Feniks
Great Notion Brewing

Clear, pale yellow pour with a medium white head that fades quickly. The aroma brings a soft campfire smokiness layered over light malt. The flavor follows suit: clean, malt‑forward, and gently smoky from start to finish.

Summertime means Grodziskie baby!! Clear golden body, white cap with little retention. Smell and taste are clones and frankly they nailed this: Little hint of hoppier tones to the meat and grainy smoke profile, but also smoke itself has a hint of leafy charcoal rising out. Stands out in the grodziskie realm. Body is thinner but that is only real flaw, with decent carbonation but smoke is dialed in

Great Notion’s take on the grodziskie. Pours a golden straw with bright foam.
As per the style, lots of bacon and campfire on the nose. Heavily smoked sip that finishes light and crisp.

Bright clear pale gold with abundant foam in the snifter. Light and sudsy on the tongue. Aroma of grain with more smoke in the nose. Some slight cereal and biscuit flavor. Rather bitter for such a light brew but quite refreshing and quaffable. Definitely one to try if you are looking for a lower-alcohol glup.

 

Look: Pale straw yellow and clear with a quick-forming head that rushes to the rim and begins to settle, soon ending as a lid and leaving great lacing behind
Aroma: Wood smoke, umami, smoked barley malt, some wheat, and cereal grains
Taste: Grains and wheat bread come together for a nice but light malt kiss up front before the smoke fest begins. Waves of smoked malt, savory, wafting barbeque, and smoke keep coming and pile on the light malt base, combining well, and lingering through the close
Mouthfeel: Light but not watery, clean, medium-high carbonation, and clean and slightly crisp on the finish
Overall: This is one unique and good beer. I’ve never had the style before so had to try it when I saw one and its tasty and reminds me a lot of Schlenkerla’s Rauch Helles but with a wheat twist. For such a light beer, this has plenty of flavor and smoke presence too, which is nice, but also in great balance with the lightness of it so that it isn’t a full-on smoke bomb

Feniks from Great Notion Brewing. 16 fl oz can from @snaotheus in NBW BIF 17. Reviewed 12/05/23 (Review 3099). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Stamped on top rim of can “RISE FROM THE ASHES 03.24.23”. Stored at 34 degrees at home. Served at 45.1 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 57.3 degrees F.
Appearance – 4
First pour – Pale Straw (SRM 2), clear.
Body – Pale Straw (SRM 2), clear. Under direct light, same. When rear lite, same.
Head: Large (Maximum 5.5 cm, aggressive center pour), white, high density, quickly diminishing, reducing to a jagged one cm crown constantly renewed by aggressive carbonation, and no cap. Second pour – 2.5 cm meringue-like head which slooowly reduces to two cm.
Lacing – Excellent! Chunks of meringue hang on the sides of the glass.
Aroma – 3.5 – Weak smoke, no malt, no yeast. No ethanol (3.2 % ABV as marked on the label).
Flavor – 3.5 – Very weak smoke, may just be my imagination. Grassy hops. No yeast, no malt. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. No gastric warming. Slightly bitter and dry on the aftertaste.
Palate – 4 – Light; dry; lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 Barely smoked but otherwise an easy drinking light beer. Really decent head and lacing. The wheat gives it some body.

Taster flight at Great Notion Alberta. Pale yellow pour with a fine bubbly head. Aroma is lightly smokey, sweet. Taste is smoke upi front, light sweet malts filling in behind. Really light on the palate and a gateway beer for the smoked styles.

2023-05-07
16oz can served in a curvy Fremont glass. Can is dated 3.24.23. Bought it direct from the brewery last weekend or the weekend before.

Pours clear, light, yellow, with a big, fluffy, wispy white head that recedes into a webby, clumpy, interlocking maze. Smell is smoke and umami, first thought was bacon. A little more sniffing, I get a tiny bit of grassy freshness and more of a smoked nut aroma.

Taste is predominantly smoky, but not overly heavy. Base beer, ignoring the smoke, is more like a light lager -- crisp and refreshing -- smoke gives it a bit of heft it otherwise couldn't have. Grassiness is stronger and more noticeable in subsequent sips.

Mouthfeel is super light, dry, crisp. Overall...I'm far from an expert on grodziskies, but this is enjoyable and interesting.

Pours a very very light straw color, like watered down AAL; my experience with others of the style was the same...visible carbonation, quick to rise, somewhat soda like but it leaves a nice thin layer of white; crystal clear.

Nose is greeted by gentle smoke, white bread, gentle wisp of hops; grass like.

Taste is white bread; hops take a turn and show some more herbal qualities on the finish, the smoke is again gentle and balanced, there is a citrus like bite on the finish.

Light body, very lively and mouth coating carbonation, stops just short of being too much; low grass like bitterness on a very clean finish.

Sampling a cellar temp 16 oz can at cellar temp and poured into my .5L dimple mug. Date stamp is 3/24/2023.
The beer is pouring a bright gold champagne color and a slightly frothy bleached white head of 2.5 cm. This foam fades slowly to a rocky surface covering and some windowpane lattice. Several active streams of carbonation rise to the surface.
The aroma is some smoked meat notes mixing with a bit of general graininess and some wheaty twang scents. Hop character absent on the aroma. Pretty much smells as I would expect.
First sip reveals a light body with smooth texture and very fine and gentle carbonation. Flavor is similar to the nose, a bit of graininess and then smoked notes take over. the smoked flavor is again more meat than char or campfire. I do get some astringent bite on the finish and then my palate dries out completely. This is a very easy drinking flavorful beer. The low ABV makes it an easy crushing beer, although the smoke may get to be too much after a 2nd one. Glad to have tried this one and checked of the style box in my stats!

 

 

 

A Tavour Treat. Pours a pale gold color with a foamy white head that lasts quite a while. Aroma of grains and floral notes. Taste is spicy and a it smoky. An enjoyable brew.