Lips Of Faith - Grätzer
New Belgium Brewing Company

 

 

 

What an interesting beer. This is basically a smoked berlinerweisse as I understand it.

Comes in an almost grey like dull brown color. 3/4" also brown head. Aroma was smoked lemons.

Taste, interesting for sure, this works though. Little lacto bite, decent carbonation, tart, sour, mild smoke. I wouldn't necessarily call it complex, but it is definitely unique. I think this is decent stuff, especially on a hot smoky night around a campfire or swimming pool. That's where I drank it. Would bang again if in 12oz format 4/6 packs for ~$10. I dunno about the bomber format pricing structure.

Draft at PreFunk - Boise. Dark and woody, smokiness doesn't kick in until the taste. Light beige head and some slick lacing. Bitter and dry finish. Nice rauch accents on this.

 

 

 

 

 

Very smokey flavor

 

Found this at a local grocery store and didn't realize it was labeled "best enjoyed by May 2015." So in all fairness, this may not taste as intended. Despite that, it was pretty good. Beautiful to look at, but I didn't get a strong whiff of anything on smelling it. I picked up a smoke and chocolate taste that was pretty decent. If they were brewing fresh, I'd try it again.

22oz best by May so it's out of date. Poured into sniffer. Pitch black with light brown thick one inch head. Nose is chocolate, coffee, and slight smoke. Taste is same. Light in finish. Good beer Cheers!

 

 

Reviewed on 10/29/14
A: Moderate pour yields 3/4 finger brown head with great retention. Very dark brown liquid.
S: Like clothing the day after a campfire, slight tart lactic acid edge, slight chocolate
T: Smoky opening subsides to a full nutty brown ale flavor with lactic acid undertones.
M: Simultaneous full roasty mouth and bright light feeling. Some creaminess in the mouthfel as well. Has a finish like sour porters. Unfortunately, this beer has the (unidentified to date) unpleasant red/amber ale off-flavor that I don't enjoy - starchy/metallic.
O: Fun beer to drink due to its blend of flavor profiles.

 

"It's not dead, but Gratzer is definetly a long-buried style from Poland. Together with 3Floyds we unearthed its robust smokiness with oak smoked wheat and midnight wheat. Polish lublin hops for a bitter bite and lacto for a slightly sour finish, this pours out a billowing, foamy mouth worth indulging." Brewed in the style of a Gratzer Smoked Ale, available in 22 oz. bottles and on limited draft. Collaboration between New Belgium and 3Floyds.

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle to a tulip glass.

(Appearance) Pours a frothy foam head of a toasted mocha brown color over a very dark brown body with dark maple highlights. Retention is very good and lacing is light and stringy. 4

(Smell) Slightly smokey with a creeping tartness. Malt aromas of caramel bread, peat smoked grains, chocolate and light syrup malts, with undertones of stone fruit, lightly tangy and mildly sour. Potency is moderate. 3.75

(Taste) Lightly sweetened smokey and soft bread malt blend with a lightly soured undertone. Thin and light body overall with a reserved sweetness, plenty of specialty malt character, smoke and a lightly tart flavor. Enjoyable and highly drinkable. 3.5

(Mouthfeel) Texture is silky, smooth, clean, lightly tangy, mildly dry. Carbonation is light, generating a mild frothiness and a mildly crisp finish. Body is light/medium for the style, shy of medium overall. Balance is slightly more smokey and tart combined over sweet with a certain lightness to the body. Alcohol presence is very light and there are no off characters. 3.75

(Overall) With an increase in the popularity of the smoked ales and soured ales, a beer like a Gratzer seems like it could inevitably go mainstream in the craft beer market, if the costs to produce are reasonable. Despite a fairly shallow body and a reserved sweetness, the drinkability of this ale is quite high and interesting from beginning to end. Unless the drinker finds the lightness of this beer disappointing, I feel that this is a fairly good ale and one worth seeking out. 3.75

New Belgium Brewing's
Gratzer Ale (With 3Floyds Brewing)
3.67/5.00

 

 

 

Very dark, opaque brown, almost black with a creamy tan head that subsides to just a persistent thin layer but does produce a bit of lacing,

The aroma is mild roasted malt, pumpernickel bread, a hint of smoke.

The taste is smoke, lightly burnt toast, hints of plums and apple and bacon bits with an overall light sourness. The hops were barely noticeable with all the other flavors going on.

Light/medium bodied, easily drinkable.

Overall something a bit different and enjoyable, smokieness is much lighter than something like a rauchbier, decently balanced and interesting.

 

 

Slightly sour with a nice smoky, roasty profile. Pretty delicious. A little thin in body but still a great offering.

 

750ml bottle. May 2015 code date. Appearance: Black as night, opaque, with a khaki foam cap. Aroma: Combination of dark roasted and smoked malt, bacon like and woody. Only the faintest hint of lactic acid. Taste: Lactic acid tartness up front, which turns to light roasted malt and coffee, and finishes with a light smokiness. Mouthfeel: Light in body, with a low carbonation Finish: Lactic acid fades quickly leaving smoked, roasted malt flavors lingering on the tongue. Overall: Dark for a Gratzer, which lends to roasted malt flavors I haven’t experienced in other styles. Lacto is mild, but the roasted malt nicely accentuates the smoke flavors.

 

 

Had this on tap at Pig & Fiddle and Muddy Waters as well as from a fresh bomber bottle. L: Pours brilliant deep brown under a persistent very finely bubbled dense 3” tan tinted head S: hints of funk, fruit, chocolate, vanilla and smoke T: The flavors follow the aromas with the addition of a layer of sour and salt with sharp, dry and malty finish and touch of tart and a smokey aftertaste. F: Very creamy, with a medium body and carbonation. O: A unique and interesting beer.

Cant go lower than 4.25, this was awesome

It tastes like a campfire

22 oz bottle, poured into a pint glass

Appearance: Pours a beautiful, completely opaque, pitch-black color with two and a half fingers of oatmeal-colored head that dissolved away into a thin lacing of foam that completely covered the top of the beer.

Aroma: Very aromatic with lots of bready, earthy, smoky, toasted malt and wheat aromas, imparting notes of freshly toasted dark bread, freshly roasted coffee beans, licorice, brown sugar, vinegar, lactose and oddly enough, bacon.

Taste: Very interesting. There is a lot of the aforementioned roasted malt and roasted wheat flavors, bready and cereal-like, followed by some meaty, barbeque-like smoke, hits of brown sugar-like sweetness and vinegar-like sourness. Complex and original.

Mouthfeel: Slightly chewy and very smooth as there is very little in the way of carbonation. With an ABV of 4.5%, there is no alcohol on the palate.

Overall: This is a very interesting beer. Malty, bready, smoky, vinegary and sour. I’m not sure I like it, but it sure is interesting. It’s sort of a hybrid between a Doppelbock and a rauchbier. Very interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

very dark and opaque in appearance - almost black - with a tan thick head.
I wasn't able to pull out much aroma at all.
Smokey and malty taste, reminding me of being around a bonfire.
Overall it was okay, not one I'd probably put on my list to buy again.