Burning Down the House
Little House Brewing Co

super cool beer here, a rich and sugary doppelbock brewed with maplewood smoked malt, which i dont think i have heard of before, and conditioned on maple wood, perhaps also done with maple syrup, they dont really say, but it seems like it is, if not, the grain layers all cooked down long together and the residual sweetness they have left in it certainly hit like maple syrup, but its actually the smoked element that makes this stand out to me, rather intense, i think you kind of have to love smoked beer to be into this one, its at that aficionado level. deep caramel to chestnut colored with more head than expected, close to white, airy and light enough to make this a little less intimidating, i smell heavy smoke, a little peaty scotch thing to it to me, woodsy and nearing burnt as it warms, but supported by caramel and hazelnut nuance in the grain, dark bread, brown sugar, maple yes, and curiously delicate german lager yeast which is bready too, and there are some minerals in the mix, the maple character is strong, especially if its from the smoked malts and the wood conditioning, cool touches, especially in this part of the world where maple is life. its sweet in the taste, a bit boozy for just 8% abv too, and the smoke stays with me long after the rest of the beer is gone, its sturdy to say the least, woody in an interesting way, and sugary but in a way that packs flavor. some lightly acrid character to the smoke profile as it warms, but its subtle. acorn and fallen leaves, very autumnal, black tea, sweet maple, and nut brittle. overall delicious and weird, still a doppelbock at its core, but especially unique in this style space. one of a kind, this place had a very impressive range of beers when i was in, everything clever and inspired!