Beer of the Weekend #438: Big Sky IPA
The deadline for my April beer recommendation is next Friday, so I plan to sample a number of IPAs and pale ales in the coming days. I want to get it out of the way so I can move on to the longer piece due April 1, something which requires a little more planning and teeth pulling. (Speaking of teeth pulling: Bobblehead had his wisdom teeth removed this week and is apparently doing well.)
Today’s brown bottle lunch comes in a can: Big Sky IPA, brewed by the Big Sky Brewing Company of Missoula, Montana.
Serving type: 12-ounce can. “122812” is printed on the bottom, and I can only assume that is the canning date.
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is orange-tinted amber. Two fingers of buttery, eggshell-colored head left a bubbly lacing, a thickish ring around the edge, and trails of foam along the glass.
Smell: Customary West Coast citrus intermingled with a malt balance. Though nothing intense, it is still mild and somewhat invigorating. Orange, lemon zest, pine, and tropical fruit (maybe mango and pineapple). Pale malts and caramel provide a balance.
Taste: The first sip offers a nice, floral bite, which more or less maintains its strength throughout the pint. The flavor is much more floral and earthy than the aroma. Orange, lemon, pine, and tropical fruit are still present, but relegated to a supporting role. The balance shifts to the hops; the malts are present only as a foundation.
Drinkability: This is good stuff. The flavor leaves me wanting a little more citrus complexity, but this delivers on bitterness.
Fun facts about BSIPA:
-Style: American IPA.
-Price: $1.99/can at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 6.2 percent ABV.
-IBU: 65.
-Color: 22 SRM.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
Today’s brown bottle lunch comes in a can: Big Sky IPA, brewed by the Big Sky Brewing Company of Missoula, Montana.
Serving type: 12-ounce can. “122812” is printed on the bottom, and I can only assume that is the canning date.
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is orange-tinted amber. Two fingers of buttery, eggshell-colored head left a bubbly lacing, a thickish ring around the edge, and trails of foam along the glass.
Smell: Customary West Coast citrus intermingled with a malt balance. Though nothing intense, it is still mild and somewhat invigorating. Orange, lemon zest, pine, and tropical fruit (maybe mango and pineapple). Pale malts and caramel provide a balance.
Taste: The first sip offers a nice, floral bite, which more or less maintains its strength throughout the pint. The flavor is much more floral and earthy than the aroma. Orange, lemon, pine, and tropical fruit are still present, but relegated to a supporting role. The balance shifts to the hops; the malts are present only as a foundation.
Drinkability: This is good stuff. The flavor leaves me wanting a little more citrus complexity, but this delivers on bitterness.
Fun facts about BSIPA:
-Style: American IPA.
-Price: $1.99/can at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 6.2 percent ABV.
-IBU: 65.
-Color: 22 SRM.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
