Smorter
Equinox Brewing Company

 

 

First had: on tap at Choice City Deli, Ft. Collins, CO
(The rating applies to the above session.)

Served in a stem glass; poured like a porter, dark brown-black with at least two fingers of creamy tan head that receded quite a bit after a minute or so. Very roasty aroma, light essence of s'mores: dark chocolate, marshmallow, and a bit of spice. Tasted okay, but the dark malt roastiness pretty much drowned everything else out, and it ended up resembling a regular porter. A bit on the light side, for about a medium body. Still pretty drinkable, but somewhat disappointing.

Note: I tried this again on tap at Equinox's pub, and the taste and mouthfeel improved notably, with more of the marshmallow and graham cracker spice apparent. Also, they poured it correctly, unlike at the terrible Choice City.

This poured a dark brown almost black with a creamy tan head that stuck around and left walls of foamy rings behind. The smell was of earthy hops, a touch of campfire, vanilla, marshmallow, and dark chocolate. They nailed it on the aroma. The taste was a little too roasted for the style, but loads of chocolate and vanilla. The marshmallow was lost, and it was a bit more hoppy than what I imagined with earthy/herbal tones and a touch of citrus. Rich and creamy texture was smooth. Overall an excellent beer.