Oaked Smoked Helles Lager
Pipeworks Brewing Co.

Appearance - the beer was golden yellow in color with visible carbonation and a white head.

Smell - smoke came through in the nose, but it did not overpower the base beer.

Taste - I would describe this beer as being like smoked ham without the pork. The smoke does not overpower the base beer and is not acidic. The oak finish gives a smoothness to the palate and a hint of vanilla.

Mouthfeel - Even with fairly aggressive carbonation, the beer was a smooth, easy drinker.

Mouthfeel - Not everybody likes smoke beers, but this one is fantastic.

16oz can, no apparent freshness date
L: clear golden body; foamy off-white head
S: smoked malt, earthy & grassy hops
T: sweet lightly toasted pale malt, bread dough, smoke, earthy/grassy/herbal hops
F: medium body, lower carbonation, balanced finish with smoke lingering
O: good smoked Helles

16 fl oz:

B- / WORTHY

Clear dirty golden body with a finger of off-white foam that dies down into a cap slowly, sudsy lacing here and there. Right away in the smell the traditional rauchbier smoke is complex and powerful, getting campfire, bacon/general meatiness, and charred earth with some mild malt and grains poking through here and there. Taste also has the balance leaning heavily to the smoke, honeyed grain within a mild yeast pull the sunny malts up a bit near and on the finish. Feel is smoky, light yet very full. This was well done

Gold in color with a lightly hazy complexion. There’s a fingernail of off white around the rim and covering two-thirds of the top. The aroma is of light malt smoked over a fire. I’m tasting lots of smoke and some light malt. The mouth is dry and lightly oily.

Slightly hazy light copper/amber color with a modest white head. The aroma is light malt, oak smoke and a hint of bacon, kind of like beer spilled in a campfire where you had been frying bacon, interesting.
The taste is very similar, mild malt, caramel, toffee and that hint of bacon from the oak, faintly sweet, very mild bitterness.
The body is light, moderate carbonation, smooth and very drinkable. Altogether, this is an interesting brew. The taste is a bit odd at first but it grows on you quickly, reminding you of sitting around a campfire, somehow leaving you wanting more and it's light enough for a session, well done.

10/6/24 - (Can - Home) (Chicago, IL) Can Notes: Comped a refrigerated four pack at Pipework's Dojo on August 23, 2024. 16 oz canned 8/5/24 @ 9:36 AM. 5.0% ABV Oaked Smoked Helles Lager. Artwork by Beejay Olson. Pipeworks Brewing Company. Brewed and canned in Chicago, Illinois.

Appearance: Poured about 2/3 of the can into a shaker pint glass, yielding a golden tan clear base, mild carbonation dropping to a trickle. Light lacing slides back to the thin cover over much of base. 4.0

Aroma: Oak on a campfire. bacon in the skillet. Similar to the Smoked Helles except not picking up a strong maple syrup aroma. Enjoying what is emanating from the glass.. 4.25

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, bacon and oak wood, with the maple syrup emerging at about the same levels as remembered yesterday. Took my time to allow this to warm again, once again no change detected. Smoked wood, bacon, maple syrup. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Faint gentle carbonation holds throughout, adding depth to the medium body, sweetness adding to the depth. Drinks stronger than the ABV, sweet overall, a bit dry, maple syrup bacon finish. 4.0

Overall: I detected faint differences between this and the Smoked Helles canned on an undetermined date. The primary difference is the lack of maple syrup in the aroma of this. For both selections, whether the same or different in some manner, I enjoyed both, scored both very similar, and I'm glad I received this one comped and have six more smoked helles to enjoy this fall. Wild card is whether the unknown age had any impact in terms of sweetness or muting of complexity. 4.25

16oz can. Poured out a slightly cloudy, golden yellow color with a small, white head of foam. It left sudsy lacing on the glass. It smelled of smoked malt, caramel and toffee. Strong smoked taste with caramel and toffee.