Do you enjoy smoked beers?

Mine had a sourness to it that I found revolting. Also, the Oak Smoked Old Guardian tasted like meaty BBQ smoke in a bottle. Yuck...

However, on a positive note, loved Vampire Slayer, and DFH's Immort Ale. Love some subtle smoke when it stays more in the background...

 

Jerry, maybe we can go out for some double dates. The Ladies can suck down their Rauchbiers while you and I will seek out some variety!

Cheers!

 

That's the one. I love it.

 

Had an Oak Smoked Guardian the other day. Thought it was fantastic. Also really loved Revoluton's Chicago Smoke.

 

Heh. I've been making the same claim for years. Mostly because I really like smoked beers and hope to see more of them available.

 

I love darker smoked beers, like Alaskan Smoked Porter. I wish there were more of them. However, I had that North Coast/Deschutes smoked porter and it just tasted like bbq ribs.

 

After seeing face-meltingly sour/funky beers become so popular, I'm not convinced there's any such thing as a "too divisive" beer style anymore.

 

I hated my first smoked beer. Aecht Schlenkerla Marzen. I thought it was disgusting. I don't think I branched too far out into the world of smoked beer, but I kept trying new beers out there. Finally, I returned to Bamburg's finest, and would happily drink a liter of that delicious beverage. They went down incredibly well after a long shift.

Keep trying is my only suggestion. Victory does a fantastic job with smoked beers. Scarlet Fire, Helles Fire, Otto, Smokin' Oats...all remarkable in their own ways, and all delicious.

 

When well done, certainly. A lot of US breweries (especially smaller ones) try to throw smoked malt into random dark beers and it rarely works.
I love the classics, though. Spezial's normal rauchbier and the Shlenkerla Krausen are both great. Alaskan, Stone, and O'Fallon Smoked Porter are, too.

 

Yes. Franconian ones.

 

A BIG +1 to: “Victory does a fantastic job with smoked beers. Scarlet Fire, Helles Fire, Otto, Smokin' Oats...all remarkable in their own ways, and all delicious.”

Cheers!

 

Me too, but not in a snifter.

 

Some smoky beers are divine.
I've had Red Herring. It's unusual. I liked it very much.
Not saying it's a substitute, but keep your eyes open for Victory's St Victorious. Besides the product that is local for me, it is the only smoky American beer that I would buy repeatedly (from what I've had so far). I'll cry if Schlenkerla US distribution ever ceases. I think smoked beers are hardly a blip on the radar for the average beer enthusiast. Despised or ignored for the most part.

 

I've started to really like smoked beers more and more. Enough so that I have a smoked imperial porter than I am aging on oak and will be bottling soon. Then I will be able to have a smoked beer whenever I want without having to pay $5 for a Schlenkerla (not that I will stop buying Schlenkerla...)

 

Your point was regarding homebrew, but aside from that comparison, Schlenkerla is an outstanding value for its quality in my opinion.

 

I would enjoy them more. But, I have a hard time keeping them lit.

 

It's not a bad value, but $5 beers add up. $5/beer makes it more of something I have when I'm really in the mood, rather than a beer I drink regularly.

 

Jack, Come on out to St. Louis and we can drink some Urban Chestnut!

 

Alaskan's, Long Trail's and White Birch's are good.