Bravoure
Brouwerij De Dochter van de Korenaar

Copenhagen 18/3 2021. 33 cl bottle from Brygshoppen web-shop. Off-white label with the name of beer and brewery in dark red. The tagline is Slightly smoked beer, for people brave of heart.

Pours opaque, murky maroon with a huge off-white head. Settles as 1,5 cm thick blanket of foam totally obscuring the surface of the beer. Substantial lacing.

Aroma is intense with a sweet odor of malts mingling with smoky fumes. Caramel and toffee. Light fruity odor of plums. Peaty smoke. Hints of salty bacon.

Light carbonation. Slightly thick, oily, slightly greasy, lightly tingling texture.

Flavor is intense with a medium strong sweetness followed by a strong salty, bitterness. Aftertaste is bitter. Lingers for a while. Finish is dry.

I will not say that this beer requires very much bravery to consume. It's a perfectly nice, fairly light Rauchbier. No need for ashtrays for this one.

 

 

*Tip: Start the pour reeeally slowly, even pouring slowly down the angled glass I have 1Cm of beer and about 12-14Cm of foam on top, with just 1/3rd of the bottle poured. This will take some time to decant now!*

Blind-tasted except for the beer's name and brewery/country, zero reviews below read (yet!)...
L- As above the head formed hugely and seriously swiftly, it's my long-time tasting glass, so it's without question just a mega-foamy brew. The head is pale tan over the beer which is deep amber.
S- There is something curiously aromatic going on here, it's unusual and not altogether beer-like... ahhh I see I think it's mild smoke over perhaps a timber note... ?
T- The smokey note is a bit more prominent now though by no means loud. In parallel I get a slight tang which reminds me of bright apple.
F- There's a moderate dry hoppy zing on the tongue in the finish.But this latter balances very well with a pretty robust body and feel.
O- Well it's one for the more characterful and different beers of quality that I've had in a while. If you had had a few of these and remembered it's profile then I reckon you could pick it blind-folded out from a line of '100 random world beers' with little difficulty. That extent of difference can be a bit 'death or glory' for a beer; in this case I think it's the latter. I'm not even majorly into smoked beers, but this one does it so very delicately it's quite a joy.
Review #1883/scoring all done, now the reveal, I get to read the bottle lables to see what I missed! ==> Little there, except a note on it's name in English: 'A slightly smoked beer, for the brave of heart'.
330ml bottle BB: Dec-2022 Euro2.95 Bought from BeerMania/Belgium as part of a large pick-your own consignment to London.

 

 

Not a very smokey beer, more roasted malts and bitter hops come across.

 

 

 

From a 330 ml bottle into a goblet.

APPEARANCE: A gentle pour, leaving 1 cm of sediment-laden liquid in the bottom of the bottle, produced a small, semi-durable, off-white head. Copper in color and moderately hay despite the pour.

Aroma: Sweet and smoked malts; hints of dried fruits, including cherries, wet cardboard, and caramel. Complex with a light smokiness.

Flavor: Medium+ strength, More fruity than smoky; in fact, it's quite lightly smoky in a manner than works well with the complex fruity and yeasty notes. More smoke appears in the aftertaste, along with a light bitterness, Caramel sweetness masks the bitterness until the finish. Changes more than usual with warming, including an increase in smokiness.

Feel: Medium body and carbonation. Very smooth.

OVERALL: well worth trying.

 

Murky amber color with beige head. Aroma has sweet malt, ripe fruits and a bit of caramel. Taste starts slightly sweet, a bit nutty with a slight smokiness in the background. Medium body and carbonation. Interesting beer overall, not very complex but it's quite tasty.