Montana's Best Brown Ale

Some years ago, living in Montana, I walked into a local watering hole and asked for a beer. Probably an It's actually got a drooling moose pictured on the label, too. Just in case you don't read well, maybe?Alaskan Amber, or other such brew—even then I wasn't a big fan of the seemingly-ubiquitous Bud Lite or any of its clones. The bartender grinned at me and said, "You gotta try this stuff, we just got it in today." And he pulled a pint of a sort of dark caramel-colored beer with a creamy head and set it in front of me. 

One long sip convinced me that this English-style brown ale might well be the best beer I'd ever tasted, anytime, anywhere, under any conditions. Full-bodied, cheerfully yeasty, nutty, and just a hint of sweetness, this was clearly a phenomenal beer and one I'd remember so I could ask for it again. "Wow!" I said, or some exclamation to that effect, "What is this stuff?"

Moose Drool. Yep. The best brown ale in the known world is called "Moose Drool". Which, y'know, is an awesome name, and all by itself ought to be enough to convince someone with even an ounce of adventure to at least taste this most-perfect brown ale. Then that first creamy, malty, hoppy-goodness mouthful of beer should bring you back for more, and more, and more. The LA Times even called it November's Beer of the Month, in 2008. Yep. No matter what the reviews on the Beer Advocate say, (and I'll just point out that the reviewers can't even agree on what color Moose Drool is) this is a terrific and compulsively-drinkable beer.

Alas, when I moved from Montana out to the Seattle area, I didn't see Moose Drool in the grocery stores much, and after a few years, it sort of slipped from my mind. Oh sure, once in a while when someone asked me, "So what's the best beer you've ever tasted?" I might get that dreamy, faraway look and tell them about Moose Drool. But there are lots of other terrific Northwest craft beers to sample and enjoy, so it wasn't like a melancholic longing.

Big Sky Brewing, Missoula, MT Then, the other day, in the local gas station after putting most of my money into the gas tank of my Jeep, I glanced at the front of the beer cooler on my way out and stopped in my tracks. Moose Drool. Right there on the shelf at eye-level—surrounded by Pyramid, Anchor Steam, Sierra Nevada, Full Sail, and Sam Adams—I saw a six pack of Moose Drool longnecks.

Well, what else could I do? At $7.99 for a six-pack, I could afford it, even. So I took some of the beer home just for old time's sake. You know what? I still think it's maybe the best beer I've ever tasted. Since that first sixpack, I've been seeing Moose Drool around all sorts of places that I've never seen it before. Apparently, a local distributor has recently picked the label up, and no beer-related decision has ever made me happier. See? Cool Moose Drool Stuff!

As it turns out, according to The Sustainable Business Council MT website, Big Sky's Moose Drool is now the best-selling craft beer in Montana. The website goes on to note, "Big Sky Brewing Company has just become the first brewing company in North America to use a revolutionary new aluminum package. The AlumaBottle is shaped like a bottle, but it is a specially lined aluminum vessel. Due to its unique shape, the Alumabottle can be filled using the Big Sky Brewing Company's existing bottling line. The AlumaBottle allows beer drinkers to take Moose Drool Brown Ale with them wherever they go, without the fear of breakage." Even the ubiquitous Bud Light is using aluma bottles, now, but this little Montana brewery was the first. 

The website for bigskybrew.com seems to be down, at least as of today. But their store site with assorted Big Sky merchandise is functional, so here's the link to cool Moose Drool emblazoned stuff. You can get your very own Moose Drool pint glasses, sweatshirts, or posters. If Moose Drool just isn't your logo (or your beer) you might look for Trout Slayer, Powder Hound, Summer Honey, or Scapegoat, instead. 

If you're really into Moose Drool, you can even order Dark Chocolate Moose Drool Premium Truffles. I haven't tried them yet, but you can bet I'm going to.