About
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.
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Edwgallo (6793) ticked
Moose Drool Brown Ale from Big Sky Brewing Company
13 years ago
7/10
Tried on 26 Mar 2013 at 20:04
yespr (55614) reviewed
Powder Hound Winter Ale from Big Sky Brewing Company
13 years ago
6.6/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
12 fl oz bottle. Pours clear and golden orange with a small white head. Aroma is dry pine hops, toasted malty. Mild fruity, light peachy to a dry pine hops backbone and toasted malty. Bitter and light herbal into a bitter dry finish.
Tried from Bottle on 25 Mar 2013 at 12:16
CloakedDagger (38094) reviewed
Powder Hound Winter Ale from Big Sky Brewing Company
13 years ago
6.8/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
Bottle 35,5 cl. Courtesy of Doodler. Pours a clear deep golden with a white head. Sweet, malty biscuity nose with subtle hops. Rich, sweet malty body, again that typical biscuity American malt bill, chewy fruits, a solid dose of hops and some warming alcohol. 250313
Tried from Bottle on 25 Mar 2013 at 10:05
Dogbrick (24514) reviewed
Five Valleys Wheat Wine from Big Sky Brewing Company
13 years ago
7/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 8
Sample at the Blarney Wine tasting on 03/16/2013: Hazy orange-yellow color with a medium white head that evaporates steadily. Short strings of lacing on the glass. Aroma of citrus, malt and wheat. Full-bodied with flavors of toasted malt, wheat, grapefruit a bit of spice. The finish is malty and herbal. Decent overall.
Tried on 22 Mar 2013 at 20:37
poisoneddwarf (5713) reviewed
Brush Tail Saison from Big Sky Brewing Company
13 years ago
6.5/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
12 oz bottle from a six pack bought at Super 1 in Rathdrum, ID. Pours hazy golden with a collapsing white head. Aroma is pretty bland for a saison. I smell grain, faint banana, faint pepper, faint lemon; almost as boring-smelling as an American golden/blonde ale. Taste is pretty hoppy bitter for your average saison...who are we kidding here? This doesn’t taste anything like any saison I’ve ever had. It tastes more like an American pale ale with faint--and when I say faint, I mean extremely faint--Belgian characteristics. Finishes with a light tang. Mouthfeel is foamy, texture watery, body medium to thin. Average pale ale; substandard saison.
Tried from Bottle on 22 Mar 2013 at 17:56
superspak (10155) reviewed
Montana Trout Slayer Ale from Big Sky Brewing Company
13 years ago
7.9/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
12 ounce bottle into pint glass, best before 3/7/2013. Pours hazy golden straw color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy white head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Spotty foamy lacing clings down the glass, with some light streaming carbonation. Aromas of lemon, pear, pepper, orange zest, wheat, clove, bread, floral, grass, herbal, and light banana. Very nice aromas with good strength and balance of malt and hop notes. Taste of lemon, pear, pepper, orange peel, wheat, clove, floral, grass, bread, herbal, and light banana. Lingering notes of citrus, light fruit, pepper, wheat, clove, floral, grass, herbal, and light banana on the finish for a bit. Very nice balance of citrus, malt, and spicy hop flavors; with a good amount of robustness for 5%; and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a lightly creamy, smooth, and crisp mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a very nice pale what ale! Very nice balance of citrus, malt, and hop flavors; and extremely smooth to drink with plenty of flavor. Really enjoyed this one.
Tried from Bottle on 19 Mar 2013 at 20:11
bhensonb (23077) reviewed
Brush Tail Saison from Big Sky Brewing Company
13 years ago
7.2/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 8
Bottle from Bine & Vine. Pours hazy gold with a 3 finger foamy white head that did some ring lacing. Aroma might have a hint of earthiness - I think there’s banana ester. Med body. Flavor is a little earthy, and there’s some light spice and fruit ester - still thinking banana. Finishes mixed earthy and "Belgian". Definitely towards bitter. Pretty good.
Tried from Bottle on 18 Mar 2013 at 17:18
McDermottDrink (4736) reviewed
Cowboy Coffee Porter from Big Sky Brewing Company
13 years ago
7.5/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7
Draft at Monk’ Pub. Kind of an oblique toast to a Pope from Argentina. Black pour with a 1-finger tan head. Distinct brewed coffee aroma, not too bitter. But the coffee in the actual taste is a bit more bitter, or perhaps it’s the hops talking. There is some roast on the palate, but it’s rather "patient," waiting to sneak up on you. Not a lot of alcohol, but it is still presented for your appreciation.
Tried from Draft on 17 Mar 2013 at 19:07
superspak (10155) reviewed
Kriek Ale from Big Sky Brewing Company
13 years ago
4.8/10 — Appearance 4 Aroma 5 Flavor 5 Texture 4 Overall 5
750 ml bottle into tulip glass; bottle 315 of 3600, 2010 vintage. Pours lightly cloudy red orange color with a 1-2 finger frothy pink head with horrible retention, that reduces to nothing very quickly. No lacing on the glass, and a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of lightly tart cherry, cherry skin, oak, red wine, light vinegar, hay, funk, earth, pepper, clove, and earthy yeast spiciness. Pretty decent aromas with ok balance and complexity of fruit and barrel notes. Taste of lightly tart cherry, cherry skin, oak, red wine, light vinegar, hay, light funk, earth, pepper, clove, and earthy yeast esters. Light earthy tartness on the finish; with lingering notes of light tart cherry, red wine, oak, cherry skin, light vinegar, clove, earth, hay, and earthy yeast esters on the finish for a while. Fairly decent flavor with ok balance and complexity of fruity and barrel notes; with a fair amount of cloying sweetness present after the finish. Medium-high carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a very syrupy, slick, and lightly prickly mouthfeel that is a bit unpleasant. Alcohol is moderately well hidden with a moderate warming present after the finish. This is very difficult to drink; have to take very tiny sips. Overall this is a pretty unpleasant Kriek. Decent flavor balance and complexity of barrel and fruit character; but very hard to drink with the alcohol and mouthfeel. I think they would have been better off doing a lower gravity fruit beer for this one. Drain poured the rest.
Tried from Bottle on 09 Mar 2013 at 17:57
Rasmus40 (37592) reviewed
Montana Trout Slayer Ale from Big Sky Brewing Company
13 years ago
5.6/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 5 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 5.5
Can @ Aarhus tasting. Clear golden with a white head. Aroma is sweet, malty, wheaty and light hoppy. Flavor is medium sweet and moderate bitter. Dry and light bitter finish. 050313
Tried from Can on 05 Mar 2013 at 10:55