Seven Sharks A-Circling
Karl Strauss Brewing Company

Talk about a let down. I put in an order from craftshack.com and given the shipping rates decided to add a few favorites per style. Well I love smoked beers but this was a damn waste of money. Pass this pseudo smoked beer over if there's any speculation.

With a near-black ruby color, it has a piney sour toffee coffee taste that gets more bitter with time. The aroma is similar with the soapy pine overpowering a lot of the flavor notes. The aftertaste adds the creaminess to the overall flavor, but it’s still really bitter. The smoke can be tasted, but not as noticeable as you might expect. In this Holiday series, Six Suits A-Hangin’ and Five Wee Heavy Bells are much, MUCH better than this. Also, I recommend the Vanilla Bean Stout from Avery Brewing, the Eugene Porter from Revolution Brewing, the Double Nut Brown from Mammoth Brewing, the Old Goat’s Oatmeal Stout from San Marcos Brewing Company and the Stockyard Stout from Trader Joe’s. For the more smokier variety, I recommend Sprecher Brewery’s Piper’s Scotch-style ale, the Richter Rauch from Aftershock Brewing Company, the Reentry Pale Ale from Intergalactic Brewing Company and even Belhaven Brewery’s Wee Heavy.

Pours a dark sepia brown with a fine-grained beige foam in the wine glass. Moderately sweet but tangy with a sudsy mouthfeel. The light smoky fragrance is inviting. Some bitterness in the finish. Lots of cocoa and caramel.

Massive dark malt taste. Some licorice and hints of coffee. The smoke adds an interesting note, it's more like spice than a campfire, fortunately. Overall this is one of the better spiced dark brews that seem to be an obligatory part of the holiday season. From the 22 oz bottle purchased at Bottleworks in Little Italy.

 

Poured from a 22 Oz bottle.

BLUF: a really good beer worthy of trying.

Subtle smokiness that's no overpowering; smooth, silky taste... like pantyhose. Definitely taste the coffee & chocolate but, again, nothing overpowers. Seek this out... it's worth it!