Smoked Beer Appreciation Thread (2024)

ditto.

Well, …….. Ohio is your neighbor. I have heard told that they have a pretty good football team too.

 

I'm originally from Ohio, so I'm a Buckeye first and a Wolverine second. Looking forward to a national championship.

 

Green Bench - Spark - "Double Decocted Smoked Marzen Brewed with Imported Beechwood Smoked Malt and Hopped with German Tradition. Brewed in Collaboration with Bierstadt Lagerhaus, a follow up to our previous collab, All The Hype (Smoked Helles)." - It's a solid Rauchbier!! Malty, smoky, sharp.

 

Smoked Helles - vonTrapp

Love me some Rauchbier! Far too rarely found in these parts lately.

This is labeled a “Bamberg-Style Pale Lager.” Which is a fair description, although anyone seeking a trout-slap of smoke will be disappointed. Certainly a fine smoked beer, arguably an excellent choice for anyone new to, or inhibited by smoke beers.

It has a smoldering campfire smoke, with mild summer sausage and light floral notes in the aroma. The smoke flavor is even more mild, although, as it warms that shifts without ever becoming strong. Lots of toasted malt. Soft texture, medium body with prickly carbonation and maybe a light touch of alcohol.

The aged, smoked Gouda is a bit strong for the pairing, but that’s fine with me. It’s a glorious, mild Summer afternoon here in NY’s Finger Lakes and this is just right to prepare for the changing seasons. PROST!

 

It's an ale! Top-fermenting German yeast is typically used. I'd hazard a guess that the brewery uses the same strain they use for their flagship Kolsch-style beer.

 

Enjoyed another of these recently -- what a delicious rendition of the style.

 

Some of my Rauchbier while smoking some turkey over hickory.

 

Stopped by Settle Down Easy on the way to meet a friend for the Sunday night NFL game. Got a little sip, and enjoyed what I had, so grabbed a 4pk. Also grabbed their Festbier, which they had on sale b/c they canned too much. Perhaps I'm not the typical consumer, but I've said it before... I'd buy it after the fest ends if they didn't brew it too early (though to be fair, in this case, I have no idea when they brewed the batch they mis-apportioned between keg and can).

But I digress, this is about smoked beer, and All Wiener, No Schnitzel was listed as a smoked Vienna lager at the brewer.


I've had a few medium-colored / brown smoked beer in the past, and I generally like them, especially if there's a decent body and good toastiness to the malt. In my sample at the brewery, this had a little more smoke. This can has the malt representing a little better. Overall, there's still not a large enough difference in impressions that can't be easily described by environment and mood.

That said, this beer has nice visual carbonation, but the bubbles don't bite into a fairly soft feel on the palate. The beer sits a little thick for a Vienna at 5.2%, but it isn't sweetness weighing it down.

There's an earthy smokiness, light as mentioned, almost like charred wood the morning after it sat through an light rain most of the night. I saw the pretzel on the sticker (didn't make it in the pic), but completely missed that pretzels were involved, somehow. I was getting a little pretzel note that I wondered might be pyschosomatic due to the visual, but it definitely isn't because I thought there were pretzels in the beer.

That said, the pretzel is mild, even more than the smoke (which shines a bit more near the finish). The finish is medium dry with the smoke aiding the little higher than expected amount of hop bitterness. I lie a more pronounced, sharper smoke in beers, but I think this level works quite well with the style / makeup of this offering.

 

This is Hammerheart Herbstklagen Smoked Festbier. A lovely smoked beer and simply put, one of the best tasting beers I've ever had.

 

Hmm. Hadn't added this new one from my favorite local.



My review here.

 

Some Hammerheart Weltenwanderer Smoked Helles while watching football:

Nice smoked flavor with a little lemon hop note, easy drinking helles!

 

Smokey Thursday! The Erle & Triptych are new to me. Stoked.

 

Cross posted from the Porter Appreciation thread in case any of you aren't following it.

This is the first that I've seen this beer in 2-3 years. It's in 4 x 12 oz. bottles this time (I think it was $15.99), and is tasting every bit as good as always.

 

Blaspheme!

 

The Big Game next Saturday. It WILL be interesting.

 

Probably not as interesting as last year!

 

4.07/5 rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Re-reviewing this beer as I last reviewed it in 2011.

500mL can (no dates or codes) into an English pint. Pours a crystal clear pale golden color with a loose, frothy, clean white head.

Aroma is floral and fruity, bready. Clean sweet pale malt and Old World hops.

Taste is likewise clean and crisp—floral hops, delicately subtle smoky pale malt.

Mouthfeel is balanced and light, drinkable.

Overall a very tasty, well made helles lager. The smoke is very subtle but gives this beer a unique Schlenkerla twist.

 

Crappy picture, great beer from Hammerheart, Flaming Longship:

 

I retract this post! The game definitely was interesting!