Gegen Den Strom Lichtenhainer
Against The Grain Brewery

Can from John's Marketplace. Stamped 01/01/2019

A clear light orange with a straw white head that recedes rapidly leaving little lacing, this looks decent. The nose is a delicate but delicious blend of smoke, wheat, a mild lacto sourness and straw. The smoke note is delicate and deep, a blend of smoldering leaves and oak smoke. The palate opens sour with a lactic and mildly lemony tartness, clean and bright, priming the tastebuds for the smoke notes that follow. Earthy, woody smoke notes then give way to a grainy, wheat-like finish that's disappointingly thin and watery. Carbonation is high, enhancing the acidity on the finish. Tasty as heck

 

I like smoked beers, and I like tart beers. What I don't like are tart smoked beers. I think the styles clash and produce something worse than the sum of their parts. I don't know whether this is intentionally soured or not- and that's a problem- it tastes like an accident, a beer gone wrong. Add to that the thin graininess in the body that can't support the flavors along with a certain slickness in the mouthfeel as well as a lack of dimension to the flavors beyond bandaid, smoke, and sour, and this one is a drainpour for me.

Can. Pale gold with no head or lace. LIght smoky grassy bready aroma with a hint of tart fruit. Tart apricot light sweetness with soft mildly smoky finish. WIsh it had some liveliness in the light body.