Yesterday I had the beer Zatec that has been brewed for over a thousand years, so today I thought I would go the complete opposite direction and try a beer that's been around for all of fifteen years. Mama always told that microbreweries are like a box of choc-o-lates; you never know what your gonna get (Ok, that was dumb even for me... if anyone at Paramount Pictures is reading this please don't sue me). Seriously though, the thing I love about microbreweries is that you never know what to expect. There is no true standard or guideline that microbreweries follow in their individual brewing processes, which makes for a huge variety in taste and quality. Big Sky Brewery was founded in Missoula, Montana around the year of 1995 by a few friends with a passion for beer. Big Sky Brewery offers several different types of ale with colorful names such as Moose Drool, Trout Slayer and Bobo's Robust Porter, but tonight I'm trying their seasonal winter ale called Powder Hound.
Maybe it's not really fair to put up a microbrew started by a bunch of beer nerds like me against a time tested lager like Zatec, but I'll let the beer speak for itself. Unfortunately for the boys at Big Sky Brewery, I think they missed the mark with this one. The flavor of a beer is heavily influenced by the amount and quality of hops used in the brewing process, which requires a very careful and calculated recipe to achieve just the right balance. It seems to be that in trying to create an ale with a distinct bouquet and flavor with Powder Hound, Big Sky Brewery created a monster. Powder hound was far too malty for my taste, and I'm usually very forgiving of such errors by microbrewers. The simple fact is that even with a hearty meal of steak and potatoes, I couldn't really enjoy the Powder Hound and eventually lost interest. This is only the second beer in the short history of 365brews that I didn't drink to the last drop (The other being the infamous Ugly Z). I don't want to give you the impression that this is a terrible beer, because honestly it's not. Powder Hound Winter Ale didn't appeal to my palate, but it is still crafted to a high standard and I can see how a select few out there could really indulge in this ale. Since this is my website though, it's my opinion that counts and for my money, Powder Hound Winter Ale simply wasn't worth it. As the name clearly states, this is a winter ale so if you're interested in giving it a go, you'd better get a move on because they won't be brewing it for much longer.
Cheers,
Ian
http://www.bigskybrew.com
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