Moose Drool Brown Ale

Review Date 2/26/2021  By John Staradumsky

  Style: American Brown Ale   Brewery: Big Sky   Country: USA   State: Montana   $ Per OZ: N/A   ABV: 4.8%

Brown ale night! It was going to be a brown ale night! I had two very nice American brown ales to compare, and to enjoy. The first of these was the famous Moose Drool Brown Ale from Big Sky Brewing of Missoula, Montana. I had never tried this one before but had heard about it plenty of times, and even read a Harry Turtledove book where a character was drinking it. Tonight, I would finally try it thanks to a can from Craftshack. I would be matching it up against a can of Bell’s Best Brown Ale, which in fact I had had before.

Big Sky says:

THIS IS THE BEST AMERICAN BROWN ALE IN THE WORLD! OUR AMERICAN BROWN ALE IS BREWED WITH FOUR DIFFERENT MALTS AND HOP ADDITIONS CONSISTING OF EAST KENT GOLDINGS, WILLAMETTE AND LIBERTY. LIGHT ON THE PALATE. RICH MAHOGANY COLOR. SUBTLE COFFEE AND COCOA NOTES BALANCED WITH A PLEASANT BITTERNESS.

The caps are theirs, not mine, just so you know. And while I would not call this the best American Brown ale in the world (but do understand why Big Sky would feel so strongly about it), I did enjoy it, and preferred it to the Bell’s beer. It was maltier and hoppier, and I want that in an American Brown.

Big Sky Moose Drool Brown Ale has an alcohol content of 5% by volume with 26 IBUs. I paid $3.09 for my can from Craftshack, and Total Wine sells it for $7.99 a six-pack in cans. Not in Georgia, though.

Big Sky Moose Drool Brown Ale pours to a dark mahogany color with a thick creamy eggshell head and a nose of sweet molasses and chocolate chip cookies. Taking a sip, the beer is medium in body and quite malty with more of the chocolate chip cookie notes, a hint of molasses, chocolate, and toasted nuts. It finishes gently bitter with grassy, herbal hops and that bitterness lingers lightly after sipping to balance the malts.

A truly delightful beer, and one I am glad I finally got to try.  

Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??