Posted: Aug 10, 2012 10:44 AM by Phil Buck - MTN News
Updated: Aug 10, 2012 10:58 AM
MISSOULA - Smoky skies from wildfires in the West are a sure sign that it's summer is here in Western Montana. But there's another kind of Summer Smoke that's taken over Missoula this year, and it can be quite refreshing.
Two Missoula breweries and two signature beers make for one delicious combination.
Legend has it that a few months back a Missoula local came up with the idea of mixing Kettlehouse Brewing's Cold Smoke Scotch Ale with Big Sky Brewing's Summer Honey Seasonal Ale.
"Half Cold Smoke, half Summer Honey. Is it a Summer Smoke, is it a Cold Honey?" Depot owner Ed Wells asked.
"It's a Montana Black and Tan," added Brad Martens, Rhinoceros co-owner.
No matter what you call it, local bars have been pouring a lot of them this summer.
"The Cold Smoke [is] a bit darker, the caramel and things like that. It's very nice, very tasty but that little bit of the Summer Honey, that honey flavor in there, kind of mellows it out and makes it a lot easier to drink when the sun is up and it's 90 degrees out. The fact that it's coming from two different breweries, two different Missoula breweries, really makes it feel like a homegrown thing," Wells explained.
"Just a perfect, good combination. It's just two great local breweries coming together to make one awesome, tasty beer," bartender RJ Wells told us.
"The Kettlehouse guys and us get along really well and I think it's fun. It's really neat that it's two Missoula breweries that people are combining in there, I think it's a neat idea," Big Sky Brewing President Neal Leathers said.
"It just clicked, so it's becoming a favorite of the locals. You get people that follow & enjoy both beers and to mix them - it's just a wonderful idea," said Martens.
If you haven't tried one, don't worry, there's still plenty of summer left.
"People are enjoying it and loving it and so I think we're going to keep it on the menu and keep serving it," RJ Wells said.
Comments