Before we jump into this week’s beer review, I wanted to hand out your homework assignment. No, spelling doesn’t count and of course there will be no math involved. What will be involved is you drinking beer! (Wouldn’t I have been a great teacher?)
Your assignment is to go the the beer aisle of your local grocery store or perhaps a BevMo or someplace like that and select a beer off the rack that you’ve never had before. My suggestion for the timid would be to find a store that sells craft beers in singles. The reason is if for some reason you don’t like it you are not stuck with a bunch of it. If you end up having left over beer, send it on to tailgatingideas.com for proper disposal. Not that I don’t love imported beer, (because I do) but nothing is better than finding a local craft brew and supporting what I refer to as “the arts”. If you find a good one, let me know about it by emailing Mike@tailgatingideas.com.
Today I will be tasting a beer out of Missoula, Montana called Moose Drool Brown Ale. This beer is made by Big Sky Brewing company that also produces beers called Trout Slayer as well as Scapegoat to name a few. Hate to say it but the furthest east that I found this beer distributed is Illinois. In the future I would love to tackle some east coast craft brews and look forward to hearing suggestions from you guys. The first time I saw Moose Drool listed at a pub I just had to have it. The label even shows a picture of a big moose standing in a stream drooling away. It’s available to purchase in bottle, can, tap, or growler. Enough talk…..let’s drink!
Appearance: Not sure what a moose’s drool would look like but the color of this beer may in fact have been the inspiration. It’s a brown ale that almost looks cola like but with a almost red tint in the light. The use of a blend of pale, caramel, chocolate and whole black malts gives this beer its color. For my tasting, I’ve selected a Moose Drool pint glass that I happen to own. Of course this isn’t necessary but I collect beer glasses and it happened to be clean. The head was about an inch in length and hinted brown like the ale below.
Smell: The smell is mostly of the strong malts that are used with a bit of hops. Although the smell is light, it gets you ready for something different.
Taste: Have to admit that the first time I tasted this beer I was relieved more than anything else. With a name like Moose Drool and that brown ale look, you have to ready yourself for anything. Once you break the seal on it you find it to be much more reserved than expected. If you’re at all familiar with brown ale then the taste will not surprise you. For those that appreciate brown ale, you will find it to be light drinking with tastes of sweet malt and a bit of a roast quality. For all of you that are thinking that all dark beers are thick and filling, this one will be different. Moose Drool isn’t what I would call a dark beer and has a light taste to it that leaves you ready for another when done.
Alcohol by volume: Depending on the source, anywhere from 5.1 to 5.3%.
Cost: Sad to report that this week’s addition wasn’t free! Locally the price of Moose Drool is 7.99 a six-pack.
Final Breakdown: Moose Drool is a nice brown ale that would go great at a poker game or shooting pool. Its flavor may clash with certain food pairings and its mere color and image could keep the faint of heart away from the cooler. Although it tastes much lighter and smoother than one would think, when buying for the masses at a tailgate, it may not be the best choice. If you are a fan of brown ale then by all means give this one a try.
