I like having a reason to visit Red Lodge, a small Montana town in a great setting with some not-so-hidden gems of good food, beer and scenery. Unfortunately,  I don’t get a reason very often and Red Lodge isn’t exactly “on the way” to very many places.  Unless you’re from Belfry. Which I’m not.  But every time I head to Kalispell, a mere seven or eight hour drive northwest of Red Lodge, I find this porter on tap at the North Bay Grille.

I’ve seen it described as an American style porter, though I have a little trouble putting it in that category. I think that’s because I’m a fan of robust porters, so anything that isn’t robust makes me lean toward calling it a London style.   It is definitely a more traditional porter, and one that is very smooth and easy to drink. And there’s no mistaking the chocolate with underlying coffee tastes. Every sip brings strong flavors of chocolate with just enough coffee/roasted malt flavor to keep it from turning sweet. 

Name: Red Lodge Porter
Brewery: Red Lodge Ales, Red Lodge, MT.
Style:  Porter.
Color: Very dark brown to black.
Packaging: draft
Stats: 5.75% abv, ? IBU.
Bought: North Bay Grille, Kalispell, MT.
Ruling: Three and a half out of Five Hops. Smooth, very drinkable porter.