Mountain Beer Appreciation Thread (2025)

Cross posted in the imperial stout and barleywine BIF#2 thread. Received this beer as part of that beer chaos!!
Thanks @muchloveforhops3 ! Much appreciate the beers and really dig this brewery's labels!
This is Oddpitch Brewing , out of Missoula, Montana and their Dark Wheat Ale Knower of Names, 7.5% ABV.

Onto my review:

Sampling a cellar temp 16 oz can poured into my weizen glass. No canned on date or freshness info.
The beer pours a pretty clear mahogany, until some dredges sneak out of the an at the end of the pour. This creates just a little bit of haziness in the glass. A minimal beige fizzy head foams up about 1 cm and fades to a thin edge layer a few minutes after the pour.
Aroma is some dark bread and cloves, maybe a little black pepper too, definitely malt forward with some decent spiciness. I believe I get some lemony citrus (yeasty not hops). No other hop presence and not boozy either.
First sip reveals a medium body with fine prickly carbonation, texture is pretty smooth and the beer drinks easy.
Flavor is a bit of toffee and some light fruit notes, mixing with dark bread more cloves and some black pepper on the finish. I get a bit of lemony rind notes in there too. Finish dries out and leaves a lingering bite, probably yeast driven. Not really hoppy and booze is hidden throughout the sampling. Good take on an underbrewed style. Glad I got to try this brew from Montana!
4.09 in the BA DB

 

IM BAAAAACK! Cross posted with New Beer Weekend THread!
This is Great Burn Brewing out of Missoula, Montana and their Tie One On Coconut Brown Ale. A 6.5% brown ale. Sent to me by @muchloveforhops3 as part of Imperial stout and barleywine BIF#2. Thank you for sharing this one with me!

onto my review:


Sampling a cellar temp 16 oz can poured into a snifter. Can is date stamped 2/06/2025.
The beer pours a rich clear mahogany color that reveals deep garnet when held up to a light source. A dense creamy khaki colored head of 2 cm foams up on the pour. This foam fades to a strong surface covering that sticks around throughout the sampling. EXTREMELY dense and clingy lattice on swirls, no windowpaning or open spots at all. Looks great!
Aroma is sort of mild with some light chocolate notes, some toasted bread and a little herbal tea hop note. but not getting the coconut. I admit to often being let down by coconut on beer labels.
First sip reveals a light to medium body with soft spacious carbonation. Very smooth texture and this beer drinks very easy.
Flavor is toasted dark bread and some mild milk chocolate notes mixing with a some roasted malt and again herbal tea on the finish. Maybe I cant taste coconut, but Im not really getting it in this beer. ABV is hidden throughout and this beer drinks super easy.
Glad to have tried this one, it looks beautiful. Wish the coconut popped a little more than it does.
3.99 in the BA DB

 

time for more Mountain beers from the east Coast! Cross posted in the New Beer Weekend Thread!

Sampling a new beer from Missoula, Montana tonight. This is OddPitch brewing and their Black Fire barrel aged imperial stout, that registers 11.0%.
courtesy of @muchloveforhops3 and the imperial stout and barleywine BIF#2.

onto my review:

Sampling a cellar temp 16 oz can poured into a snifter. No date stamp on the can. The beer pours a rich cola brown into my glass and rests slightly darker. There is a dense creamy beige head of 1 cm that fades to a thin edge layer that maintains throughout the sampling.
Aroma is some milk chocolate and some molasses and whisky notes with maybe a little vanilla. no hop character and not boozy at all.
First sip reveals a medium body and gentle spacious carbonation, smooth texture and pretty easy to drink physical traits. I dont get any warming from this higher octane brew.
Flavor is chocolate and whiskey with some vanilla mixed in. I dont get any of the coconut mentioned on label. Im searching for hazelnut too, and only getting a hint on the swallow of nutty note. Never any hops and not boozy either.
Pretty easy drinking imperial stout, that I wish delivered more on the hazelnut and coconut from the label. Still an enjoyable beer.
I gave this one a
4.1 in the BA DB

 

River North Brewery -- Quadrupel
Quadrupel ale
ABV: 10.4%; pouring temperature: 64.2 ℉; bottling info: n/a (assumed bottled in early 2025)
Source: local purchase (Coaltrain Fine Wine, Craft Beer & Spirits)



4.11/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Earthy cherry-red body, mostly clear; dense, very active carbonation; good head, one-finger thick and lasting, densely sudsy; light khaki hued. Heavenly candi sugar sweetness on the nose; fresh black cherry; red licorice. The taste is mellower form of the smell; gentle sweetness carrying the candi sugar and cherry elements; subliminal booziness; mild anise tones. Incredible mouthfeel; dense yet with a velvety softness; pillowy sweetness; a deft undercurrent of alcohol warmth adds depth; subtle stickiness.

This beautiful American rendition of a quadrupel is simply wonderful. It nails all the baseline qualities one would want for this style. The mouthfeel itself is just divine. Well-crafted, intriguing depth and complexity with just an all-around pleasing drinking experience makes this a well-rounded and very enjoyable beer.

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...I'm glad that I'm finding way more River North beers available in Colorado Springs, especially simple bottled beers like this as well as things like God Complex and other, more massive barrel-aged varieties of their beer...

 

...I love seeing a lot of the more 'specialty' bottles from River North at Coaltrain in Colorado Springs...they've always carried a lot of RNs 12 oz can offerings, but now they about 8-10 specialty bottles plus some of the higher end dark beers in 12 oz cans as well...

 

Bierstadt Lagerhaus -- Heirloom Corn Lager
Cerveza Clara y Mas Fina Especial
ABV: 4.5%; pouring temperature: 53.1 ℉; canning info: CERVEZA PARA TODO 04 . 21 . 25
Source: local purchase (Coaltrain Fine Wine, Craft Beer & Spirits)



3.96/5 rDev +5.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

The can notes state the use of two heirloom corn varieties from Oaxaca leaves a the beer with a slight pink hue. My eyes don't see that. The beer itself is very pleasant to drink. It has a simple complexity (if you will) with a refined depth and balance that keeps this from being just another bland American adjunct corn lager. A perfect beer when one is looking for a smooth, tasty, easy-drinking beer.

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...this is one of two Bierstadt collaborations that Coaltrain stocked up from late last week...when I spotted this today, I knew it would satisfy my itch for a Mexican-style beer brewed with two actual heirloom corn varietals from Oaxaca...

 

Cross posted in Imperial Stout and Barleywine BIF#2 thread. Time to share a Montana beer with y'all It is of course from the Ambassador @muchloveforhops3. Thank you!!
This is OddPitch Brewing in Missoula, Montana and their Graveyard Sun Porter. A 6.2% brew that was sent as part of a package for the crazy imperial stout and barleywine BIF #2.
Happy to drop another Mountain beer on here with y'all from my table here on the east coast!

onto my review:


Sampling a cellar temp 16 oz can poured into my .5L dimple mug. No date stamp on can or label.
the beer pours a clear cola brown color. There is some light that passes through on the edges of my glass. A creamy khaki colored dense creamy head of 1cm foams up and fades to a sturdy surface covering. There is some scattered lattice that forms when I swirl the glass or take a sip.
The aroma on this beer is very roasty malt and some cocoa powder. I also get a little bit of grassy hop note in the background. This is not a sweet smelling beer, I like it!
The first sip reveals a medium body with smooth texture with very fine and tingly carbonation. Beer drinks very easy on physical traits.
FLavor is on point with nose advertisements. I get roasted malts and dark cocoa powder, not a lot of depth beyond that. There is some black tea crisp bite on the finish which I attribute to hops, not any hints of booze throughout this beer.
I am enjoying this classic porter from Montana, glad to have tried it!
4.27 in the BA DB

 

...although brewed and canned at Firestone Walker, this is a nice west coast styled India pale ale collaboration with Odell Brewing...

Firestone Walker Brewing Co. / Odell Brewing Co. -- Wandering Don
India pale ale
ABV: 7%; pouring temperature: 49.9 °F; canning info: 040925
Source: local purchase (Weber St. Liquor)



4.04/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Ultra-clear body, golden hued; fairly dense, lively carbonation; thick head, white and frothy. Clean, lightly fruity scent; berries and melon. Balanced taste; light malt grain base with a gentle sweetness; bread crust and biscuit; delicate esters; fairly bold hop bitterness overall. Medium bodied; silky smooth with a nice ending dryness.

For my money, this is a fine example of a classic west coast India pale ale. Balance and complexity, nicely presenting the malt grain bill as well as the hop bitterness.

 

...another nice collaboration beer today, this time between two Denver breweries:

Bierstadt Lagerhaus / Amalgam Brewing -- Livonia Baltic Porter
Baltic porter
ABV: 9%; pouring temperature: 51.1 °F; canning info: 03 . 10 . 25
Source: local purchase (Coaltrain Fine Wine, Craft Beer & Spirits)



4.05/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Clear, dark brown pour, same appearance in the glass; thick, light khaki colored head; nice partial sheets of foam inside the glass, Very nice dark malt aroma with a note of roasted grain; richly sweet; hints of toffee and vanilla. Slyly rich malt flavor mirrors the aroma qualities; cocoa; mild underlying bitterness; touch of alcohol peeking through the earthy sweetness. Smooth mouthfeel; warm and velvety; a touch of boozy heat.

Overall, this is a nice Baltic porter, smooth with just a bit of boozy edge offsetting the dark malt sweetness.