Trösten
von Trapp Brewing

a: dark dark murky brown, almost some black. a hint of very dark ruby red. lovely 3 finger rocky dark tan head

s: smoked oak and caramel upfront. bacon, smoked ham, and nice roasted malts. a hint of toffee and pepper spice. a little bit of a nutty note at the end

t: smooth roasted malts and caramel upfront. a hint of charred wood and campfire smoke. light smoked bacon, and a bitterness from the roasted malts with light grass to close it out

m: medium mouthfeel with medium-high carbonation

o: pretty nice Lager. nice mix of sweetness to smoke, however i think the smoke could be a bit stronger in here. it's a decent style example, but not quite on par with the top rated, for me

10 oz pour at Frisco Taphouse in Crofton, MD. Appearance is medium brown with a moderate head. Aroma and flavor feature light smoked beechwood, hints of cocoa and coffee, and light roasty malts with some earthy/woodsy hops. Smooth, moderately-carbonated mouthfeel. Overall a restrained smoke presence makes this very drinkable.

Without a doubt the best von Trapp beer of all. Deep dark color, not too strong smoke aroma and very drinkable. Had it as part of a flight at von Trapps VT

 

 

 

 

 

Vom Fass
ABV: 6 %
Glassware: 0.5 L Weizen Vase (tis what was available)


Look:
Clear dark chestnut brown that appears just about black. Ruby/Mahogany hilights can be seen when held to a light. Th e khaki head was 1 finger high (ie, the remaining space in the glass), dense and creamy and stayed around for a while.

Aroma:
A nice but not overpowering or in your face beechwood smoke aroma. Mild notes of smoked bacon and other meats. Roasted malts and toasted dark bread. Some molasses. Note of licorice and star anise. Hints of coffee.

Taste:
All of the aromas are present here. The roasted malts take center stage as does a sweetish note of molasses and some dark fruits and a perhaps a hint of toasted caramel. Finishes on the dry side with a slight astringency and bitterness.

Feel:
Crisp but easy to drink. The body is a bit heavier than medium-light.

Overall:
A very nice take on a Rauchbier. Very drinkable. The smoky notes, including smoked meats, complement the malts nicely. The body could be a bit heavier but it is a tasty brew nonetheless.

Smokey & Bacon sum it up. I actually enjoyed this one event though I detest smokey beers. Nice and hearty was good for one, novelty may fall off after another, give this one a try.

 

Pours a deep dark brown color with copper edges and a finger of beige head. The nose is both smokey and meaty. The flavor profile abounds with roasted maltiness and finishes with a slight sweet note. The body is plenty hearty for the style and carries the smoke well.

This more a malt showcase than a smoke out to my palate, and it's wonderful. Toasted, nutty multi-grain bread with hints of coffee and chocolate accented perfectly by mellow pipe tobacco. This is marvelous.

 

BB: 2/26/23

L: The beer pours an amber-brown color with good clarity. The pour gives two and a half fingers of fine, khaki head with excellent retention. As the beer recedes in the glass it leaves a beautiful mass of lacing.

S: The malt bill presents prominent notes of roasted malts, a rich bready malt character, notes of smoked beechwood, and very light notes of smoked meats (although this aspect dissipates almost completely as the beer opens up). I am also getting notes of chocolate, a light nutty quality, herbal notes, and light notes of dark fruit.

T: This one follows the nose pretty closely. On the palate I am getting light notes of smoked malt, notes of roasted malt, a rich breadiness, a very nice herbal character tinged with earth, notes of bittersweet chocolate, a very light nutty quality, and hints o dark fruit and a very light noble hop spiciness on the backend. The rich malty sweetness doesn't overwhelm and is cut nicely by the bitter hop character and roasted malt leading to a nice bittersweet backend and finish.

F: A medium body with medium plus carbonation. The mouthfeel is smooth, almost creamy, with a nice dry finish.

O: Von Trapp can do no wrong. I love every beer these guys make and this is no exception. The nose shines here bursting with rich malty goodness and added complexity from the smoked aspects and hop bill. The mouthfeel is also top notch. This is an amazing Rauchbier that while not at the level of Schlenkerla is one of the better American attempts I have sampled. Highly recommended!

A spectacular Rauchbier.

Pours dark brown, ruby tints at the edges, solid ring of foamy tan head, good thick lacing. Nose is old leather, liquid smoke, beef jerky, caramel, smoke salt. Taste has a deeper, more roasted character than expected from the nose. Roasted malt, smoked salt, smoked meat, leather and tannins. Mouthfeel is a little slick and moderately full, small carbonation. Overall, another solid lager by these folks.

 

Appearance: Solid black body, large tan head, very good lacing.
Aroma: Nutty, toasted malts, subtle smoke, coffee.
Taste: Earthy; smoke is more intense but not overpowering. Nut-like flavors are also more focused. Just a bit of chocolate.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, moderately carbonated mouthfeel. Bittersweet aftertaste.
Overall: Appreciate the balance between the smoke and the other malt driven attributes. Best by date of 3/22/22.

Best by 3/22/22

We all know that von Trapp makes some good ass lagers, but I’m very interested to see how their Rauchbier game is. It’s a delicate thing that I can see going wrong, but I trust this will be pretty good. I picked up this along with their Maple Rauch but wanted to try this one first. Let’s get into it

Pours a very dark brown with 2 fingers of of light tan head that fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing

Upon first whiff, you can tell this is a substantial beer. I’m picking up on aromas of rich toffee, beechwood smoke, milk chocolate, earthy hops, dark toast, roasted hazelnut, and light plum

Oh yeah, this is intensely smoky in taste, and quite good. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting smoked oak, cocoa powder, brown bread, light caramel, and floral hops. The swallow brings notes of beechwood smoke, bitter earthy hops, dark toast, sticky toffee, medium roast coffee, and light nutty malt

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in an smoky and chewy beer. Finishes mostly dry from the smoke

This is very close to the border of too smoky and astringent for me, but I think it’s a win overall. It drinks easy despite that and makes for a unique beer

 

The beer pours a very nice tan creamy head that takes a while to dissipate. The beer itself is a respectable dark mahogany brown that looks very nice. I looks pretty good.

The smell is very good. It has that clean lager smell alongside a smoky and nut note.

The taste is roughly the same as the smell. It has a good mix of the smoke and nutty malt note with a slight chocolate bitterness and bread note in the finish.

The feel is very good. It has a smooth and crisp body with a slight bit of heft to it. The carbonation is very little but tingling.

Overall, a very good beer worth getting and enjoying on cold days without dipping into the heavy stouts.

12 oz can poured into a tulip

A- Black with a two finger tan head.

S- Smoky malts, bitter chocolate, a little nutty, earthy.

T- Smoky malt (but not overly smoky), dark chocolate, some pale malts, a little nuttyZ

M- Smooth, crisp, light to medium body.

O- A wonderful and well balanced smoky lager, easy to drink

 

12oz can, tulip, best by 3/22/22.

Oh it’s quite dark and piles up quite a nice thick head. It’s such a dark, oily, porter-like color that it’s barely even got any highlights.

It’s got a solid oily smoke. Slightly sweet, a little briney, like smoked nuts.

Cola sweetness, slight char, silky smoke. It ends with a smooth bitterness and restrained cola note.

It’s light bodied with light to medium carbonation with a slight bite.

This is a very good and very refined Rauchbier.

On draught at Dive106, NYC. Pours a dark chestnut brown color. A large frothy head retains well and leaves lots of lacing.
As expected, the nose reveals notes of smoked malt, yet more restrained than other examples. Aromas of dark toasted bread, biscuit, dark chocolate and woodsy notes.
The taste highlights clean but sweet biscuity and toasted malts accompanied by a touch of smoke. Notes of chocolate, dark fruit, a touch of roast and subtle flavors of earthy, woodsy and floral spices.
Medium bodied with a smooth mouthfeel. The finish is dry and crisp. The carbonation is moderate.
Another fine lager from this wonderful brewery and a fine example of Rauchbier. I would have again.

 

 

 

 

16oz can purchased from the fridge as a single for $2.99. Canned on 3/16/21, so this is 4 1/2 months old.

Look: Dark chestnut brown color with amber/red highlights. Frothy light brown colored head on the pour that has receded to a very thin fine-bubbled layer.

Smell: This smells like a dark lager with just a touch of smoke. Smells very nutty and a bit chocolatey, also subtle coffee and raisin notes. Interesting.

Taste: This is very tasty. It's smooth and full-bodied. Smoke flavor is detectable and balances the malty flavors very nicely.

Feel: It's super smooth and velvety.

Overall: If I hadn't known what this is, I'm not sure if I would guess that it's a smoked lager. I think that I may have said that it is a dunkel lager or perhaps a dopplebock. It's very enjoyable, I just wish that it had a bit more smoke on the palate. As it warmed up, I was able to pick up more smoke on the palate. In general, we need more beers like this coming out of American breweries.

 

 

A thanks goes out to the incredible woodychandler for this beer. Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a very dark brown color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of charred wood, light meats. Taste has plenty of meats, smokey, a touch of hops. Feels medium/full bodied in the mouth and overall is a pretty good beer.

 

16oz can poured into a pint

A- pours a clear copper color with a one-finger foamy khaki head that has great retention long after the pour

S- an inviting amount of smoked malt up front, gives aromas of campfire, smoked pork and an earthy woody note. Undertones of caramel, toffee, bread crust, nutty brown malts and chocolate close it out

T- sweet and nutty brown malts up front gives notes of caramel, toffee, brown breads and fruitcake. Mid-palate brings out undertones of smoked malt, that adds just enough smoke, reminiscent of campfire and wood smoked pork. The finish gives a hint of chocolate, with more nutty malt and smoke on the linger

M- medium body with moderate carbonation leads to a creamy mouthfeel that continues into the finish, high drinkability

O- a fantastic rauchbier that goes down way too easy

smoky rauchbier great german style not many in the Amereican craft beer have made one of these - slightly strong great with smoked sausage

single 16oz can, thanks to IMN0P.
Quite dark, ruby brown color with a massive khaki head that has good retention.
Nice smoke aroma.
Taste is nicely balanced, the smoke is very much forward but not overpowering.
I like this one a lot, probably one of the best smoked lagers I had so far.

 

My first von Trapp, courtesy of the esteemed TongoRad
A beauty to behold: a deep burnt brown hue capped by a bountiful, fluffy off white head that slowly recedes to a nice film. Scattered curtains of lacing.
Notes of roasted nuts, chocolate, and brown bread abound. And a most nuanced smokiness gently plays along with all of this.
Sweet and substantial malt notes begin. Chocolate and deep brown bread. Reminds me of the squaw (I know we need to retire that term) bread that I used to get as a kid when we would travel US 395 and hit Schat's bakery on our way up into the Sierras. A nutty roastiness and gentle char leaves room for a distinct, yet smooth smokiness. And then there's a spice note that nods toward pepper, but then steps back. It really is a nuanced gem, a lot going on here. And it's ALL good.
It's crisp, but smooth. Creamy but actively carbonated. Somewhat sweet and smokey, but a dry finish. I"m all over on this one. But fantastic.
One of the smoothest rauchbiers I have ever tasted. This would be a great entry level for some who might be scared off by some of the more strongly smoked rauchs out there.