We stopped in at Kettlehouse Brewing Co.’s old school Myrtle Street location this Saturday to try their new pumpkin ale. The brew is good. Quite good, with flavors of pumpkin, nutmeg and ginger.  But we also spotted a new pale ale on tap and decided to grab a sample before heading out the door to finish our errands.  One whiff of it and we knew there was something good going on here. One taste and we sat back down and ordered a pint.  Then a growler for the road.  Well, not the road, actually.

Kettlehouse Brewing Co.’s Garden City Pale Ale is a fresh hop ale brewed with hops picked in a few locations in Missoula not far from the brewery.  They’re not sure what kind of hops they are, though cascade is a good guess for at least some of them.  The brew is a hazy pale yellow color (never trust my pictures) with a nice thick white head. The aroma is wonderfully full of floral hops. There is a light grain/biscuit flavored malt base that simply serves as a delivery vehicle for the floral hop flavor balanced perfectly with a medium hop bitterness.  It is a smooth beer with certain crispness and does indeed taste fresh.  It is a great showcase for hop flavor and aroma – exactly what a fresh hop brew should be.

The downside?  By the time you’re reading this, the beer is likely gone.  It was an instant hit and is flying out of the kegs. Get down there early this week and you might still have a chance to try what is one of the best brews to come out of Kettlehouse. And that’s saying a lot.