Fat Polly Pale Ale
Neptune's Brewery

34 oz swingtop bottle pulled from a refrigerated shelf in Big Sky. No bottled on date. I started reviewing this under the existing Pale Ale label. However, based on the flavor, abv, label, and name listed on the back label (Fat Polly Pale Ale), I presume this is their DIPA.

Sitting in the glass this looks pretty nice - a cloudy dark bronze with a huge white head that is very well retained. Aroma is musty and old smelling, with some pale malt, and a vegetal tone I’m guessing is from hops here. Flavor is a slight improvement over smell, with an initial heavy-handed dose of caramel malt and some noticeable ethanol. Although there’s plenty of bitterness, the hops don’t show much other than a little pine and eventually, a bit of grapefruit. Leans too heavily toward the sweet, high alcohol end of the spectrum without showing any bready/biscuit flavors or hop complexity. Feel is medium bodied and despite all the head, it seems undercarbonated. In summary, mouthfeel could be described as limp or dead.

Admittedly, this did improve as it sat out and warmed. Still, I found it to be a dull, lifeless beer that that landed awkwardly between two styles. Hopped like a standard pale ale, with DIPA level caramel malt and harsh alcoholic bite. I hate to be so negative toward a small MT brewery, but Neptune’s better hope tourists (or suckers like myself) keep falling for the fancy bottles. Because I doubt many people are going to buy this beer twice.