Red Herring
Green Jack Brewery / The Triangle Tavern

Reminiscent of a refined and muted rauchbier, Green Jack has perfectly captured the essence of creamy and silky smoke in its casked smoked ale. Even if you don't normally like smoked beers, I suggest you give this one a try.

A: Poured dark and opaque into a pint glass - not quite black in color but almost (the lighting in the bar was a little dark, so that may have added to the dark color). Nice small, dark head that lingered. Small head seemed appropriate for the cask beer.

S: Smoky, but not as smoky as other smoked beers I've had, including many rauchbiers and smoked porters. Hints of wood and smoked cheese in the vein of a good smoked gouda. Hard to describe the nuances of the smoke smell, but I think it had the smell of a more oily wood being burned wet and slow.

T: Smokey and excellent. Tastes like it smells, like the smoked half of a gourmet smoked cheese with little to no sweetness - but the smoke aspect is surprisingly muted (moderate rather than cloying). This made the smokiness very nice without being overpowering like many smoked beers. Where many smoked beers are good for about 4 ounces of sipping, this beer could be drank by the pint without overloading the taste buds. As with most smoked beers, this beer tasted like long smoked hops, with a nice malt and yeast backbone. Smoked beers are not for everyone, including me typically, but this one toed the line perfectly without leaping wholeheartedly into the mouth of the beast.

M: This is the reason this beer gets as high a rating from me as it does. The beer had a perfectly apropos creamy texture - carbonated just a bit, but not so much as to be bubbly. The minuscule air bubbles did not burst on the tongue so much as melt in your mouth, creating the feel of liquid silk as you appreciated the beer. A perfect compliment to the taste, in the same way a creamy cheese is the perfect compliment to a smoky piece of meat. The only complaint I have is that the texture of the beer decreased in quality over time, and was slightly less enjoyable by the end of the 20 mins it took me to finish my beer.

OVERALL: I have not had many smoked beers by which I can compare this beer to, but I think this is a perfect smoked ale that has captured the essence of thick, barbecue smoke, smoothly invading your senses, then lingering on your taste buds the way smoke lingers on your clothes after a long day by the fire.