Smoking Wood - Rye Barrel-Aged
The Bruery

Smoking Wood - Rye Barrel-AgedSmoking Wood - Rye Barrel-Aged
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From:
The Bruery
 
California, United States
Style:
Smoked Beer
ABV:
14%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.05 | pDev: 12.59%
Reviews:
178
Ratings:
902
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 30, 2023
Added:
Nov 20, 2011
Wants:
  93
Gots:
  266
Brewed with beachwood and cherrywood smoked malt, and aged in rye whiskey barrels, Smoking Wood is a delicious demonstration of what wood has to offer when it comes to beer. This imperial smoked porter is brewed with a hefty amount of rye malt, contributing to a full body and light spiciness. Toasty oak, caramel and vanilla flavors balance the smokiness, contributing to an intense yet refined flavor profile.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by ehammond1:
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Reviewed by ehammond1

4.15/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bottle (2011)

Thanks for opening this one, Nathan!

Nearly black in color with a moderately sized brown head that doesn't leave much stick to the glass. Pretty color.

The aroma is very smoke-forward, especially at colder temperatures. The smoke quality is almost pork-like. As the beer warms, more and more sweet aromas arrive, including molasses and some caramel.

The flavor follows a similar avenue, with the meat-like smoke character presenting initially at colder temperatures, and sweeter, earthier, vanilla and molasses notes coming further and further to the forefront as the beer warms. The

Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation. Appropriate and a joy to drink.

This was one of my all-time favorite smoked beers, as I'm usually not a fan. This one started somewhat plain and simple at cold temperatures, but warmed up and sweetened nicely. Nathan's wife paired this with homemade pork ribs, potatoes, and baked beans and it made for a truly wonderful pairing.
Jan 30, 2012
More User Ratings:
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Reviewed by rand from California

4.43/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
750 mL bottle into a snifter

2014 batch

I’ve been starting to work through my oldest cellared beers, and so far almost everything has held up. I remember having this on tap at the brewery years ago, and it was a bit sharp and boozy…no longer. Rich, creamy complexion nicely showcases the smoky, leathery profile, and all the various flavor aspects have settled into their supporting roles.

There is a good dose of cherry-like phenols in the nose, and a caramelly undertone on the palate that works to reign in some of the more astringent aspects. Smoke is there, but it’s subdued, like BBQ ribs under a sweet sauce. Medium, clean finish.
Sep 30, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by jschott75 from Illinois

Nov 11, 2019
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Reviewed by mothmanscott from Georgia

4.34/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
From notes 12/2/12: Pours a brown so dark it borders on black. What approaches an aggressive pour produces barely a finger of somewhat moderately lasting, finely bubbled, mocha head that leaves a thin, narrow wash, interspersed with motes and streaks, of lace. Aroma is smoky as the name implies with dark roasted caramel and chocolate malts, whiskey, oak/vanilla, candied walnuts, alcohol and a hint of orange peel. Taste is again, smoky with roasted and burnt notes of chocolate, caramel, molasses, some dark fruit, cherry and a walnut nuttiness. Whiskey and oak/vanilla are there from the barrel aging which may also be responsible for the cherry hint. Rye spice from mid-sip through the finish and into the aftertaste which in concert with the rye spiciness is whiskey, molasses, smoke and char. The entire sip from beginning through aftertaste is nicely smoky with an alcohol tone and warmth. Overall the character of this brew brings to mind high quality, well aged fruitcake (like Grandma used to make, no joke intended). Medium to full bodied with low-medium carbonation it has a very creamy-smooth texture yet peppery-spice mouthfeel. Alcohol is very prominent as is expected of a 13% ABV. It is neither cloying or distracting to the experience but additive. Good stuff!
Oct 23, 2019
 
Rated: 4.42 by stephenlee from England

Jan 16, 2019
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Reviewed by MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Poured from 750ml bottle into glass. Bottling date stamped on bottle is '12/13/13'. Bottle for ABV% is marked 13%,
Black colored body, with a sliver of garnet colored backlit highlight. Fizzy light tan head disappears very quickly, but bubble fed ring remains. No lacing.
Aroma of smoked oak wood, with a rye spiciness, and roasted malts.
Taste is rather sweet, with roasted malts, and smoky oak wood. Rye spiciness is abundant, and there are caramel and vanilla components. No bitterness. Has a great balance of oak, rye, and malt.
Medium plus mouth feel. Okay carbonation. Very smooth in presentation.
A BIG beer, with a high ABV%, but does not express as boozy, but rather has a heavy balance. Presents as a sipper, which can be appreciated over a measured drinking session.
Dec 19, 2018
Photo of DaveMaciolek21
Reviewed by DaveMaciolek21 from New Jersey

4.12/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Rye malt and long aging process in rye whiskey barrels coupled with smoked malt in this excellent imperial porter, is beautifully balanced--neither flavor is overdone. The aging has also smoothed the very high alcoholic content.Like smoked silk.
Dec 17, 2018
 
Rated: 3.72 by Jason_cs from Florida

Dec 12, 2018
Photo of Fordcoyote15
Reviewed by Fordcoyote15 from Pennsylvania

4.42/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
No bottle date on this. It says that it will age up to 3 years gracefully. Somehow, here in 2018 I feel like I'm well beyond that mark simply given that this beer was added to the beer advocate database in 2011. I'm a huge fan of regular smoking wood and all smoked beers in general so I'm pretty excited to try this.

L - Teku pour. Look is coca cola thin black. Beautiful khaki head that while disspated rapidly towards the center of the glass, remains in an outter ring in frothy fashion for what seems like eternity. Lacing is like swirling moonshine. It's entirely clear and forms next to no droops or hangs.

S - Smell is much more scotch than I expected, and much less rye. I'm honestly having a hard time differentiating this from regular smoking wood. Peaty, musty, classic Bruery sugars. It's very, very, very woodsy smelling. Whaffs of it take me to being miles deep in the woods in a densly wooded area where the ground is saturated giving off smells of desolate isolation.

T - Wow is that smokey! I'm not getting the peaty scotch whiskey I did on the nose or that I do on regular smoking wood. It exuberates the barrel in huge fashion. I taste so much oak. It reminds of an oak barrel that was set overtop of smoker. There's no missing the rye in this beer. It's there more than any other rye barrel aged beer that comes to mind. It's spicy, tanic, slightly fruity, and overall a bit violent to the palate. The alcohol is not hidden. *Beers really don't "mellow" much people, that alcohol doesn't leave the bottle*. It's not nearly as sweet as most Bruery offerings. Overall, this is a FANTASTIC winter sipper.


M - Still very, very highly carbonated. Finishes extremely dry. It sticks to all parts of the mouth long after it's gone. It's taste is still potent in the mouth for minutes on minutes after each sip.


O - I'm a fan. I'd drink this again gladly and have no regrets that I traded for it. Which if you read some of my other reviews, I've recently lamented many of my trading escapades for more "whale"-ish beers only to be let down, massively let down. However, at the Bruery's supposed cost of $30 this beer is worth it $4$. I wouldn't necessarily trade much more than that for it, but to be honest, there isn't really any other beer that I would today either.
Nov 28, 2018
 
Rated: 2.68 by BrueryDC from California

Aug 28, 2018
 
Rated: 4.76 by evanwoertz from California

Jul 22, 2018
 
Rated: 4.06 by RayCannata from Louisiana

Jun 20, 2018
 
Rated: 4.1 by mattboyer182 from Indiana

Jan 21, 2018
 
Rated: 4.36 by addicted2thebarrel from California

Dec 06, 2017
Photo of Lone_Freighter
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured into a snifter (due to that imperial styled worthiness), the appearance was a nice looking dark rugged brown color almost black with a low riding film of a little white foamy head that slid off at a moderate pace. Slim messy lace.
The aroma had some sweet to smoky malts up front with a semi-sweet dried driftwood to rye floral sweet and spicy qualities. Light grassy to earthy smoothness underneath.
The flavor was smoky sweet with an amplified blend of the wood to rye and earthiness. Light aftertaste of it all blended nicely.
The mouthfeel was about medium bodied with a wonderful smooth sipping quality about it. ABV could be felt but wasn't distracting. Carbonation felt pretty good.
Overall, an absolutely wonderful smoked beer well worthy of having again if I could get another.
Jun 17, 2017
Photo of SmokeBeerMinistry
Reviewed by SmokeBeerMinistry from Texas

3.22/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 5 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This beer is outrageous! Beyond full bodied. The color is the first sign, but did very little to prepare me for what was in store. So outrageous that The Ministry had to add the categories Whisky Barrel Power and Viscosity to the spreadsheet below. As it poured out a short George Hamilton head rose above the surface. This beer is boozy. So boozy that it burns the nose a little. It has notes of an antique pesticide recently pulled out of a garage, which could only be illegal today. It’s definitely a snifter beer, but I bought a 750mL bottle which I won’t have to share with my wife (she won’t go near it), so it sounds like a party for me tonight. This is almost medicinal in a cough syrup aged in a whisky barrel way. Notes of a leather store, peat, telephone poles, train tracks, and rich pure chocolate syrup. This robust beer is like getting punched in the mouth with flavinoids. Happiness = 6 out of 7 units of happiness. I feel like I got in a fight and won 6 free drinks! For more details check out https://smokebeerministry.wordpress.com/2014/10/26/the-bruery-smoking-wood-smoked-imperial-rye-porter-aged-in-rye-whiskey-barrels/ look into other smoked beers, buy the tshirt, whatever you want. DrinkSmoke
BTW, I rated this beer a 4.25 out of 5 in the overall category, but for some reason BA has changed it to 3.22... It's a 4.25!!!
May 24, 2017
 
Rated: 4.32 by Lucnifter from California

Apr 24, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by Sweffin from Wisconsin

Feb 19, 2017
 
Rated: 4.45 by dental from Massachusetts

Jan 16, 2017
 
Rated: 3.59 by tommy5 from Michigan

Jan 14, 2017
Smoking Wood - Rye Barrel-Aged from The Bruery
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 902 ratings