Ornery Goat
Muddy Creek Brewery

 

an oatmeal based pale ale, one of the more modern and on trend hoppy beers i had on my recent visit to montana. i expected the oats to make it hazy, as thats kind of how they have even employed in these styles by just about everyone of late, but it was refreshing to see the beer pour so clear, a more refined looking brew than the image that now comes to mind when i hear oat pale ale. the hops arent over the top, and it doesnt even seem all that dry hoppy to me, a slightly sharp citra sort of thing, a familiar fruity complexion, and then some pretty sturdy bitterness for the pale ale range. the hops are just a little bit harsh to me, not as balanced out by the fuller grain body as i thought they would be, they somehow stay in the foreground the whole time. light lemon and orange notes too. the oats add some nice texture to this, and an earthy cereal complexion that tastes very fresh to me. i like the malt base on this a lot, but might keep playing around with the hops a little bit if this were my recipe. overall though a clever brew and one of the more enjoyable hop forward beers i had while in montana...