Rauch Marzen
Port City Brewing

Pours a dark amber color with a nice head and lacing
Aroma has smoke and roast caramel malt hints
Taste has a smoke roast caramel malt flavor
A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
A good Rauch Marzen

 

 

Quite the exceptional Rauchbier. Sweet and smoky. Full bodied for a light ABV lager. On par with the best from Germany. Highly recommend if you light smoked Rauchbier style.

 

 

Crowler:
A medium brown body that seems clear after accounting for some chill haze.The head on the Rauch beer looks a little beige and falls in craters at a moderate pace from an aggressive pour.

The smoke plays the biggest role int he nose for this beer. It isn't an overpowering note and can come across as a more heavily burnt toast than pure fireplace smoke.

Like the nose, the smoke is not the only thing that can be distinguished but is involved the whole taste. There is a hint of sweetness in the opening, but it is dampened by the smoke. A more earthy set of flavors overall, the beer goes from darker toast to lightly smoked beef jerky to a long since put out campfire. There is a lighter thread of some sort of light fruit acidity that helps cut through the smoke and earth tones.

Has a nice amount of smoke that does drive the beer as a whole without running it over. I really liked drinking this beer.

Pours amber brown, I had this in a pint glass at Courthaus Social so not much in the form of head or the head had dissipated by the time I was served. Some smoked meat aroma. Lots of bacon, brisket, smoked meat flavors. There's enough malt backbone to hold the smoke and have it feel not overwhelming. It's pretty balanced and has plenty of depth, though perhaps not as much from Schlenkerla. This is a very nice beer from a local brewery.

 

The beer pours a very nice looking head that is creamy texture looking with a slight tannin color. The beer itself is absolutely beautiful to look at. It is a powerful clear Amber brown color that is a great sight to behold.

The smell is decent. It has a good moderate note upfront but covers most of the Maren note. The floral hop notes come out a bit as does a hint of caramel sweetness but largely gets buried.

The taste is great. The smoke is light but present as it blends into the caramel malt notes and the floral hop notes underneath them all in perfect harmony.

The feel is good. It has a medium body but on the heavier side. Biting carbonation makes it feel lighter and more drinkable.

A very good beer and great Maren. The smoke adds a definite something and vastly improved the base beer.