Big Sky Rye Ale
Big Sky Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a mostly clear, somewhat dull copper to amber. Very fine and sparse haze to it. Light tan, fluffy head has decent retention. Moderate lacing, forming ringlets. Resin, herbs, distinct grains, and orange are faint, but there on the nose. The rye in this gives it a brothy, vegetal edge, works well with the hop aromas. Complex, but weak. I guess I'm used to IPAs. Taste is much stronger than you might expect, given the smell. Resiny to almost piney throughout, starts vegetal, light orange or grapefruit in the middle, ends spicy, very peppery, and rindy-bitter. Caramel, raisins, and pasta or crackers in the background. Medium body, as smooth as expected given the inclusion of rye and the way this poured. Carbonation is medium, fine, and prickly, softening very quickly to highly drinkable suds. Semi-astringent though with filmy aftereffects. An excellent Montana beer. An excellent American Pale. An excellent example of rye in an ale.

Served On-Nitro Tap

A — Pours a clear bright orange color with a nice creamy off-white colored head of foam on top, leaves behind solid and consistent rings of foamy lace.

S — Smell is fairly mild and mellow initially, but as it warms up a bit and you get into it there are nice lightly spicy notes of Rye and ginger, as well as a fruity and lemony hop aroma.

T — Taste is much like the nose, though I feel things are neutralized on the Nitro setup, there are grainy Rye notes apparent with a balancing juicy orange peel and citrus kick.

M — Medium bodied, nice and smooth on the Nitro of course.

O — Very good overall, a nice new offering from Big Sky, fairly unassuming, but not bad at all.

 

This delicious ale poured a deep shade of yellow-orange with light thin frothy head. Citrus notes are not flamboyant but not fleeting, subtle hop smells as well. I like the taste, best to put to words is a complexity of hops with a light malty goodness beneath. Grapefruit and sour dough bread, hints of salt and orange peal also come to mind... all well balanced mind you ! OVERALL a very good pale ale. Not readily available where I hail from (only in variety packs) but, I would be proud to revisit!

 

12oz bottle. Poured out a clear, golden amber color with a small, tan head of foam. It smelled of citrus, spicy rye and roasted malt. A fairly bold and malty IPA with some citrus zing and spices.

 

 

Aroma is dank and rye/rye bread. The flavor is ry/rye bread, fruit, citrus, hops/slight hop resin, malts and a mix of bitter, spicy and very slight sourness in the finish.

Bottle from Albertsons. Clear amber pour, small ring of foamy head. Tons of rye sourness in both aroma and taste, malts also, some hop bitterness and drying near the finish, but not overdone. Just the right amount bitter/sour balance.

 

 

Served on tap in a pint glass

Appearance – The beer is served deep amber-slightly reddish color with a one finger head of white foam. The head fades slowly over time to leave rings of lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell – The aroma is big of a rye bread smell mixed with some other aromas of a citrus and pine. Along with these smells comes some light aromas of a hay-like and grainy nature.

Taste – The taste begins with a nice slightly spiced rye flavor mixed with a decent showing of a pine right from the start. The rye intensifies more as the taste advances, with the caramel flavors dwindling a bit. All the while a decent citrus hop and some lighter fruit flavors of a tropical nature take the place of the lost caramel. With some grassy flavors coming at the end and a little loss of the spice from the rye, one is left with a rather pleasant moderately hopped, but not too hopped, rye flavor to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the thicker side with a carbonation level that is on the lower side. For the style it is quite a nice feel as it accentuates the rye, spiciness of the front flavors, and the hop rather well.

Overall – A rather tasty rye overall with lots of nice rye flavor mixed with a nice blend of hop and sweet. A good one to try if you get a chance.