Solid Air
Threes Brewing

Can from the brewery in Brooklyn. Pours a semi opaque very dark almost brown amber with two fingers of fluffy light tan head and nice lacing, smell is dry burnt wood, chocolatey malts, creamy coffee, dry chocolate rice Krispy cereal hint of piney/minty zip of the back end, and maybe a hint of bovine funk, taste follows the nose with sweet funky roasted chocolate malts up front, nice smokey charr and dark roast coffee in the middle that lingers, hints of maple syrup, burnt brown sugar/caramel, and sugary coffee foam, maybe just a whiff of funky grassiness on the finish, feel is light to medium bodied, smooth carbonation, semi-dry finish. Haven’t had a ton of smoked beers and usually have not enjoyed them a lot, but this one smells like a wood fire and drinks like funky smoked chocolate milk with some coffee in it. Yum!

A nice attempt at a style. Clear, brown color. Medium-sized off-white head. Smoked meat and malt in the aroma. The same notes follow into taste. Well balanced.

Appearance: An impressive bubble show builds a three finger head that covers that crystal clear amber liquid; strong persistence and splashy lacing

Smell: Ashy, campfire aromatics complemented by toast, caramel and herbal tones

Taste: Toast and caramel forward with the ashy campfire flavors emerging with alacrity; an herbal and slightly bitter aspect arrives, after the swallow, and joins some tobacco and pepper, in the finish

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: Not as smoky as the German versions but still quite enjoyable

Thanks, zid, for the opportunity

Canned 10/17/23

We have another zid pick to start off my Sunday. I’ve had only one beer from Threes before but was quite impressed by it, so it should be interesting to see how they do with a Rauchbier. Let’s crack it open and find out

Pours a clear dark amber with 3 fingers of creamy light beige head that slowly fades to a cap and leaves decent lacing

It’s super loud in the nose, very smoky but with a balancing sweetness. I’m picking up on aromas of peat smoke, black pepper, charred oak, milk chocolate, burnt sugar, caramel, rye toast, light raisin, and herbal hops

It takes a gentler approach in taste but it’s just as good. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting dark toast, cocoa powder, beechwood smoke, burnt caramel, earthy hops, brown sugar, and light raisin. The swallow brings notes of peat smoke, black pepper, cocoa powder, raisin, burnt sugar, dark toast, toffee, and a touch of tobacco

A medium body pairs with gentle tingling carbonation, resulting in a smooth beer with a bite. Finishes bone dry and refreshing

Damn, I liked this one more than I was expecting to. I need to try more from Threes

Canned 10/17

Looks rather like a scotch ale. Guess that's what happens when you use predominantly smoked malt? I dunno; I don't think I've had this style before. Smells delightful. Smoky, sure, but there's more than that. It's almost meaty. Bologna? Am I completely off my tit? Sticking your nose in a bag of peppered jerky. Taste is more sweet, at least up front (a little chocolate), but finishes delightfully smoky. Super-duper dry finish. I'm done keyboard-rambling; I like this and am just going to enjoy.

 

 

A: The beer is very dark brown in color; when held up to a bright light it is clear but very dark amber in color and has a moderate amount of carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high off white head that left lots of lacing on the surface and down the sides of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of smoked malts are present in the nose.
T: The tasted follows the smell and has stronger flavors of smoked malts.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is quite smoky in both the smell and taste but is very easy to drink considering its low alcohol content.

Serving type: can

Poured from a can (05Feb2021) into a 25cl stein

L: pours a clearly coppery brown (srm 17?) with a nice fluffy tan/khaki head. Moderate lacing left as the head fades and with each sip

S: lovely smoky aroma, that great campfire smell dominates as expected! Behind it there’s some sweeter malt character, getting some caramel, toffee, roast coffee. What I’d expect from a smoked lager, very nice

T: follows the nose very well, big smoky flavor right off the bat. After a few sips more of those other malt notes start shining through - that caramel and toffee leading on the sweet side, darker roast coffee coming through as well. Medium finish, nice campfire flavor carries through

F: medium- body, medium carbonation, slightly drying. Knock here would be the body, I think Stands to Reason had a bit more to it

O: a great smoked lager, excellent nose with flavor to (nearly) match. Would say the body is slightly lacking for me to say it’s world class but this a really excellent brew start to finish