Big Sky IPA

Brewed by Big Sky Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Missoula, Montana USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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On-tap at the Happy Gnome: Gorgeous dark copper color. Clear body and glimmering. Thin and quick cap of dusty white foam slips away soon after the pour. Lacing is in a few globby strings and bigger spots. Aroma is clean, crisp, and rounded in a wonderful fruity sweetness thats deep and rich mixing well with a hoppy grapefruit pith thats been bruned or scorched into a dry pine bittering sour tone. Quite nice. A bit resinous and greasy too. Flavors are solid with good depth and roundedness, crisp, clean, and bold. Short and sweet in the front, kinda dark and apple-y, sweet, toasty, and firm. Middle, well, there isn’t really a middle as it skips right to the finish with bright and crisp hoppyness of pine and juicy citrus tones. Clean, milding, and smooth bitterness ensues into the finish with a bit of grapefruityness sliding around in a dark and resinous center. It’s quite good actually, and possibly deserving of a better number then what I’m giving it, but there was something about it that seemed unperplexing and medium about its flavors. I do, however, like its darker, thicker, tone.Hmmm....tough to call, could be better but how, I’m unsure. Complexity? Caramel? Feel is somewhat thicker then most other IPA’s; given its clean and crisp nature. Somehow, and whatever the reason why, it tends to carry a bit more darker heavyness for its underbelly then others that don’t use the caramel brigade of malts. This was pale but rounded, semi toasted, clean and bitter, but sweet and dark. A nice aspect to the beer and its flavors. Mellows out some as it warms and the bitterness tends to seep in and out from time to time. It’s darker nature and simple yet supple and giving bitterness does slow down the drinking of the brew. It’s got a uniquely heavy crispness and, almost, greasy fashion. More of a "winter" IPA then for warmer months, but damn good none the less.

Amber pour with little head. Nose is dominated by sweet fruits, caramel and light floral notes. Flavor lends a solid blend of citrus, flowery notes, and moderate caramel malt flavors with some toasted and cereal malt flavors. Light to medium light body with a dry finish. Pretty good IPA.

Poured from a bottle dark amber color. Aroma of a IPA with floral and pine. Has a bitterness taste.

CASK at Jerry’s. Hazy orange-amber with light, white head / Delicate nose of pine and dry hops / Light to medium body, a touch watery, with good balance and dry finish / Mild flavors of toast, orange, grapefruit, and pine / Pleasant and mild, probably more in the style of an English pale.

August 2011. Almost abrasively bitter with a resinous tongue-coating afterward. Sweetness and some fruity hop flavor make for a brief flash of Hawaiian punch in the middle. Not as aromatic as I’d like, nor as drinkable. Sadly fairly typical of the American IPA trend, late ’90s edition.

I really like this IPA. Nice pine, hops and citrous notes with an additional roasted flavor coming through in the end. Not bad at all.

In the glass it has a dark amber color in the glass. Aroma is all IPA with floral and pine. Taste falls a little short. It starts out with some grapefruit and a mild bittrer bite. After that the taste falls off and has a weak finish.

Poured a nice clear golden amber with a off white color creamy head that diminished withing five minutes which was unfortunate but left really nice lacing. The aroma was a very citrusy grapefruit with hints of pine and maltyness. Taste was very crisp with a bold citrus grafruite flavor. Had a kind of ashy after taste on the palate but sat clean. Overall this is a fruity ipa which I do like and would recommend.

When looking for an IPA this is an average IPA and I was left looking for more bitterness and I did not have desire to want another.

Surprisingly Good! Montana, well done sir! A nice IPA........................

Huge citrus hop aroma, firm bitterness without astringency. Sweet malt balances well. Finish is crisp and flavorful. One of my favorite IPAs.