Smoke & Dagger | Jack's Abby Brewing
Brewed by:
Jack's Abby Brewing
Massachusetts, United States
jacksabbybrewing.com
Style: German Rauchbier
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 5.80%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
Cloaked in mystery, this dark black beer skirts the line between a schwarzbier and smoked porter. The use of a small percentage of traditional Beechwood smoked malt adds complexity and balances the liberal use of chocolate malt. Notes of roasted grains, beechwood smoke,and coffee accompany a full bodied-and sweet chocolately malt character. Smoke & Dagger uses locally grown unmalted barley from MA.
25 IBU
Added by mduncan on 07-29-2011
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 1,079 | Reviews: 192
3.98/5 rDev +1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Canned 12/27/17. Received from connecticutpoet. Poured into New Belgium snifter.
Dark black pour as expected with a nice firm finger of beige head. Hilly lace skirts the glass.
Lovely smokey aromas - meat locker, campfire, slight plum and apple. Yum.
Comes across a little thin on the flavor, although that could be due to the age. I get definite puffs of smoke, with hints of roast beef, apple, and plum. slight chewing tobacco, prune, slight metallic, faint herbal. Teetering between a 3.75 and 4 on this.
Feel is nice and creamy yet lends a smokey feel with a good carbonation, Nice dryness on the finish. Lingering dryness and parch.
Overall an enjoyable smoked beer with nice hints of apple, pear, and plum. Recommended if you're not sensitive to smoked beers (most are).
786 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Canned 12/27/17. Received from connecticutpoet. Poured into New Belgium snifter.
Dark black pour as expected with a nice firm finger of beige head. Hilly lace skirts the glass.
Lovely smokey aromas - meat locker, campfire, slight plum and apple. Yum.
Comes across a little thin on the flavor, although that could be due to the age. I get definite puffs of smoke, with hints of roast beef, apple, and plum. slight chewing tobacco, prune, slight metallic, faint herbal. Teetering between a 3.75 and 4 on this.
Feel is nice and creamy yet lends a smokey feel with a good carbonation, Nice dryness on the finish. Lingering dryness and parch.
Overall an enjoyable smoked beer with nice hints of apple, pear, and plum. Recommended if you're not sensitive to smoked beers (most are).
786 characters
4.24/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
3.78/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4.32/5 rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
-Black Lager.
A: Beautiful burnt auburn pour sits an almost dark plum in the vessel accompanied by a slight saddle brown capping that was whispy and quick to dissipate.
S: Aroma of dark fruit, black cherries, dark malts, with an underlying smokiness factor. Soft eloquent roastiness, lightly oily, freshly grounded, medium roast, is earthy and very silky smooth with light charred hints of toasts. A faint background of fruitiness, perhaps from the yeast, has some smoky apples, and lightly charred pine that was very smooth with a nice awareness.
T: The flavor was very smooth and roasty, oily with some bitterness and smoked malt. Charred toast with some notes of fruit, apples. Some lightly smoked pine hops, silty smooth ash, earthy with some deep chocolate notes.
M: Tight and tingly carbonation bubbles, slick oily texture, with a malty feel. Silty smooth roasted warmth.
O: Overall in terms of craftsmanship its hard to bet against Jack's Abbey. Lagers refinement is their specialty. Eloquently brewed, silky roast, makes for a slow methodical drinker that impress with its nuances.
1,100 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
-Black Lager.
A: Beautiful burnt auburn pour sits an almost dark plum in the vessel accompanied by a slight saddle brown capping that was whispy and quick to dissipate.
S: Aroma of dark fruit, black cherries, dark malts, with an underlying smokiness factor. Soft eloquent roastiness, lightly oily, freshly grounded, medium roast, is earthy and very silky smooth with light charred hints of toasts. A faint background of fruitiness, perhaps from the yeast, has some smoky apples, and lightly charred pine that was very smooth with a nice awareness.
T: The flavor was very smooth and roasty, oily with some bitterness and smoked malt. Charred toast with some notes of fruit, apples. Some lightly smoked pine hops, silty smooth ash, earthy with some deep chocolate notes.
M: Tight and tingly carbonation bubbles, slick oily texture, with a malty feel. Silty smooth roasted warmth.
O: Overall in terms of craftsmanship its hard to bet against Jack's Abbey. Lagers refinement is their specialty. Eloquently brewed, silky roast, makes for a slow methodical drinker that impress with its nuances.
1,100 characters
4.21/5 rDev +7.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Dark brown with a light tan head.
Smells like fire and burnt wood with some malty sweetness.
Very malt forward with chocolate and dried fruit flavors coming through. The smoke is less present in the taste but more noticeable in the nose and the aftertaste.
This is a great go to beer for me. Dark and malty, but not heavy, and just enough smoke to give it some edge.
369 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Dark brown with a light tan head.
Smells like fire and burnt wood with some malty sweetness.
Very malt forward with chocolate and dried fruit flavors coming through. The smoke is less present in the taste but more noticeable in the nose and the aftertaste.
This is a great go to beer for me. Dark and malty, but not heavy, and just enough smoke to give it some edge.
369 characters
3.4/5 rDev -13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
From the can, it pours a nice black with a modest light tan head. The head eventually dissipates to a nice ring. I get licorice in the nose and mouth. Hmm.
158 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
From the can, it pours a nice black with a modest light tan head. The head eventually dissipates to a nice ring. I get licorice in the nose and mouth. Hmm.
158 characters
3.39/5 rDev -13.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.77/5 rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.8/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.21/5 rDev -18.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
4/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance - The beer poured a shiny black color with aggressive tan foam crowning the glass.
Smell - A light hickory smoke nose crowns glass.
Taste - The hickory smoke comes at the front with a hint of sweetness. The dark coffee malts come with a light sweetness. The bitterness lingers with the smoke being oddly sweet in the finish.
Mouthfeel - The feel, which is already thin, seems even more thoroughly with the carbonation.
Overall - This is a nice version of the style.
486 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance - The beer poured a shiny black color with aggressive tan foam crowning the glass.
Smell - A light hickory smoke nose crowns glass.
Taste - The hickory smoke comes at the front with a hint of sweetness. The dark coffee malts come with a light sweetness. The bitterness lingers with the smoke being oddly sweet in the finish.
Mouthfeel - The feel, which is already thin, seems even more thoroughly with the carbonation.
Overall - This is a nice version of the style.
486 characters
3.72/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
4.05/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.96/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Smoke & Dagger - Jack’s Abby
Black Lager - 5.6% abv
Purchased for $2.49 at Monde Market
L - 1-finger tan head atop a translucent black body.
S - campfire smoke, roast, sweet malt, molasses, caramel, chocolate.
T - Mildly smoky, but with balancing sweetness.
F - medium-light body with medium carb.
O -I’ll take this smoky lager over a normal everyday brew without hesitation.
384 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Smoke & Dagger - Jack’s Abby
Black Lager - 5.6% abv
Purchased for $2.49 at Monde Market
L - 1-finger tan head atop a translucent black body.
S - campfire smoke, roast, sweet malt, molasses, caramel, chocolate.
T - Mildly smoky, but with balancing sweetness.
F - medium-light body with medium carb.
O -I’ll take this smoky lager over a normal everyday brew without hesitation.
384 characters
3.86/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
4.03/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Appearance – Thin layer of head on a dark brown clear body.
Aroma – Smoky, dark malts, a little coffee.
Taste – Dark malts, dark fruits, a little smoky, not quite like bacon but close. Not bitter.
Mouthfeel – Not thick but good for the style. Not too heavy.
Overall – Good beer and not overly smoky. Well done.
327 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Appearance – Thin layer of head on a dark brown clear body.
Aroma – Smoky, dark malts, a little coffee.
Taste – Dark malts, dark fruits, a little smoky, not quite like bacon but close. Not bitter.
Mouthfeel – Not thick but good for the style. Not too heavy.
Overall – Good beer and not overly smoky. Well done.
327 characters
4.59/5 rDev +16.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Smoke & Dagger from Jack's Abby Brewing
Beer rating:
3.93 out of
5 with
1,079 ratings
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