Shangrila Fumè
Birrificio Troll

 

Hazy reddish amber with some suspended sediment. Massive foam (the bottle gushed out when I opened it) but this recedes into a thin, but present head that retains well.

Nose has apple and spice, kinda like a mulled cider. Not particularly smoky smelling.

Lots of spice, but unfortunately boozy for something with such a moderate ABV. Traces of smoke, but really it's got a dry, almost vinous (again, maybe cider) character.

Overcarbonated. That is all.

Neat, but not remotely worth the price. Not very smoky either, but good in the spice department.

Picked up for me by my pal while he was in l'Italia. Grazie Daniele!

A: A bit of a gusher. Body is a murky brownish yellow. Dirty white head gets up to one finger but doesn't stay around for long.

S: Pumpernickel, a bit of rye, mustard seed, campfire, with a light backbone of sweetness.

T: Starts off with some mustard, though not as spicy as the aroma. Some sweetness comes in with a bit of the mustard, along with the campfire. and a bit of sourness. I get a lot of campfire on some sips, and hardly any on others. Not much of an aftertaste.

M: Good carbonation keeps the tastes lively on my tongue.

D: The different tastes are strong enough I probably wouldn't want to tackle more than one 750 of this one by myself, but it goes down pretty easy.

Not getting the smoky fumes as much as I thought I would, but a good beer nonetheless. Reminds me of The Bruery's Rugbrod in some ways, but better.

I'm generally a fan of Smoked beers. This one is a little off-kilter, and not quite as good as I'd hoped. Intended to be a smoked version of the normal Shangrila, it is a murkey amber brew, a muddy color with a modest but fairly respectable head. The smell is a chaotic jumble of sensations...campfire smoke, ginger and citrus, burning leaves, grass, basil, corn husk, and yeast. Crazy aroma...it certainly is interesting, but the problem is that it doesn't really fit together well. The taste is fairly good, with a lot of smoke, spice, and malt flavor. Yeast plays an important role. Fairly high carbonation and medium body. This is one interesting and unique beer... unfortunately, it tastes like an experiment.