Beer of the Weekend #7: Moose Drool Brown Ale
Someone threw a half full, Arrowhead water bottle at me during my run tonight.
Behind me I heard a loud CRACK and the bottle caromed off the cinderblock wall alongside the sidewalk. A silver Volvo sped past me going about 50. I saw the passenger window slowly rise from inside the doorframe. The bottle skidded along the concrete ahead of me for about 20 feet.
Stupid high school kids and the macho jerks who cruise the avenues of Huntington Beach have often yelled and screamed at me when I run. Pedestrians are easy targets for bored rich kids, and I always knew some day I’d have something thrown at me. Today was that day.
I didn’t stop running. I was a little stunned at first and didn’t know what to think. They had missed — maybe on purpose — but the bottle had come at me like a missile and hit high on the wall near my head. If it had gotten me I may have been knocked out. I watched the Volvo until it was out of sight far up the road and I boiled over with hatred. My legs started pumping faster and faster. I ground my teeth. Fuck! If I could have gotten my hands on that cocksucker I would have pulled his goddamn ears off. I was enraged for the rest of my run and ran farther than I have ever run before.
Just thought I’d mention that. On to the tasting.
The beer this weekend is Moose Drool Brown Ale brewed by Big Sky Brewing Company of Missoula, Montana.
It’s yet another sixer from BevMo! on Beach and another unplanned choice. I had been thinking Asian, maybe something Japanese (that wasn’t Sapporo), and scanned the Asia/Oceania shelf. I noticed an odd Aussi brew. Instead of being housed in a thin cardboard carrying case the bottles were wrapped in blue plastic. “That might be my beer,” I thought, but decided to browse a little more. I turned around and looked in the fridge. The sixer of Moose Drool caught my eye. I was not only attracted by the name but also the style: brown ale. When beer drinkers think brown ale they think Newcastle Brown Ale, a very high quality brew. I doubt if I’ve ever had another brown ale so I decided to postpone the blue wrap beer tasting until next week.
Moose drool must be brown. I talked to my dad tonight and he asked what beer I bought. When I told him Moose Drool he immediately said, “Well it must be a brown color.” Is the color of moose drool common knowledge? If so, I’ve been ignorant all my life. I doubt if my dad is an authority on moose physiology, but it wouldn’t surprise me if moose drool is brown. Oddly, I read a story earlier this week in the New York Times about the mooses in the New York Adirondacks and how elusive they are. Sightings are rare there, so to calculate their presence and numbers forest rangers use specially trained dogs to sniff out moose scat. That, I’m sure, is brown.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles.
Appearance: A chocolate, almost ruby, brown. The head was light and effervescent and left a thin, bubbly layer.
Smell: The first impression I got from smelling the fresh opened bottle was chocolate. At first I thought it couldn’t be, but after a little research (mainly going to the Big Sky website) I found that Moose Drool is brewed with chocolate malts. Pale, caramel, and whole black malts are also used. There was also a slight hint of hops.
Taste: This was hard to pin down, and I decided not to get help from Beer Advocate. The chocolate was less prominent in the taste. There was a hint of hops but it wasn’t too overpowering. It reminded me a lot of amber ale, but it was just a little sweeter and not as bitter.
Drinkability: Notice how I skipped one of the former categories? At BevMo! I took a peek at the sixers sitting on the room temperature shelves and the little description tag. It was described as being very drinkable and compliments any good meal. It is drinkable. I don’t know what else to say.
Fun facts about Moose Drool:
-Alcohol content: 5.1 percent.
-Serving temperature: 45°-50°F
-Moose Drool is another beer advertising it’s brewing company’s brewery and brew pub on the carrying case. There’s a map and everything.
-According to the Big Sky website, Moose Drool is the best selling beer brewed in Montana.
-Montana ranks third in the country in the number of craft breweries per capita.
-Missoula is the home of the University of Montana, which apparently has quite a creative writing program. I’m thinking of going to grad school there. Well, at least I’ll apply. Perhaps I’ll be a Grizzly in a year and a half.
-A fun phrase is printed on the underside of each bottle cap. The word for my first Moose Drool was "Freebird!" It fits me perfectly.
The Quiet Man’s grade: It’s no Newcastle, but good. B-.
Behind me I heard a loud CRACK and the bottle caromed off the cinderblock wall alongside the sidewalk. A silver Volvo sped past me going about 50. I saw the passenger window slowly rise from inside the doorframe. The bottle skidded along the concrete ahead of me for about 20 feet.
Stupid high school kids and the macho jerks who cruise the avenues of Huntington Beach have often yelled and screamed at me when I run. Pedestrians are easy targets for bored rich kids, and I always knew some day I’d have something thrown at me. Today was that day.
I didn’t stop running. I was a little stunned at first and didn’t know what to think. They had missed — maybe on purpose — but the bottle had come at me like a missile and hit high on the wall near my head. If it had gotten me I may have been knocked out. I watched the Volvo until it was out of sight far up the road and I boiled over with hatred. My legs started pumping faster and faster. I ground my teeth. Fuck! If I could have gotten my hands on that cocksucker I would have pulled his goddamn ears off. I was enraged for the rest of my run and ran farther than I have ever run before.
Just thought I’d mention that. On to the tasting.
The beer this weekend is Moose Drool Brown Ale brewed by Big Sky Brewing Company of Missoula, Montana.
It’s yet another sixer from BevMo! on Beach and another unplanned choice. I had been thinking Asian, maybe something Japanese (that wasn’t Sapporo), and scanned the Asia/Oceania shelf. I noticed an odd Aussi brew. Instead of being housed in a thin cardboard carrying case the bottles were wrapped in blue plastic. “That might be my beer,” I thought, but decided to browse a little more. I turned around and looked in the fridge. The sixer of Moose Drool caught my eye. I was not only attracted by the name but also the style: brown ale. When beer drinkers think brown ale they think Newcastle Brown Ale, a very high quality brew. I doubt if I’ve ever had another brown ale so I decided to postpone the blue wrap beer tasting until next week.
Moose drool must be brown. I talked to my dad tonight and he asked what beer I bought. When I told him Moose Drool he immediately said, “Well it must be a brown color.” Is the color of moose drool common knowledge? If so, I’ve been ignorant all my life. I doubt if my dad is an authority on moose physiology, but it wouldn’t surprise me if moose drool is brown. Oddly, I read a story earlier this week in the New York Times about the mooses in the New York Adirondacks and how elusive they are. Sightings are rare there, so to calculate their presence and numbers forest rangers use specially trained dogs to sniff out moose scat. That, I’m sure, is brown.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles.
Appearance: A chocolate, almost ruby, brown. The head was light and effervescent and left a thin, bubbly layer.
Smell: The first impression I got from smelling the fresh opened bottle was chocolate. At first I thought it couldn’t be, but after a little research (mainly going to the Big Sky website) I found that Moose Drool is brewed with chocolate malts. Pale, caramel, and whole black malts are also used. There was also a slight hint of hops.
Taste: This was hard to pin down, and I decided not to get help from Beer Advocate. The chocolate was less prominent in the taste. There was a hint of hops but it wasn’t too overpowering. It reminded me a lot of amber ale, but it was just a little sweeter and not as bitter.
Drinkability: Notice how I skipped one of the former categories? At BevMo! I took a peek at the sixers sitting on the room temperature shelves and the little description tag. It was described as being very drinkable and compliments any good meal. It is drinkable. I don’t know what else to say.
Fun facts about Moose Drool:
-Alcohol content: 5.1 percent.
-Serving temperature: 45°-50°F
-Moose Drool is another beer advertising it’s brewing company’s brewery and brew pub on the carrying case. There’s a map and everything.
-According to the Big Sky website, Moose Drool is the best selling beer brewed in Montana.
-Montana ranks third in the country in the number of craft breweries per capita.
-Missoula is the home of the University of Montana, which apparently has quite a creative writing program. I’m thinking of going to grad school there. Well, at least I’ll apply. Perhaps I’ll be a Grizzly in a year and a half.
-A fun phrase is printed on the underside of each bottle cap. The word for my first Moose Drool was "Freebird!" It fits me perfectly.
The Quiet Man’s grade: It’s no Newcastle, but good. B-.
