Every Monday, we feature a new Montana microbrew review. Enjoy.

Cold Smoke Scotch Ale is a beer with quite a verbal following. Loved by all (or so it seems), Cold Smoke has no enemies. Yet, for a beer that is so much ballyhooed by bar patrons, and anyone who knows anything about beer in the state of Montana, I’d only tried Cold Smoke once in my life, and it was only by accident when it was the special at a local bar. Needless to say, though, people seem to love, if not fawn over superfluously, for the scotch ale from Kettle House Brewing Co. in Missoula, MT. And when I found it showing up on the beer menu at the Red Atlas in Helena, I knew it was time to give Cold Smoke a run through the taste grinder.

After all the talk and posturing associated with Cold Smoke, I was clearly expecting something to blow me away like no other. It even has an ice cream attached to the namesake. But I’d had Cold Smoke once before, and didn’t exactly remember it. So what was I missing? Was it deep and alcoholic? Was it smooth and creamy enough to serve over actual ice cream? Is it a beer that defines what beer actually is?

Pouring an almost opaque chocolaty brown, Cold Smoke had a light nose with subtle touches of toasted malt and a hint of alcoholic acidity. I liked that this fell right in line with other scotch ales I’d tried–light on the outside, ready to do business on the inside. Cold Smoke got a bit tricky after tasting, though. The initial sip felt very clean and pure, something you might expect from Bayern Brewing Co., also out of Missoula. An initial sweetness led way to touches of coffee and cream, with a touch of cocoa and roasted malt sprinkled lightly therein. However, the real clincher was the alcoholic finish that made this more than just your standard sweet and dark beer. Further sips revealed the clarity and smoothness even more, with the flavors blending together in a seamless spectrum of beer bliss. This is a beer you could miss if you’re not looking to give it a strong look, but if you search for it, the beauty rests lightly in the subtlety of this brew.

I try to ignore overly-hyped beers until I get a chance to try them for myself, since I’ve had a run-in or two with beers that were given grand praise but turned out to be real stinkers. And after buying an $18 six-pack or two of a beer that is much-hyped, then turns out to be nothing more than yeast and hops in toilet water, you’ll be looking at an unhappy beer lover and a seasoned skeptic. But even I have to admit, occasionally the masses are correct. Cold Smoke’s a beer of simplistic spelendor. And as far as Cold Smoke Scotch Ale goes, it is more than worth any hype you’ll ever hear about it. Hype written herein clearly included.