Lakefront My Turn #003 - Luther - Helles Rauchbier Lager

Brewed by Lakefront Brewery
Style: Smoked
Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

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Pours a golden color with a slight haziness to it. Develops a minimal white head that disappears quickly. Smells like dinner, some smoky ham and a bit bready, and a little woody if you look for it. Very salty on the tongue, as well as some sweetness and a tiny hop bite. Medium body, lightly carbonated, and a long salty aftertaste. I thought it was ok, would like to have at a BBQ for sure.

slightly murky golden color. strong smoke, slight smoky flavor. smooth.

Location: 22 oz bottle from Buy Rite, 1/2/13

Aroma: The nose is fairly malty, bread, straw, some medium smoke, and a hint of grassy hop
Appearance: It pours a hazy orange color with a small foamy off-white head and mild lace
Flavor: The flavor of this one is malty up-front, kind of bready, but not particularly sweet, with a light grassy-style hop presence to the finish. There’s also a smooth, clean smokiness (with some meaty notes to it) that carries lightly and evenly through the entire palate.
Palate: It is medium bodied, with a smooth, fairly clean feel, soft carbonation, and a lightly dry finish
Overall Impression: My first rating of 2013. Happy New Year! Anyway, I found a lot to like here. I thought there was a pretty decent use of the smoked malts, which flowed nicely though the full palate without overpowering the other components of the beer. Something I wouldn’t mind seeing Smoked beers do more often. Overall, I thought it was pretty well-made.

22oz bomber from Spirits Crossroads. Poured a clear bronze body with an average sized creamy bright white head. Aroma is like a smoked ham, hint of saltiness and a touch of sweetness as well. Fuller bodied with average carbonation and a quicker fading aftertaste, especially for a smoke beer. Flavor of light smoke, honey topped toast, meat, earth and some grass. Not bad but I wish more of that smoked ham aroma came thorough on the flavor....mmmmmm pig.

Pour out of 22 oz bottle, clear orange pour with thin white head, aroma brought notes of some caramel, toffee, slight cherrywood smoke, bacon, hints of earth, spice, vanilla, very campfire-like. Taste is a mix of wood smoke, earth, campfire, some bacon, hints of vanilla, finishing fairly dry, slightly sweet, smoky. This is a nicely made brew.

Bomber poured a hazy orange amber with a lingering ring of amber foam. Aromas of fruittiness, straw, light toasted malt and light smoke. Palate was light bodied and crisp. Flavors of straw, earthiness, smoke and light fruittiness with a crisp lingering lightly smoked finish.

Pours a very clean, golden color with a large bubbled head that fades quickly. Aroma has a tremendous amount of smoked malt kick with mild apple and two row maltiness. Flavor starts off with a strong ashy smokey flavor combined with a smooth grainy note early. A light sweetness comes in later in the tasting. Body is light/modest in heftiness and contains a low amount of carbonation. Overall an interesting combination that works pretty well together. I like the deception the color and lightness of a helles brings to this beer. Smoke note could be a little less to allow some more grainy notes to come through but an interesting brew overall.

Bottle:   Dirty straw, thin to moderate off-white head, little lacing.   Smoked malt nose, otherwise some straw and grassiness.   Sweet smoked malts on the tongue, pale grass/straw/hay notes.   Straight forward example, smokey but not overdone.   Softer than other examples.   Clean, smoke fades softly leaving a straw like flavor profile.   I will say it could stand to be a bit smokier.   Otherwise perhaps a good entry into the style as its a lighter example.

22oz bomber, no date from Ray’s liquor in Wauwatosa. Clear light golden with a one finger white head, fair retention. Nice dry smoky nose, some Lager yeastand lighter sulfur tones, biscuit malt. Flavor tastes like a smoky helles. Low bitterness, dry finish, very light lemon tinge with saltines. Mod prickly carbonation with a light body. Not too bad.

A decent helles. The smoke is not overwhelming, in fact its barely there. Almost everything about this beer is understated. A pale lager with a "pale" flavor and aroma. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though. A very nice session. Tried at the Cunigan’s tasting party in Oct of 2012.