the more passionate and flavorful offerings. So it is nice when I find something that takes me back to the beginning.

The Kodiak Brown Ale was its very first beer and has been the best-selling Midnight Sun beer ever since. It's brewed with the traditional malts of a Norther English Brown: pale and chocolate malt. The hopping rate is also along the lines typical for the style, at 24 IBUs, but with rather more unusual hop varieties: German Perle and American Willamette. These hop varieties gives the brown ale a decidedly nontraditional taste profile, which adds to its very unique character.

I do not think I have ever had a beer named after a bear before, but here it goes. I wonder if it will shred away at me or if I should play dead... hmmm...

Kodiak Brown Ale pours, as you would expect, a nice deep brown with a pretty good looking tan head. Sweet malts on the nose with a bit of caramel and a little bit of a toasted nut character. The initial taste was sweet and a little burnt. This beer carried a medium body and a strong carbonation kick in the back. Toasty, spicy, a solid brown ale.

I enjoyed this one quite a bit. A very different beer from what you typically find out there and what is talked about today. I hope there are others in the book that just hang onto the simplicity of what beer really is.

951 Bottles Of Beer To Go!

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