Rauchbier
Fort Hill Brewery

Not enough smoke.

Very decent smoke beer, good thickness and taste.

Pouring a cellar temp can into a pint glass.
Im not sure if I like the tab color revealing the style of beer inside the can. It is new and clever, but if you dont know the system you could end up with something you dont want from the brewery. Definitely a financial savings for the brewery I presume.
This beer pours a clear chestnut hue with some light ruby highlights on the edges of my glass when I hold it up to the light. There is a fizzy beige head of 1 cm that foams up like a soda and fades to a very thin edge layer.
Aroma is some light smoked meat and a bit of sweet malty grain combining for a fairly mild nose overall.
First sip reveals a pretty light body and very fine and spacious carbonation. Pretty easy drinking physical characteristics on this beer.
Flavor is what you would expect with a little caramel and sweetness that rolls to a lingering smoked meat flavor. The flavor lingers but isnt overly assertive or bold. I get no hint of ABV nor hops and find the beer very clean and crisp. I enjoy this rauchbier and would try it again, but I think t could be a little thicker and a little smokier to really enhance the experience. Nice example of a rarer style from a local brewery

 

Even, Smoke, Quaffable, Clean

To stay true to style, the brewers use 26 percent beechwood smoked malt in each batch’s grain bill. How very Bamberg of them. Even for a darker brew, this Rauchbier shows off its clarity in the light. Smoky and bready, with a grainy nose, it has a deep smoothness that lets the palate enjoy the smokiness. It’s at a perfect level from start to finish, with a somewhat light and crisp carbonation in the back. Very well put together, although perhaps a bit more body would do it some good. Other than that, this beer should only come in 16 ounce cans or 1/2 liter pours.

Look 4.00 | Smell 4.25 | Taste 3.75 | Feel 3.50 | Overall 3.75

Review from BeerAdvocate magazine issue #106 (NOV 2015)

 

Had small glass at a Massachusetts restaurant with an awesome beer selection. Maybe it was a bit past its sell by date -- a bit watery, smoke disappointing, left wanting. .

Had this at the Valley Brew Fest. Served in a sampler size glassware provided by the festival. The beer had a reddish brown color with a medium-sized head. Got interesting with the aromas with that smoked flavoring that is mixed with grains, malts, and some dark fruit. The taste followed the nose by being a light malty drink where you could taste the smoke from the brewing process in each sip. In terms of mouthfeel, it had a medium level of carbonation and the drink was relatively watery, helping to show off that smokey aftertaste. Overall, I am not well educated on rauchbiers but this was an interesting due to its brewing process which can be smelled and tasted. It definitely was interesting to try at a brewfest.

 

 

Soda pop like head. Settles the same way (a couple of bubbles along the edge). No lace. Light brown color. Cloudy.

Mostly lightly toasted malt. Very low smoke--I smell some alcohol warmth.

Up front I get a good dollop of peat smoke. The rest is very much like a brown ale. The swallow brings back some smoke but far lighter on the tongue. Moderate to low body. Good carbonation.

 

I have had this from the same batch on one previous occasion.

A- 12oz can reveals a dark copper to light brown brew into my glass. A one finger, foamy off-white cap rises and falls somewhat quickly to a medium ring. Rare spots of lacing.

S- Smoke and hammy malts up front but overall the aroma forces you to search a bit. Toasted nuts, dark fruits and some caramelized sugars behind the smoke.

T- Starts off with a light-medium dose of meaty and campfire smoked grains leading to quite a bit of fruits, brown sugar, apple and toasted nuts. Some of that seems out of place with the other things (fruits).

MF- Puffy and foamy but not creamy and overall the body seems a bit watery due to a strangely seltzer-like carbonation. Bitter, semi smoked finish.

Solid aroma leads to a decent attempt in the flavor and a fairly poor mouthfeel. I will visit this one again but the body is somewhat harsh due to an odd carbonation and lack of creaminess. Good malt profile but some of the yeast flavors clash with that.

 

Had their Oktoberfest a while back on-tap, but let's call this my first official tasting off this right-down-the-road brewery. Thanks to Cam "Can" Eron.

A - 12oz can poured to pint glass. Somewhere between light brown and very dark orange color, kinda murky. Beige head retains as a thick ring+slight cap, leaving bits of lace.

S - Light roasty toasty malts, some fruity and nutty notes. Smoky hints. Quite faint, warmth doesn't really do it any favors.

T - Quite a bit of smoke here, toast, dark fruit, some herbal hoppage. Kinda weird and ashy.

M - Feels bigger for 6%, lots of smoke and spiky carbonation and maybe booze?, really quite unpleasant feeling unfortunately.

O - I want to root for these local upstarts, but this could use some tweakage, particularly the feel. The smoke is decent but the flavor in general is kind of weak and all over the place. Harder to drink than it should be.

 

 

 

 

Poured from the 12oz. can into a Fort Hill tumbler.

a: Clear copper with a huge 4 inch thick white head which receded to patchy surface foam and lacing.

s: Smoked ham, mild at first.

t: Biscuit malt forward followed by some smoke and mild hop bite.  Ham aftertaste builds.

m: Light to medium, ok body, considerable carbonation tingle.

o: A good represention of this rather unusual German style, which ought to especially appeal to anyone who likes smoked ham aromas and flavors.