Gracias Por Fumar
La Cumbre Brewing Co.

 

 

not retired, they must have made this again, now listed at 7% abv at the bar i am having it, and served on nitro! i love a good smoked beer, especially this time of year, and i think the nitro pour is a really neat touch in a style like this, you just dont see it very often. deep brown color with the almost pure white nitro head on it, not as intense a cascade as some, but attractive in the glass nevertheless. aroma is heavy campfire smoke to me, probably that cherry wood smoked barley, although im not sure what they use. notes of slow burning pipe tobacco, cocoa, and dry firewood, its wintery and sturdy, without much sugar left from the darker malts even though there is a sort of caramelized note about it. the flavor is really smoke driven, so much so that there is a light astringency in here, but the creaminess from the nitro setup sort of covers most of that up. cigar, raisin, charred wood, leather, baking chocolate, brown bread, maybe some rye, a strong earthy musk with the smoke, and a creamy fast finish for what it is. cool beer, seems built for a barrel, i like a brewery not afraid to make a smoked beer, even though everyone knows they dont sell well. this was a real enjoyable glass of beer.

Not sure why this is considered "retired" since I JUST had it on Nitro last night (11.20.18). But:
L - Glorious, foamy, micobeaded head reflective of its Nitro treatment. Keeps that lace/head for a good 15 minutes too.
S - Nice, more of a porter roasty-smoke, than just smoked, but still.
T - Leans heavy porter, in a smooth, woodsy way. Wish the smoke was a tad more prominent, but interesting... like a super smooth Rauchbier with a darker tint.
F - Good again, the Nitro makes it less lovely, but just as velvety as anything you'd expect on N.
O - A really well made beer, wish they made more of it, and canned it, but maybe without the nitro. I miss the carbonation on this. Had it 5 years ago... stood out. MAKE MORE, CUMBRE!

 

650ml bottle, served in a willi becher glass.

Pours a dark black body, opaque with a one finger mocha head, good retention, not a ton of lacing. Smell is charred wood, smoke, milk chocolate, cocoa, oak. The smoke on this is pretty intense, campfire-style. Flavour follows, campfire smoke, freshly charred oak, spent charcoal, but there is a nice milk chocolate and cocoa presence that helps mitigate the intensity of the smoke. Earthy finish, moderately bitter and not too smoky there. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, substantial for 5.8%, mild smokiness on the finish. A very solid smoked beer, a bit more than I'd like but still enjoyable nevertheless.

 

 

 

 

 

Big thanks to GHB for the surprise!

Pours nice and black, with a tanned finger of head, which was frothy and creamy. Nice roasty aroma, with a light smokiness, and sweet milk chocolate. Wow, the taste is crazy good! The smoke is more in your face, but it melds effortlessly with the other tastes going on: roasted malts, char, bittersweet chocolate, and some piny hop bitterness. Full bodied, rich and smooth, very nice for the ABV. La Cumbre masters the hops, but this endeavor into smoked beers is just as well crafted.

A-dark brown black color with a nice tan head and good lacing

S- dark roasted malt, peat smoke, brown sugar, earthy

T-dark roasted malt, chocolate, little coffee, brown sugar, nice smokiness and mild bitter finish

F-medium body with moderate carbonation, smooth and creamy

O- a delicious smoked porter, one of my favorites of the type