Smoko
Aslan Brewing Company

heady collaboration with ravenna, a smoked helles, super simple, super light, amazingly crisp, weird how i didnt care much for their coastal pils, but this is like so expertly dialed, more the norm for these guys anyway, the base lager is light and clean and snappy and refreshing, and the smoke doesnt diminish that at all, at least not for a huge fan of smoked beer in general. i love how light it looks, helles is perfect for this, so blonde and bright and clear. the nose and taste show quite a lot of smoked malt, an earthy slow roasty smoke, without any acrid bitterness or anything, but quite robust, unique on such a light base, but its really successful. the european nature of the grain still comes through, its crackery and dry and weirdly fresh, not something i usually call out in the style but here it is. minimally hoppy, just some balancing bitterness late, but this is real dry the whole way so it doesnt need much. the smoke hints at toasted hotdog bun, old wood, and fresh dirt. its super grounding and earthy and overall this is awesome, a total pounder but with a ton of character, a refreshing texture, and a lot of life. bravo! really cool offering here!