Moose Drool vs. Cold Smoke

     The Montana Club has the best local beer line-up in Butte, and the largest menu. That's why I choose it when I'm with a group of people - everyone finds something they love!  Kali asks me to recommend a local, darker brew to pair with the barbecue ribs.  She's more of a vodka girl, so I won't subject her to a stout.
.... hmmmm ... Two beers sitting on tap, one is a Brown Ale the other a Scotch.  
     Both are made in Missoula, and pair well with every meat and cheese on the menu.  I order one of each; I love both so she will decide which is better.

     
     The American Brown Ale is not what one may think moose drool tastes like; I suppose a moose's drool might be earthy, slightly salty with grassy undertones.  Perhaps that is why they call it Moose Drool: slight earthy undertones. . 
     
     The first thing Kali mentions are the names, "I am more turned on by the idea of drinking cold smoke," she says seductively.  But Kali agrees that Moose Drool is much more pleasant than it sounds and much easier to drink than it looks.  I tell her they actually call it Moose Drool because of the artwork chosen for the bottle.  
   
     Anyways, despite the name, it is one of Montana's finer tasting brews, and I venture to say the most widely distributed.  Brewed in Missoula, Montana by Big Sky Brewing Company, this beer has four malts and four hop additions.  It debuted in '96 and its handle is recognized by the cartoon moose holding a beer, or the painting of the moose drooling in the pond.

     The Drool appears chocolate brown with amber hues and a sweet bready-malt aroma.  It has a 5.1 abv and 26 IBUs.  Although it doesn't taste as sweet as it smells, it's a smooth medium-bodied ale with just enough hop to keep her from the sweet side.  Check out some reviews on beeradvocate.com.

     The second beer I handed Kali is at least a shade darker than the Drool.  It holds a medium-heavy body and a smooth clean finish.  It is very well balanced on the pallet with a 6.5 abv and 11 IBUs.  Cold Smoke has a "very good" rating on Beer Advocate.  Unlike Moose Drool, this beer's name is relevant to its taste.  The mild molasses overtones distinguish a smokey flavor and semi-sweet coffee finish.

     It only took a half a pint of the smoke to realize it held some metallic off flavors.  Kali and I initially agreed that it was the pint Moose Drool that won our favor; it seemed more smooth and sweeter than the Scotch Ale.  I suspected the off flavors of the Cold Smoke were not part of the flavor profile, "We need a taste test with beer straight from the brewers tap."  Unfortunately, that was out of the question since we were in Butte.

     Luckily, both breweries can their beers (Big Sky also bottles).  Kali and I decided to make an afternoon stop at Safeway and search for cans.  The six pack of 12 ounce cans of Moose Drool was $8.59, the four 16 ounce cans of Cold Smoke were $9.99.  We took them back to her place and hashed through the flavor profiles of the canned beers.

     Cold Smoke is brewed at KettleHouse Brewing Co. in Missoula.  It carries many similar characteristics as the competing Brown Ale; however, there is a soft attribute in the Scotch Ale that lends itself to a more balanced flavor and cleaner finish.

     It's official between Kali and I: Cold Smoke rules them all.   ... but watch out for some of those kegs.