Raucho Man Randy Beverage
Against The Grain Brewery

 

Recently stumbled across my notes from The Festival 2012. Lets do this!

A - Poured a nice hazy light amber hue with a one finger white head that fades to leave light lacing and a thin blanket.

S - Aromas are very, very nice. The smoke is super subtle, light cream (almost like lactose), soft subtle grassy hops, caramel, and toffee.

T - Taste is similar to the nose, falls a bit short for me. I was told there was sorghum in this beer, which is that weird off flavour I'm getting in the finish. Before that though I get nice cream, toffee, faint citrus, lots more smoked malt than the nose.

M - Mouthfeel is somehow both dry and creamy. Not too shabby.

O - Overall an interesting beer. Still have yet to find a sorghum based beer that I actually liked.

 

Served in a chalice at Local Option.

Best. Beer. Name. Ever. Straight up. Anyway, this stuff pours a lightly-hazy orange-amber topped by a finger of lightly off-white foam. The nose comprises mild caramel, light biscuit, grass, and lighter-than-I-expected beech smoke. The taste brings in more of the same, along with a slightly stronger smoke component and a firm backbone of orange zest and coriander. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a wet feel. Overall, a nice little beverage, tasty despite the relatively low degree of smoke.

This beer pours a nice amber color with an off white head, good retention and lacing. The aroma matches the taste. This is a very smokey beer, it dominates in the taste and it is also aged on wood which adds another depth of strong flavors. I think barrel aged smoked beers are quite rare so it was cool to see that combo. This beer also has a creamy toffee flavor and some caramel qualities. It has a light fruitiness from the lager yeast and The fresh hops. This beer is easy drinking, too much so in my opinion, I would like to see a bigger version with a bit more feel to it. This beer was somewhat watery but it made up for it in flavor. Overall, this was a pretty good beer, cool to see something go against all known styles and still manage to work out well.

 

A: Pours a slightly hazy golden amber with a creamy, lingering white head that laces fairly deep into the glass.

S: Aromas of grass, hay, caramel, toffee, sorghum, and cream are underscored by hints of woodsmoke. I was expecting a bit more smoke on the nose, but this is still pretty inviting, even if it doesn't excite me.

T: Notes of heavy cream, brown butter, caramel, toffee, grass, woodsmoke, sorghum, hay, and grain are joined by hints of spicy, citrusy, peppery flavors in the mouth. The finish is smooth with an initial surge of caramel, grass, sorghum, and cream giving way to lots of smoked malt flavor.

M: Medium in body, dry, and initially a bit creamy. Once the carbonation kicks in, this lager demonstrates a pleasantly filling heft. This is one that definitely benefits from slow, considerate sipping.

O: This is a pretty decent stab at a German rauchbier, and as always, I appreciate Against the Grain's attempts to use non-traditional ingredients. Unlike many of their other efforts, though, this one didn't leave all that strong of an impression on me. It wasn't bad by any means, it just wasn't unique enough to be memorable. Try it once if you get the opportunity, but don't expect to be blown away (that is unless you're the kind of person who is absolutely in love with all rauchbiers/smoked beers).