Beer of the Week (Vol. XXIX)

After a two week hiatus, baby we're back with another Beer of the Week brought to you by the good Americans at Glen Lake Wine & Spirits. Having spent the last few weeks in Asia, I'm glad to be back in the good ol' U.S. of A., home to the widest variety of beer anywhere on earth. When it comes to beer, America truly is a melting pot of many styles and flavors.

Even in places like Montana. You may have heard that the only thing that comes out of Montana is steers and queers, but make no mistake about it, the state produces some pretty fair beers as well.

Including this week's featured selection Big Sky Brewing's Slow Elk Oatmeal Stout, a limited release beer from the noted Missoula brewer.

Brown bottle. The label has traditional font featuring a scene with the moon rising over the mountains, a windmill, and of course a Slow Elk, which must be a sub-species of the traditional elk family. Wait a second. That's not an elk. It's a...cow with antlers tied on its head. Oh, the bovanity!

Beer Style: Oatmeal Stout

Alcohol by Volume: 5.4

COLOR (0-2): Dark ruby black. 2

AROMA (0-2): Roasted malt and coffee. 2

HEAD (0-2): Tan with good lacing. 2

TASTE (0-5): Rich tastes with flavors of chocolate, coffee, and malt. Some light hops. Medium bodied and drinkable. 4

AFTERTASTE (0-2): Very smooth and a little creamy. 2

OVERALL (0-6): Oatmeal stout is one of my favorite beers and, although it's usually a style best enjoyed on tap, the bottles of Slow Elk I tried were quite good. It's a good transitional beer from the Oktoberfests of fall to the more hearty ales (usually) of winter. 4

TOTAL SCORE (0-19): 16

Next week: the ales of November come calling.