Bièropholie Calumet Grand Chef

Formerly brewed at Bièropholie
Style: Smoked
, Canada

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

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UPDATED: FEB 24, 2008 My Bottom Line:
This luxurious Smoked Porter sports an affable wooden and peaty smokiness atop a most huggable roasted caramel. Serene and ample, its prominent residual sugars are intelligently offset by the roasted malt’s dryness, the leveled salty smoke and a subtle leafy hop touch. A world-class specimen from Bièropholie!

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A ring of foam surveils the nearly opaque ebony.
-Subtle raisiny, blueberry fruitiness adds to the complexity, seemingly seeping out of the dark chocolate.
-The smoke is never too intense, and offers earthy and peaty notes on top of its wooden character.
-There is no sign of the abv; this is absurdly drinkable.
-Vanilla and coffee appear once in a while.
-This is richer than the original Calumet, and perhaps a little less drinkable because of it, but if you’ve ever wondered how the first Calumet would translate into a sipper, your wishes have been granted.

Fresh bottles and on tap at various places.

Tap at Vices et Versa. Beer of the trip. Easily. I’d place this in my top 20 very quickly. Now I just need to score some bottles of it. Very smoky, clean, hammy aroma. Slight mint and chocolate. Good complexity. Taste is uber-smoky, with a perfect porter to back it up. Finish is intensely awesome. All this is compounded by an absolutely beautiful pour with immaculate lacing down the glass. I loved this beer.

Pours an oily black-brown with a deep mahogany tinge when held against the light. Dense dark tan pad of a head has excellent low retention and generates lace until the final sip. This looks stunning! Hardwood smokiness is the first aroma to register, followed by a coarse pungent leatheriness. A smokey, bitter chocolate palate feels rich and thick in the mouth. There is not so much a fruity quality as there is an acidity to this beer that keeps it from becoming cloying. There is a sound woody or peach-pit bitterness in the finish. This was a huge treat for me, I can’t believe I’ve been saving this for so long!

Had one just after a regular Calumet. Both are very good, no doubt about it. But the other one is smooth, this one rocks the hell out of the ordinary. For anyone who appreciate the flavor of smoked malt in a beer, this one is really intense. The hop bitterness and the overall quality of this brew is far beyond being interesting: it’s all truly great! Appropriate carbonation brings forward a rich texture, with notes of dark chocolate and espresso hidden troughout an obviously aggressive smokey taste. By a brewer to whom the name of the beer, Grand Chef, applies.

1100th rating, 70th of this beer, bottle via trade with Glouglouburp, decided to open this pretty much because my girlfriend loves smoked beers and this is the 2nd rated Smoked, and well I had it. Pours black with a half finger light brown head. The nose is ridiculously smoky and meaty. Its pretty damn hardcore. Taste is incredibly smoky and full of smoke and burnt malts. This is a crazy smoked beer. Its almost crazy intense. This is a crazy beer, and pretty much defines the style for me.

Pours with a dark tan head that slowly and barely recedes. Micro-dot lacing. The body is very dark brown, almost black, oily and nearly completely opaque. The aroma is not heavily smoked, but the smoke is adequate to say the least - very meaty with little astringent ashy notes, just lovely. Chocolate notes are full throttle, streaming in a solid line from the glass and into the deepest reaches of the nasal cavities. Roasted grains and toffee/caramel notes are pure, vibrant and perfectly integrated into the nose. Alcohol is only mildly noticeable. This smells like ice cream, with smoky coffee, chocolate and goodies. Awesome, nearly a ten. The flavor is mildly lactic and smoke is partially hidden behind a milky affront, initially. Smoke is soft and fluctuates between very mildly acrid and highly sweet. Cocoas and light sugars blend seemlessly with roasty malt. Sweetness is medium, occasionally drifting to medium-high. Bitterness is low and hidden in a smoky mist. The finish is lightly bitter, medium sweet, chocolatey and coffee-laden. The mouthfeel is medium-full bodied and lightly sticky, softly carbonated(fizzy pockets), ridiculously smooth. An impressive beer, yummy.

12 ounce bottle purchased at Fromagerie du Marché Atwater - consumed out of a hotel wine glass - pours dark ruby, nearly black, with a soapy lace - wonderfully smoky, woody aroma, with caramelized sugars and toasted marshmallow, tobacco, charred oak - chocolate - creamy, full mouthfeel - perfect balance of choco-sweet malts, charred character, light tartness, leafy tobacco - a little vinous character late - fantastic beer.

Bottle: Poured a deep pitch-black color porter with a medium brown foamy head with good retention and some good lacing. Aroma of smoked malt is well balance with some rich roasted malt with hint of sweetness. Taste of smoked is very well balance with some rich and creamy lightly bitter roasted malt. Body is really full with a creamy texture and some medium carbonation. I am really impressed by this one since I generally don’t like smoked beers.

Considering the style, Scores ranging from 1 to 5, 5 being the most intense
Appearance:
Body:   Clear(1)->Murky(5) : 2     Light Brown(1)->Pitch Black(5) : 3     Still(1)->Sparkling(5) : 3
Head:   None(1)->Large(5) : 4   Off-White(1)->Dark Brown(5) : 3   Lasting: 2   Lacing : 2   Nitro : XX
Aroma:
Intensity : 4  
Yeast : XX   Bread : XX   Apple : XX   Tropical Fruits : XX   Ink : XX   Tar : XX   Olives : XX   DMS : XX
Malt : 5   Biscuity : 4   Burnt Toast : XX   Caramel : 2   Nuts : XX   Pumpernickel : XX   Cereals : XX   Coffee : 2   Dark Chocolate : XX   Vanilla : 2   Grapes : XX   Blackberries : 3   Cherries : XX
Hops : 2   Noble(1)->American(5) : 2   Leafy : XX   Floral : XX   Lemon/Lime : XX   Grapefruit : XX Orange : XX   Herbal : XX   Pine/Spruce/Resin : XX
Notes :   Earth : 2   Wood : 4   Mint : XX   Smoke : 5   Soy : XX   Bourbon : XX   Anise : XX
Flavor:
Initial Flavor : Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 4   Finish Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 4   Sourness : XX   Lactic : XX   Bitterness : 2   Complex : 3   Length : XX
Palate:
Light(1)->Full(5) : 4   Flat(1)->Fizzy(5) : 2   Clean : XX   Sharp : XX   Watery : XX   Oily : XX   Chalk : XX   Astringent : XX   Alcohol : XX   Mineral : XX   Oxidation : XX   Metallic : XX

Comments: A solid structure, eminently malty with profound beechwoody Bamberg nuances. The hefty dose of residual sugars impart delicate honeyed, oatmeal cookies and cakey subtleties. Soft bitterness. Absolutely excellent.

Courtesy dsnowden. Pours a dark brown with a small off tan head. Great nose. Big chocolatey smoke aroma, carame malts, and morning bacon. very nice. The flavor is smoky, but not overpowering smoke, with a big chocolate essence and syrupy malts. The mouthfeel is full flavored and pretty thick bodied. Not overly sweet, but he finish has some dessert sweetness to it. Actually pretty rich tasting with a smoky, yet sweet aftertaste. I really enjoyed this brew alot.