Big Sky Crystal Ale

Brewed by Big Sky Brewing Company
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
Missoula, Montana USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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Amazingly bright stop light yellow, steady carbonation bubbles in widespead lines, large puffy white head, evenly bubbled, ink blobby lacing sticks. Aroma is of dry grassy hay and wheat grains, fresh and clean, floral hops notes and crystalized honey. Taste is dry and candyish sweet with a nice malty base, slightly bready and chewy in the finish, some floral hop flavors and specks of honey. The malts are quite nice; sticky sweet, candyish, caramel-like but more of a dulled sugaryness. A ton of crystal malts perhaps, hence the name. Feel is well mannered in smoothness, creamy, nearly full bodied with a very nice finish of nurtured chewy/sticky malts. Wow, what a treat, a nice surprise, Big Sky has done their homework with this one. One superb drinker. I’m with Zap as I was expecting something light and fizzy, but this is better then one would think. Not sure about style choice on this. Could be a lighter Maibock or Wheat Pale ale, but it does seem to fit the Kolsch style with perhaps a more malt heavy approach. Whatever it is, I like it.

Big Sky Crystal Ale--2004 12 oz. Bottle. 5.00% ABV? 20 IBU’s? (4.0 / 5.0) Golden Ale. Foamy white light lace head. Clear bright thin golden color. Mild floral hop front. Crisp mild tangy dry sweet butterscotch ester dough hint Pils body. Refreshing clean mild citrus hop end. OK. Sampled 8/11/2004. Big Sky Crystal Ale--2006 12 oz. Bottle. 4.70% ABV. 25+IBU’s? (4.25 / 5.0) Golden Ale. Mild lacy head. Clear bright thin yellow color. Crisp tangy floral Saaz Pils front. Refreshing tangy mild butterscotch body with a fruit ester hint. Tangy clean balanced hop end. Nice Pils Ale. Wheat hints? Sampled 11/3/2006.

I am really starting to like Biog Sky beers. This is no exception. Smells great, and taste great. Yea, good beer.

This was a golden color with a white head that quickly diminishes. It has a very clean taste, it really lives up to the name crystal ale. It isn’t my favorite big sky brew but it is pretty decent.

On-Tap @ Papago The beer fresh from the tap is a nice clear blond color with a big fluffy white head that dissipates slowly leaving a fine curtain of lace to cover the glass. Nose has a fresh crisp hint of hops, sweet malt, quite appetizing; start is somewhat sweet with a pleasant grain profile and the top light to moderate in feel. Finish has a stern acidity, hops potent and the aftertaste dry, a real nice drinking beer; I had three pints, just damn good.

Pours w/minimal head; body is a clear golden yellowish/orange; pleasant, moderately malty and fruity aroma, hints of pear and apple; sweet initial flavor followed by a quick dryness, clean and subtle; not bad at all.

nice head that quickly fades. golden color, looks like liquid gold, i am tepted. strong crystal hops aroma wiht a suttle spicyness to it. it is carbonated and spicy sharp, due to the crystal flavor.goes down thin and easy, like pabst. I could drink a lot of this but there is only so much of the overpowering crystal flavor.

Bottled. Pours a light amber with a lacy cream-colored head. The aroma has some citrus and a smidgeon of toffee. The taste had a bigger hop presence than I expected, and also has some toffee and fruit. Dry pine and grapefruit finish. Crisp and refreshing.

On tap @ Papago. Had a good fruity aroma. Golden color with white head. Fruit flavor along witha meium bitterness made this one refreshing. Good brew.

Bottle: Light clear orange with a thin white head, lemon, light fruits and grains in the aroma, lightly bitter start and finish. Medium bodied with good carbonation, orange aftertaste.