Coolship Lager Amber Smoke
OEC Brewing (Ordinem Ecentrici Coctores)

Pours a slightly hazy deep amber/copper color with an inch or so of tan foam. Not much retention, but does form a nice cap.

Big surprise but the smell opens with smoke - slightly sweet and woody. Caramel. Very light Noble hops - lightly floral/herbal with a little citrus.

The smoke is more subdued in the taste but still prevalent. Sweet but not heavy sweet. Caramel and soft, bready malt. Hops cuts through nicely to counterbalance the smoke. Floral and herbaceous, very light lemon and a bit of spice as a top note at the end.

Silky smooth and soft feel, bordering on medium-bodied. Mildly carbonated. On the dry side.

I could drink a few of these. Smoothly integrated flavors with enough smoke to notice but not to dominate. Malt and hop flavors provide a deft counterbalance to the pleasant smokiness.

 

 

 

Look: It pours cooper and clear with tan head. Head retention is good.

Smell: There are strong smoke aromas with a bit of bacon. It does have a bit of sweetness with it including a bit of caramel. There are some real light spicy elements well into the background.

Taste: The caramal comes out a bit more in the flavors than in the aromas. It is sweet throughout the tasting sensation with smoke that is bacon like. It does have a bit more in the way spiciness in the flavor.

Feel: The finish is on the sweet side with a little bit of a crispness in the finish.

Overall: The balance between the smoke and the amber ale is one thing that is really likable about this beer.

 

 

 

 

 

No canning date.

L: Pours a deep amber to amber brown color with very good clarity. The pour gives 2 fingers of khaki head with a bit of retention. As the beer goes down it leaves a light ringed lacing on the glass.

S: Smoked malt is prominent with notes of beechwood, a nice bit of bread crust, and a touch of caramel malt coming through. I also get light notes of noble hop character presenting a bit of earthy grass and a hint of spice.

T: Beechwood smoked malt up front, a bit of grainy toasted malt character, light bready notes, notes of grass, and a light earthy spice on the backend. As the beer opens up I also begin to get some caramel malt coming through mid palate to the backend. On balance this has a nice gentle bitterness with any residual sweetness being overwhelmed by the hops.

F: Light body with medium-light carbonation. The mouthfeel is nice and smooth with a light dryness on the finish.

O: This is an excellent Rauchbier. It's almost like a less sweet, smoked version of Yuengling or Sam Adams. The malt bill does the heavy lifting here presenting a delightfully complex smoky character mixing with a touch of caramel malt sweetness and a hint of toasted grains. This is all balanced out by a classic noble hop character of grass, earth, and spice. Highly recommended!