So now is the time for me to review my all time favorite beer, a scottish ale that really was the reason I became a craftbeer snob. I had been kind of dabbling in craft beers, fruit wheat beers, some lagers and such but still hadn't embraced the dark side. Someone recommended I try this beer at a resturant one night and I was shocked a dark beer could taste so good, and not be ultra heavy. The rest is history as they say. And I just drank it so it is a hot review, with the taste fresh in my mind. Here goes. I apologize to those who can't find this beer, that is your loss.

Kettlehouse Brewing - Cold Smoke

Stats

• Brewer: Kettlehouse Brewing Company - Missoula, Montana
• Alcohol Content: 6.5% by volume
• IBU: 11
• Company Description: Cold Smoke® Scotch Ale is our flagship beer and biggest award winner. It is a dark smooth ale with a slightly sweet coffee finish. Named after the light, bottomless powder that falls in Montana, Cold Smoke® is the transcendent powder experience craved by skiers and boarders. “No friends on powder days!” If you have ridden Cold Smoke® , you know what I mean. Available at both Taprooms. 6.5% abv; 11 IBUs

Presentation
Cold Smoke is generally available in 16 oz cans, sold in 4 packs or 8 packs. I have not seen Cold Smoke in bottles but it is one of them standard beers and of course is on tap at their two breweries. Kettlehouse sells mostly 16 oz cans and uses the same general label art style although they do vary from a dedicated style and tend to have art reflective of the theme of the beer, this one is a skiing since "cold smoke" alludes to the fresh powder on the ski hills in Montana.

The Beer

• Appearance: As can be seen in the picture above, it has a dark, almost black color, with a thin tan head that dissipated rapidly. When held to the light though, there is a bit of a amber color.
• Aroma: Caramel and coffee although the caramel is primary aroma I got from the beer.
• Taste: Oh my, it is a Scottish Ale, my favorite kind of beer so it tastes great to me. But it has the definitive caramel hints, with bits of coffee and sweetness that comes with those malts. I love the taste of this beer, and as I explained above, it was a game changer so it has a special place in my beer world, being #1.
• Mouthfeel: It was definitely carbonated with a sweetness and a very slight coffee finish.
• Drinkability: I could drink these all day, well not really, but I could easily do 5-6 in a sitting is I had a mind to. But most would want to drink a couple to savor the taste and get full enjoyment from this Montana beer.

Rating and Final Thoughts

You can probably guess what I rated this beer, one of the two beers I have ever rated a 5.0 on Untappd. And it is a very popular beer, with my Untappd friends (7) giving a 4.39 and over 11K untappd ratings averaging 3.99. Hard to find anyone who doesn't like this beer. I'm not sure the availability of Kettlehouse beers across the nation, I know it is easier to find in Montana than it used to be about a year ago when they didn't distribute in Eastern Montana. Some regulations about the amount of beer made vs distribution but thankfully that was resolved. But if you do see it in cans or on tap, dive in and enjoy!

5.0/5

This post will make it to #BeerSaturday soIf you do enjoy my review, go check the Week 36 contest out and give it a vote over there also. Please feel free to comment and follow me @bigskycustoms. I plan to be adding a lot more beer reviews in the future. Thanks and Cheers!