Big Sky Brewing Company - Space Goat

This pale ale presents a rich golden and lightly coppery color, boasting good clarity as it rests beneath a rocky off-white head of foam. On the nose, expect a complex character thanks to the five different types of hops that Big Sky employs here. Citrus leads the way with shades of orange, tangerine, and grapefruit, backed up by additional layers of peach-like stone fruits and tropical fruits that evoke guava. These aroma notes come through on the palate too, with citrus character again taking a starring role with lots of grapefruit zest notes. We also pick up some touches of pine resin in this very assertively hopped pale ale. Perceived hop bitterness comes across a bit firmer to us than its 32 IBUs, and there’s just tons of bold hop flavor – all supported well by a malt core that provides the necessary structure and a lightly toasty edge while leaving those bold hops to take the starring roles. For pairing options, this well-hopped pale ale can stand up to spicy cuisine and can cut through fatty, cheesy dishes too. Enchiladas, pizzas, and fried chicken all sound good to us, as does a perfectly grilled burger with all the fixins. Cheers!

Neal Leathers and Brad Robinson were students at Michigan State in the 1980s when they began homebrewing. Their love of beer was born within the early microbreweries they encountered while passing through the Pacific NW on their way to work summers in the Alaska fishing industry. In 1990, Neal, Brad, and a group of their friends moved to Missoula, MT, and they began dreaming of starting their own ale brewery soon after arrival. During this time, they created a local access TV show called Beer Talk, and the enthusiasm of viewers who would call in to the live shows inspired them to get serious about turning their brewery dream into a reality. Unfortunately, while they were knowledgable about beer, their business expertise was lacking. Thankfully, as luck would have it, their new friend Bjorn Nabozney – whom they met while working together at a sports and outdoor gear store – was just finishing up a Bachelor’s in Finance at the University of Montana. As a final project, Bjorn wrote a business plan for his friends’ brewery idea, and then the trio went out to raise money and get the brewing ball rolling. After securing a brewing location in the Riverfront area of Missoula, their first batch of beer was produced in summer of 1995.

Fast forward to today, and Big Sky Brewing Company has come a long way. In the late 1990s, Neal relinquished the brewmaster reins to Matt Long, who has led production ever since. In 2002, Big Sky moved into a new brewhouse just north of the airport, which was over three times the size of the original location. The extra space allowed for both increased production and the installation of a bottling line with which they’ve expanded their reach well beyond their local draft accounts. They also host summer concerts at the venue. Big Sky currently produces about ten canned beers, along with various smaller-run brews, plus multiple seltzers. For more info about the brewery and their Taproom, visit them at bigskybrew.com.