Smoke Of A Beech Smoked IPA
Bluegrass Brewing Co. - East St. Matthew's

The beer pours a deep transparent amber color. The nose is not quite as stong and smokey as I would expect a smoked beer to be. The smoke is the predominant smell with malt hiding behind. The first thing to hit me on tasting the beer is the hop flavor, followed by the smoke with a sweet malty finish. I would have expected more of the smoke flavor, but I liked being able to taste the underlying style, so I can't complain. The beer is moderately thick in my mouth, not too big. I can only handle one of these at a time, but it is more drinkable than other smoked beers I've had.

Bluegrass brewing calls this an IPA with beechwood smoked malts. Let's see.

On tap poured into a nonick pint glass. It pours a medium copper color with two fingers of off-white head. There is a little lacing. The smell has a good smoky aroma too it, but not too much hops in there. The taste is really full of smoked malt, that beechwood really comes through. Some sweet lightly toasted toffee in there as well. Just a hint of citrusy hops on the finish, doesn't really make IPA status. I think the smoked malts are just really overpowering the hops. The mouthfeel is very thick and heavy, yet smooth on the tongue. The drinkability is pretty good too. A nice experimental beer!