Montana's Contribution To The Craft Beer Revolution

Out of the Great White North -- Missoula, Montana, to be exact -- a relatively young newcomer to the exploding American craft beer market is sweeping across the plains with a memorable menu of brews whose names have been inspired by the traditions of the Rocky Mountains themselves. Big Sky Brewing, founded in 1995 through a comprehensive start-up process by a pair of transplanted Michiganders and a native Montana business major, currently sells more than half a million bottles of beer annually in about half of the fifty United States.

Big Sky becomes less and less of a secret to the craft beer-buying public every year -- in no small part because of unforgettable label names like Trout Slayer Wheat and the brewery's flagship label, Moose Drool Brown Ale. These monikers are no coincidence: the brewers consciously chose to create their market identity through Montana's distinctive wildlife. In the case of Moose Drool, it probably doesn't hurt that the word "drool" rhymes with another term historically associated with a Western dietary staple: gruel.

Of course, nomenclature alone does not make a great beer. Big Sky augments its menu of tasty selections with both a pair of seasonal brews (Powder Hound Winter Ale and Summer Honey Ale), as well as a handful of limited releases -- all of which incorporate unusual marriages of diverse hop selections.

For a taste of the rugged Montana life, nothing beats a Big Sky Brew.