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.
Filter & sort
Show
Camons (21957) reviewed
Ivan The Terrible from Big Sky Brewing Company
13 years ago
8.4/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 9 Flavor 9 Texture 6 Overall 8.5
Bottle @ Home, #1920/4200 12,2% ABV 2012 vintage courtesy of the Røjkjær crew. Pours blck with a small light brown head. Aroma of sweet roasted malt, coffee, dark chocolate, cocoa, oak, vanilla and bourbon. Flavor is malts, cocoa, coffee, sweet dark fruits, oak and a nice touch of bourbon. Medium body, soft carbonation, light alcohol in the finish. 140113
Tried from Bottle on 14 Jan 2013 at 12:24
chrisv10 (24656) reviewed
Ivan The Terrible from Big Sky Brewing Company
13 years ago
8.6/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 9 Texture 10 Overall 8.5
Bottle, 12.2%. Almost black with small beige head. Aroma is roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, bourbon, vanilla and oak. Flavour is roasted malts, chocolate, medium sweet, liquorice, vanilla and oak.
Tried from Bottle on 11 Jan 2013 at 15:09
Rasmus40 (37592) reviewed
Ivan The Terrible from Big Sky Brewing Company
13 years ago
8.2/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 9 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Bottle @ fonefan tasting. 12.2 % ABV. Black with a beige head. Aroma is sweet, roasted malt, chocolate, cocoa, vanilla and bourbon. Flavor is very sweet and very bitter. Dry and rather bitter finish. Oily. A bit rough. 110113
Tried from Bottle on 11 Jan 2013 at 15:08
saxo (30104) reviewed
Ivan The Terrible from Big Sky Brewing Company
13 years ago
9/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 9 Flavor 9 Texture 10 Overall 9
Bottle @ fonefan berliner weisse, cream ale multistate tasting. ABV 12.2% 2012 barrel aged edition. Nice head with good duration. Color is black. Aroma and taste are rich bourbon, roast malt, cocoa, fruits, vanilla , wood and licorice. Great beer.
Tried from Bottle on 11 Jan 2013 at 15:06
cuso (17486) reviewed
IPA from Big Sky Brewing Company
13 years ago
6.8/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
Bottle from my Secret Santa, many thanks. Copper color with thick off-white head. Aroma of citrus, honey, sweet malt, Simcoe hops. Taste, caramel malt, grapefruit, grapefruit zest, piney hops. Light sweetness in hoppy finish.
Tried from Bottle on 05 Jan 2013 at 12:36
bb (19143) reviewed
Berlinerweisse from Big Sky Brewing Company
13 years ago
6.9/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
Draft. Amber beer with a cream head. Tart aroma. Tart and lemon flavor with light wheat. Medium-light bodied. Tart and lemon lingers with light wheat.
Tried from Draft on 02 Jan 2013 at 10:05
Bitterbill (4395) reviewed
IPA from Big Sky Brewing Company
13 years ago
6.6/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
From Jun 2006


Poured from 12oz bottle a dark reddish gold with a large head of foam that shrinks down to about a half inch but stays for the entire session.

The smell is a pungent mix of pine and citrus that I haven't noticed in any other American IPA that I've tried. Interesting.

The taste is very piney up front with notes of grapefruit and then, some sweet caramel malt moves in trying to create some balance and after a few sips, there *is* some balance there but the hops are still in the drivers seat. ;^) Btw, there's no best by date anywhere on the label or bottle but there's no doubt in my mind that this is a fresh product and...a darned good one.

Bottom line: This is a very nice American IPA that just recently showed up in Casper and I'm going to enjoy it often. I say, if you see it, give it a try.
Tried from Bottle on 31 Dec 2012 at 16:33
cuso (17486) reviewed
Moose Drool Brown Ale from Big Sky Brewing Company
13 years ago
6.4/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
Can, many thanks to my Secret Santa. Red brown color with medium beige head. Aroma of roasted malt, caramel, black berries, hints of chocolate. Taste, roasted malt, coffee, caramel, chocolate. Roasty, coffee bitter finish. Easy drinkable beer.
Tried from Can on 31 Dec 2012 at 11:08
Boutip (10207) reviewed
Ivan The Terrible from Big Sky Brewing Company
13 years ago
9.2/10 — Appearance 10 Aroma 9 Flavor 9 Texture 10 Overall 9
Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a large dark brown foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of roasted malt with light lactose and deep creamy black chocolate note is pretty much perfect. Light bourbon and vanilla notes are also perceptible. Taste is pretty much a perfect mix between some bourbon with creamy black chocolate notes, light lactose and light dry roasted malt notes. Body is full with perfect nice creamy texture and good carbonation with no apparent alcohol. Wow, what a surprise this one was with perfect balance and not too much barrel-aging.
Tried from Bottle on 28 Dec 2012 at 20:00
Bitterbill (4395) ticked
Cowboy Coffee Porter from Big Sky Brewing Company
13 years ago
6/10
Tried on 25 Dec 2012 at 09:10