Chuckanut Rauch Bier

Brewed by Chuckanut Brewery and Kitchen
Style: Smoked
Bellingham, Washington USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

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UPDATED: NOV 9, 2009 In my initial rating of this lager, tasted fresh on site, I found it to be too forward with the smokiness, masking the subtlety of the fine lagers that Will Kemper and brewer Josh Kveim have been producing since arriving in town. However, it seems they’ve dialed the smokiness down a notch, and my last tasting was delightful, with a wonderful balance of light smoke with fine malt aroma, flavor, and aftertaste

Draught from Bottleworks. Transparent copper-colored appearance. Doesn’t look impressive. Bacon and smoke are noticed, while giving it a quick sniff. A subtle malt sweetness compliments the light smoke and cooked bacon flavors. The texture is great; it provides just the right amount of body . An eas drinker, with great flavors. Sent from my Droid.

Draft at the Collins Pub. Pours a bright coppery dark gold with a woolly platinum blond head. Nice bacony campfire nose. Creamy medium body, nice richness to it for a lager yeast. Lively carb. Bacon and campfire on the mid palate, very harmonious and balanced. Some malty complexity lingering under that but this isn’t a flavor profile to break down to component parts. It’s one to enjoy in its singularity. Great rauch.

Draught@Collins Pub, Seattle
Clear golden color, small white head. Grassy fresh hoppyness, sweet maltyness and hints of smoke in the nose. Light to medium-bodied. Flavor is sweetish malty, Saaz hoppy with light lingering smokeyness. Similar to Schlenkerla Lager.

On tap. Pours orange yellow with some off-white clings. Smells of dough, yeast, and sugar with just a slight hint of smoke. The smoke is more pronounced in the taste, however, combining with breadiness and toasted malts. Still mild.

I like the idea. Low alcohol, light smoke, low hopped LAGER rauchbier....good idea, really it is. This beer falls short because it is underattenuated and the smoke profile does not balance out the underattenuated sweetness. The smoked malt is slightly evident in the aroma and a bit savory on the palate, however it is quickly overrun by the sinewy sugar sweetness left over from either a low attenuating lager yeast or incomplete fermentation. Some Rauch Biers are full of smoke, some are too boozy, however this one needs a little bit more of both.

Draft @ Brouwers; clear light orange with thin white head; aromas of light smoked malts, caramel and nuts; drinks with lovely smooth texture and mouthfeel of malty goodness; nice level of smokiness with a raw almost fruity texture; dry subtle smoke; good stuff and one I’ll drink again the next time I see it

GABF 09. Pours a smokey copper color with a thin white head. Aroma is nutty toasty good clean smoke, some campfire, meaty and phenolic- good malt backbone. Flavor has some bacon, smoked meats, sausage, honey and maple bacon, crisp doughy malts,full caramelization, toffee, clean mineral and campfire finish.

Cask Stillage from the Jug at the GABF, Colorado Convention Center 25/09/2009 Some smoked aroma. Small white head. Golden bronze coloured and smoky witl a hint of dryness in a crisp malt finish.

Smoked cheddar aroma minus the cheddar. Clear toffee. Gentle smooth alder smoke flavor. Nutty.

Tan color, just a ring of head. Pleasant smokiness, not overdone, dominates the nose atop a background of wheat and grain. Easy smoky body, no off-flavors, good, moderate backbone to support, though not upstage the smokiness. Excellent grill-out beer. Appealingly nuanced smokiness. Probably deserves a higher rating as I already look forward to my next encounter with this one.