Erie Brewing Smokebender Ale

Brewed by Erie Brewing Company
Style: Smoked
Erie, Pennsylvania USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

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Draft pint at Anthony’s in Harrisburg. Clear orange-gold with a small head. Nose is light smoke, grain and caramel. Flavor is the same. Light-medium body is an easy drinker. Much better with the smoked peat, than the bottle of regular Railbender I tried years ago.

On tap for growler fills at Half Time. Pours a clear golden orange with a thin white to beige head. Smoke, sweet malt and caramel. Toasty and sweet with a nice hint of smoke, and a bit of caramel. Sweet and smoky, but the smoke goes away briefly in the middle. Returns at the end a little. A bit too sweet overall.

On tap at Barcade, Brooklyn. It pours an amber colour with light carbonation and a very thin beige head. The nose is smoke, caramel, orange and honey. The taste is tangy orange, orange blossom, apricot, mango, wood, resin, caramel and honey, with some light smoke towards the finish. The balance of flavour is pretty good. Decent smoked beer.

Tap at Barcade. Pours a deep copper woody brown with a thin head. Aroma is a strange meaty smoke- similar to beechwood, but then a slight peatiness mixed in which doesn’t get overpowering but still isn’t that enticing- some toast, burnt notes, dough, yeast, and slight fruity ester. Flavor is biscuit, toast, and more smoke, with a relatively cleanish peat smoke - not out of hand a slight bit ropey and leathery, burnt toast, yeast, and fruity ester- slight slickness. For Erie and for a peat beer, this wasnt all that bad, I had no problem finishing the pint which surprised me.

Krystal clear apple cider body, and a creamy white top. The nose has wood, malt, and some funk. Mouth is mild bodied, but with a foamy density of an irish stout. Grassy American hops are prominent on the palate, but tepid in bitterness. Good, thick beer.

1/8/10. On tap. Mild musty smokey/meaty aroma. Malty caramel flavor with a solid dose of smokey, meaty goodness. Subtle, and would be a good rauch for people to try at first.

Tallahassee, Fl - Momo’s Pizza - on tap. Dark amber colored pour, glinty, with an off-white bubbly head. Aroma is of fresh smoked meat. Crisp flavor with hints of smoked salmon, peat, wee bit of tobacco juice and a slight bit of fruitness. Finish has a touch f band aid flavor to it. Mouthfeel is crisp and sharp. Not bad at all.

tap at Blind Tiger for EDA’s B-day party - wasn’t expecting this to be rated so lowly... thought it has a nice sweet base, lightly hopped and light smoke that you sort of get used to as you get into it and as the beer warms up. Thought the balance was pretty good.

On tap, @ ABE airport. Pours a clear dark copper body with a one finger fizzy off-white head that fell to a wispy film. Very light smoke on the nose with some caramel and toasted malts. The quality of the smoke is decent though. The flavor is a little thin with light campfire smokiness and a slightly sweet toasted maltiness. Finishes like there’s some crystal malt in there cause I’m getting that iced tea and brown sugar note that I don’t care for. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a little stickiness on the finish. Moderate soft carbonation. Not the best, but at least there’s a little smoke.

Draft at Magic City Brewfest. Poured dark amber. Aroma and flavor are lots of smoke, some peat, a little of that Islay medical gauze, some malt. A little thin, when all is said and done. I always like rauchbiers more in the abstract than in person. And not nearly up to the gold standard of Schlenkerla’s Rauchbier.