Hollister The J

Brewed by Hollister Brewing Company
Style: Smoked
Goleta, California USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

Wow. I love this beer. This is, without a doubt, one of the most interesting beers I’ve ever tried. It’s made with a generous helping of smoked hemp seeds (hence the name and the smoke flavor other reviewers have referred to). The body and color is typical of a brown ale. The mouth feel is solid if unspectacular. The head is about a finger thick, and the lacing is good. However, what makes this beer stand out is smoky aroma and flavor. The best way I can describe this beer is that it tastes like somebody rolled a joint using bacon instead of paper, then smoked it around a campfire. Yes, that’s right - it has definite bacon flavors, and although this sounds awful, the actual taste is delicious. You will not find something similar anywhere else.

The beer is amber in color with an off-white/khaki head. The smoke comes through as the initial aroma. It’s got the usual semi-salty and woody aroma to it as well as a fair amount of toast and some toffee. While smokey, the flavor is not overwhelmingly so. Toasted malt and bread flavor with a hint of toffee. There might even be just a little bit of fruitiness to it, too.

My Bottom Line:
This spicy and fruity Smoked Ale is a marvel of subtlety and drinkability, concluded by relatively dry and salty smoke fumes.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam covers the deep amber.
-The smoke character reminds me of Briess’s cherry-smoked malts. But the esters and hemp might be playing tricks on me...
-The soft bubbling and slick body make for a very polished mouthfeel.
-The finish is low on leafy hop bitterness.
-This reminds me of a less intense Dieu du Ciel Charbonnière.

On tap at the brewpub.

Brown with a nice off white head. Aroma is light smoke, caramel, light roastiness. Taste is a nice smokiness, balanced by a caramel sweetness.

Wow - this was one of the most creative beers I’ve had in a while. Smoky and salty aroma - like the description says, almost like wood smoke. The appearance was like an amber or red ale, and the flavor was like a scotch beer, but a fair bit sweeter.

On tap at the brewery. Quite a good smoked from someone who is not the biggest fan of the style. Pours with a clear amber body and an off-white head with great lacing. Slightly smokey aroma. Taste is a nice, light smokeyness, covering a quite hoppy ale. Syrupy mouthfeel and slightly lively bubbles.

Sampled at the Toronado in San Diego. Slightly smoked aromas and flavors. Interesting how subtle it was. Pretty good.

Draft at Toronado San Diego. Amber orange color with decent head. Smoky aromas were nice. Flavors were still smoky with some sweetness and hints of grain. Pretty good stuff. First Hollister Beer.