Smoke Signal
Swamp Head Brewery

Smoke SignalSmoke Signal
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From:
Swamp Head Brewery
 
Florida, United States
Style:
Smoked Porter
ABV:
6.8%
Score:
88
Avg:
3.91 | pDev: 11.76%
Reviews:
15
Ratings:
81
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 17, 2018
Added:
Dec 21, 2010
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  4
Smoke Signal is an American style Robust Porter, using a generous amount of pale ale malt smoked with Alderwood, the smoke source used in the Pacific Northwest for salmon. We smoke 150 pounds of pale malt for each 10 barrel batch of Smoke Signal.

Alderwood imparts a slightly sweet smoke flavor that balances well with the residual sweetness of the beer imparted through the use of dark crystal malts; chocolate and roasted barleys combine with American hops to deliver a flavorful robust porter with just the right amount of smoked flavor.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by ali1987:
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Reviewed by ali1987 from Florida

4.33/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Served on draft at Kickbacks in Jacksonville.

A: dark with little head

S: bold hop presence. some citrus, and smoke of course.

T: best smoked beer I have had thus far, nicely smoked porter... Taste like bacon and smoked barbecue pork....

M: medium to full bodied...minimal carbonation.

O: great smoked beer! I would definitely have this again! :)
Nov 03, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.84 by IckyT2012 from Florida

Apr 17, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by user785335 from Florida

Aug 04, 2017
Photo of JayQue
Reviewed by JayQue from Virginia

4.19/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Not quite as memorable as Alaskan Smoked Porter, but still very impressive. Pours a dark brown color with some faint ruby highlights showing through. Big frothy tan head with excellent retention and thin bands of lacing on the glass. Aroma is typical porter, roasted malt, coffee and a bit of chocolate. The smoky aspect is here as well but not as pronounced as in the taste. The taste lends itself to comparison with Alaskan Smoked Porter ( my gold standard for this style). Rich malt coffee and a little chocolate and a strong smoky presence that blends in rather than seeming artificial. There is a small hops presence in the finish. Mouthfeel is rich and fairly smooth. The smoke presence is outstanding. This is a great beer.
May 17, 2017
 
Rated: 4.5 by nathanmiller from New York

May 28, 2016
 
Rated: 4.23 by Magery from Kentucky

Feb 09, 2016
Photo of BeerAdvocate
Reviewed by BeerAdvocate from Finland

4.06/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From BeerAdvocate Magazine #85 (Feb 2014):

Balanced, Roasty, Ashy

Very excited to run into this beer in hopes of smoky greatness. All of the traits of a Robust Porter hit the taste buds, with suggestions of charcoal, espresso and ash. Smokiness rides firm from start to finish, with a kiss of hoppiness in back. A bit of rawness keeps thing super real and drives us to take another sip.

STYLE: American Porter | ABV: 6.9% | AVAILABILITY: Year-round
Jun 26, 2015
 
Rated: 4.07 by mullenite from Florida

Mar 18, 2015
Photo of mothmanscott
Reviewed by mothmanscott from Georgia

4.17/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a very deep brown so dark that it appears black producing barely a finger of frothy, mocha, shortlived head that produces minimal lacing. Aroma is dark malty deep roast & smokey char with hints of chocolate, vanilla, vinous dark fruits & a phenolic undertone. Taste is smoke, char & chocolate malt with a phenolic & vinous hint that is more interesting than distracting. Only the most minor hop notes in the finish. Lingering burnt chocolate, smokey, faintly bitter aftertaste. Moderate to mildly heavy bodied with low carbonation, smooth, creamy & a little chewy.
Mar 08, 2015
Photo of maximum12
Reviewed by maximum12 from Minnesota

3.19/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Thanks to moose3285 for this bottle, one that I’ve been sitting on for a while per his advice. 750ML bottle with Swamp Head’s typically cool label art, split with my wife.

The pour is dark with a little red along the edges. Carbonation has gone the way of Percy Harvin in a big game: vanishimo. I could count the individual bubbles if I cared to. The nose is just gorgeous for a smoked beer with light Renaissance Festival campfire circa 1989, lingering sweetness, & chocolate. Very nice.

Smoke Signal gets the balance right, not an easy task for a smoked beer (or maybe it’s because the bottle has been sitting for months in a dark room, thinking about not being too smoky). Taste is a xerox (as we old people used to call photocopies) of the nose. Nicely restrained smoke malts, scampering sugary sweetness, sweet chocolate. Finish drops in the polls as the smoke turns a touch ashy, & there’s a weird green woodiness that might be the final whisper of hops. Body is full but too flat, & the beer suffers from the lack of carbonation. I’d have guessed this to be a higher ABV than listed. That makes it tough to power through even half of a bomber.

This brew avoids the problem with most smoke beers, namely, that it doesn’t murder you with smoke inhalation. That part of the equation is solved for nicely, but the odd aftertaste & overly heavy mouthfeel set it back. A wildly inconsistent brewery that puts out gems & dud in almost equal measure, but this is neither. Decent enough.
Feb 06, 2015
 
Rated: 3.9 by Agentveba from North Carolina

Jan 12, 2015
 
Rated: 3.4 by Bloodbuzz99 from Georgia

Jan 01, 2015
Photo of brewdlyhooked13
Reviewed by brewdlyhooked13 from Ohio

3.59/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Appearance - very dark, just a hint of light getting through this mahogany and Ruby tinged brew. A light mocha head is thin but with good lace all around.

Aroma - all roast malt, wrapped in a layer of tangy smoke.

Taste - brief mouthful of sweet malt, followed by some fairly heavy smoke. Pushy at first, but after a few sips I start to pick up some bittersweet chocolate. A nice abv warmth on the aftertaste. An ashy, fire-smoke finish.

Mouthful - full and mouth filling. Solid body, good and weighty.

Overall - great name for a beer of this style. Smoky, slightly sweet, great pitcher beer.
Dec 29, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by whitenads from Michigan

Nov 24, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by mpalestino from Pennsylvania

Nov 22, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by HaveUSeenMyCellar from California

Oct 28, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by TonyJ815 from Florida

Oct 26, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by indy351 from Indiana

Oct 07, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by deereless from Colorado

Oct 05, 2014
 
Rated: 3.88 by Viperman1316 from Indiana

Oct 04, 2014
Smoke Signal from Swamp Head Brewery
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 81 ratings