Grand Teton Brewing Company - Old Faithful Ale

Like its namesake, this reliable brew does the trick every time. And get this: it’s actually featured at Yellowstone National Park, where it is the park’s top-selling beer. On the nose, expect sweetbread, honey, delicate citrus notes, a slight hoppy spiciness, grassiness, and malt balls (think Whoppers). Expect the flavor profile to begin tame, letting the beer go down easy, then blossoming just after the swallow into notes of sweet malt and honey, rounded out by a mild bitterness and echoes of fresh grain. You know, it’s easy to take a beer like this for granted, with its old-school microbrewed flavor and easygoing nature. But think about when you were stepping away from macro light lagers. What if the likes of this beer crossed your lips? You’d be floored. The truth is, there are still many people who have yet to experience that type of revolution in taste, and this beer is one that would work great as an “intro-to-flavor” beer, yet it holds its own with established craft-beer lovers with its complex yet easy drinking character. This is a good yardwork brew, so get out there and tend them weeds; you know it’s time!

Charlie Otto was a well-respected area homebrewer when demand for his hand-crafted beers quickly grew to the point where he began thinking about starting his own commercial enterprise. But because Wyoming did not issue licenses to homebrewers, Charlie had to challenge the law. Through an ambitious effort, he ultimately helped get a bill passed which would allow him to start selling his beer commercially. In 1988, he secured the first malt beverage manufacturer’s permit issued in the state in over 35 years. Along with his brother Ernie, the pair founded the Otto Brothers' Brewing Company, officially the first modern microbrewery in Wyoming. So, have you ever been to a local brewery or brewpub and had a “growler” filled with beer to take home? Thank these guys for that experience. In 1989 they rediscovered a long-forgotten container, a European, lidded tin pail originally used to transport beer from the tavern at which it was purchased. The Otto Brothers' Brewing Company reintroduced it in a modern, 64-ounce glass jug version. These trailblazers then took on the law again to bring about the legalization of brewpubs in the Cowboy State in 1992, opening Wyoming's first brewpub. It brought a surge in popularity to the Otto Brothers' beer lineup, leading the brothers Otto to build their current brewery at the base of Teton Pass in Victor, Idaho, in 1998. The move prompted renaming it the Grand Teton Brewing Company. The site was chosen for its proximity to locally-grown barleys and Northwestern hops, as well as nearby Teton Glacier water. Given the natural beauty of the region, it makes sense that the brewery went “green” in 2005; everything from the heat that fires their brew kettles, to their hot water, to their building heat comes from use of biodiesel. They’ve kept with their vision of creating beers as majestic and beautiful as the National Parks that they celebrate. Seriously, these are magnificently crafted beers; we just love everything that this brewery does. For more information about the brewery or scheduled tours, call 888-899-1656, or visit their website at www.GrandTetonBrewing.com.