American ale Description: A highly inclusive category that includes a number of distinct styles. American-style brown ales can range from deep copper to dark brown in color. Malt lends medium caramel-like and chocolate-like flavors and aromas, and hop flavors and aromas should be low to medium. American-style amber and red ales range from copper to reddish brown in color and have medium-high to high maltiness
with some caramel character. American-variety hops are used to produce medium hop bitterness, flavor and aroma. American-style pale ales can be deep golden to copper or light brown in color. Fruity, floral and citrus-like American-variety hop character produce medium to medium-high hop bitterness, flavor and aroma. American-style pale ales have medium body and low to medium maltiness.
Bufflehead Brown Ale, Flathead Lake Brewing, Big Fork, Mont.—Roasted and caramelized malts, hints of chocolate, coffee, black bread and a hint of nuttiness—6.5% ABV Yard Sale Amber Ale, Tamarack Brewing, Lakeside, Mont.—Bold malt flavor and smooth drinkability, brewed with chocolate, caramel and toasted malts—5.6% ABV Redhook Audible Ale, Redhook, Woodinville, Wash.—Light to medium body with modest Cascade hop aroma and a clean finish—4.7% ABV Superfuzz Blood Orange Pale Ale, Elysian Brewing, Seattle, Wash.—Medium-bodied ale with a mindbending whirl of aromas and flavors from blood orange and Northwest hops—5.4% ABV Otter Water, Philipsburg Brewing, Philipsburg, Mont.—A light session-style summer pale ale, single hopped with a citrus background—4.5% ABV Men’s Room Red, Elysian Brewing, Seattle, Wash.—Amber color with light hop aroma and toasty malt finish, brewed for The Mens Room Radio Show on Seattle’s 99.9 KISW The Rock—5.6% ABV Sweetgrass Pale Ale, Grand Teton Brewing, Victor, Idaho—Gold medal winner at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival, crisp and fragrant—6% ABV 312 Urban Pale Ale, Goose Island Brewing, Chicago, Ill.—Constructed on a balanced malt backbone, with citrus hops aroma and crisp flavor—5.4% ABV Gambler American Amber, Outlaw Brewery, Belgrade, Mont.—Less of a sweet note and more hops than a typical amber, brewed to be gluten friendly—5.6% ABV Armory XPA, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, Ore.—First brewed at Deschutes’ Portland Pub, bitter twist with pronounced citrus kick—5.9% ABV
photo by Cathrine L. Walters
Fruit beer Description: Fruit beers cover pretty much any beer that uses fruit or fruit extracts as an adjunct in the mash, kettle, primary or secondary fermentation providing
obvious yet balanced fruit qualities. Malt sweetness can vary from none to medium-high. Fruit qualities should not be overpowered by hop character. Hop bitterness is typically very low to medium. Clear or hazy beer is acceptable.
Huckleberry Honey Ale, Bitter Root Brewing, Hamilton, Mont.—Summer wheat ale infused with Fireweed honey and huckleberries—5% ABV Flathead Cherry Ale, Glacier Brewing, Polson, Mont.—Perennial favorite at Glacier, refreshing light-colored beer with cherry flavor—5.5% ABV Shock Top Honeycrisp Apple Wheat, Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis, Mo.—Handcrafted unfiltered hybrid of Belgian wheat beer and sweet cider with natural Honeycrisp flavor—5.2% ABV Shock Top Lemon Shandy, Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis, Mo.—Belgian-style wheat ale combined with citrus peels, coriander, natural lemonade flavor and a hint of sugar—4.2% ABV Summer Shandy, Leinenkugal’s Brewing, Chippewa Falls, Wis.—Lemonade flavored beer brewed with finest wheat, malted barley and just a hint of real Wisconsin honey—5% ABV photo by Cathrine L. Walters
Wild Huckleberry Lager, Great Northern Brewing, Whitefish, Mont.—Light lager blended with real Montana huckleberry juice, not bitter or overly sweet—4.6% ABV Garden City BrewFest 2014 • Missoula Independent
17