The Wick
Odd Bird Brewing

14 oz. pour on draught at the brewery. Served in a Willi Becher glass. It pours a bright, clear golden-orange with a half finger of creamy, snow white head and thick, soapy lacing. The fragrant nose is strongly smoky and earthy but as it warms in the glass there is increasing sweetness. Initially, the flavor is dominated by the spiciness of the Hallertauer Mittelfrueh hops and strong, smoky rauchmalt. It bites hard from the first sip. But beneath lies a first class Helles Lager with notes of soft bread and a touch of sweetness. It's simply delicious! The mouth feel is crisp and well-carbonated and it drinks very easily at 5.4% ABV. Overall, I'm very impressed with The Wick. Odd Bird deserves kudos for brewing the rather obscure style of Smoked Helles. And they did a fantastic job. It's complex, refreshing, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Catching up on notes from a 32 oz crowler purchased back in April 2021.

I'll preface this by saying Schlenkerla Helles - the standard for smoked Helles and the beer by which I'm guessing The Wick was inspired by - is one of my favorite beers of all time. Odd Bird's version uses 100% beech-smoked malt, while Schlenkerla's uses no smoked malt at all, instead picking up notes of smoke from being brewed with the same equipment and yeast as their famous rauchbiers.

That being said, the results are stunning here. The Wick pours deep gold with brilliant clarity and a frothy white head. Good retention.

Smoke is at the forefront of the aroma and flavor but it is not overly smokey or bitter. Such excellent balance between the malt and noble hops, the latter of which are floral/spicy and give it just enough of a bitter finish. Medium-light bodied, fully attenuated, and dry. So clean and delicious.

It's not from Bamberg, but damn this is an excellent and properly made Helles. Such a treat to be able to try it I wish I could make this my house beer and drink it all the time.

This is a smoked lager, Helles style, and these are hard to come by! 2SP Brewery in Aston PA makes an excellent one, but Duane thinks this one is even better. Adam and Karen, the owners/brewers enjoy making (the very difficult and time-consuming) lagers and pilsners!