Father Rauchbier
Village Brewery

 

 

Oh boy. I've a big fan of all things smoked and this definitely hits the mark. It pours a lovely brown with off white head that is happy to hang around. The aroma is campfire and faint earthy hops. This particular version has a lovely toasted malt backbone, balanced by more smoke. To me, the biggest success of this beer is that it doesn't overdo things. Everything is balanced, rich, and easy to drink. The mouthfeel is a bit too creamy for my tastes, but that is a small issue in the grand scheme of things. Makes me want to fire up a du Maurier and shoot the shit with my Grandad one last time!

 

650ml bottle, with a roundabout ode to the manly art of smoking things and then eating or drinking them!

This beer pours a clear, dark orange-brick brown colour, with two hefty fingers of puffy, rocky, and somewhat creamy beige head, which leaves some disintegrating snow bank lace around the glass as it very lazily recedes.

It smells of roasted meat (pork, mostly), wet ash, smoked caramel malt, faint black orchard fruit notes, and some earthy, leafy, and herbal hops, which are hard to really make out beyond their bittering aspects. The taste is gritty and grainy pale and caramel malt, damp campfire smoke, a fading cured meatiness, hints of acrid coffee, and more gentle leafy, weedy, and earthy green hoppiness.

The carbonation is adequate to the task, what with its supportive frothiness, the body a solid medium weight, and surprisingly smooth, just a few specks of ash to be picked out of one's teeth the price of admission. It finishes trending dry, the smoke in its various guises still permeating every lingering essence.

Overall, a very nicely rendered and robust offering, one that emulates the Bamberg Rauchbier greats, i.e. in the initial charred meaty aromas, followed by an ascension of the sweet malt, and then a hand-holding ride off into the sunset together. Yeah, I believe that Village has just about nailed that experience here. If your Dad has ever proclaimed an affinity for (insert island name) Scotch, get him to give this brew a try.

 

Appearance - Pours a nut brown with two fingers of cream coloured head.

Smell - smoked malts (woody and toasty), touch of earthy and leafy hops, and has a campfire-esque aroma to it.

Taste - The smoked malts (woody and toasty) take precedence. The hint of earthy and leafy hops come through but the malts take dominance.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes with a balance between the richness of the malts and smokiness. Great balance between the two.

Overall - A nicely balanced rauchbier from the folks at Village. The campfire (smoked malts) and the toasty malts work in unison together. A nice refreshing brew for Father's Day.