Tavern Ale
White Birch Brewing

Tavern AleTavern Ale
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From:
White Birch Brewing
 
New Hampshire, United States
Style:
Smoked Beer
ABV:
8%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.77 | pDev: 15.38%
Reviews:
40
Ratings:
86
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 20, 2021
Added:
Feb 11, 2011
Wants:
  8
Gots:
  6
Butter’s Tavern was a fixture of Concord, NH in the eighteenth century. Inspired by their loggerhead ale, we’ve created a Smoked Imperial Brown Ale. Hearty malts, with a nuanced smokiness and smooth finish create our interpretation of this historic ale. We hope you enjoy this slice of New Hampshire history.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Ego:
Photo of Ego
Reviewed by Ego from New Jersey

3.35/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Batch 5
Bottle Count 1092

eyes...
barely any head whatsoever, whatever head there was disappears faster than the plot in the twilight movies, very dark brown, almost opaque save for the bubbles (very few) traveling up the draft. nothing much to look at here...

nose...
dark molasses and fruit (prunes), bitter chocolate, the smoke is rather subdued, if it was more forward this would be much better imo. the more it sits the more the smoke does come out though.

taste etc...
is this more of an ash taste or smoke? mixed in are some bitter chocolate notes that really linger. the carbonation is as expected by the pour - very underwhelming. The body is medium and is neither here nor there. after sipping some more of this the smoke is really more of an ash flavor and detracts from the brew.

verdict?
this beer is OK, it has slightly above average taste points but overall is pretty average. looking at the reviews (especially on the head) it seems this may not be consistent batch to batch.
Apr 30, 2012
More User Ratings:
Photo of malrubius
Reviewed by malrubius from Vermont

3.9/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Can. Dark brown with lasting dense ring. Smoky woody chocolatey raisin aroma. Very sweet, fig and raisin and chocolate and brown sugar, with medium bitter ashy woody smoky herbal finish that bites back a little. Very full body with with enough carbo to pull it off. A worthy attempt. I hope they try a sessionable smoked brown ale. Their First Sparrow Grodziskie is one of the best beers I ever had.
Aug 20, 2021
Photo of Bierman9
Reviewed by Bierman9 from New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Out in The 'Zebo on a lovely Sunday afternoon....

Poured most of the contents of a 16oz can into one of my sniftahs.... It's a dense, opaque chestnut. Initially had a frothy, rocky, beige layer of foam, but it has ebbed back to a thin covering, with some suds still at the rim. Lacing seems to be decent. Nose is malty, with nice caramel and toffee, and a hint of smokiness. Body is a good medium, and it is fairly smooth going down.

For flavor, it is semisweet to start. More malty toffee and caramel come through, along with some lightly roasty notes. Also has smoky action, similar to the peaty flavor found in some Scotch Ales. Then there's some mildly floral hopping in the pleasant finish. Not bad at all..... Prosit!!

4/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2303
Aug 15, 2021
Photo of Lone_Freighter
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

3.81/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
It pours a dark brown and has a foamy off white one inch head in a regular pint glass. It slowly concaves into the body leaving some clingy filmy lacing. The smell is smoky and roasty with a bit of tobacco, and is slightly malty underneath. The taste is sweet, smoky and roasty through the grains and malts, however some bitterness through light coffee grounds comes in to balance as the beer warms. The palate is light with nothing harsh on the tongue. There is a dry aftertaste and a smooth finish. Overall, I like this one, but haven’t had too many "smoked beers" to compare. I would come back to it.
Jun 05, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by MonkeyPilates from Minnesota

Jan 26, 2017
 
Rated: 3.59 by spycow from Illinois

Sep 05, 2015
 
Rated: 4.1 by AntigravityECE from Rhode Island

Aug 23, 2015
Photo of pat61
Reviewed by pat61 from Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
L: Pours brilliant deep chestnut under a 1” light tan, finely bubbled, clingy foam collar. S: Brown ale nose, big sugary malt, some smoke, nutty. T: The malt flavors are more caramel to chocolate – not a lot of roast and it has a pleasant nuttiness. The smoke is light and adds character. F: Medium full body and an exceptional soft, creamy texture and a slight alcohol warmth. O: A big tasty beer that is too easy to drink.
Aug 18, 2015
 
Rated: 4.06 by FrankShirley from Massachusetts

Jul 05, 2015
Photo of 2ellas
Rated by 2ellas from New Hampshire

3.18/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Poured from growler
nice deep brown color
smell and taste has a nice roast to it
Overall a good brown. A style I feel should be more appreciated
Jun 25, 2015
 
Rated: 3.8 by Satchboogie from Belgium

Jun 03, 2015
 
Rated: 3.92 by kdivers from New Hampshire

May 02, 2015
Photo of bluejacket74
Reviewed by bluejacket74 from Ohio

3.94/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
22 ounce bottle, Winter 2014 vintage (Batch One, bottle count of 6000, 8.0% ABV). Served in a nonic pint glass, the beer pours dark brown with about a half inch tan head. Head retention and lacing are both good. The brew smells like smoked malt, caramel, chocolate, and roasted malt. I think the taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also some nuttiness noticeable. The smoke seems stronger in the flavor in comparision to the amount of smoke in the aroma, and the smokiness lingers in the finish. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's smooth and a bit coating with moderate carbonation. I thought this was good, definitely worth picking up! $6.99 a bomber.
Mar 14, 2015
 
Rated: 3.98 by jwwjd from New Hampshire

Mar 09, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by c-rum from Missouri

Feb 16, 2015
 
Rated: 3.94 by smanson56 from New Hampshire

Feb 08, 2015
 
Rated: 3.91 by Hootie159 from Massachusetts

Jan 05, 2015
 
Rated: 3.9 by costanzo_mike from Massachusetts

Jan 05, 2015
Photo of JAFoley
Reviewed by JAFoley from New Hampshire

3.72/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
A - Dark opaque body with foamy tan head. Nice retention and lacing.

S - Citrus, caramel, and yeasty bread.

T - Slight citrus hop. Dark chocolate, caramel, and coffee.

M - Full body, with fine carbonation. Smooth and creamy.

O - Not bad. Good flavors, and nice creamy mouth feel.
Dec 27, 2014
 
Rated: 3.17 by rderedin from Maine

Dec 21, 2014
Tavern Ale from White Birch Brewing
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 86 ratings