Big Sky Powder Hound Winter Ale

Brewed by Big Sky Brewing Company
Style: English Strong Ale
Missoula, Montana USA

Bottle. Pours clear medium amber. Thin off white filmy head. Neutral nose. A little funky. Crisp, forward attack. Active carb. Resiny c-hop comes through at the end.

12 oz. Bottle. Can notice alcohol and a fairly stong sweet fruit aroma. Amber body with off white head. The flavor had a sugar candy and sweet fruit flavor with an alcohol warming effect. If you like sweet beer this may be for you.

Pours an absolutely brilliantly clear, burnt amber color. It is topped by an initially three-finger thick head that leaves some light lacing and is a pale tan color. The aroma is sweet smelling; leaning towards malt, but with some definite fruitiness as well. There seems to be some low level spiciness here as well (of the sweet baking variety). I wonder if this has spices in it, though if it does it is quite subtle. Boozy aromatics of alcohol and berry extracts combine to give this a nose similar to, though not as concentrated as, a cheap berry liquor.

The beer is fairly sweet, yet still relatively thin. It finishes with a sweet boozy beeriness that is definitely a bit off putting. A berry like fruitiness is prominent, but this seems to be stripped of all of the malt character that would lend complexity to this beer. This tastes like it is highly filtered, it is just missing a depth of character that would make it drinkable. The strong boozy character, straight forward fruit and lack of depth combined, make this beer something I don’t particularly want to drink.

Purchased: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Liquors, Tucson, AZ

Bottle from first batch into my local market. Pleasing clear red-amber color. The head is active, but quickly fades without much lacing. The foundation in this beer has a lot of potential, malt and hop-wise. It just needs more power for a winter brew. Complete this recipe, Big Sky--I double-dog dare ya.

12 oz. bottle from Plaza Liquor - Pours a deep amber color with a good size off white head. Light lacing. Has a light sweet caramel malt aroma and flavor. Nothing fancy here. Medium body. Easy drinking and worth a try.

Pours mohogany brown w/ a full semi creamy froth. Aroma of fresh candied malt. Medium nectar w/ ample residual effers. Flavors are malty w/ candy fruit and spice. Has a finely roasted nutty character. Moderate bittering on the finish. Towards the end of the glass the brew becomes more watery and thin, losing it’s vitality. I had to swirl my glass around to conjure up more froth. This helped just enough to enjoy the last few sips. The hop profile on this is low so it’s easy to get down. Overall: a mellow brew with fruity malt and a roasted nutty character.

Bottle. Dark amber brown beer with a beige head. Rich malt, light roast, light spice aroma. Caramel malt and citrus hop flavor with some spice. Nice balance. Lingering malt with a bit of citrus bitterness. Just enough bitterness. Easy drinking.

Clear brown pour with no head. Caramel-sweet aroma makes you think this is going to be sticky sweet. The malt and hop profiles, however balance this one out into a very smooth, slightly spicy beer. Only problem was that I expected more from a winter beer, either in the alcohol content or overall flavor. Kind of weak in both areas, but still an enjoyable brew.