Pipe Smoker
Crabtree Brewing Company

a smoked irish red ale and a darn fine glass of beer. i think crabtree remains one of the best breweries in colorado than nobody ever talks or hears about. their stuff is solid and has been for years across a range of styles. this is cool, sort of comes across like a scotch ale, with a little smoke and richness in the nose from the malt and a little sweetness too, but the yeast dries it out in the taste and adds a wonderful bready aspect, super complex for what it is, and really a well made beer. the smoke is pretty prominent in the flavor, like a campfire, burning low, all the way through this one, slight iodine to it, but not over the top either, its in balance with some pretty hefty malt for a beer this low in alcohol. its earthy and autumnal and complex, and i like the way its kind of bitter at the end too. i wish these guys got more credit, this is a cool beer without any peers really in this market. the right amount of smoke, a rad edition to an already solid base red beer. unique for the season...