First Noel Oak Smoked Bock
Daredevil Brewing Co

This is straight delicious. Raisin, plumb, bread, oak, hard salami etc....one of the best “rauchbier” examples I’ve ever enjoyed.

Welcome back to my New Hoosier Daddy Beer Sunday (Week 738)! I am CANtinuing with CANs from IndiCANa, courtesy of @AyatollahGold & @jkblr both of whom have recently hooked me up, Hoosier style. It will be a CANner, not banner, day for The CANQuest (tm)!

From the CAN: "Authentic*Traditional*Lager"; "A traditional Christmas season German style bock lager that emphasizes malty, toasty, and rich aromas with complex smoky flavors. Prost!";"2017 & 2018 Indiana Brewers Cup Grand Champion Brewery Indiana Brewery of the Year".

Aside from hoppy, bitter AIPAs & craft beer in CANs, the other thing that excites me is Smoked Beer! 8=)

I beCAN with a Crack! of the vent, followed by a slow, gentle C-Line Glug into the awaiting glass. Not only did it perform a pseudo-cascade, but the inherent carbonation caused the formation of two-plus fingers of fizzy, foamy, rocky, light-tan head with moderate retention. Color was a gorgeous Deep Amber/Light Copper to Copper (SRM = > 13, < 17) with NE-quality clarity, but that does not do it justice. It sat somewhere in the ruby/mahogany/burnt sienna range & was absolutely stunning! Nose was smoky, but I would have preferred to be even smokier. I have no problem with aggressively smoked beer. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, big for a Lager-style beer. The taste was deelish. It began with a bready, malty base like I had noted in their base Bock, but now, it really came alive with the smokiness. It had a sweetish smokiness like sweet Lebanon bologna, a local treat. In sum, dark bread, smoked meat & a light sweetness. Mmm. Finish was semi-dry, but if you wanted to argue in favor of semi-sweet, I wouldn't disagree. This was a delicious surprise treat from @AyatollahGold & I am very grateful.

The beer appears a dark walnut color at first, with some burnt sienna and ruby red tones when placed in the sunlight. A khaki colored head disappears completely. Translucent. Some visible carbonation. The color is very attractive.

The nose is dark bread, raisin, walnut, tobacco smoke, tobacco, gently kissed with smoked meat.

Very clean beer with nutty, sweet, grainy, caramel malt flavor. Dark toasted bread, dark dried fruit, apricot. The oak-smoked flavors are gentle enough that the beer is easy to drink, and present enough to pair perfectly with a grilled steak without overpowering. The finish is semi-dry, with a long, oak-driven bitterness. Low carbonation with a smooth and creamy feel.

An excellent smoked lager.

16oz canned 1/8/19 (82 days ago) poured into a plastic cup at fridge temp 6.5% ABV 20 IBU per brewery. The beer pours bright red tinted dark amber with minimal khaki head. The head recedes to a thin ring and little else. The aroma is Munich malt and light oak smoke. The taste is toasty malt with a sweet and oak smokey interplay that is very complimentary. Little bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a dry finish. No off flavors or flaws in the lagering. Overall, very good. This is a very nice bock with a subtle campfire smoke addition.

 

Pouring from a 16 oz. can into a Willi Becher style glass, this beer pours out a medium brown in color. A beautiful, two finger, rocky but well held, khaki colored crown sits on top of a crystal clear, ruby colored beer. Absolutely gorgeous brew. 5

The nose brings notes of oak and light smoke tangling with toasted malts, slightly rich fruit notes like cherries and dark bread presence. 4.5

The taste offers a lot of what the nose did. The sweetness from the malts, slight fruit notes that resemble dark cherries, and a really nice dark and sweet bread character. All while having a nice, balanced oak coating. 4.75

The mouthfeel is a dry smokiness, while still bringing a smooth creaminess. Full bodied for the style and well carbonated. Managed to have that lager like clean and crisp finish. 4.5

Overall, yeah my ratings are high. But for what this is, it is pulled off very well. Full flavored and well balanced with the smoke, letting it be used as an accent instead of steal the show from the other characters. 4.5