Good night Montana

I have finally gotten around to sampling the rest of the Great Northern Brewery beers that Margaret brought home from her trip. Not all in one night mind you. These include the Snow Ghost Winter Lager, the Bucking Horse Pilsner and the Wheatfish Wheat Lager (the brewery is in Whitefish, MT) pun intended.

Unfortunately, some of the beers that Margaret tried were not available in bottles. Including the Good Medicine Imperial Spring Ale pictured here.

I will have to go to the Big Sky country in order to try them. On to the reviews of what they do bottle.

First up is the Snow Ghost Winter Lager.

Appearance: Dark reddish brown appearance. Takes on a ruby red color in the light. Nice carbonation builds a solid tan head. The lacing is pronounced. I even thought it was worthy of another picture to show the effect.

Smell: Chocolate malt aroma. Smell like a porter, which is a darker beer.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Chocolate malt flavor. Slight hoppy bitterness, but not lingering like an IPA. Heavier mouthfeel with carbonation noted on the tongue. Taste similar to a chocolate porter. Did not taste like a typical lager.

Overall: This is the best of the entire 6 pack that Margaret brought back. This really hits the sweet spot for me with a dark beer that has taste of a porter, but not as heavy. Although it is described as the perfect beer to warm up with after a day of skiing, I had it on an overcast and slightly cooler summer afternoon and it fit perfectly. I only wish the entire 6 pack was this, as I gave the other one I had to Margaret's grandfather who was visiting the house. 

Next on the list was the Bucking Horse Pilsner, pictured below.

Appearance: Clear Yellow to golden color that was highly carbonated. No discernible head to speak of.

Smell: Much like the Black Star lager I discussed from this brewery perviously, the smell was too much like a pilsner that we all have had before, Miller Lite.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Unfortunately, much like the scent, the taste was too much like the domestic macro brew pilsners that are consumed across America every day. Nothing remarkable or unique about this beer's taste.

Overall: You can probably guess how I feel about this one from the description. A disappointment that another of this brewery's beers is just like the Buds and Millers of the world. If I want something that tastes like this, I will get a Miller Lite, lucky for me, I don't think I will.

Rounding out the beers from the Great Northern Brewery is the Wheatfish Wheat Lager.

Appearance: Beer has a cloudy pale yellow, almost lemonade color. It is highly carbonated, but with a small white head. Decent lacing was present as well.

Smell: This was perhaps the first beer where I think I really had a good idea of how to describe the smell. I immediately caught a floral aroma with some lemon as well.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Like the scent, the beer has a definite lemony taste. The mouthfeel was light and refreshing.

Overall: This one was a surprise and I did like it. This one would be nice for a hot summer day as it is refreshing and has a citrus taste. It is most similar to a Blue Moon for anyone wanting to make a comparison to a readily available beer.

Now that I have finished the Great Northern beers, I would call them a mild success, with 3 winners and 2 losers of the 5 kinds that I tried. One thing that is a definite winner is the landscapes and scenery that surround the brewery. For a guy born and raised in a city below sea level, the pictures that Margaret brought home were really breathtaking. I will leave you with some more shots from the trip.

Cheers!