KettleHouse Brewing Company Cold Smoke, a 6.5% ABV Scotch Ale
| Appearance | Dark brown. Fluffy tan head. |
| Aroma | Rich caramel malts. |
| Taste | Delightfully malty. Coffee and caramel notes. |
| Mouthfeel | Medium body. Moderate carbonation. |
| Overall | Dark, smooth, and slightly sweet. |
KettleHouse Brewing Company’s owners, Tim O’Leary and Suzy Rizza, were living in Colorado in the early 90’s and caught the buzz for craft beer, and Tim started brewing in his kitchen in Boulder. One thing led to another and they decided to move back home to Montana to try their hand at building a business with beer and reusable packaging as its founding principles.
In 1995 Tim and Suzy opened Missoula’s first brewery, which was only allowed to serve free samples at the time. In 1999, KettleHouse along with Himmelberger Brewing and the now defunct Kessler Brewing lobbied the Montana State Legislature to legalize on-premise consumption of beers. Customer could now enjoy 48 oz per person per day before 8 pm.
In 2006, KettleHouse became the first modern brewery in Montana to package beer in cans. In 2008, they moved to a historic warehouse in Missoula’s Northside railroad district. The Northside Brewery opened in July of 2009 with an expanded taproom. They broke ground in 2015 on 18 acres for a new 25,000 square foot production brewery.
Cold Smoke® Scotch Ale is KettleHouse’s 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 they mean. This beer is sometimes referred to it as the “gateway beer” – light macro beer drinkers find this an easy transition to craft beer because of its smooth and delicious flavor.
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