Big Sky Brewing Company
Microbrewery
in
Missoula,
Montana,
United States 🇺🇸
Associated Venue: Big Sky Brewing Company
Established in 1995
Contact
5417 Trumpeter Way PO Box 17170, Missoula, MT, MT 59808, United States
Description
Big Sky Brewing Company was started by Neal Leathers, Bjorn Nabozney, and Brad Robinson. Brad and Neal had been homebrewers in Michigan since the mid 1980’s, and had moved to Missoula with a group of friends in the summer of 1990. In 1993 they started to set up a brewery. After about a year and a half, Big Sky Brewing Company had enough cash in the bank and a large enough bank loan to begin purchasing equipment and renovating its original location at 120-A Hickory Street. We brewed our first batch of beer in mid-June of 1995.
The company was a draft only brewery (no bottled beer) for its first five and a half years. We brewed everything on Hickory Street, but we realized that to really become a regional player we had to find a way to put our beer into bottles. in early 2002 we broke ground on a new brewery on Trumpeter Way just north of Missoula’s airport. We began brewing in the new brewery in September of 2002 and started bottling our beer there in January of 2003. Since then, we have been where we always wanted to be, brewing and packaging all of our beer right here in Missoula.
The company was a draft only brewery (no bottled beer) for its first five and a half years. We brewed everything on Hickory Street, but we realized that to really become a regional player we had to find a way to put our beer into bottles. in early 2002 we broke ground on a new brewery on Trumpeter Way just north of Missoula’s airport. We began brewing in the new brewery in September of 2002 and started bottling our beer there in January of 2003. Since then, we have been where we always wanted to be, brewing and packaging all of our beer right here in Missoula.
6.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 4.5
From a can it is a clear pale yellow with an off white. The aroma is malt and the taste is thin ginger ale and some citrus. The finish is malt
Tried
from Can
on 20 Aug 2015
at 05:41
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
12 ounce bottle into pint glass, best before 10/28/2015. Pours slightly hazy bright golden straw color with a 12 finger dense white head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Aromas of grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, lemon zest, orange peel, light pine, cracker, bread, light honey, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of citrus/floral hops and light-moderate pale malt notes; with solid strength. Taste of grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, lemon zest, orange peel, pine, cracker, bread, light honey, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Moderate amount of pine/citrus rind bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, lemon/orange peel, pine, cracker, bread, and floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Good balance and solid robustness of citrus/pine hops and light-moderate pale malt flavors; with a nice malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and light-medium bodied; with a very smooth and moderately crisp/sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with zero warming present after the finish as expected of 4.2%. Overall this is a nice session IPA. All around good balance and solid robustness of citrus/piney hops and light-moderate pale malt flavors; and very smooth and crisp to drink. A nicely enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Aug 2015
at 20:45
6.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
From a 10 oz can. Pours a pale gold with an off white. Malty nose. Flavors of bread dough and light citrus.
Tried
from Can
on 19 Aug 2015
at 15:07
6.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6
From a 12 oz can. Pours a clear gold with an off white head. Light fruity nose. Flavors of citrus and pine. Light bodied. Easy drinking.
Tried
from Can
on 19 Aug 2015
at 14:41
7.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
From a 12 oz can. Pours a clear pale gold with a creamy white head. Light toast nose. Flavors of lime. Bitter finish. Refreshing summer ale.
Tried
from Can
on 18 Aug 2015
at 13:15
6.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
From a 12 oz can in Jackson Hole. Pours gold with a thick white head. Fruity nose. Flavors of citrus, pine and alfalfa. Bitter finish.
Tried
from Can
on 06 Aug 2015
at 18:02
5.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
On Tap at Bier:Thirty Hazy light brown with a full lasting light tan head. Husky woody bitterness. Lots of rye bite and rther dry finish
Tried
from Draft
on 24 Jul 2015
at 15:36
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
On tap at bier thirty. Pours out a dark amber topped with a creamy sand head. Nose is rye malts spice and a nice bread malt. Taste is more of the malty spice rye some grapefruit bitterness.
Tried
from Draft
on 22 Jul 2015
at 23:04
6.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Lighter amber, clear, nice foam that doesn’t stay too long. Aroma has a bit of grains, hay freshness and not too much anything else. Taste is bitter, hoppy, somewhat simple. Long bitter aftertaste. Solid simple IPA, even sessionable.
Tried
on 19 Jul 2015
at 00:50
6.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Amber color. Caramel and grapefruit in the nose. Medium body. Light bitterness. Simple straight forward ipa .
Tried
on 18 Jul 2015
at 05:27