Red Lodge, Montana should be on your bucket list. It rests just below the Beartooth Pass and is one of those cool mountain towns that is a prelude to ski resorts and outdoor magnificence. The Beartooth Pass is one of the coolest mountain passes in the nation and I implore you to drive the switchbacks and vistas. You will not be disappointed.
I had taken the pass twice coming out of Yellowstone Park and then heading east towards home. In 2020, I took the pass all the way to Red Lodge from Yellowstone and was even more enthralled with the parts missed the first two times. This time, I came down from Billings and explored more of the area. Of course, exploring means brew pubs, at least in my world it does. Red Lodge Ales, also known as Sam's Tap Room, is on the north side of town. They have a restaurant and the brewery in the same building. I watched a few of the brewers making beer while I sat and enjoyed the fruits of their labor. They have a nice fenced off outside area for dining, but it was pretty hot, so I stayed inside during my visit.
I started off with a Glacier Amber Ale. Styled after a German Alt, it was dark brown and had a caramel malty flavor. I thought maybe the bitterness was stronger than the 27 IBU it comes in at, but I was on a dry palate. Instead of carefully judging the beer after I got some food, I spent my time looking through their t-shirt selection and frankly don't remember if it altered my perception or not. Some fine journalism there, I tell you. My mother always said I'd amount to nothing. Ok, that's not true at all.
I struggled with what to have next. I wanted the Scottish Ale, called Jack's 90, because I always want one of those, but I fought my urge to have the go-to beers I always choose and went another path. I had some good choices. Due to the heat, I was considering a lighter beer. The Bent Nail IPA, the Czechmate Pilsner or the Helio Hefeweizen, so I went with the Beartooth Pale Ale. Damn it, I'm so predictable and disappointing. The beer was not disappointing, however. The hoppiness was up there at 43 IBU's, but the nutty maltiness and copper color soothed any anxiety that might have brought. Now, I did get a bit of a finish on this beer that I couldn't place very well. I cheated and looked up their description because it was IPA-ish. Turns out it was the grapefruit rind. That made sense, but I don't feel it added to the beer. Just say'n. It made it a little unique, but I could've done without it. Between the two, I liked the Glacier Amber and as luck would have it, that beer was a gold medal winner. See, Mom, I am somebody and people like me!
Ok, that's not true at all. I did score a cool t-shirt as a lovely parting gift. The food was good and the brewery has a great selection of beers. Now, I have nothing at against brewers who want to experiment and come up with some goofy concoctions, so don't take this wrong, but it is nice to sit down and have versions of the classics to choose from every now and then. Red Lodge Ales does that and does it pretty well. Two thumbs up.
I did want to drop a quick note about another dish I had in Red Lodge, since I'm not doing a second post. There is a restaurant in town called, The Black Canyon Bistro. It's right downtown and I had the most amazing dinner there. They have an Elk Stroganoff that was fantastic and I cannot recommend it enough. I usually shy away from the non-traditional meats, but I was intrigued by this dish and was not disappointed. The elk medallions were succulent and the sauce on the noodles was wonderful. Definitely, check it out.
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