Handsome Hog Smoke Ale
Tin Whiskers Brewing Company

 

a smoked beer brewed exclusively for the handsome hog, which remains one of the finer restaurants in saint paul. i like when a brewery does a custom beer for a place like this, it adds to the draw of the place and is often designed to be exciting with the food. this one though, might be better on its own than it is as a companion to a lot of the menu items in here. the food here is meat focused and heavy, and this beer is super heavy and meaty, big on big isnt always good, and i think the beer comes across like a meal in its own right, so something a little more delicate may have worked better, but objectively speaking, the beer is very good. its deep brown in color, nutty in the nose, malt driven with a strong but sweet smoke complexion, not as acrid and burnt as some can be, but just as intense with it. some caramel and raisin notes underneath it, and a lot of body for its modest strength. the smoke lingers with the malt sweetness, molasses notes, and density. its a very flavorful and autumnal or even wintery beer, but i think its a bit much with some of the already heavy food in here. a different kind of smoke beer though, and well worth a try!