Craftsman Smoked Black Lager

Brewed by Craftsman Brewing Co.
Style: Smoked
Pasadena, California USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

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Draft. Brown beer with a tan head. Light smoke and light caramel aroma. Light caramel and light smopke flavor with light fruitiness. Medium bodied. Light caramel and light smoke lingers.

Sampled on 8/17/11 at Beer Revolution. This smoked beer pours a dark black color from the tap. Medium to small sized white foamy head, with good retention and nice lacing. The aroma is malt, smoke, fruit and coffee. A medium bodied smoked beer. The malts are fruity, caramel, chocolate and coffee. The hops are earthy and herbal. Nice balance. Decent carbonation. Nice mild smoky flavor throughout. More smoke in the aroma than in the taste. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Draft at Beer Revolution, bartender recommended... quaffable light smoked beer, lots of chocolate but has an overall very malty character that gets in the way a bit, worth trying

Full pint sample. Pours with a near black body with a foam tan head that lasts. Aromas are light smokey, alder wood, light leather, bacon. Overall: malty and bready. Really minimal hops. Flavors are bread, grainy, chocolate, light roast, toasty, grainy, clean, with light smoke. Medium to lively bubbles. Dry.

Tap at Churchills S.D. Dark murky brown color. Aroma of damp mop. Perhaps the rag used to clean the glass... Taste is slightly sweet, like a charred lager with added sugar. Meh.

Tap at Churchills S.D. Dark murky brown color. Aroma of damp mop. Taste is slightly sweet, like a charred lager with added sugar.

On tap at the Linkery. Pours a deep black with a white ring. Aroma of mild smoke, toasted malt, meat, and wood. Taste of sausage and other meats, smoke, malt, wood. Lingering smoky meat. Pretty good.

A: The pour is a brownish color with a bit of off-white/khaki head. S: Oh lord, this beer smells like sulfurous farts. Rotten eggs, salt, burnt rubber, and sweaty, dirty feet. T: Once I was able to get passed the aroma, I found sulfur, pretzels, salt, chocolate and spoiled eggs. It’s not quite as bad as the nose, but that is really no consolation. M: The body is medium and there is a moderate level of carbonation. D: No, just no. I know I’m not the biggest smoked beer person, but what’s wrong with this beer is not even the smoke (especially since I don’t notice any).

On tap @ Beachwood BBQ.Clear deep ruby with a small beige head, fair retention. The aroma is diacetyl-ridden, so much that it blocks out any smoke. There is a hint of roast, though. Flavor is much the same with moderate sweetness. Bitterness peaked at a 2-3 in the finish. Light body with light prickly carbonation. Pretty disappointing--a bad batch, perhaps?

Black with a fizzy white head. Faint chocolate and smoke aroma. Sweet malty caramel and chocolate taste. Decent.