Black Tooth Brewing Co. - "Saddle Bronc" brown ale

Courtesy of former D'Vines colleague Austin, I came across a can or two of this libation, a 4.80% ABV English-style brown ale from Sheridan, WY-based Black Tooth Brewing. Austin grabbed a few cans on a recent work trip, and was kind enough to pass them along. Thanks, Austin!

The brainchild of founders Tim Barnes, Tim Barnes, Sr., Mike Strahan, and top brewer Travis Zeilstra, Black Tooth was founded in 2010. This offering, and several others, have received medals in various beer competitions, so I'm excited to try. My only other experience with Wyoming beer has been at SAVOR in 2018, where I tried MISHAP! Brewing Co.'s lovely "Fire Hole" chili porter. Outside of events like this, or from cans smuggled back from trips, beers from microbreweries from out West seldom truly make it to DC. Black Tooth's stuff, for example, is available in cans and on draught from Wyoming, Nebraska, Montana, and to some parts of South Dakota, but no further.

Fun fact - "saddle bronc", the name of the beer, is a rodeo event also known as "bronc riding" where a rider mounts a horse using a special saddle and attempts to stay on as long as possible - 8 seconds is goal. I'd last .08 seconds, probably.

OK, let's take a look - remarkably root-beer clear, aromas of earth and a slight note of sugar.

Light, fresh, and a touch sweet, this brown ale has an exceptionally clean texture - surprisingly so. There's a touch of sweet caramel that I really dig, followed by a nice malt backbone, but the real excitement here is how soft and easy-drinking this is. Some brown ales are heavy on certain elements of the beer, or often mixed with coffee and other stuff, but "Saddle Bronc" is straightforward, well-done, and very enjoyable as a sessionable brown ale. I'd actually compare this, favorably, to another Rocky Mountain staple - Big Sky Brewing's "Moose Drool." I think the "Saddle Bronc" is a better version of "Moose Drool", packing a bit more flavor while still retaining that light, malty, easy-drinking quality.  This lovely session brown would be a great pairing with some meatloaf or burgers on the grill while watching the sun set over the Bighorn National Forest.