Smoked Märzen (Flynn on Fire Smoked Beer Initiative)
Switchback Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

I tried this beer at the brewery. It poured a clear amber with white head that did not leave much lace. The scent had smoke highlights. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with sweet malt start and smoke finish. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall its a good beer.

On tap at the brewery

From the 650 ml. bottle with a stamp of 18156. That could mean June 5, 2018. Sampled on July 11, 2019.

Handsome looking mahogany-brown pour with a tan head and a little bit of lacing.

Nice aroma of caramel malts, roasted malts, possibly raisins, and of course the smoke. Floral hops are mellow.

Smooth, medium body.

It definitely has a sweet roasted malt presence in the flavor as well as a mellower, low profile smoke. B ut that could be due to the age of the bottle. Still, I enjoyed it quite a lot.

 

 

From the bottle, it pours a reddish dark amber with a nice off-white head that slowly diminishes to a thin layer and leaves lots of lacing. Much smoke in the nose - Bamberg style. Taste follows nose, with a sweetish malt base. Nice!

 

 

This beer brings hearkens back to Bamberg. Sweet plum, burnt oranges, grainy, caramel, toast, and spicy-sweetness.

Tasty, tasty stuff. The pour makes it looks like it will have a denser mouth feel, but it moves around the mouth easily and is not as thick as it looks. As soon as the bottle was opened, I could smell hints of smoked wood, bacon, and subtle vanilla. Tantalizing. The pour yielded a head that kept going and going and going, not dissipating through little sip after little sip. It was a chilly day in Vermont and as soon as this brew touched my lips, I knew... fall is coming. And I’ll be drinking a lot of this during this fall. The smokiness is no joke... it’s intense, but well blended. Forget any ideas of liquid smoke flavor being there, it’s very natural tasting and balanced. As the head creeps down the glass it leaves inconsistent lacing, but it is there. Man, I expected this to be syrupy but it’s not... frothy, maybe, definitely not syrupy. Probably my favorite Switchback brew since good ol’ blue labeled Switchback Ale. Can’t wait to make it back to the brewery and stock up on this heavenly brew!

Poured from a bottle dated 3/5/18 into the test glass.
A - Deep Mahogany color, excellent clarity displays determined carbonation moving top side. A thin cap of white froth leaves french lacing during the experience
S - Gently smoke forward, roast malts and an earthy hop presence
T - Caramel, earthy hops, sweet smoked bacon, rye toast. Excellent
M - Medium body is carried well with the carbonation acting a shepherd towards a semi sweet finish
O - What a nice treat this one is, Smoked malts deftly applied to a grain bill that matches well. Lagering tames the edges.
Excellent on nearly every front

 

22 oz bottle poured into a glass mug.
The appearance was a semi-dark mahogany color with a good sturdy finger's worth of eggshell white foamy head. That head must have lasted a good two minutes before any kind of dissipation was seen. Lace was a bit messy, choppy.
The aroma had a magical arrangement of sweet succulent ham to bacon, the practically perfect contour of smoke with nice levels of earthy hay to grassy hop features.
The flavor yields to the sweet smokiness initially then develops a sly earthy quality for balancing exceptionally. Slight sticky meaty aftertaste with a light earthiness.
The mouthfeel was about medium bodied with a fair sessionability about it. Modest carbonation yields some stickiness but not burdensome. ABV felt appropriate.
Overall, an extremely fabulous smoked beer that I would love to have again preferably in the Autumn.

 

Currently available on tap at the brewery and in 22 oz. bombers to go. This may be my favorite Switchback creation- it's incredibly well made with Schlenkerla levels of smoke without the sweet syrup-y finish. It's the best smoke beer in town for sure.