Smog Rocket
Beavertown Brewery

330 ml bottle, from the Norwegian importer. ABV is 5.4%. Black colour, low beige head. Aroma of chocolate, bonfires and smoked meat - a weird combination. Easy drinking, smooth mouthfeel. The smoke is there, but does not dominate. Chocolate malt and some fruity tones, moderate hops. Nice enough.

 

 

a smoked and hoppy porter here served by the can, an intense campfire aroma, a deep black malt construction, and some higher alpha hops as well yield another rather intense beer from these guys, their dark stuff has all felt massive to me, even with this one having a more modest abv, its still really substantial. i get some black malt, some raisin in the middle, a peaty character thats got the wet earth, soil, and smoke thing happening, a hardwood bonfire, and some light acrid element from the smoke as well. there is a breadiness to the grain underneath the darkness that gives it some roundness and balance, but the bitterness of the roast and the smoke really do permeate and dominate here, way more intense tasting overall than i expected it to be, especially at this strength. it got a little heavy to drink as it warmed up, but more from the flavor than the body, which remains not too heavy, and there is nice carbonation here as well, doing its best to keep this feeling active. kind of filling, and the smoke really lingers, so a bit of a palate wrecker for me, but i liked the beer and would recommend it to fans of smoked beers, more german than english to me, but solid overall.

A: Pours an opaque yet slightly hazy extremely dark cola brown approaching jet black in color with moderate amounts of fine active visible carbonation rising along the edges of the glass and faint chestnut brown + garnet red colored highlights. The beer has a three finger tall cloudy foamy dark tan head that slowly reduces to a handful of small patches of medium thick film surrounded by a large patch of very thin film covering approximately 95% of the surface of the beer and a medium thick ring at the edges of the glass. Significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Slightly stronger than moderate aromas of smoked malts along with just shy of moderate aromas of toasted + caramel + roasted malts with a light amount of caramel sweetness. Hints of cocoa. Light aromas of earthy + pine hops.

T: Upfront there are slightly stronger than moderate flavors of smoked malts along with just shy of moderate aromas of toasted + caramel + roasted malts with a light amount of caramel sweetness. Hints of cocoa. That is followed by light flavors of earthy + pine hops. There is a light to moderate amount of roasty bitterness in the finish that fades fairly quickly leaving lingering smokey flavors.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Slightly thin/watery.

O: Easy to drink with well hidden alcohol. Enjoyable with a very pleasant smokiness.

 

 

 

 

 

Can. Very dark brown. Thick tan head.
Chocolate, cocoa and a light peat aroma.
The smokiness comes through upon tasting. Charcoal bitterness at the finish.
Decent carbonation and relatively smooth. Nicely balanced.
I am not partial to smoked ale but this is decent.

Pours a pitch black coloration with a small, fizzy head. Smells of roasted malt chocolate and smoke, with hints of coffee and tobacco. Taste follows the nose, being dominated by roasted malt, chocolate and smoke, with hints of tobacco and licorice. Finishes with a light/medium bitterness and more smoke coming through. Smooth mouthfeel with a light/medium body and low carbonation.

This comes with a quite well-balanced smokiness that is not too overpowering and leaves room for the other notes of chocolate, coffee and other subtle nuances. Very nice smoked Porter.