I recently drove over to Billings, MT to give a couple of presentations and had grand plans of taking the time to check out the local breweries.  My last trip to Billings was several years ago and, by coincidence, was only a few days after Carter’s Brewery had opened its doors.  I was looking forward to seeing how Carter’s had developed in the interim as well as revisiting the award winning Montana Brewing Co. and the much-friendlier-than-the-name-would-suggest Angry Hanks Brewing Co.  Montana Brewing Co.’s Custer’s Last Stout remains one of my favorite beer names and is a darn fine brew, too.

Unfortunately, as it often does, life got in the way.  The best I was able to do was to walk over to Old Chicago for a quick bite to eat and see what might be on tap.  To my surprise, the place has a nice selection of 20+ taps including several local brews. I only had room for one and picked Montana Brewing Co.’s Brown Ale.

This brown ale is a rich brown color along with some ruby highlights and a thick, light tan head. There are light aromas of caramel malt.  The flavor is of a classic American brown ale.  Good caramel malt and biscuit like flavors in a smooth, easy drinking package. Perhaps even a bit creamy. It finishes with a slight hop bitterness. Want an excellent example of a brown ale? Give this one a try.