Put Down the Kickstand and Have Uno Mas

Put Down the Kickstand and Have Uno Mas

June 15, 2017

Thirsty Street has Great Seasonal Beers

Some of the best times in Billings are spent on the great patios around town.  There are many to choose from, and you’re bound to find one that suits your needs.  I recently had a chance to sit on the Thirsty Street patio for the first time this year.  As usual, I was not disappointed.

Before enjoying the cool night air, I had an important decision to make.  Should I get a Kickstand Red IPA, or should I try the Uno Mas Chile Pale Ale?  In the end, I made the right choice by having one of each.

Kickstand Red IPA

I like nearly every style of beer.  With the exception of many fruit beers and I’m not a big fan of wheat beers that use coriander.  For me it’s a deal breaker; I feel it overpowers the beer and all I can taste is that spice.  But I do like red ales.  And I like IPAs.  So a combination of the two is sure to be right up my alley.

When looking at the beer it certainly is red in color.  One of the reddest I have ever seen.  Or maybe I’ve just never held my beer up to the sun like I did on this particular evening.  It had a little head, and looked just like a red ale should.

I took a smell and there were plenty of hops to be sniffed.  A small sip proved that the hops were indeed powerful.  But you could still taste the maltiness that you get with a red ale.  For the hop heads out there that love a bitter beer, this is certainly going to please.

The menu says it clocks in at 8.2% alcohol, so don’t get too wild with it.

Uno Mas Chile Pale Ale

I have only had a couple of pepper beers before.  One was from Rogue Brewing out in Oregon, it was hot.  Like eating salsa hot, and really not that refreshing.  So I have always been a bit wary of chile beers.  In the spirit of adventure I decided to do a pint.

It looks like a pale ale, perhaps slightly on the dark end.  It has a little head the way a hoppy beer should.  But those peppers show through when you give it a sniff.  They’re not super strong, but definitely smells like peppers; jalapeños actually.

Upon first sip I was expecting a rush of pepper flavor and spicy tingle that made me want to eat bread.  What I got was a mellow pale ale with only a slight pepper taste, and just a little bit of spicy tingle in the back of my throat.  I paused thinking surely I didn’t get a good swig.  But each sip allowed just a little pepper taste and a slight tingle on the way down.  Definitely a big step up from the spicy hot and not refreshing pepper beer I had in the past.

Have a Cold One at Thirsty Street

In the past year and a half or so since Thirsty Street opened, their beer has gotten better and better.  Now there are 10ish beers on the menu and some that have great unique flavors.  If you’re getting a little weary of the same old thing from your fine, local, craft brews, check out the Uno Mas from Thirsty Street.