 cquiroga (370), Sylmar, California, USA
Oct 15, 2006
10/15/06. Poured out of 12 oz. bottle, obtained in a trade with Jetsbeer on BeerAdvocate 7/18/06. Rated blind. Hazy orange-caramel color, poured with a small and mostly diminishing cream-colored head that sits with a tight film surrounded by a pebbly rim. Lacing and sub-surface lacing are both pretty poor, hardly sticking at all no matter the temperature or how much head is stirred up out of solution. Still, the color and the thin tuft of head is alluring. Call it "a high 2." Aroma is brightly yeasty at first, spiced and spicy enough to remind me of a Unibroue pseudo-Belgian, then swiftly opens up to a cleanly tangy, smokey, and woody (cedar chips) medley. Fairly faint overall, and I find an interesting play with the smokiness fading in and out with the yeastiness. Not very malt-forward. Flavor is softly and delicately woody, smokey, not really meaty at all, and seeming German in its malt-hop interplay (lightly peppery and dry hop profile with no piney and little-to-no vegetal notes, slightly toasty and caramelly but not very sweet malt character). Sublimely creamy and smooth integration of the carbonation makes it nicely drinkable, matching the slight tang and dryness of the smokey wood character. Finish sucks the moisture out of your mouth and leaves a lovely toasty, smokey trail. Some baked appley fruit notes in there too. Medium-thin body and almost no alcohol apparency. Extremely solid but somehow lacking that extra oomph, most notably in the nose, to really impress.
Rciesla (1136), Brick City, New Jersey, USA
Oct 31, 2008 Bottle post closing of HW. Pours a dark amber brown body with a white head. Smoke peat with sweet malt, cherry notes and spices. Decent.
unclemike (426), Ft. Riley, Kansas, USA
Oct 25, 2008 thanks beerloco Quite foamy, almost burst out of the glass before calming itself down. Hazy peach-orange body. Good nose, lightly smoky, peaty, bit grassy as well. Good malts in flavor, sweetness mixed with definite smoke character. Bit of berry as well as a fruit undertone. A bit astringent at the end. Not a great smoked beer, but it’s good to see people trying the smoked style. Still pretty darn good.
dalekliz (292), San Diego, California, USA
Oct 20, 2008 Bottle, thanks to WeeHeavySD for sharing. Pours a hazy, reddish-amber with a white ring. Sweet malt aroma, with notes of spices and yeast. Taste of sweet malt, a bit of bandaid, spices, and smoke. Lingering smokiness. Interesting.
JMFG (1202), Florida, USA
Sep 27, 2008 Courtesy SoLan. Slightly cloudy copper color with orange hues. Lightly smoky grainy aroma, background sweetness. Sweetness less forward on the taste, mild smoke, clean finish. Not bad.
Beerlando (1460), Orlando, Florida, USA
Sep 10, 2008 Courtesy SoLan. Pours a hazy burnt orange color wit a small, frothy, cream colored head. Soapy micro-spots of lacing mark the glass. The aroma shows notes of smoky malts, toasty bread, caramel malts, and hints of earthy, smoked spices and aged hops. Flavors show more of those robust, smoky malts and toasted biscuit, a slight caramel sweetness lending balance to the earthy, savory notes. Medium-plus bodied and lightly carbonated, the mouthfeel is what I would expect at this age. I can’t believe how well this brew has held up over time. This must have been a homerun when fresh, because it’s still pretty damn solid right now.
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