Smoked Beer Appreciation Thread (2024)

Very strange glass for that beer. Where was it? Sort of looks like the Map Room.

 

Whoa!

Thank goodness you got yourself a very tasty beer for that price.

Cheers!

 

I wondered if that was the case, but still -- an old fashioned sham Pilsner?

Okay, I'm not afraid to say it -- HOLY SHIT!

 

Finally got my hands on a bottle of Schlenkerla Erle; can’t wait to crack it

 

Earle - Schlenkerla

Ok, bear with a little fantasy…. Imagine a crispy schweinshaxn beside käsespätzel, then add this softly smoked gem of a beer. Heaven, right?!?

I could even go for a long drizzling afternoon out on the covered deck with cold-smoked whiting and this beer. The smoke has a BBQ-pulled pork quality. It’s mild in the aroma and builds with warmth in the flavor. This is the kind of beer that just lets one drift away.

 

Ludwig .
A smoked Dopplebock from Arts District Brewing

Only bought it to leave on the table

 

This is great, better than I remember — rich, slightly smoky, maple-sweet, and doesn't feel as heavy as 7% ABV suggests. Good job Zero Gravity... I mean Oxbow.

 

Enough half pour sharing beers this morning; time to have a beer in a style the GF does not enjoy

I'm pretty sure it's been a while since I've had this one from Schlenkerla.


A bit more campfire than the meat that is roasting over it on the nose, with a very vague impression that it's something like peach wood smoldering in the pit (I'll explain that there's an aroma that reminds me of a local peach wood aged malt whiskey).

With a small bit of effort, caramel malt flavor with light hints of cherry is detected in the opening. A char-like bitterness seems eager to thwart my attempts, and giving into it... it's not that bad. Despite having learned how the olfactory and gustatory senses work together, I am not sure I have ever so distinctly noted in a drink how a sensation (the smoke/char notes in this case) mainly comes from the nose, flowing to and mainly affecting the finish of this beer. The opening notes are definitely dampened by dry grass and light char bitterness. A more distinctly smoky char finishes the beer as the aroma helps to accentuate it. A dry, medium strong smokiness lingers after each sip.

 

Do you happen to know when and where that beer was canned?

And as concerned olfactory there is the 'tricky' part of the two 'phases': orthonasal by sniffing the beer and retronasal as the aroma sneaking from the mouth to nose.

The majority of the time my perceptions of sniffing the beer matches the flavors of the beer while drinking (tasting) the beer but every once in a while I experience a difference in the flavor profile from sniffing vs. tasting.

Cheers!

 

I cannot see an indication as to when, but this is a beer that was produced in Germany and canned in CT. It was also purchased at a store that would not likely have old stock, and though I cannot speak to the distributor that services them, I'd assume it was a more recent batch.

Getting a bit geeky about the experience without any scientific backing, I'd say this was an orthonasal, specifically noted as aromas during a sip caused by my nose being in the glass as I take a sip (versus, say, the aromas from sniffing matching or influencing the taste).

I know retronasal affects exist, and most likely was involved in today's sensations, but I always took that as being an affect more for the aftertaste than during the taste. And today it just seemed like I could follow the path of the aromas as separate from and specifically re-joining the flavors on the palate today.

And no - no psychedelics were involved in today's tasting

 

I too will guess this was a retronasal effect.

Knowledgeable/experienced tasters (beer, wine, etc.) will sometimes (often?) detail a tasting in phases: initial tasting (sometimes referred to as the "attack"), mid-palate, and then aftertaste/finish. I often times associate the aftertaste/finish with the mouthfeel aspect of a tasting.

Distinguishing the difference between the initial tasting ("attack?) and the mid-palate can at times (most of the time?) be challenging for me depending on the specific brand of beer. When I can distinguish a notable difference on the mid-palate I will note it in my discussions but this is a minority event for me.

Cheers!

 

I think the term "evolution" can apply to this as well, no? There's also the evolution of the pour itself (right after poured through warming to oxidizing a degree).

I generally like beer (whiskey, wine, etc) where I notice some in-taste evolution better than those where I don't notice any. If I am posting in one of these tasting threads, I try to note any type of evolution I pick up on.

I also sometimes think the feel and aftertaste can meld in some beers - often with bitterness and dryness working together. In other cases, they seem a bit more separate. I might get a late coconut note in a BA stout, but I wouldn't say it felt like coconut; but that flavor might be due to a bit of sweetness than yields a less dry or thicker feel.

Trying to explain how I perceive these differences can be fun (or frustrating) to me. Seeing how others explain similar experiences can help lessen the number of frustrating times.

 

Good point. I personally refer to a beer as "opening up" a few (5-10) minutes after pouring. The combination of the beer warming up a bit and some CO2 off-gassing will have impacts to the drinking experience.

FWIW, I personally do not put much credence to a beer suffering from oxidation during the time frame it takes for me to drink a beer.

Cheers!

 

@JackHorzempa @cjgiant I’m enjoying this exchange very much. Occasionally I will breathe in through the nose and mouth just before a sip, if the aroma is vexing or particularly interesting. It’s not easy and can produce some interesting results.

 

Just remember the two fundamentals courtesy of two wise men:

1. Mr. Miyagi: “Breathe in, breathe out”.

2. Paul Hogan: drink the beer.



Cheers

 

Ahh ripper mate!