Check it out! Cask Conditioned Imperial Bitter at the Blackfoot Taproom today!
Cask Conditioned Imperial Bitter
February 4th, 2010
Cool Dog Ball is Going Down Tomorrow
January 28th, 2010
In case you missed Miles’s last few posts about it, the Cool Dog Ball and Microbrew Review is going down tomorrow night at the Civic Center in Helena. The doors open at 6:00 p.m., and the music will start at 8:30 p.m. The event is a great way to benefit the Race to the Sky sled dog race, and is guaranteed to be a great time. Also important, is the microbrew review, where almost every brewery in the state will be providing two beers to judge in a battle royale style competition for best in various categories and a best in show prize. This is easily the best competition for beers in Montana, so don’t miss out on this. Plus, I will be one of the judges, so you know you’re guaranteeing yourself a good time this way. All the BarBEERians will be there, so be sure to say hello!
Montana Monday: Tumbleweed IPA
January 25th, 2010
Every Monday, we feature a new Montana microbrew review. Enjoy.
Lewis & Clark Brewing Company in Helena, MT
Say what you want about Montana beers, but one thing the state has always been lacking in is creative and well-done names. Maybe the boys out in Wibaux are starting to turn around this trend with names like Redheaded IPA and Rusty Beaver Wheat, and Bayern has always been making some waves with their Dragon’s Breath and Face Plant. Lewis & Clark are kind of on the right track when it comes to naming their beers. The Miner’s Gold Hefeweizen isn’t a terrible name, but Lewis and Clark Lager just sounds way too easy. And when it comes to their Tumbleweed IPA, the beer here in question today, I have to say that an IPA is closely related enough to that dried-up weed that it makes the beer just sound slightly off-putting. I know I’m sounding a little finicky here, but it’s true. I’ve heard some not so nice things said about Lewis & Clark and their beers; though, to be honest, I hadn’t really ventured into them since I first turned 21 and was looking for a six-pack that was from Montana. Needless to say, it was time to leave all reservations about this beer at the door and have a go at one of Lewis & Clark’s mainstays, the Tumbleweed IPA.
Cool Dog Ball Fast Approaching
January 14th, 2010
Its getting to be that time of year again in Helena. The Micro Brew Review and Cool Dog Ball will be held at the Helena Civic Center Ballroom from 6 p.m.to midnight on January 29, 2010.
The event is limited to the first 1,500 participants and tickets are available at Bert & Ernie’s, Topper’s Market, The Overland Express, Staggering Ox and the Downtown Helena Office. So get your tickets early before they run out!
Also, Timothy Akimoff, if you happen to be coming down to Helena for this event, we here at barBEERians would love to get together with you for a beer.
Cask Conditioned IPA
December 24th, 2009
This will be a short one guys, but for all you Blackfoot Single Malt IPA lovers out there (and a know there a lot of you) as well as you guys who have to fill a growler or two to get through the holidays, today the guys at the Blackfoot River Brewery will be open at noon! and they will have cask conditioned IPA on tap! Its a Christmas Eve miracle!
Beer Review: Poor Richard’s Ale
December 11th, 2009
Blackfoot River Brewing in Helena, MT
They’re at it again. Another week, another beer. Blackfoot River is really getting into the holiday gift-giving mood by ever-so-kindly presenting us with new beers faster than Tiger Woods can sleep with more women. Oh, topical humor, you’ll never get old around here.
Poor Richard’s Ale from the Blackfoot is actually a pretty unique beer that seems to be the only of its kind in Montana. A straight-up, toxic beer, Poor Richard’s is the perfect brew for anyone looking for a different take on the traditional Scottish that is so-loved at the Blackfoot. Be careful of this one, though, it will sneak up on you faster than Tiger Woods’s mistresses will with new sex tales for the media. OK, I’ll stop.
Pouring a beautiful unfiltered, thick honey-color, Poor Richard’s smelled slightly sweet, but more of a dull sweet, and had noticeable touches of alcohol. The taste reflected what you would expect from the nose, with a heavy dose of alcohol sweeping over the tongue before sublte touches of honey and malt cascaded into a full mouth feel. 
This is a beer that could easily have been over-sweetened, but the acidity from the alcohol produced quite a heavy and flavorful beer that could aptly be described as Scottish Light. It’s a perfect find for someone looking for a little more sweetness in a big, full beer.
Not quite in a meal in itself, Poor Richard’s Ale would be a good beer to start a night off with, or, like most do, start a trip off with at the brewery. Maybe it’s just the holidays, but you can almost taste a bit of spice in the beer that makes for a really great December beverage that will warm the belly and the heart more than Tiger Woods will warm the, um… I’ve got nothing. Just drink the beer. It’s more than worth it.
Holy Hop Back Pale Ale
November 24th, 2009
Blackfoot River Brewing in Helena, MT
Since the brewery’s expansion, Blackfoot River Brewing has really gotten into the groove of spitting out a new beer about every few months now. We’ve been graced by the Barley Wine, the Imperial IPA, and and Imperial Bitter. Next in line to get the makeover treatment is their new version of a pale ale, the Holy Hop Back Pale Ale.
Granted, I’m not exactly a pale ale fan. However, this latest entry brings something to the table that some other Blackfoot beers don’t: high drinkability. Clocking in at just above 5% ABV, the Holy Hop Back isn’t potent, brain-crushingly, or tongue-torchingly rich or alcoholic. It’s something nice to come across in a Blackfoot beer from time to time when you’re not looking to down a few pints and already feel full and inebriated. Pouring the standard Blackfoot unfiltered, muddied amber color that we all so much love, the Hop Back smelled mild and sweet, with no distinct aroma powering through the nose. The taste was slightly thinner than expected, but had a well-rounded body that felt full without the actual weight attached to it. As expected, the brew was slightly sweet, with just a touch of hops tickling the tongue. 
Calling this beer a high-quality, sweeter, and more flavorful version of Miller High Life might be considered an insult, but given the lack of high performing pale ales out there, it might not be a bad comparison.
Overall, this might be the most consumable beer the Blackfoot has produced in a long time. This is a beer that is highly sessionable for holiday parties and won’t trump any food items along the way. Consider this a good choice for holiday meals or your New Years Eve throwdown if you’re not looking for the hangover a growler of Scottish or Porter will surely chuck your way.
Big Belt Weizenbock
November 12th, 2009
Lewis and Clark Brewing Company in Helena, Montana
Yesterday I got of work and was in the mood for a high octane beer. My go to strong beer is the Tartanic Scottish Ale from Blackfoot River Brewing Company, but I was looking for something else. So I decided to try the Big Belt Weizenbock made by Lewis and Clark Brewing Company. It was delicious, and I’m guessing a fair bit stronger than my usual Scottish.
I tried it out of the tap at the Red Atlas. It was a brownish walnut color with a thick creamy off-white head that left good lacing down the glass. Although not incredibly odoriferous, the nose was sweet with roasted caramel and maybe hints of coffee or chocolate. Oh and don’t forget the alcohol. From the start, I could tell this was a boozy beer. The taste basically followed the same profile. It was very sweet with roasted caramel or brown sugar notes, and definitely some hints of coffee. It didn’t taste as boozy as I think it actually is, which I think is a good thing. There were also some wheat undertones and a nice hop finish.
Overall, this beer is a must. If you live in Helena, or in a city where Lewis and Clark distributes, I would highly recommend finding this beer and giving it a shot. It is not available year round, as it is one of Lewis and Clark’s seasonal brews. More than a few pints might be too much, at least if you have plans of actually getting anything done afterward; however, if you want to take the night off and enjoy a brew that will keep the cold off, grab a Big Belt Weizenbock!
Pumpkin Ale
October 22nd, 2009
Lewis & Clark Brewing Company in Helena, Montana
A lot of people around town have been talking about the Pumpkin Ale from the Lewis and Clark Brewing Company, and one can only listen to talk so much before he has to go try it for himself. I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin beer, or most flavored beers for that matter, but the Pumpkin Ale was pretty good, although I don’t know that I would drink more than a pint or so of it.
It was hard to gauge the color of the beer since I had my taste at the Brewhouse, which was dark, with the only light coming from some neon red signs. I wanted to go to the actual tap room, but they don’t open until 4 pm. so be warned if you are looking for an early pint. Anyway, the Pumpkin Ale was a pumpkin amber color with a little bit of orange to it (maybe the lights). It smelled pretty much like you would expect a pumpkin ale to smell: like pumpkin pie, sweet and spicy, with lots of pumpkin. It was a smooth beer that left the tongue feeling sort of prickly. Up front it tasted like pumpkin spice with lots of cinnamon and nutmeg and finished with a balanced hoppy bitterness. It had a more spicy than sweet pumpkin flavor that lingered for a few seconds. Overall it was not as sweet as a lot of pumpkin beers I have tried, which is a plus in my book.
Would I order this beer again? Maybe, but as it cannot be purchased at the store, I would be more likely to have one of their different beers from the tap, perhaps the Neighborhood or Mad Max IPA. That being said, if pumpkin ale is your kind of beer, this one is definitely worth a try. Even if you are not a huge pumpkin fan, I would recommend trying an 8 oz, but more than that might be too much.
Blackfoot River Brewing Oktoberfest
September 22nd, 2009
Blackfoot River Brewing in Helena, MT
I can’t say I’ve ever come upon an Oktoberfest beer that stood out from the rest. Yes, they’re very drinkable and exciting beers that signal the beginning of a new season. But as far as the drink goes, most Oktoberfest beers don’t exactly blow you away and make you wish for colder temperatures and some leaves to change a different color.
And so we encounter the Blackfoot River Oktoberfest beer. This is another entry into a long line of Oktoberfest brews, so it’s no surprise that this beer is more closely connected to the beers brewed for the annual German festival. Compared to other Blackfoot River Brewing creations, the Oktoberfest is slightly tame. However, this doesn’t make this a bad beer by any stretch of the imagination. Smelling of rich woods and a subtle hint of malty goodness, the Oktoberfest doesn’t knock you to the ground with the nose. The color is a rich and dark amber, that is unfiltered, something that’s nice to find in a beer in Montana. The flavor mirrors a lot of the nose, with a pretty constant and unassuming pillowy malt flavor flowing gently into a very indiscrete, yet enjoyable, 
taste of roasty hazelnut accents. The slight sweetness that teases near the front of the beer is quickly quashed by the somber note of bitterness. It takes a bit of effort to find, but that malt touch at the end makes this a beer that offers a nice twist on the October staple.
This dark lager-tasting beer may not be the most special brew, but you have to keep in mind that the creation isn’t trying to push boundaries or blast into new territory. Blackfoot River Brewing’s Oktoberfest is still a very nice brew that is very drinkable and celebrates its ancestors in a respectable way. The low alcohol content (in comparison to other Blackfoot brews, at least) keeps this as a nice session beer and a fine transition to darker beers that are on-deck for the coming six months. Fall’s here, everyone. Celebrate with a fine Oktoberfest.
