Otter Creek Smoked Ale
Otter Creek Brewing

More roasty than smoky, I had this one poured into a pint glass on tap. Quite dark, with a white creamy head. Aroma took me back initially.... Adam the bartender described it best when he said it smelled like a sausage stuffed inside a cigarette butt. I didn't find it quite that offensive but it didn't smell all that great. The taste however was very nice. Slightly smoky, lots of roasted malt, a little chocolate, just a tiny bit of sweetness. Doesn't approach Rauchbier territory by a mile. Pretty drinkable for a smoked beer, though I wouldn't want to make an evening out of it. Don't be put off by the smell however, its a good brew and worth a try.

Otter Creek's Smoked Amber Ale was fromerly bottled as "Hickory Switch Smoked Amber Ale", but is now only available on tap as part of their brewer's reserve line. It's brewed with malts smoked at the brewery with hickory, hence the old name.

It pours a clear, dark mahogany body beneath a creamy, light tan head that drops shortly and leaves only minor splotches of lace about the glass.The nose offers fruity yeast and a hint of smoke. It's medium bodied and crisp in the mouth. The flavor is mainly malty sweet; and fruity (kind of sharp and vinous), and caramelish. The smoke appears in the finish along with a dry bitterness but it doesn't particularly linger. It's delicate; and more about yeasty fruitiness than smoked malt.