Right Kind Of Smoke
Matchless Brewing

Crisp clear golden liquid capped with a couple of fingers of sticky white foam. Sticky islands of lacing. Real pretty.

Nose is wood smoke (not char, not ash, just the early smoke of wet light wood). Some grains, light honey, and grassy light hops. Accomplishes what it sets out to do nicely.

Flavour starts kind of umami. The smoke makes me think the char around the edge of a nice juicy brisket, and the pecan lends a sweetness to it that plays well with the touch of sweetness from the grain bed. The smoke is the star of the show here, and it's an enjoyable smoke. Crossing the grains they offer a sweet bridge that's mostly light cracker and thin honey before a big bitter finish builds up that strikes me as a little bit aggressive for a helles. Another reviewer referred to this bitter finish as quinine-like, and I think that's apt.

Big smoke. Then it's sweet and bitter with a dry bitter finish. Moderately aggressive carbonation. This is a fairly aggressive beer all around. As a smoke beer it accomplishes what it sets out for. Calling it a helles lager at its base feels disingenuous.

Can from Bridge and Tunnel in Astoria.

Drunk from the can in total darkness at Mosquito Creek, so I can't speak to the appearance. A nice, potent smoke character, we, firm, bitter, mildly medicinal even. Mild honey and dough. Palate opens smoky, mildly hoppy and with a touch of sweetness. Dough, honey , a blend of lemon and earthy hops. The mid palate has smoke, earthy, Woody, bitter and with a touch of quinine. Drying, crisp, smoky and bitter on the finish. Quite excellent.

 

 

 

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a medium golden amber with a one finger white head that dissipates to patches with light lacing. Aroma of faint bready malt and savory smokehouse. Flavor starts with slightly sweet lager malt and smoke with a light savory character, but the malt drops out leaving the smoke as the dominant flavor in the finish, slightly astringent. Medium bodied with light creaminess. Right up front, the smokiness of this lager is really nice, authentic and with the meaty smokehouse quality that the best smoked malts provide. The Helles body is a little light for the very forward smokiness, in my opinion, and that is similar to other lighter smoked styles I've tasted. For me, dominating flavors like this seem to fit better with robust malts like used in bocks, porters and stouts. A bit unbalanced, but I really, really like the smoke flavor in this.