Copper Top Rauch
Lafayette Brewing Co.

Brought home a growler of this after stopping by the Lafayette Brewing Company for lunch. I sampled this in a 5oz glass while there and later from the growler. Cnsumed just a few hours later, so it is pretty fresh. They do a good job of filling the growling to the top and then wrapping the cap with plastic wrap to keep out air.

Appearance: Very slight head on the top, mroe just little islands of off white foam. Beer is a medium orange/brown color and slightly hazy.

Smell: This is my first rauchbier and I am amazed at the style. This one smells like your clothes after sitting next to a campfire, and I don't mean that in a bad way. Green and smoky.

Taste: Just a hint of sweetness up front. An underlying taste of something mulled, almost like mulled cider. The finish is pure smoke, reminds me of BBQ that has been smoked all night. Different, but delicious.

Mouthfeel: Very low level of carbonation. Maybe a little to get used to for those people used to fizzy BMC beers, but similar to what I have sampled in England. Nice body.

Drinkability: The smoke favor is very different than anything I have ever had in a beer, even in a drink. I would love to try it with some smoked meats or cheeses. Might be too much to drink a lot.

First time reviewing this beer. I was initially exposed to this last March/April, around the same time that the Smokehouse Porter was still on-tap. I must say that jumping straight into this one is a shock to the taste buds. Massive smokey aroma and smokey flavor absolutely dominate this beer. It finishes with a slightly sweet maltiness that saves the beer from being one dimensional. I believe that this beer would do miracles as a marinade and it's definetly a nice sipping beer, but drinkability does suffer a little. Maybe I'll grow a little more into the style, but as of now, this is a once a week beer for me.